Amauro's
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Amauro "Amar" Austin is another of our trusty observers. He is not to be confused with Ruben Amaro, the Phillies' assistant general manager. Like "Huck" Palmer, Amauro is a West Catholic graduate. He will make reports on the MANY games he sees. You may e-mail him at Thurlbough@hotmail.com. Tell him you appreciate his hint of a smile in the new photo.
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Games seen by "Amar" in Jan., 2002 . . .
JAN. 30
NON-LEAGUE
Episcopal Academy 78, Robert Lamberton 54
The story of this one lied at the end of the 2nd Qtr
& the start of the 3rd. That was when the Churchmen went to work going on two runs of
11-2 & 14-2. That's 25-4 all together. The score was tied at 25 before this. Also EA
dropped 23 dimes on 26 baskets. That's amazing. The Blue Devils wouldn't have won this one
if they suited up 2000 star Brandon "Pooh" Gary, who was in
attendance -- well maybe. EA was led as always by Sr. Strongman,
Terrence Mack. Mack scored 18 Points & snatched 22 Boards. He also
blocked 3 shots and had a soaring slam over 3 Blue Devils with them hanging on him during
the run that probably took everything out of them. His main help came from Jr.
PG Ronnie Frazier. Frazier went for 19 Points, 7 Boards & 4 Assists. I have
really been impressed with him as I've seen him twice in the last two weeks. He has gotten
alot stronger and has made some authoritative moves. He seems to be very confident in his
abilities now and that is the first step to being a successful basketball player. He
wasn't always the most confident kid. Jr. WG-PG Matt Deasey started slow
but then picked it up. He wound up with 15 Points (3-for-9 from deep) & 6
Assists. Soph. G Brian Shanahan also got into the mad-bombing exhibition
with 11 Points (3-for-5 from deep) & 3 Assists off the bench. For Lamberton, it seems
that every time I come out 6-3 Sr. lefty, Marcus Johnson steps up
his game. He ended up with 22 Points (9-for-14 (2 treys), 2-for-4) & 14 Rebounds. He
scored 14 of those in the 2nd Qtr. He went to work in that frame. The normal go-to guy is 5-10
Sr. WG Chris Tucker. "Tuck" just didn't have his way today as he
settled for 10 Points on 4-for-20 shooting (2-of-10 on treys). He didn't go to the
line once and he was fouled many times. You gotta expect the worst on the road
though. I also like the way Jr. PG Nafis "Webb" Shamsud-din (11
Points, 7 Assists & 4 Steals) plays the game. He's lightning quick with the ball
and he just competes and plays hard. He, too, was fouled many times going in the land of
the trees with no results. Coach Kurtz has done a very good job with this
team. They could have easily gone into the tank after the devastating losses they
incurred, but they haven't. They have had some impressive wins over Furness &
FLC. However, they have also lost to Audenried. Back to "Pooh", he is home
for the moment after a stint at Panola JC in Texas. He never played there. His
situation is a little in disarray for the moment, but I hope that everything works out for
him. He has the talent to play in the Money League some day. Coach Kurtz always
has a funny story to tell. In this one, he went on about Huck's summer
camp experience. He said, "I told Ed I needed him on Football and 5 minutes later he
was at the Baseball field. Everytime I wanted him to go somewhere, he'd end up at the
Baseball field."
JAN. 29
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Haverford School 50, Chestnut Hill Academy 48 (OT)
I went into this one thinking, oh boy, why am I here, but hey
these kids need love too. They play hard and they give it their all. This wasn't an all
bad experience. It was solid, competitive basketball. The Fords were led in this one by Sr.
G Cameron Youngblood's 15 Points, 7 Boards & 2 Steals. 'Blood made some nice
quick drives in the lane and did a nice job of handling the PG duties down the stretch.
His main help in this one came from Soph. F Dan Coleman. Coleman went for
13 Points (5-for-7, 3-for-6 FT), 11 Rebounds & 3 Blocks. He has some promise. I like
his build (6-2/6-3 with very long arms), his athleticism and his intensity. The Ford MVP,
however, was Sr. F Brandon Conrad (7 Pts, 7 Rebs & 4 Assts). Conrad,
an unorthodox lefty, made a driving lay-up to send this one to OT and then in OT he made
the game winning put back with 3 secs remaining. If that wasn't enough, he assisted on
both of the other baskets in OT. For CHA, Sr. WG Nick Levine led with 17
Points & 8 Rebounds. He got much help from Jr. F Ed O'Reilly with 16
Points & 9 Boards. He just didn't have the same intensity after picking up
his 4th personal. If so, the Hillers probably win this game. I also liked Jr. PG
Jake Kind (7 Assists). He has some Chris Kozole in his game. (High socks, flair,
etc.)
JAN. 26
SCHOLASTIC SPORTS CLASSIC
St. Augustine Prep (NJ) 79, Strawberry Mansion 71 (OT)
This was great test for Jr. Super-Guard Maureece
Rice. I really wanted to see how he would play against a team from a different
environment and he passed the test with flying colors. This St. Augustine team has 3 D1
signees and atleast 2 or 3 others who project as D1's down the line. That's 5 or 6 total.
How would Rice and company handle this situation? Well early, it looked as if they'd go
straight in the tank, but as time went on they settled down and figured that the Hermits
were not much better. Rice went for 29 Points on 10-of-21 shooting, 4-of-8 on treys. The
thing that most impressed me was the fact that he took control of his team and the game
for that matter in the 2nd half of the this one. Rice was more vocal than I've ever seen
him. He was easily the best player on the floor. I feel that he is one of the Top 10
Off-Guards in the Jr. Class in the country. Its up to him to prove that now. For most
evaluators including me, he is a tough guy to project. He's what I call a
"situation guy." He has the tools to play anywhere and compete with
anybody, yet he needs to be in the right situation to be utilized in the right way.
I always bring up the point that this kid just gets the job done when I talk to
the experts. I was really impressed in this one with the Knight Big men 6-6
Jr. Delton Morgan-Hines & 6-5 Sr. Dawud Morris. They battled
the much bigger & stronger Hermit front line(6-8 & 6-7 starters & 6-8 &
6-5 off the bench) and I feel that they outplayed them in the second half. Hines went for
15 Points & 8 Boards. He was key today. I feel that he is a D1 player. Morris (12
Rebounds, 4 Assists) is one of the city's better post defenders. He would be a
steal for a D3 school and good for a D2. He has some skill. He is a slightly
bigger, yet less polished version of Bonner's Anthony Bennett.
Nevertheless, Morris is a warrior and he is surprisingly skilled. Sr. WG
Aaron Brown (2-for-9 10 Points) never really got rollin' in this one due to foul
trouble. I still like his possibilities. I wonder how this one would have went if Coach
Hendricks didn't sit normally reliable Sr. PG Maurice Stennis
out of this one for violating team rules. I think that that factor was partial cause for
the slow start. It was good to see and old familiar face in Neumann transfer, 6-7
225-lb Sr. Siena signee Michael Haddix (17 Points, 9 Boards & 3 Blocks). Sr.
Lefty PG Scott Greenman (Princeton) was on fire early, but cooled off late
as he went for 28 Points (19 in the 1st Half) on 8-for-17, 6-for-9 from deep
& 6-for-7 from the line. Mansion's demise rooted in their 22-of-40 (55%)
performance from the foul line. With better foul shooting, the Knights win this game.
JAN. 26
CLASSIC (another game)
John Bartram 58, Chester 55
Well for now, the undefeated streak (18-0) is in
tact, but this Bartram Braves team drives me more and more nuts every time out. I hate to
say this, but this team may need to lose a game to come to a realization that they can't
sleepwalk through games for stretches at a time against quality opponents and still win.
For now it keeps working, but sooner or later, probably sooner before later, somebody is
going to solve the Brave puzzle and send them a message and it could be sooner before
later as they face Gratz at Gratz on Thurs. I'll say this, I'm putting in my vote for the
Bulldogs to be the #1 Team in the City and the Area for Monday's Paper and not the
undefeated Braves. Maybe, this will give them something to shoot for and motivate them
because I hope they don't think they'll be going to 18th & Hunting Park on Thursday
with this attitude. It will truly be something to see, but I think I'll pass because I
won't be able to take it. Why am I goin through all of this dialogue? Well here
goes. The Braves were whippin' the always tough Chester Clippers you know what's in the
1st Half of this game and showed why they are probably the best team in the area when
they want to be. They were up by as many as 21 (36-15) in the 2nd Qtr. Then for some odd
reason, they looked disinterested and complacent. They looked as if they could care less
and late in the 4th Qtr as the Clippers took a 50-48 lead on a Sr. PG Damir
Roberts (11 Points, 4 Assists, 3 Steals & key to the comeback) three. Then it
happend as it always seems to as Sr. WG Richard Francis (5-for-14,
3-for-4 on treys, 3-for-3 FTs for 16 Points) hit a dead-center trey to give the
Braves back the lead for good. When will it end? One of these days "the
Franchise" won't have one in him. He's done it atleast 5 times this season. I'm
starting to think that this team likes to play from behind. That's when they get
rollin'. Jr. PG Charles Jones was solid in the first half, but I know
that he wasn't happy with how he played in the 2nd. He did, however wake up by hitting 4
straight free thows to put this one away. He finished with 16 Points, 7 Boards, 4 Assists
& 3 Steals, but he had a host of Turnovers after being shaken up in the 2nd Half after
a collision. He felt real dizzy afterward. 6-9 Jr. F-C Jason Cain (12
Points, 13 Boards, 3 Blocks, 3 Steals) put up solid numbers despite the fact that he
hasn't even come remotely close to realizing his potential. He always shows flashes, but
just isn't strong enough with the ball yet to do all of the things that he can do. He
needs to work on his upper body strength more than anything. I'd like to see him come back
atleast 15-20 pounds heavier next year. He's about 195 now, but I just don't think that
he's one of those kids that can play skinny at the next level. Some can get by, some just
can't. Jr. WG Bryant Leach (6 Pts, 6 Rebs & 5 Assts) & Jr.
F Khalil Abdus-Salaam (11 Boards) could have both been better. Both will have
better days as the tougher part of the schedule looms. The Braves go through a stretch in
which they have 4 Brutal ones in a row starting @ Gratz on Thurs. and ending
@ U-City on Tues February 12th.
JAN. 25
CATHOLIC LEAGUE NORTH
Archbishop Ryan 53, Bishop McDevitt 40
I went out to this one because I hadn't seen Ryan yet on
the season. I knew that they had some quality guards and they McDevitt was normally
entertaining so I said hey, Why not? The Raiders didn't disappoint either. They were led
in this one by 6-0 Sr. PG Chris Kozole. I love the way this kid
approaches the game. He could be a great D3 player. He's bold, brassy, confident &
tough. He controlled this game without even really scoring. His finishing line was very
impressive: 8 Points, 7 Boards, 3 Assists & 7 Steals.
The 4th Quarter was his as he only took one shot, but he made play after play after play.
At the 5 Minute mark with McDevitt down 5 and getting back in it, the ever-tricky Kozole
put on a ball-handling exhibition around Lancer lefties Mike Ross & Chris Hanes and
threw a sick no look pass to 6-2 Jr. WG Mike Devine (9P, 7R, 5A) for a
lay-up. Kozole mixes atheticism, trickery and all-out hustle. He is one of my favorites to
watch. He's this team's best passer and Rebounder! I could imagine him running with a
bunch of athletes. He'd get 10 Assists a game. Devine doesn't do anything special, yet he
just seems to get the job done. He also has grown and gotten stronger since last year. He
does a little bit of everything well. 6-1 Sr. WG Brendan O'Malley led the
scoring with a mid-range jump shooting barrage for 17 Points. 6-3 Sr. F Andy
MacDonald is their top inside threat. He finished with 13 Points of his own. I
like 6-4 Soph. F Joe Mullin's (5R, 3B) potential. He didn't score in this
one, but looks like he'll be a player down the line. I really like diminutive 5-7
Jr. PG Sergio Colon. He really gave this team a spark in the 2nd Qtr to take
control of this game. He plucked 4 Steals in this one with his gnat-like defense. He is a
pest to say the least. The Lancers' demise lied in their 21 Turnovers. Sr. PG
Isaiah Pinckney was below average with 11 Points & 6 Assists. He made
too many turnovers and took some bad shots, some from never, never land. I'm starting to
worry about 6-5 Jr. F Mike Ross (1-for-6, 2 Points). I loved him the
first time I saw him, but now I don't know what to make of him. Today he fumbled around
with the ball and bobbled Rebounds, he always seemed to be in a rush and he just didn't
finish. He did lead all Window Cleaners with 9. I did like the other southpaw 6-2
Jr. WG Chris Hanes. Hanes is brassy and confident. He scored 8 Points
& grabbed 9 Boards of his own. The Krazy Korner was in full
effect with their chants of "Jumpin' Jack Rutter" and my personal favorite,
"Who wears short shorts?, 15 (Devine) wears short shorts." That one was
hilarious.
JAN. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Engineering & Science 53, Ben Franklin 47
The volume on this one started on mute. There was no
excitement, just a turnover party. However, things changed in the 2nd Half as this one
became fast and furious and the volume went up to full blast. This was indeed an ugly
outing, yet very entertaining. The Engineers won behind the play of their big three: Sr.
G Andrew Hightower, Sr. G Justin Scott & 6-5 Sr. F
Matt Jefferson. Hightower led the scoring with 18 Points on 6-for-10 shooting
& 6-for-7 from the line. He also picked 3 pockets. Hightower has a strong upper body
and he finished very well in traffic. He looked the best he's looked all season. Scott was
the best all-around Engineer today as he went for 14 Points, 5 Rebounds & 6 Assists.
There's no doubt that he is this team's leader. He is one of the League's smarter players
and he's tougher than people may think. He's also already qualified for Freshman
eligibility. All D2's should come out and maybe even the Patriot League schools. He's a
very impressive kid all-around, not just Basketball. Jefferson is this team's best
prospect. He is a PF for now, but I could see his future on the wing. Matt has a nice Mid
Range touch and some serious hops. He dunks over people. In a Fall showcase, he windmill
dunked over 6-11 Ted Skuchas! He has some Low 1's sniffin', namely Rider
and just like Scott every D2 should be involved. Jefferson spent much of the 1st and all
of the 2nd Qtrs on the bench with 2 fouls. He wound up being the MVP of this game though
as blocked 8 key shots. He only scored 6 Points & grabbed 7 Rebounds, both below
average. I like 6-6 Jr. C Andrew Martin's (7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks)
possibilities. As he gets more confidence, he get better and better. He is starting
to get it now. Sr. G Lamont Mathews scored all 8 of his points in the
4th. He also plucked 3 Steals. For the Electrons, Jr. PG Darnell Corbitt (13
Points, 7 Assists & 6 Steals) was a whirlwind after having to sit out much of the
1st Quarter for skipping practice. Corbitt shot a terrible 5-for-18 from the field,
but he still was probably the best player on the floor. The word penetrate in the
dictionary should have his picture next to it. He does it at will. He just needs to
stop settling for those 25 foot jump shots. He's a penetrator/creator, not a jump
shooter. He could be really good if he fine tunes his game, I mean really good. His
defense is second to none as he just plays a hard, physical game. I question his attitude
though and how serious he is about this. Time will tell? Jr. G Brian "Sugar
Bear" Smith Jr. also plays that hard style of game. He made some nice trick
shots in this one and flirted with a triple-double. He went for 7 Points, 7 Boards & 8
Steals. I really like undersized, 6-2 Sr. F Danny Jackson (12 Window
Cleaners). He does yeoman's work for this team. In attendance were Lynn Greer Jr. &
Sr. Both are A-Class people. Lynn Jr. (97'), Will Chavis (98'),
John Cox (99') & Michael Anderson (84') all have
their numbers retired on the Engineer wall.
JAN. 25
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Simon Gratz 64, University City 46
Oh how I love night games. I got to Jag-ville at the end
of the JV game as this was a JV-Varsity Double-header. U-City & Gratz will forever be
linked by the wild 95' Championship game. I'll tell you what, the Jags didn't look too bad
in this one. They competed well, but in the end the Dogs were too strong. The Bulldogs
were led by the Charles Oakley of High School Hoops Micheal
Blackshear Jr. Mike went for 16 Points (7-for-10, 2-for-4), 19 Rebounds, 3
Assists & 4 Steals. The one stat that made me laugh was the fact that he has no fouls.
I'm still laughing at that. This kid just may be the most physical player in the land and
no fouls? I saw at least 3. One comment that I must make is forget best 6-7 and under, I
saw many of the Nation's top guns last Spring and Summer and there may not be a finer
rebounder in the country that "Black". He has made an art out of it. He goes up
ther and snatches them with one hand, cuffs them. He's the best. Once again I left
impressed with Jr. G's Tariq Wharton & Omar Johnson. Wharton was
money from deep. He went 4-for-4 from trey-land for 14 Points. Johnson went for 11 Points
& 6 Assists. Sr. WG Maurice "Marty" Collins struggled a
bit, but still put in 10 Points. He blocked 4 Shots though. U-City was led by 6-3
Jr. PG Tasheed Carr. Carr was the best player on the floor today not named
Blackshear. He's back playing the point full time and he did it in star-like fashion. He
only scored 6 Points in 2-of-10 shooting, but he was poised and under control. His other
stats were 9 Assists & 5 Steals. He attacked the Bulldogs from the start. The more I
see him, the more I like him. He could be a Big Timer in time. He just has to work on his
jump shot and his (left) off hand. His jumper is a little flat. He is smart though as he
seems to set up on the left a lot to hide his off hand deficiency. That is what smart
players do, hide their weaknesses and nobody else knows. John Stockton
can't go left and he's one of the greatest PG's to ever lace 'em up, but you'd never know
unless you really paid attention. Sr. F Magen McNeil is a Big Time
athlete, but he still plays in warp speed and just needs to slow down a bit. He does
everything in fast forward. He was better today than the last time I saw him as he went
for 10 Points, 9 Boards & 4 Blocks. He had one dunk on the break that brought the
house down, but he also had many turnovers and missed Rebounds just from not being
patient. He could be a quality D2 and I believe that he may already be qualified. I really
like Sr. Swingman Demetrius "Meech" Wilkerson (10 Points &
7 Boards). He is a great athlete as well and he is strong. He battled the much bigger
Blackshear tooth and nail on more than one occasion. He really showed his heart. Every D3
school could use a kid like "Meech." This place was filled with many of the
people of city circles. Reps from Towson U & Coppin St.
were in attendance. U-City is one of my favorite stops because I get to encounter
long-time timer, Merl. He is one of the most hilarious people you'll ever
meet. Also of note, is the beautiful mural outside of U-City's gym of past players, some
recent, some distant. Women's star's: Khadija Bowens, Shawnetta
Stewart & late 70's star Dawn Hoover (mother of FCS star
Mike Cook). Also men's stars Maurice "Snake" Maxwell & Rasheed
Brokenborough.
JAN. 22
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Episcopal Academy 75, Penn Charter 63
This was a good one to cover as both teams are
well-coached and both play hard. The Churchman just made shots in this one. The normally
accurate Quakers, shot a mere 5-for-28 from 3 point distance. EA was led
by 6-6 Sr. strongman Terrence Mack. Mack went for 20 Points & 18
Boards on not one of his better nights. The Rhode Island signee was said to
be a bit under the weather. The kid that I was most impressed with was 5-11 Jr. PG
Ronnie Frazier. Frazier was in the dog house the last time I saw Episcoal, but he
was alive and well here in this one. He went for 10 Points, 5 Boards & 7 Assists. he
played a very nice floor game. Jr. WG-PG Matt Deasey also looked good
with 14 Points, 4 Boards & 3 Dimes of his own. They were helped by Soph. G
Brian Shanahan's 15 Points off of the bench. He shot a sizzling 5-for-6 (4-for-5
from 3) & 2-of-2. The Churchmen were without 6-6 Sr. C Joe Person for
this one as he sat out due to the Coach's decision. This Quaker Team is fun to watch
without Kurz & Boles. At times they'll go with 5 guys who can shoot the 3. In this
one, they just didn't make them. Nevertheless, I really liked the play of 6-5 Jr.
WF Matt Ryan. Ryan went for 18 Points & grabbed 10 Boards. He got help from Frosh.
G Zack Zeglinski with 17 Points (6-for-17 (1-for-6 on threes). 4-of-8), 9 Boards,
4 Assists & 4 Steals. He could have played alot better as well. This kid just
plays so hard that sometimes you'll see this from him, good numbers, but not the
best game. His 8th Grader brother Joe Zeglinski grabbed 7 Boards of his
own. he only scored 2 Points and missed all 6 of his three point attempts. Sr. PG
Mike McGarvey led the scoring with 20 Points, 3 assists & 4 Steals. he could
have played alot better. Most of his points came when the game was already in doubt.
He shot a below freezing 6-for-19 from the field (2-for-10 from 3) & 6-for-9 from
the line. This tricky lefty will have better days. The Quakers are like the walking
wounded as Jr. G Jordan Canino is now out indefinitely with a foot
injury. Add him to Jr. F Tony McDevitt and Rob Kurz &
Mike Boles (they might as well be injured).
JAN. 21
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
St. Joseph's Prep 52, Roman Catholic 50
I'm back! After 2 days on the IR with Car woes, I'm
back. There was no way I was going to miss this all important CL tilt. This was Speedy
vs Roman? Aren't they one and the same? Well not in this one as the Prep took
Roman in controversial fashion at Philly U. My one observation after
watching the Cahillites twice this weekend is that Stud Soph. Charron Fisher is
human. He has been Superman on many occasions this season. His kryptonite seems to be a
2-1-2 triangle zone. In this zone, there are always 3 guys in Fisher's radius. In
other words, he has been triple-teamed and why not? If you let him free, he'll bully you.
He only took 6 shots tonight, making 4. He went for 14 Points & 8 Rebounds, very
modest numbers for him. He did make a huge basket down the stretch to put Roman ahead late
in this one as he finally got open down low and lights out plus the foul. He then missed
his 1st free throw of the day (he went 6-for-7). Roman held one, 50-49. Then, of
course, the controversy started. Ted will elaborate on that in the Prep report. I was
impressed with Sr. F Jon Duperon. He made some nice Mid Range shots. He
went 8-for-11 for 16 Points & grabbed 8 Boards. Soph. WG Andre Sloan-El struggled
in this one as he shot 3-for-15 for 9 Points. He did grab 6 Rebounds, dish 3 assists &
block 3 shots. Sr. PG Tyree Wallace dished 5 assists and played tough
defense on Soph. PG Chris Clark after Clark started really fast. He
didn't score in the 2nd Half. Once again, I was impressed with Freshman G
Bobby Jordan. Jordan shot 0-for-5 through 3 Quarters, but who cares. He still
played hard defense and stayed brassy and confident. In the 4th, he made a big three and 2
aggressive moves that drew fouls. He finished with 6 Points. He also had the audacity to
take the last shot that could have won the game. This kid ain't NO freshman no more. Next
for the Cahillites is Carroll. We all know that they'll play Fisher straight up as Coach
Roe is a stickler for man to man. That should be interesting.
JAN. 18
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
Monsignor Bonner 52, Roman Catholic 49
This was truly a big game. The Friars have shown me a
lot on the early season. Many have questioned if they could win the big game. Well they
beat Neumann last Friday night and Roman tonight. Big enough for you? They won this one
with defense. After the Roman-Neumann game two weeks ago, I asked who or what could stop Charron
Fisher (AVGS of 26P & 16R)? Well we found out today. Bonner played kind of
like a 2-1-2 or a 2-3 zone that specifically focused on Fisher. There were always 2 and 3
guys around him. Whenever he caught ball, he either wasn't in scoring position or was
triple teamed. The big guy had to have his lowest scoring output of the season with 8
Points (2-for-6), but the biggest surprise lied in the fact that he only pulled 7 Boards,
not one of them coming in the 1st Qtr. He did block 6 Shots. All of them were big ones.
I've never seen anybody play him like this. I'm not sure it would work out this was when
they play again, but the only thing that matters now is tonight. The Friars were led by 6-4
Sr. Swingman Matt Kearney with 22 Points (5-for-7 (2 Threes), 10-for-10) & 9
Boards both team highs. Matt has the tools to be a Lower Level D1 Player, but what makes
me say he's probably better off going D2 is the fact that he just doesn't have that killer
instinct and seems comfortable with getting just 7 Shots. Not that he isn't a tough kid
because he's as tough as they come, but he's not the kind of kid that's going to take over
a game down the stretch. It all worked for him today. He could have a nice career at a D2
School and Low and behold Mansfield was in attendance. He's too talented not to. Mansfield
also probably came to get a look at 6-3 Sr. F Anthony Bennett. Bennett
didn't shoot well, 2-for-11, but he grabbed 7 Rebounds, Blocked 3 Shots & was a part
of the just stop Fisher brigade. I liked the way Sr. WG Badir McCleary played.
McCleary shot 4-for-6 from 3 for 12 Points. It was when he made those threes. He made his
first two in a row to start the 2nd Qtr and then made two in a row coming out of half
time. For some reason he didn't play for most of the 4th Qtr. I really didn't understand
this. The Friars won so I guess I can't really complain though. Three bench forces also
lent a nice hand. They were Kevin LeSage with 4 Assists & tough
Defense. They were Jr. PG Mike Shalon with 7 Points (1 trey) on 2-for-2,
2-for-2. Then there were the self-proclaimed fat, ugly, loud & obnoxious Bonner (and I
totally agree) group of fans led by big Koz. At one point one of the big
fellas decided to challenge one of the Roman cheerleaders to a flip off. As she did her
graceful acts, he did some floppy cartwheels. Then he had the audacity to take his shirt
off and run the baseline. Pillsbury would have been proud. This was wild. They rode Roman
Freshman red-head Bobby Jordan all game. It seemed that Bob fed off of
this. He led Roman with 13 Points. He also had the set of you know whats to take the shot
late in the game that would have put the Cahillites up for good. This kid is another one
of those brassy youngsters who doesn't know that he is supposed to be nervous in this type
of setting. Sr. PG Tyree Wallace only scored 6 Points, but led the
Cahillites in Boards (8) & Assists (6). He really kept things together. He tried hard
to get the ball to Fisher, but just couldn't in this one. It bad for the empire when your
5-7 PG leads you in scoring. This was a great game with a great atmosphere. Roman was down
as many as 16 and fought back to within 1, but just couldn't bring it home. This should be
a moral victory as they only dressed 8 guys. Jr. G Calvin Jones did
sit on the bench in this one to lend coaching & support. Roman people say that it'll
be 2 weeks to a month before he takes the court again. As many know, he suffered a serious
concussion in last Sunday's game at West. They could really use him. The Friars move to
5-0, which is good enough to lead the CL with the improving Carroll looming on Sunday
night.
JAN. 17
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Overbrook 69, Northeast 61
This was the day's top tilt and I had the pleasure of
watching. The Vikes went into this one at a disadvantage as they had to go without their
most important player 6-8 Sr. Shot-Blocking menace Chaz Crawford.
Monmouth was in attendance to see the condor, but he didn't go because of doctor's orders.
He was poked in the eye by a teammate in practice and the Doc told him to sit this one
out. Chaz tells me that he'll be back for the big one against King on Tuesday. The Vikes
really could have used him in this one. Overbrook was led by the smart player of Sr. Floor
General Murvin English. I said it once and I'm saying it again, I don't
know where they'd be without him. Murv went for 20 Points (8-for-14) & 7 dimes. He
mans a steady ship. He really keeps these guys together. In the huddle before the start of
the 4th, Murv yelled to his teammates in the huddle, "Do you want this game."
I'm more impressed with this kid's improvement than almost any kid in the city. Even the
games that I've seen when he struggled with his shot, he's done something positive.
Yesterday, I found out that he received a 920 on his latest SAT score. His mom tells me
that he is going to take it again. He also is said to be in the Top 30 in his class
academically and to have somewhere around a 3.5 GPA. Those are the numbers that I
love to here especially about a Pub kid. Maybe some of the Patriot League schools should
get involved. I don't see why not. East Stroudsburg was in attendance for this one.
He got his most help from 6-7 Sr. PF Kristian Clarkson. Clarkson is a
late bloomer to say the least. He has definite State School ability. Yesterday, he
brought the house down as the lumbered through the lane and dunked over the whole
Northeast Frontline. His finishing line was an impressive 12 Points (6-for-9), 15 Boards,
6 Assists, 3 Steals & 2 Blocks. He seemed to be everywhere. He, too is said to be
close to qualifying for eligibility. Sr. WG Angelo Hernandez struggled
with his shot in this one. He shot 6-for-17 and 0-for-5 from three for 16
Points. He still got his points because he just moves so well with the ball. He looks like
he is rushing his shots. Every time he shoots he seems to be landing all over the place
instead of just going straight up. He's a shooter and shooters always break out of slumps
with a big game somewhere. He did also have 6 Rebounds and 3 Assists. Sr. WF
Shawn Ikokwu is this team's emotional leader. He had a Big Time slam plus the
foul down the stretch that seemed to put the Vikes away. He went for 10 Points, 6 Boards
& 6 Assists plus loads of intangibles. Nobody on this team plays harder than 6-5 Jr.
PF Elijah Tolbert. Tolbert does all of the dirty work down low and went for
11 Points, 9 Boards & 3 Blocks. The Panthers only played the Starters in this
one. Only one sub was made all game and that was for a 2 minute stint. I can't
complain because they got the job done. The Vikes were led in this one by Soph. PG
Kyle Lowry. Lowry had his coming out party in this one as he battled the
veteran English tooth and nail. Lowry erased a 9 Point halftime lead by scoring 7 straight
of his 11 3rd Quarter points in one stretch. He just plays so hard and has no fear.
There's got to be stronger adjectives that bold & brassy when trying to paint a
picture of this kid. He is going to be a star because he wants to be a star. No he
yearns to be a star. Kyle finished with 21 Points on 9-for-23 shooting. He also
grabbed 5 Boards & 4 plucked Steals. He got help from the ever-consistent 6-5
225-lb Jr. PF Troy Roundtree. 'Tree went for 22 Points, 5 Boards & 3
Assists. Overbrook volunteer assistant Tony Johnson said before the game,
"That's 'Tree's son. If he's anything like his dad was we are in trouble."
After he said, "Boy, he is like his dad." 6-5 Jr. WF Shawn Taylor
got the crowd going with a big time follow slam in the 4th as the Vikes made
their final run. I liked the play of Sub, 6-3 Sr. F Maurice Slaughter. he
played tough down low and grabbed a team high 8 Boards. I also liked the play of 6-2
Sr. CG Darnell Newman. He wowed the crowd with his ball handling antics and went
for 5 Boards & 5 Assists. 6-4 Sr. F Mike Schieber played in this one.
he was mostly a non-factor. The key stat of the day in this one was the the Hilltoppers 22
Assists on their 30 Baskets. They looked better today that they looked all season. That is
big as they got a big win that will prepare them for what lies ahead.
JAN. 16
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In this edition of Food for Thought I would first like
to wish all of my faithful Readers a Happy Belated New Year. My first order of business in
this session is to point out the quality of the Soph. Class in the City. I have
already projected that atleast 16 Players in that Class will be D1 Players. There are 10
more guys that I like alot that it is too early to say where they'll end up.
Ofcourse, everyone tlaks about 6-3 225-lb Manchild Charron Fisher of Roman, 6-7 & 6-6
twin towers DeSean White & Shane Clark of Dougherty, Penn Charter's smooth 6-8 WG Rob
Kurz & Neumann's whirlwind PG Richard "Tabby" Cunningham. There are others
that many may not know yet, but all soon will. Here are just a few of them. Amarildo
Matos 6-2 CG Kennedy Kenrick. Matos may well be the best overall guard in the
class. He has all of the tools to be a Big Timer. His frame suggests growth and he is
already physically ready. I can see recruiters drooling over him in time. Marshall
Taylor 6-4 WG West Catholic. Taylor seems to grow every time I see him. His dad
Marshall Sr. (Southern 86') was a tough hardnosed Lefty PG. Marshall Jr. is a smooth
swingman who is a threat from anywhere on the floor. Kyle Lowry 5-9 PG
Northeast. Lowry plays with confidence and brass. He is the fastest guard with the ball
around. I knew that this kid could go after seeing him drop 37 on Simon Gratz's matchup
zone in a summer League game. He only knows how to play one way and that's hard. Adon
El 6-5 WF St. John Neumann. El is a jack of all trades. I'm more impressed with
him than anybody. My knock on him has been that he is lazy. Well not anymore as
he is one of the CL's best defenders. Coach Arrigale told me before the season
that he would be the wild card and he wasn't lyin' I don't know where the Pirates would be
without him. Bilal Benn 6-3 PG/WG/WF Cardinal Dougherty. If El
is SJN's wild card, then Benn does the same for the Cards. Benn plays every wing
position. He's the team's best defender and he plays hard. His best position may be the
point, but he has even played some 4 for the Cardinals. he is the forgotten Soph.
over at 2nd & Godfrey. Brian Grandieri 6-3 WG Malvern Prep. Grandieri
has built on a strong Rookie campaign. He has become more of a scorer & a Team Leader
for the Prep. He has a bright future and a strage that is set up just for him. Shawn
Sabb 6-5 PF Southern. We recently found out some good news when we found out that
Shawn Sabb is a legit Soph. This kid could be the Class' best Rebounder outside of Fisher.
He plays hard and has a nice Mid Range touch. His better days are ahead. Antoine
"Doo Dirty" Brown 6-2 PG Southern. "Doo Dirty" is becoming a
household name. Brown has the vision of Cyclops and the creativity of an artist. He also
defends like crazy and has fun playing basketball. His better days are way ahead and he's
very good right now. He still needs to be more aggressive, but what Soph. doesn't.
My next topic for discussion is the 14-0 John Bartram Braves. This team is undefeated with a road tilt looming with Washington and two tough Roadies next week with Dobbins & Central. Next Sat. will be a gut check as they face the always tough Chester Clippers at the Scholastic Sports Classic. This Team is an enigma in my eyes and all of their current acts will come back to bite them in the future. This team lacks work ethic. They don't always play as hard as they can and that bothers me. I saw them play good for all of 3 minutes and beat a quality Frankford Team by 5. They stunk up the gym for a half against Central and trailed by 1, then stormed out in the 2nd Half to beat them by 19. This team also has quality Road wins @ Truman, @ Ben Franklin & @ St. John Neumann. What's the problem you ask? This team just sleeps into gyms at times and wins on talent alone. They haven't once played to their potential as a team. If they ever do, they may win the whole deal. There were a few occasions this year that I watched the Braves and said to myself they are lucky this ain't King or Gratz. They have two Big Timers in my estimation in 6-3 Sr. WG Richard Francis & 6-9 Jr. F Jason Cain. "The Franchise" is the best player in the League when he wants to be. He averages 18 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists & 3 Steals per night. The one special thing that he does will not show within the numbers and that is how he just takes over games down the stretch. He makes big baskets, timely baskets and most of his dunks are highlight-reel material. He also makes things happen. He'll make a big assist and blocka big shot or make a big theft. Cain has what it takes as well. He is quciker than any big man around off the dribble and he has the best footwork of them all. He is also a great athlete. The braves have been seeing better days from 6-3 Jr. WG Bryant Leach. Leach came out of the gate slow, but has looked better as of late It will be interesting to see how this team progresses as the season goes on and the schedule begins to get tougher.
Lastly, I'd like to pose a question, Is it me or can
any one of 5 or 6 Teams win the Catholic League Title this year? The one team that I have
been most impressed with has been the defending Champion Pirates of St. John Neumann.
Admittedly, myself to an extent and many others on the site have been down on them, but
they have taken the underdog role and run with it. Their most important player has been 5-8
Jr. Lefty Antwain Wynn. He gets my award for most improved player in the City.
The knocks on him have always been his defense and his shooting. Well Wynn has become a
very good on all defender and an automatic Mid-Range shooter. I feel that he'll be a Lower
Level D1 Player when its all said and done. The Pirates could use more consistent play
from their big men Jrs 6-5 Todd Johnson & 6-6 Kevin Lauer.
With better efforts night in and night out from those two, they could cut down the nets. I
have also been very impressed with the Friars of Monsignor Bonner. They are the only
undefeated team in the League and have done it with depth and teamwork. Their top gun 6-4
Sr. Swingman Matt Kearney has played with a bad wheel and they have still rolled
through. This is a veteran club that can only get better down the line. Roman
Catholic is another club that many overlooked. Soph. Phenom Charron Fisher has
been a one man Gang at times. Who would have thunk it. At a Tourney in Miami, he went for
a game of 40 points & 19 Boards. In the showdown against Cardinal Dougherty he went
for 34 Points & 16 Boards + the W. Against the Pirates in a losing effort a cool 32
& 19 and he could have played better. Then to top it off in a comeback win over West
Catholic he bullied his way to 24 & 24 wearing #24. For all of you Number players,
there's 024, 240 & 204. Take your pick, straight or box. The Prep is very dangerous
now with Coach Morris at the helm. O'Hara
JAN. 15
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Germantown 56, Dobbins Tech 46
As I sat at the Germantown scorer's table, I thought to
myself at the latter part of this game unfolded, Who is going to take this one over? Well
it never happened and this wasn't the most exciting contest, but the G-Town Gang looked a
whole lot better than they looked when I last saw them and Dobbins looks better than when
I last saw them, but not much better. The focus on tomorrow's DN story will be G'town's
emotional leader 6-5 230-lb Sr. C Rodney "Coosa" Howard. Howard
is a policeman of sorts out there. He gets on the guys all of the time about their defense
and rebounding. He's not a great athlete, but he does a good job down low because of his
big frame. He can look a little intimidating as he looks like a 30 year old man. He has a
grown man's frame and a full grown beard. "Coos" went for 8 Points & 11
Boards. He was key in the 3rd Qtr. when he scored 4 & grabbed 5. The Bears leader in
this one as always was Jr. WG Wallace Battle with 13 Points. His sweet
shot was off at times as he went 3-for-8 from 3. He made a big three to slam the door on
the 'Stangs in the 4th. His backcourt mate Jr. PG Tyrone Sheppard played
a nice floor game with 5 Assists & 4 Steals. He also made 3-of-4 Free Throws in
the one-and-one down the stretch. He, as well, is a leader of sorts for this team as every
body listens to and respects the little general. I really like 6-2 Soph. WG Qadree
"Gee" Hart (12 Points). Hart is thin, but can score in traffic. My only
problem with him was that he settled a little too much for the long jumper. He made his
first two threes, then missed three straight. he scores so easy going to the basket that
he should do that more. 6-6 Jr. F Keith Shanks was better in this one as
he just seemed to settle down. He went for 7 Points & 7 Boards. He still needs to be
stronger with the ball and more assertive. I'm noy sure he has grown into his body as he
is still a little uncoordi! nated. He could have a bright future if he puts in the
necessary work. Dobbins sorely missed Davis today. They got nothing from their backcourt.
The three frontcourt starters, 6-3 Srs, F-C Patrick Grant (11 Points)
& F Barren Grier (9 Points, 6 Boards, 3 Assists & 3 Blocks)
worked well with 6-4 Jr. F Tyrell Mathis (10 Points, 7 Boards, 5 Assists
& 3 Steals). In the 1st Qtr. all three moved the ball well amongst one another and got
some beautiful backdoor layups. After the 1st, for some odd reason, they stopped moving
the ball against the G-Town zone and stopped scoring with the same ease. Once again, 6-6
Jr. C-F Phil Burns (4 Points) did some good things when Coach Yank inserted
him in the 2nd Qtr., then he didn't use him in the 2nd Half. I didn't understand that one.
Well it's always fun visiting the G-Town Gang. There to greet me when I got there was All-City
DB Jeffrey "JT" King and All-Public Jr. NG Paul "PJ"
Johnson. Also working the clock was Mammoth, Jr. DL Dorian Brewer (6-4
370, listed). Dorian tells me he's down to 360. I say 360 + 40 and maybe more after that
cheeseburger he's eating as we speak. Smile Dorian. Coach Hawkins tells
me that he has to monitor what the big fella eats. He says, "When he gets to school,
first he goes through the metal detector and then he goes through the food detector."
JAN. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Mastbaum Tech 87, Horace Furness 84
Was this a pickup game I was watching? It sure
seemed that way. It seemed like nobody wanted to play any defense in this one. It was fun
to watch, but very hard to keep stats for. My eyes are still going back and forth. This
has to be called a minor upset as Furness was the home team and they are coming off of a
101-89 quadruple OT won over Franklin at Franklin. They lost this one
because they came out slow and out of sinc. Why? Well their star 6-1 Sr. CG David
Watson (26 PPG) got a technical before the game for dunking in the warmup line. Coach
Dave Connelly didn't start him, and he shouldn't have, and wound up benching him
for the whole first Quarter. That gave Mastbaum the opportunity to start fast and they
did. They probably still should have won the game, but well they didn't. Mastbaum, which
only dressed 7 guys due to injury, suspension & quitters, was led by its Frontcourt.
The best was 6-4 Sr. F Keith Peel in my opinion. Peel fouled out Early in
the 4th, but scored 13 Points, grabbed 13 Boards, Blocked 4 Shots & swiped 4
steals. I like Peel. He's a pretty good athlete and he has a long strong frame. The
scoring leader was athletic, 6-3 Jr. WF James Robbins with 24 Points. He
also grabbed 10 Rebounds, dished 3 assists & plucked 3 Steals. He got alot of help
from strong, Sr. WG Kevin Leonard who almost messed around and had a
triple double. He went for 22 Points, 12 Boards, 7 Assists & 3 Steals. He and Robbins
worked very well together. I liked 6-1 Soph. G Marion "Buddy" Rose.
Rose scored 15 Points, dished 3 Assists & Plucked 3 Steals. He made some Big foul
shots down the stretch after missing a few important ones. This Furness Team is very
entertaining. They have 6 quality guards led by Watson. At times they play 5 guards
at a time. They are very tough to guard and they play a gambling defense. They like to get
teams in a running game and sometimes they win, today well... Watson went for 24 Points
(8-for-13, 8-for-12). He also grabbed 11 Boards & dished 6 Assists in 3 Quarters.
He should still hold himself responsible for this loss. He missed 2 Free Throws with under
a minute to play, and boy that was a long minute, that could have gave the them the
lead. Then he missed a top of the key three pointer at the buzzer that could have tied it
up and sent it to OT. Watson has interesting possibilities as he just recently turned 17
and has very good grades. I'm not so sure he couldn't play at the Lower Level of D1, but I
know that he could play anywhere in D2. Prep School is an option. He is said to have over
a 3.0 GPA and he takes his SATs for the first time at the end of the month. I really like
two other Guards, both underclassmen. The first is 6-1 Freshman PG Amir Ryan.
He don't play like no Freshman and he isn't built like one either. He is already a
dishmaster and a tough competitor. This Michael Cuffee look-a-like went
for 13 Points & 4 Assists. He could have had atleast 10 Assists, but many of his slick
passes were dropped or some that were caught went for missed layups. This kid is
already driven and has a bright future. 6-1 Soph. WG Tywain McKee was
also good. He, too, made some nice passes that were dropped. He is very aggressive on O.
He and Ryan could make for a very nice Backcourt in the future. McKee went for 17 Points,
5 Rebounds & 6 Steals. Many of the dropped passes went to 6-1 Sr. F Raymond
Jackson (11 Points). He Turned the ball over an amazing 4 straight times to begin
the 3rd Quarter. This was another stretch that really hurt Furness. Get this, both teams
combined for 62 Turnovers & 47 Fouls. However, I can watch this team all day. I hope
to see them again. They play a fun, exciting brand of Basketball.
JAN. 13
CATHOLIC LEAGUE SOUTH
Roman Catholic 60, West Catholic 55
This was a classic CL war. The Burrs really blew this
one. I came into the day figuring the Cahillites Star Soph. stud Charron
Fisher would have a huge outing on the boards and I was right again, stay tuned.
West really should have won this one. They led 44-31 Early in the 3rd. Roman commenced to
go on a 16-5 run to end the quarter and went into the 4th down only 2. West tried
stall tactics and it really worked to their disadvantage. This is a young team of
athletes. They should have just played basketball. They aren't ready for the stalling.
They made crucial turnovers during this period and it got them out of sync when they had
to start to play. The way they had it going on early it looked like they would run the
Cahillites out of the gym. Why the stall ball? I don't know. However, West found
itself up 55-50 with around 2 minutes to play. Then it happened. Fisher got loose for a
high rising follow dunk off of a Tyree Wallace missed lay-up and West was
never heard from again. The Cahillites scored the game's last 10 Points and went ahead for
good with 40 ticks to go after two Fisher free throws. Fisher finished with an amazing 24
Points & 24 Rebounds. Guess what? He wears #24. For all of you number players, 024 is
the number. This was an absolute Bully Job. Maybe I should start calling Charron the Broad
St. Bully. The scary thing about this was the fact that he could have played better. He
missed some close in lay-ups and some free throws down the stretch, but those 24 Boards
were enough to out-Rebound the Burrs who had 23 as a team. Roman won that battle with a
wopping 43 as a team. His fellow Soph. WG Andre Sloan-El had a solid game
of 15 Points, 5 Boards & 3 Assists. It seemed that everybody who defended him didn't
know that he is a Lefty as they gave him the whole left side to drive to the basket.
Luckily for the Burrs, twice he was called for Charging because he made both of those
baskets as well. Wallace struggled offensively (1-for-8, 4 Points), but he gave the West
PGs hell on Defense. Sr. F Jon Duperon only scored 3 Points in this one,
but none were bigger as he scored on a put back and was fouled with 22 seconds remaining
to put the young fiesy Burrs away. West was led by tough, 6-2 Soph. WG Robert
Latimer. Latimer played with heart and brass en route to a team high 14 Points.
This kid has a serious fire that burns inside of him. Jr. G Kevin Williams was
on fire early, but then cooled off. He put in 12. 6-4 Soph. WG Marshall Taylor (9P,
5R, 2A, 3S, 2B) was great early as well, but then was plagued by fouls the rest of the way
and fouled out 3 minutes into the 4th Quarter. That was a serious blow because Roman had
no one to guard him. This Burr bunch will not make the same mistakes this time next
year. On a serious note, we at TS.com hope all is well with Jr. G Calvin
Jones. At the 5:17 mark of the 1st Qtr., Jones took a charge. Fisher
went up to block the shot at the same time and his feet came down somewhere
in Jones' upper chest area. Jones went into convulsions and had a seizure on the
floor. This was absolutely scary. He finally came to after about 15 minutes and walked off
on his own and left with the paramedics. Have a speedy recovery Calvin and we hope to see
you on the floor again soon.
JAN. 12
NON-LEAGUE
Franklin Learning Center 69, George Washington 62 (OT)
This was a competitive Non-League contest. The Bobcats
won this one because of the fact that they caused 27 Eagle turnovers. Cunningham does that
to teams. They were led by Jr. PG Michael Green, who didn't start in this
one. Green finished with 17 Points, 7 Boards & 7 Assists. He could have played better
as he went 3-for-9 from the line and missed both ends of a double bonus that could have
put this game away in regulation. Nevertheless, he was impressive. 6-5 Jr. Wing
Man Tyreek Byard also steppd up in this one with 12 Points, 9 Boards, 4 Blocks
& 3 Steals. He made some big time moves in this one off of the dribble. At 6-5, he can
handle like a Point, but at this level plays the 2,3 & 4. He is going to be very good
by next year. This team is going to be an upper-echelon team next year. I was really
impressed with the Bobcats 6th & 7th Men, Soph. PG Michael Scott (started
in this one) & 6-5 230-lb Freshman C-F Jahkal Curry. Scott is going
to be really good. He is one of the top 7 Soph. PGs in the city and there's some pretty
good PGs in that class. He dished 4 Assists & 2 Steals. Just watching the little
things he does from the point is very impressive. Curry could be a stud down the
line. He shot 6-for-6 from the field for 12 Points. 4 of those baskets came on
picture perfect foul line jumpers. Coach Powell also says that Curry
is the best Rebounder in the Program. 6-4 Soph. F Joshua Grier (9P,
6R, 3S) also played a nice game. His most impressive feat will not show on the
statsheet. He played outstanding physical defense on 6-8 Jr. C
Dontay Tabbs for 3 Quarters holding him to 4P & 4R. Tabbs, however,
broke out in the 4th scoring 13 of his 17 Points before fouling out at the end of
regulation. He also snatched a team high 9 Rebounds. I really liked Jr. WG
Joe Ndanu in this one! . He can score at will. I'd like to see him play better
defense though as he has the quickness to be a menace. He finished with 18 Points & 5
Steals, but he gambled to get most of the steals. I really don't get 6-4 Sr. WF
Tyreece Harris. Harris has a strong build and just as much athleticism
as anybody in the city, but for some odd reason just doesn't go hard all of the time.
He finished with 10 Points & 6 Boards. He showed some scary flashes as he went
baseline in the first half for a serious two-handed high-riser. There were also other
stretches when he just was lost out there. Go figure. Sr. Swingman Dwayne
Easley (6P, 5R & 7A) played hard on both ends. I liked his approach
today. 6-6 Soph. F-C Kyree Knight did a nice job on the Boards with
9. I look for better days from Jr. PG John Hampton. He turned the ball
over too much in this one and just lost control of his team. He only scored 7 Points on
2-for-11 shooting. He did manage to dish 5 assists and pluck 4 Steals. This was a good win
for the Bobcats against a bigger, stronger, deeper Eagle Team. As a matter of fact,
forget next year, they could factor into this year's equation in Division C.
JAN. 12
NON-LEAGUE
Simon Gratz 63, Abington Friends 54
This turned into a pretty good game for the
Bulldogs. This wasn't exactly easy at all. In the end they just proved to be too strong
though. As always, they were led by 6-6 Sr. strongman Micheal Blackshear Jr.
Blackshear finished with 18 Points & 17 Boards. He also blocked and stole 3.
He absolutely bullied AFS Big Men 6-6 Jr. Will Gause (a former
Gratz & McDevitt student) & 6-7 240-lb Jr. Hasani Franke.
They scored 10P & 11R combined . That is domination. Ofcourse, the Bulldogs
also got a very good game from smooth 6-4 Swingman Maurice "Marty"
Collins. He finished with 20 Points, 7 Boards & 4 Assists. He had two monster
dunks in this one and one monster missed as he took off from two steps inside the foul
line. He really impressed in the 4th Quarter when Gratz stalled as he handled the
Point. Diminutive, Jr. PG Omar Johnson ran a good show. His line was
10P, 4R, 4A & 5S. He also should be commended for Gratz's 6 Team turnovers. People
question his size (5-6 130), but 'Lil O will be fine as no one can question his
competitiveness or his heart. For AFS, FLC transfer John Owens was
outstanding. Owens is playing the point and running a great show. He had to do more in
this one as his normal main help and the team's best prospect 6-5 Soph. Swingman
Danny Lepone will be out for the season with a broken leg. Owens finished with 21
Points, 5 Boards & 4 Assists. John always plays hard and always competes. His
reclassifying has made him into a D1 Prospect. I'll keep an eye on this situation. Jr.
WG Rob Fusaro was a nice deep threat as he finished with 13 Points (3-for-6 from
3) & 8 Boards. He prompted the Gratz Coaching staff many times to yell, "Don't
leave #10!" This Gratz team reminds me alot of the 2000 Bulldog bunch. They aren't
big, but their quick and play hard on Defense. That was one of the Bulldogs' quicker
defensive teams. This one may be even quicker.
JAN. 11
CATHOLIC NORTH
Father Judge 40, Cardinal Dougherty 37
This was an all out war! It had a little bit of
everything. No DeSean White, No problem. White will be out for at least
the next 3 games with a cracked bone in his wrist. I knew this one would have been
interesting even with him in the line-up. The building was filled to capacity
and the scene was set. I knew that this one would be special. THe 4th Quarter in this game
was classic. At th end of the 3rd, Judge led CD 27-25. Dougherty went on to go on an 8-0
Run to begin the 4th, CD then led 33-27. Then Superman put on a Judge uniform.
Superman was 6-0 Sr. CG Kevin Pierce (17 Points). Pierce went absolutely
nuts as he went on an 8-2 Run all by himself. Pierce scored 12 of Judge's 13 4th Quarter
points. He took over this game plain and simple. This one seemed to get stranger and
stranger as the game went on. With CD leading by 2 37-35, Pierce got a steal and went
coast to coast. He was fouled very hard by Sr. WG Tim Smink (1-for-4 from
3, 4 Points). It wasn't called a flagrant and it probably should have been. Nevertheless,
Pierce made both foul shots to tie the game at 37. The 'Saders got the ball back on a
steal in the backcourt, Pierce missed a lay-up and a scramble for the ball insued. Soph.
6-2 G Bilal Benn (was on the floor and grabbed the leg of Pierce. A Flagrant foul
was called. There was no reason to call a flagrant here with 10 Seconds left. This was a
tough call because in large part the Zebras had let these teams play all game and did a
great job in a hostile environment until the 10 Second mark. Pierce missed the 1st &
made the 2nd. Judge got the ball again and double Technicals were called on Jr. G
Isaac Greer (8P, 4R, 2S) & 6-4 Soph. WF Stephen Wolf as Wolf
elbowed Greer in the mouth and Greer retaliated and pushed Wolf out of bounds. Finally,
the Cards fouled Pierce again in the one-&-one. Pierce made the front end and
missed the back to put Judge up 39-37. CD called a TO and inbounded on the insuing
possession. Benn took the ball out and it was stolen by Wolf, Ball Game! What a game this
was. This was a serious confidence booster for the 'Saders. It was especially due to the
fact that their leader & best player 6-3 Sr. G Ryan Haigh went
scoreless. His shot was off as he shot an ice-cold 0-for-8, 0-for-6 from 3 and the fact
that Benn played smothering end to end defense on him were the reasons. His length really
bothered Ryan. Haigh stilled played a very good game in my opinion as he dished 2 assists
to the White-Hot, Pierce in the 4th and blocked a huge shot of Benn's that would have been
a sure lay-up. He finsihed with 5 Boards & 4 Assists. 6-4 Jr. F Tom Keenan had
it going early as he went for all 10 of his points in the 1st Half. The Crusader MVP in
this one had to be the young Soph., Wolf. "Wolfie" scored 8 Points,
snatched a team high 10 Rebounds & plucked 3 Steals. He just made play after play
after play. He made me a fan tonight. His future looks very bright. I could see Judge's 6-7
Sr. C Dan Welch seeing more action in spot minutes as the year goes on. He saw a
2 minute stint in this one at the beginning of the 4th and did a good job on 6-6
Soph. F Shane Clark. Clark led CD in this one with 14 Points, 10 Rebounds & 5
Blocks. He got fouled on a 3-pt shot early in the 4th and missed long all three. That was
a deciding factor. Though Benn made three huge mistakes down the stretch, he may have been
CD's best player today. His defense on Haigh was outstanding. He finished with 7 Points, 5
Boards & 3 Assists. He really sulked after this one. There was no need for that
because he played his heart out. I can't wait for the Rematch. This is one of the League's
great rivalries.
JAN. 10
PUBLIC LEAGUE
University City 75, Abraham Lincoln 47
I went to check this one out for two reasons. #1 This
was my first look at Lincoln. #2 This was an opportunity for me to make another evaluation
on Lincoln's 6-4 Sr. Swingman Nick Martin. Martin is said to have scored
a 950 on the SAT and have around a 3.3 GPA. He could be a quality D3 Player. He struggled
in this one as the undersized, yet quick Jaguars played great defense. He finished with 13
Points (4-for-15, 4-for-10), 12 Rebounds & 5 Steals. He really has no help with this
squad. They are very young and inexperienced. The Jags were led by their star, 6-3
185-lb Jr. CG Tasheed Carr. Carr does it all for this bunch. He played a lot of
his more natural PG in this one as his Jr. backcourt mate PG Brian
"Munch" Nichols struggled for the most part. I like him a whole lot
better at the Point and I think he sees how much better he is at the point as well. As a
Big PG who is still developing and growing (just recently turned 16), Tasheed may be
able to play at the highest level eventually. He has an inner-fire to improve, works very
hard and is said to be a very good student. His impressive finishing line was 23 Points, 7
Rebounds, 4 Assists (He could have had 10 if not for blown lay-ups) & 6 Steals. Two of
those steals led to Break-away Dunks. Some question whether he'll be a Point or a Two
because of his lack of quickness, but what I say to combat that is that he's a Born Leader
and he makes those around him better and that's all that matters. Name one of John
Chaney's PGs that would win the 100? How 'bout none. His normal main running mate
is 6-5 Sr. F Magen McNeil. McNeil plays the game in warp speed. Sometimes
that leads to foul trouble. In this one it did. He finished with 4 Points, 8 Rebounds, 4
Blocks & 3 Steals in less than two quarters of action. 6-1 Sr. Swingman
Demetrius Wilkerson scored all 13 of his Points in the 2nd Half. He's a good
hustle player, who plays very hard. The future lies in 6-3 Soph. Swingman Khalil
Ferguson. He hads loads of talent. He plays very hard. He finished with 10
Points, 7 Boards & 3 Steals. The Jags have a project in 6-6 255-lb Sr. C John
Berkeley (2P,3R). They took him from the Football Team. He's a good rebounder and
he's very aggressive. Besides Martin for Lincoln, I was impressed with the backcourt of Jr.
PG John "Wes" Davis (9P,5R & 4A) & Freshman PG Drescon
Diggs (10P, 4R & 6A). Diggs is going to be a good one. The Railsplitters have
a crowd favorite in 6-4 230-lb Jr. C Devon "Bubba" Wirt. He has
a Big Body and he throws it around. I guess they call him Bubba because he resembles
Rapper, Bubba Sparks. Go Figure...
JAN. 9
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Simon Gratz 54, Dobbins Tech 19
This was a good old-fashioned Butt-Kicking. It seems
that many teams get timid against Gratz and get down early and lord knows that if you get
down early against the Dawgs, you'll be down often against them and you Lose. I really
thought the Mustangs would have played better than this. They just came off of a tough
battle with Martin Luther King and I thought they'd battle Gratz the same. Boy was I
wrong. The one thing you must do against the Bulldogs is make shots. Dobbins shot a Chilly
7-for-48. The other important thing you must do is rebound, Gratz won this battle 40-26.
In a word, this was Ugly. The Bulldogs were led by Temple signee, 6-6 225-lb Sr.
PF Micheal Blackshear Jr. Black only scored 8 Points, but he snatched 15 Boards
& Blocked 4 shots. He controlled the Glass as he almost always does. He makes
Rebounding look like an art as sometimes he grab one out of the air with one hand or
sometimes he'll get one with two hands and swing his elbows. He controls games with his
Rebounding antics. He got his main help from the team's best offensive player smooth,
6-4 Sr. Swingman Maurice "Marty" Collins. Collins went for 12 Points
& grabbed 9 Rebounds in this one. He has at least Mid major abilities. He has no flaws
to his game. Not saying that he's better, but has more ability than last year's star Late
Bloomer Michael Cuffee. He's not as hard a worker, as strong and he
doesn't bring the intangible stuff that Cuff did, but he's a better thinker and just as
good an athlete. The Bulldog starting Backcourt of Jrs. PG Omar "The
Jet" Johnson and PG Tariq Wharton had it going as well.
They set the tone in this one as they scored 11 Points in the first quarter, shooting
3-for-3 from three. Johnson finished with 7 Points & 2 assists, while Wharton finished
with 11 Points & 4 assists. This Bulldog Team is small, but aggressive. Their Starting
5 consists of 4 Guards and Blackshear and their first two off the bench are both guards (Jrs
6-0 Dashay Brown & 6-0 Tyree Watson) . The 8th Man is
undersized, 6-2 Soph. F Jason McGirt. Nothing went well for the 'Stangs. Sr.
PG Ron Davis Shot 0-for-12 from the floor and was just frustrated all night. 6-4
Jr. F Tyrell Mathis, the team's leading scorer, shot 2-for-17 for 5 Points. He
grabbed 5 Boards & plucked 3 steals, but was just as flustered as Davis. I did like
the play of 6-6 215-lb Jr. C-F Phil Burns. He was at least aggressive on
the Boards as he battled Blackshear when he was in. He finished with 6 Points & 4
Rebounds. I think he will see more action after his effort. There will be better days for
the 'Stangs who are far better in their own confines, The Hank.
JAN. 8
PUBLIC LEAGUE
William Penn 48, Germantown 47
This was a wild outing to say the least. This G-Town
squad is much-improved, but in this one came out flat and uninspired. Penn, who now starts
two Freshman in their 3-guard backcourt took advantage early and held on late for the
1-point W. The Bears had a chance to steal this one, but 6-2 Soph. WG Quadree
"Gee" Hart (9 Points all in 2nd Half) long-balled a three from the
right elbow with :03 seconds left. Penn's star 6-4 Sr. Swingman Anthony Harper
coralled the Rebound in a wild scramble and then there was a wild celebration as all the
Penn students took the floor. This was good for Penn. This was an entertaining game
despite the fact that the two teams combined to go for 50 Turnovers & 38 Fouls. The
Lions ofcourse, were led by Harper. He went for 14 Points, 14 Rebounds, 5 Blocks & 4
Steals. He at least has State School abilities, but may need Juco. He is very aggressive
on both ends, has a nice handle and can score from just about anywhere on the floor.
Penn's leading scorer in this one was impressive, Freshman Swingman Curtis Shaw.
This was the second time I've seen Penn and the second time they were led by Shaw. This
kid has that knack for just not messing around with the ball and he has supreme body
control. He don't play like no Freshman. He has natural tools. His finishing line was
an impressive 18 Points (7-for-13, 4-for-4), 7 Boards, 3 assists & 2 steals. His
Freshman backcourt mate, PG Albert Denby did not score, but dished 7
assists. He had to commit more than 10 of Penn's 29 Turnovers though. He has some
potential, but there are two things that see that he needs to work on. First he must
stop dribbling with his head down if he wants to be an effective PG and second he has to
stop jumping & passing. That jump pass is a Turnover waiting to happen. Otherwise
he'll be fine. G-Town dug a nice hole for themselves after one half as they were down
29-17. 6-1 Jr. WG Wallace Battle then caught fire as he scored the Bears
first 9 Points of the third quarter and 11 total in that frame. He finished with 18 Points
& 3 steals. I really felt he should have taken that last shot even though Hart had a
good look. They should have given it to Battle, let him clear out, and drive to the basket
to draw a foul, but... I look for more from the G-town gang's Big Men. Most of them were
in serious foul trouble. The best today was 6-6 Jr. F Keith Shanks (8P
& 6R) and that doesn't say much. His shooting percentage wasn't good at all, though.
He also has that bad habit of dribbling with his head down. My main beef with him was the
fact that he just didn't finish strong enough around the basket. Most of his shots
were thrown right back in his face. Hopefully, I'll get to see the G-Town gang again and
they'll give a better showing. I was all ready to say that G-Town basketball was back, but
I'll hold off for now.
JAN. 6
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
St. Joseph's Prep 54, Cardinal O'Hara 38
I dubbed this one, the battle of the mastermind coaches.
O'Hara Coach Buddy Gardler and Prep Coach Speedy Morris, who
won his 400th in the high school ranks, are in my opinion, the best 2 Coaches in
the League. O'Hara was coming off an upset over a Carroll team that is in a state of
disarray. How did this Lion team beat that team with the personnel that they have? It must
be coaching. This one was close throughout. O'Hara actually led at the half by 1. In the
third, the Hawklets took control and took a confortable 9 point lead into the 4th. Early
in the 4th, O'Hara's top player Sr. WG Chris Grandieri scored a basket
and was fouled to cut the lead to 6. Next thing you know, the Prep just caught fire. The
heat was led by Sr. WG Ryan Lynch. He made 2 straight threes to slam the
door on the tough Lions. He went 3-for-3 from 3 in the 4th. This was the deciding factor
because Lynch was 0-for-5 from distance before the final stanza. He finsihed with 11
Points. The Prep's leaders in this one were 6-6 Jr. F-C Mark Zoller with
15 Points and 4 Boards. Does he ever miss a shot? Well every now and then, but not much.
He went 7-for-9 today. He battled foul trouble throughout. Soph. G John Griffin
played a great all-around game with 15 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists & 3 Steals, all
Team Highs. You can tell that young Griff is a Coach's son. He plays with savvy and
smarts. O'Hara, of course, was led by the 6-3 Grandieri with 15 Points & 6 Rebounds of
his own. Sr. G Harry Dougherty scored 8 Points & dished 3 assists.
His sweet shot was off though as he went 1-for-6 from deep. Jr. PG Craig Haywood played
hard-nosed D as usual. He is one of the peskier on Ball defenders in the League.
JAN. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Overbrook 51, Franklin Learning Center 50
This one was a tale of two halves. In the first,
Overbrook got into their flow and looked as if they would run the youthful Bobcats
off the floor. However, the 2nd proved to be different as Coach Powell slowed
the game down and took the Powerful Panthers out of their offense. This one went all
the way down to the wire and I mean all the way. Here's the wild sequence of
events of the game's final minute. FLC had come all the way back from a 36-22
Halftime deficit to take a 50-49 lead with just over a minute remaining. Ovebrook had
the ball and Jr. PF Elijah Tolbert (9 Rebounds) was fouled in the act of
shooting. He missed both free throws. On their next possession, Sr. PG Murvin
English (18 Points) drove the lane and was fouled. He made the first and
missed the second, 50-50. FLC controlled the Board and Jr. PG Michael Green held
the ball for one shot. He dribbled for more than thrity seconds and then it happend as
Green dribbled the ball off of the foot of the Referee and English got the steal. He went
to the basket for a layup and Green grabbed him. A highly questionable intentional foul
was called. This wasn't even a hard foul. Fiery Coach Cedric Powell went
ballistic and was close to getting a technical. English made the first and then missed the
second, OVB 51, FLC 50. On the inbounds, the Panthers passed the ball to the normally good
foul shooter Sr. WG Angelo Hernandez (17 Points). He went to the line and
missed the front end of the one and one, but retrieved his own Rebound and was fouled
again. Again he missed the front end of the one and one, but this time the Bobcats
controlled the rebound and called timeout with 4 seconds remaining. They got the ball in
to Green who passed it to Sr. WG Noll Black who got a good look at a
three from the left elbow right in front of the Bobcat bench. It went long, Gam! e over
and another close call for the Panthers. These types of games make you better as a team
and Brook has been in three of them. This also good for the young Bobcats as they showed
that they can hang with one of the League's elite. The Hilltopper's MVP in this one had to
be 6-4 Sr. WF Shawn Ikokwu. He shot 0-for-9 from the field and had no
points, but he went to the other facets of his game and got the job done. He had team
highs of 14 Rebounds, 4 assists & 3 steals. 6-7 Sr. F-C Kristian Clarkson
had it going in the first half, but was nonexistent in the second, but still finished with
8 Points & 11 Rebounds. The dynamite backcourt of Hernandez & English combined to
shoot 6-for-19 from three. They are one of the League's best. I'm still waiting for
Hernandez to have that explosion. It's due to happen real soon I know. His shot is
coming back slowly, but surely, and I know that he has a 40 Point game in him.
The Bobcats were led the by the very impressive Green. Mike may be a D1 Player in the end.
He scored 19 Points, dished 6 assists, grabbed 5 Boards & blocked 2 shots. He
was as always his brassy, confident self. The Bobcat budding star, 6-5 Jr.
swingman Tyreek Byard just couldn't get it going on Offense in this one. he shot
a mere 3-for-14 for 6 Points, but he was their only real rebounder as he secured 13
of them. It seems that when he gets off early, he is deadly on O all game long, but when
he struggles early he struggles often. Nevertheless, this kid could be very good down the
line. I'm not putting any limitations on him. He too, is a D1 Prospect. I was really
impressed with 5-9 Soph. PG Michael Scott. In the one stretch he played
in, he showed me alot. He always dribbles with his head up and makes good decisions. His
passing is pinpoint and he'll compete with anybody. The Cats even got something today from
6-3 Sr. F-C Dywaine Farley (5 Rebounds). He did a very good defensive job
on Clarkson in the 2nd Half. I'm looking forward to seeing this team again and I will very
soon as they take on GW at Cunningham next Saturday.
JAN. 4
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
St. John Neumann 76, Roman Catholic 64
In this one, I will focus on the fiesty Young
Cahillites, who came up on the short end of the stick tonight, but still proved that
they'll be heard from later down the line. Ofcourse the Empire leaned on its horse 6-3
225-lb Soph. F Charron Fisher for another monster performance. At one point,
Ted said, "He's aproaching Lewis Lloyd numbers." This refers to
the legendary performance that Overbrook Forward 6-5 Lewis Lloyd (77') put up against
the #1 Team in the land West Philly in the 77' Season. Brook was Number #2 and Lloyd
scored 34 Points and snatched 24 Boards. Well Fisher was almost that good as he went for
32 Points (8-for-15, 16-for-21 from the line!) & 19 Boards; Just another night at the
office for Charron who is averaging about 27 Points & 14 Rebounds a game. Folks, this
kid is the best player in the Catholic League right now. Forget the fact that he's
undersized. He just gets the job done and does it better than anybody. Ted also pointed
out that he is a cross somewhere in the middle of Donnie Carr and Tamal
Forchion. That's pretty good company. This guy is a big game player. He is the
kind of kid that I just love as knows when the lights are on and the big game is
being played. His normal main help comes from 6-2 Soph. WG Andre Sloan-El.
Sloan-El's sweet lefty stroke was a little off today. He finished with just 11 Points on
3-for-8 from 3, 3-for-12 overall. He did help Fisher on the Boards with 8. Sr. PG
Tyree Wallace had it going early as he dished 4 of his 6 assists in the 1st
Quarter. He only shot 1-of-10 in this one. If only Fisher had another Inside presence to
help with the rebounding duties. Sure he does a great job by himself, but there just isn't
another post presence on this team. Both 6-4 Forwards, Sr. Jon Duperon &
Soph. Scott Mascio are probably truely wing players who are forced to
play down low. The rematch of this one will be very interesting. I'm still waiting for
someone to find an answer for Fisher. Is it size? (Carroll) Is it agressiveness? (West
Catholic) Is it the best defender in the League in Anthony Bennett (Bonner) Is it a
mastermind Coach? (O'Hara & The Prep) What could it be? This is going to be a fun year
in the Catholic League. Many are saying that it is a down year, but I beg to differ.
Everybody is just young. Next year, we could be talking about the best League in the Land.
JAN. 3
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Frankford 80, West Philadelphia 54
It is really sad what is going on on 47th & Walnut.
What was once one of the most prominent programs in the land has become a mere laughing
stock. It is ridiculous. In this one, Frankford thumped a team on its own home floor by 26
Points. Are the Pioneers 26 Points better than the Speedboys? NO! There is a total
lack of pride by the players and the coach. It seems that nobody cares. Its no
secret that I have really tried hard to help this Program as it is one that is very close
to me. I was hurt today as it seemed that everything I tried to do and did, all of my
laying it on the line went for naught. The Pioneers were led by Sr. F Tyree Draft with
16 Points, 4 Boards & 2 Blocks. His main help came from Sr. WG
Stefan Brown who chipped in with 15 Points of his own. 6-2 Soph. WG
Mark Tyndale hd the radar early as he dished 5 of his 6 assists in the 1st
quarter. 6-2 250-lb Sr. C-F Donte Wood was spirited as usual and went for 12 Points
& 6 Rebounds. I was impressed with 6-5 (maybe taller) Jr.
PF Darryl White. He went for 9 Points, 10 Rebounds & 2 Blocks. If he keeps
working on his gae, he could be a force by next season. He already has a strong build and
I could see him growing another inch or two. Even 6-8 Deep Sub, Sr. C Tim Forbes got
into the act. He scored 4 Points, grabbed 4 Boards and blocked 2 shots. He almost brought
the house down when he tried to throw down a one-hander, but it was to no avail. West's
star Sr. swingman Eugene Myatt played today, but couldn't have been more
than 60%, not that it really mattered. He has a badly sprained ankle. He couldn't even
jump and as we all know, nobody jumps like this kid. He did manage 5 Points. His little
brother 6-4 Jr. WF Andrew Myatt had his best game with 16 Points. He has
many of the same tools as Eugene, not as strong, as fluid or as good an athlete, but
who is? I'm tired of seeing Sr. PG Donta Williams coming off of the
bench. He is the best guard the Speedboys have and was a 2 year starter and 3 year Varsity
Player before this season and now he doesn't start? When he's out there, this is a
different team. Without him, there is no way they can win. He did score 13 Points, but
shot 5-for-19 to get it. He did grab 5 Boards, dish 4 assists and pluck 3 steals though.
he could have has 5 more assists if he teammates caught his passes. This was a disgrace. I
wanted to walk out of the gym and I'm a gymrat. I never like to leave the gym. Here was
the summary of the day, Coach Wright mumbles to himself, "Man,
he's never gonna' get it." Hmmmmm.