DEC. 30
NON-LEAGUE
N. Catholic 51, Episcopal 36
   What an enjoyable experience. The refs mostly left the game alone, there were no examples of selfish or stupid play and a decent crowd was on hand. Judging by Episcopal's results this season, in Year One Without Wayne & Gerald, I truthfully did not expect much. Well, I knew the Churchmen would play hard and sensibly because coach Dan Dougherty ALWAYS makes sure of that, but the fear was that the talent gap would be just too wide. And then the game began. And when the Churchmen came downcourt, they went directly into that double-high offense that most teams use to stall, usually at the end of games. Hmmm. Was Doc going to let the air out? Nah. That approach was just a momentary thing. Actually, as the game went on, Episcopal ran whenever the opportunity presented itself and mostly went toe to toe with the Falcons through the first three quarters. In fact, the score was 36-32. But at 6:33, sr. Jason Mendez converted a three-point play on a pass from jr. R.J. Handy and sr. Andrew Pomager did likewise on a fastbreak opportunity (like often, the righty deftly used his left hand). Then, at the other end, the 6-3 Pomager blocked consecutive field goal attempts by 6-8 sr. C Mike Nealis and North scored again on a pass from jr. F Pete Sellecchia, back from a football injury, to Mendez. Episcopal did not stop playing hard, but the 12-point spread was too much to digest. North has an interesting, talented mix and, for the moment, one of the best Falcons, sr. SF Chris Edwards, who's being eyed hard by D-I schools, is out with a minor injury. He hopes to return for league play on Tuesday. Recent North teams have been jettisoned by chemistry problems. These group appears to "get it" and, assuming togetherness, could enjoy major success not only in the Northern Division, but overall. Pomager had 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. Jr. PG Velton Jones added 13 points and three assists. Jr. PF-C Shahid Paulhill grabbed six boards. Handy (three assists, three steals) and Mendez (nine points) made a series of smart decisions. This was my first look at jr. WG Lenny Young and there was MUCH to like. He gave the appearance of one of those clean/efficient guys, much like Penn's Mark Zoller (formerly of SJ Prep). They're not close in what they do, but are bookends in HOW they do it. Like Zoller, Young does not fart around (excuse my French) with the ball. I love that in a player. I don't think he had the ball in his hands more than 2 seconds all game long. Either he did something positive right away or got it to someone else who could. He shot 5-for-6 en route to 12 points. For Episcopal, only sr. PG Pat Kelly has anything close to experience. He looked especially good in transition en route to a five-assist performance. Nealis had the misfortune of missing some gimmes and short jumpers while going 4-for-13, but did grab seven rebounds. Another tall senior, Herb Bowen (6-7, maybe?), has become a MUCH better player. He went 7-for-10 for 14 points and several times showed competent square-up form on mid-range jumpers. It'll be interesting to see what kind of school takes a chance on him. I'm sure he's encouraged by what has happened for him lately, and that he'll do nothing but continue to work hard. (Plus, he's related to Gerald Henderson. Bloodlines gotta count for something, right? smile) Jr. WG Will McFee, an exchange student from Australia, missed all six of his FG attempts. He looked confident taking them, though, and did go 4-for-4 at the line, so let's assume the oh-fer was a blip. This kid is very athletic. As an exchange student, he can't be expected to remain for another year. But who knows? Spent part of the pregame interacting with the famous Hockey Puck, a North "assistant" (term used loosely -- smile), and website writer Mark Hueber, a sixth grader whose dad, Tim, is a real Falcons' aide. Mark had some good stories about the wackiness that is Puck. Also in the house were Episcopal's own website writer, Tom "Takin' a" Mulligan, and fellow FB player The Masked Man. He was NOT wearing his mask, however. "I save that for night games," he said. Meanwhile . . . The gym was nice and bright and I camped out behind one basket and the pictures are finally respectable.

DEC. 29
JAMEER NELSON NOT-SO-CLASSICS
Imhotep Charter 63, Bartram 34
SJ Prep 64, Abington Friends 38
   With your permission, not that I need to ask for it (smile), these two games will be tied into one report because they were so similar. Two teams played great. Two did not. There you have it . . . OK, OK, I'll write some more. Imhotep was aggressive, yet smart and controlled, and Bartram never came close to being in sync. The Panthers (what Pub team ISN'T named Panthers these days?) have three D-I signees in PG Jermaine Washington and Fs Tamir Johnson (both Central Connecticut State) and Kashief Edwards (Niagara). Washington had an outstanding first half, even though he shot 0-for-5. How so? Well, he notched six assists, three steals and even three rebounds and orchestrated the Panthers' sensible transition game in wonderful fashion. It was 37-16 at half. Other overall stats: Edwards finished 8-for-10 en route to 19 points; Johnson went 6-for-8 (14 points); soph G Kenny Battle had four assists; jr. F Demar Morine did not score but swept 11 boards; soph F Will Adams mixed eight points, four assists and two steals. Bartram has an interesting player in jr. SF Novar Gadson. A lefty, he's listed at 6-4 and is thin, for the moment. He gives a somewhat gangly appearance, but shows some slicing skills. With more strength, especially in his lower body, so as not to be knocked off his base, he'll become a force every time out and not just when people neglect to closely guard him. The PG is a frosh named Tyrone Garland. He'll also be OK down the line. Today, Washington stayed in his wheelhouse and far too often forced him to pick up his dribble shortly after he crossed midcourt. That can't happen . . . The Prep enjoyed one of the all-time first halves, especially in the dialin'-from-distance department. The Hawks frolicked to a 43-11 lead by going 9-for-14 on treys. Radar City, baby! It was incredible. Each threeball was somehow more impressive than the one that preceded it. And four guys did the honors. The ink went to sr. PG Matt Griffin, who finished with 12 points (4-for-9 on threes) and nine assists (six in the first half). Matt wants to play D-I ball and coach Speedy Morris is determined to see that the dream comes true. Matt has had occasional contact, but there's nothing firm on the table. If necessary, Matt plans to attend prep school for a year -- most likely Lawrenceville, in N.J. -- and see what happens from there. Everyone associated with Prep's program says the same things about him: no one can outwork him and most can't even come close. Also impressive was jr. F Larry Loughery, with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Oh, and the sixth man, jr. WG Matt Williams, was actually the day's best sniper. He went 4-for-5 on treys for 12 points. Over and out, troops. Time to start posting two more sets of blurry, washed-out photos with loads of red and/or white eyes. Why can't basketball be played OUTDOORS!!!! Or why can't The Wife break down and give me a better camera for a Christmas present????!!!! After all, I gave her a beautiful necklace. (This part's just between us: It was discounted by about 75 percent and didn't cost too much to begin with. Hey, have to scrimp somewhere. Paying for all of those McDonald's No. 2's -- no onions, diet Coke -- can really empty a guy's wallet. Smile.)

DEC. 28
PENNSAUKEN TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
Lincoln 74, Masterman 49
   Alaska one day, South America the next. One day after being ch-ch-ch-chilled to the bone in Germantown's icebox, er, gymnasium, this place offered the sauna effect. I wouldn't say the heat was up high, but there was ample through-the-windows penetration by the sun and while wearing a sweatshirt, I felt a drop or three of perspiration drippin' from the ol' armpits. Luckily, deodorant had been applied (smile). I didn't expect miracles from this game because I knew Lincoln would be deeper and more physical. Masterman kept things competitive into the early moments of the fourth quarter before Lincoln pulled away due mostly to a series of second and even third shots, or layups/short jumpers off transition. Sr. WG Brandon Bowes shot 8-for-17 (3-for-6) and 5-for-6 for 24 points. He's one of those crafty-lefty types who probably stays on the court all day during pickup games. He's quite thin. He's also quite perceptive, witness his four assists and four-five other feeds that could have resulted in baskets. Some of the girls in the stands behind me liked his braids. Some thought he only wore them to distract from big ears. Hey, I'm only the messenger. All I do is give you the information you need. It's up to you to run with it (smile). The other WG, sr. Brian Simmons, is stronger and more aggressive, but he too can impress. He had 10 points, five assists and three steals. The primary inside force is sr. C Tyrone Bolden, who's also a football star. He's sturdy, not fat, and he plays with just enough of a mean streak. He packed 12 of his 13 points and nine of his 12 boards into the first half. He added two blocks. David Goldsmith, a thick jr. SF-PF, had 10 points and five boards. Another inside player, jr. Daniel Randall, rejected three shots within his first minute on the court (maybe even faster), then crammed six rebounds into the fourth quarter. For Masterman, sr. WG Mark "I've Outgrown Mickey as a Nickname" McGuire finished with 18 points. He got the first 15 in exciting fashion, going 5-for-10 on treys before halftime. He was doing some serious mad bombing, folks. Lincoln did a much better job of shading toward him out of its zone in the second half, and even flat-out running at him. He did not even get off a trey until 3:15 remained in the third quarter, and he was hacked on that. He went 0-for-3 on his three official threeballs in the second half. The Dragons' point guard is an energetic frosh, Kirk Wynn. He suffered some shaky decision-making, but I liked his raw skills and he should be a good one in time. He had six points, four assists and five steals. The inside guys are bookend juniors, Adam "All My Children" Chandler and Jordan Perkins. Both are thin and can get off their feet a little. Chandler has some pogo-stick qualities. They needed to play with a shade more authority. Chandler had 10 points, eight boards and two blocks. Perkins managed seven points, nine boards, three steals. Today's riddle: In a game where some of the players are white, how can there be non-stop black-on-black "crime" (as in committed fouls)? Hmmmmm. Well, somehow both teams wore black uniforms, with Lincoln's trimmed in yellow and Masterman's in blue. GAMP boss Art Kratchman, the hardest working man in the basketball coaching business, was in attendance, scouting Masterman for future reference. His team played Bok earlier today and he spent about nine hours yesterday at Germantown, checking out the action. "My wife thinks I'm crazy." Someday, she'll be on a par with my wife, who KNOWS I'm crazy (smile).

DEC. 27
PHILA. SCHOOL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
Mastery Charter 67, Lamberton 65
   Lots of fun watching this tilt! Each team has one very impressive player, along with some not-bads, and that's always a recipe for good entertainment. Mastery's star is sr. WG-SF Brian Reid, who goes about 6-4/6-5 and almost always plays facing the basket. He's a star student with a qualifying SAT score and some local D-IIs are on him. My sources (smile) tell me Reid tends to go the understated route a shade too often and occasionally needs a fire lit under his, um, hind quarters. There is much to like about him, however. He's smooth and mostly plays under control and is not hesitant to use his off hand (left) to get to the basket and even finish. Excellent trait! Overall, he went 9-for-21 and 12-for-23 (gotta do better than that) for 30 points and he packed 17 of those points into the fourth quarter and OT. Mostly during that time frame, coach Quincy Reed allowed Reid to get the ball beyond the top of the key and take whoever was trying to guard him. Brian had a chance to end the game in regulation, but his buzzer-beating jumper from roughly the foul line rimmed in and out. He went 4-for-8 at the line in OT. Reid also had five rebounds, five steals and two assists. Sr. swingman Jaleel Khabeer was quite productive, witness his 20 points, 10 boards and four steals. He had the ever-appreciated, knife-through-guys quality and truly was able to finish. Soph Arval Knox, mostly a PG, also showed well in spurts. I liked his approach when trying to get his teammates a good spot. Like all of the most effective point guards, he trusted his ballhandling skills to the point where two guys were right in his grille, meaning that somebody, somewhere, had to be open. Sr. Sean Williamson mostly did little things (five assists, four steals), yet it was his runner that broke the game's last tie, at 60-60, and he sank the second of two free throws with 2.9 seconds left, making it 67-65. Jr. F Bruce Kennedy then missed about a 17-footer from the right wing. For Lamberton, Mr. Attention-Grabber was soph WG Jamil Brown. As Amauro mentioned early and often (smile), Brown has Second Coming of Maureece Rice potential. Brown, who goes maybe 5-11, 6-foot (?), is a shade chunky like Rice, the former Strawberry Mansion "Scorelord" now at GWU. He also exhibits the same wonderful knack for scoring while drawing contact and somehow knowing where he is even after putting his head down. In an earlier game, Amauro was pretty sure that Brown six times recorded and-ones. Well, he had five in this one and only a line violation by a teammate kept him from completing all five. Oddly, at other times his foul shooting form was shaky and at one juncture he missed four in a row. (His guide hand was too "involved", causing the ball to spin toward the hoop and thump off to one side.) Brown had a busy late afternoon because he also guarded Reid, and that was no easy task. He fouled out 36 seconds after the start of OT. This kid is going to have all kinds of fun the next two-plus seasons, as will those who watch him. The other eminently watchable Blue Devil is soph PG Antoine Boyd, who's listed at 5-4. This youngster redefines waterbug. Holy buzzsaw! He goes and goes and goes and competes for every single second. He had 11 points, four assists and three steals. Imagine if he had a true big man to set up. Lamberton's little-things guy is sr. G-F Anthony Dixon. He had no points through regulation (of three total), but by that point had 10 of his 11 rebounds.

DEC. 21
NON-LEAGUE
Bonner 42, Judge 39
  John Sheehan is not a starter for Bonner, but as you noticed, his name started this report and there's a very good reason: He was a major reason the Friars won this lively fray and his contributions ranged from little things to gigantic things. I doubt that Sheehan, a sr. WG-SF, was on the court for even half the game, but he notched five rebounds, two steals and one assist and then, in the waning moments, he posted his best feat. Unless I messed up something (always possible -- ha ha), Sheehan took no shots until 18.7 seconds remained. Bonner was up one, 40-39, and all Sheehan had to go was stroll to the line, shake off the cobwebs and attempt a one-and-one. First's one up . . . perfect swish! Second one's up . . . perfect swish! Wonderful job! At the other, Judge jr. G-F Bob Zanneo missed a deep, head-on trey -- soph F-C Lijah Thompson appeared to get a slight piece of the ball -- and Bonner had an important win. Well, kinda important. Only because any win is kinda important. But as the buzzer sounded, about 12 to 15 Bonner students stormed across the court to the bench area to greet/engulf their heroes and Huck commented wryly, "Yo, dudes, gotta save that. It's a non-league game!" (smile) This was a fun night. A decent crowd was on hand and the Bonner kids showed admirable juice and, after some early stink-up-the-place play (the Friars didn't score until 1:36 remained in the first quarter), the teams settled down and offered solid entertainment. Bonner's headliner remains sr. WG Jeff Jones, who's bound for Virginia. He shot just 3-for-12 and all three of his field goals came in the second quarter. His other stats were measly (three rebounds, two assists). Judge did not appear to do anything off-the-charts special to defend him. A nearby guy would step over when Jones had the ball, but it wasn't as if the Crusaders were trying to suffocate him. Bonner has a big frontcourt in srs. Tim Vanderslice and Robert Wyley and the soph, Thompson. 'Slice is mostly a wing shooter and he had some struggles, too (4-for-14, one trey, nine points). He added five rebounds. Wyley and Thompson have some hops. Wyley recorded 10 boards and three blocks and his point total (six) was held down by woeful foul shooting (2-for-7). Thompson stirred the spectators with two dunks and his overall line was solid -- 11 points, six boards, three blocks. Sr. PG Rob DiNicola had two assists and two steals and made his only shots (one FG, two FTs) for four points. With its height and Jones' explosiveness, Bonner has great potential to cause opponents matchup problems. However, it'll have some matchup miseries of its own because the big guys will have to get out on the floor and guard people. Judge has no true post presence and was able to compete mostly by using an open offense (not quite a true "spread") and taking care of the ball. Sr. PG Kevin Lynch missed the second quarter due to foul trouble, but finished with 13 points (three treys) and two assists. He's an enjoyable player to watch and makes the Crusaders function. Sr. G-F Ryan Walker mixed six points, five boards and two steals. Sr. F Pat Kelly never took a shot, but grabbed five rebounds. Sr. F Jason Mee had no rebounds, but made all of his shots en route to eight points. Jr. Matt McLaughlin and sr. Jim Fenningham had good ballhandling moments. Zanneo and sr. Bob Verrelle struggled with their shooting. The stretch went like this: Vanderslice's 14-foot jumper put Bonner ahead, 38-37, with 1:48 left; Verrelle's drive at 1:22 made it 39-38; DiNicola passed to Thompson for a layup and a 40-39 lead at 0:53; Lynch was called for traveling at 0:22 after momentarily breaking away from Jones' sticky defense and catching a pass; and then came the final sequence mentioned earlier. My jinx with Judge coach Frank Cahill remains alive. I didn't see them win last year when he was filling in for the now-retired Bill Fox and this makes the 'Saders 0-1 in 2006-07 when being "silary-ed." Sorry, man. Frank has playfully asked me to stay away. If this keeps up, he might go for a court order (smile). Meanwhile, I'm wondering if Jason Mee is the son/nephew/some kind of relation of a 1970s North Catholic player named Joe Mee? Joe once had a strong performance in a victory and a city newspaper (the original Bulletin, not the reincarnation) came up with this classic headline: North Catholic Wins All Because of Mee. Ha, ha, ha, ha. One of the all-timers, right? (I've been informed that Jason is indeed Joe's son. Nice!) Maybe 8-10 years ago, here's one we COULD have had in the Daily News if a certain player (Kensington's Jesse Fells) had been the hero in a certain Pub game: Fells Fells Fels. That no doubt would have won a headline writing prize. Oh, well . . .

DEC. 19
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Phila. Elec. 65, Washington 57
   Warning! If you're ever going to head to Moore, near 2nd, in South Philly, to watch PET play a home game, prepare for frustration (smile). The EOM facility is hard to find and seems as if every street is one way in the wrong direction. I got there an hour early and no one was in the gym. PET rolled in a shade after 2:30 for the 3:15 start and Washington did not stroll in until close to 2:55. Washington is always fun to watch because "halfcourt basketball" does not compute. Coach Calvin Jones (class of '70) played for Edison in the Pub's run-and-gun days and he goes with what he knows. Well, PET showed decent transition skills and did a much better job of taking care of the ball and, most importantly, was able to regroup when Washington momentarily took command by halftime. Well, not "'command" -- the lead was only 31-30. But considering the Chargers charged (what else? -- smile) to a 9-0 edge in the very beginning, the fact that they eventually let it slip away could have been problematic. The game was won in a 20-8 third quarter and the headliner was jr. WG Sean McCall. He drained four consecutive treys and then, on in an inbound play with only a few seconds remaining, he whipped a pass into the left corner and jr. F Marcus Langley hit his own trey. Impressive. The fourth quarter belonged mostly to sr. combo guard Arrocus "Roc" Fisher, who finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals in a fine overall effort. He scored 13 of PET's 15 fourth quarter points mostly because he went 11-for-14 at the line. Two of the misses came in the waning moments, with the outcome decided. The lively Langley had 12 points, six boards, two apiece of assists and steals and three blocks. Jr. Brandon Williams, who's similar to Langley, had 10 points and six boards. Sr. PG Chris White mostly treasured the ball and dealt four assists. Washington's top player is jr. F Miguel Bocachica. Though I liked him in one look last season, he was a serious pump! (smile) He now plays a much better overall game and appears to have become comfortable with leadership duties. He went 8-for-19 from the floor (4-for-12 on treys) while adding 11 rebounds and three smacks. A few times on shots, he landed nowhere close to where he'd first jumped and I'm a strong believer that very few guys can do that and hit a decent percentage. Unless they account for it in their release. Soph WG Naheem Anderson had 14 points. Sr. PG Jarel Barnwell was at times a whirlwind, thanks to seven points, five rebounds, two assists and seven steals. Jr. C Robert Smith had an interesting afternoon. He started, played briefly, then mostly sat at the end of the bench, occasionally eating (looked like orange slices?) and taking pictures with a digital camera. Gotta love that, right? Washington has two guys named Donte Williams. Well, actually, there's a Donte Williams and a Dante Williams. They're not related. I found it very curious that Washington had 17 players in uniform. Big rosters are almost always a staple of young coaches. When guys have been around a while, they start cutting back to 11-12 players. Jones is in his 21st season.

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
Dougherty 54, O'Hara 45
   Coaches talk about the little things again and again and again. Tim Gates never fails to listen. At "only" 6-3, this senior normally has to play center for Dougherty's athletic, but undersized squad. Today, his primary opponent was 6-7 jr. Mark Wedderburn and he succeeded in wonderful fashion. Gates' uncle, Darrell "Heat" Gates, was the point guard for the 1985 Dobbins squad that won the Pub title with two future NBA players in the starting lineup, Bo Kimble and Doug Overton. A third guy, Hank Gathers, would have made the pros as well if not for his untimely death before the completion of his Loyola Marymount career (where Bo was his teammate). Heat was also a player and the undeniable glue of that ballclub and Tim, though in a different position/role, of course, shows many of those same traits. He shot 4-for-8 for eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds. But his "little things" were gigantic. We flash to the third quarter. O'Hara holds a 42-38 lead. Dougherty misses a shot. Wedderburn goes for the board, but because Gates has been such a relentless opponent all game, Mark feels the need to throw a space-creating elbow. A ref sees it and calls it. Right down to the other end we go. Wedderburn sets up for a short jumper with a dribble or two. Gates gets close enough to count his teeth and takes a charge. Tweet! Foul No. 4. It was no coincidence that Dougherty then scored 11 consecutive points to seize command at 49-42. The go-ahead bucket was a three-pointer from the left corner by the sixth man, sr. SF Roberto Townsend, who's always a true warrior. Sr. WG Kahlil Mumford, a lefty sniper from way back (somehow, I'm always surprised when he misses a jumper; his aim is THAT good), then made two free throws and sr. G-F Justin Minter nailed a left-of-the-foul-line jumper. Meanwhile, the Lions were having trouble dealing with Dougherty's stepped-up defensive pressure, especially since Wedderburn was not on hand to work around. Later, Gates drew at least one more offensive foul (might have been two) and it was such a joy to see someone so dedicated to the unglamorous fundamentals. "ANY coach would be thrilled to have Tim Gates," said Dougherty's Mark Heimerdinger. "He never asks for things. He just gives." Some more stats: Townsend had 13 points, nine boards; Mumford hit four treys en route to 23 points. Minter had four assists. Keep an eye out for frosh PG Willis Nicholson, who's being brought along slowly. He's one of those waterbug types with a classic, snappy handle and juice, and he could become VERY important. Wedderburn had 10 points, six boards, four assists and three blocks. Also a football star, he looked quite nimble and made more than a few good passes. I thought he could have been force-fed a shade more, but it's still mid-December. Jr. WG Zach Tansey had all 12 of his points before intermission, then missed his only two shots of the second half but upped his assist total to six. Jr. F Jim Kelleher, who plays a lot like Tansey (but is 3 inches taller at 6-4), knocked down three treys en route to 17 points. He also had seven rebounds. Jr. F Matt Romano is O'Hara's version of Gates (four points, five boards, three assists, some physicality). Meanwhile, on the photo trail, I'm still messing around with different settings. Things went a shade better today. Can't seem to do much about the white-eyes thing. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

DEC. 16
NON-LEAGUE
SJ Prep 59, Gratz 30
   Gratz was the vegetable. Prep did the slicing and dicing. My goodness, did this game ever look like a clinic on how to, and not to, play basketball. It's never a good idea to play a Speedy Morris-coached team in December and the Hawks have again come out of the gate in blitzkrieg mode. They're now 7-0 -- and have lost just FOUR December games in Speedy's six Prep seasons; out of a shade over 60 total games -- and this was not some okey-doke opponent such as Souderton. This was the defending Public League champion, a team that could very well claim the trophy again come late February. You never would have known that today in this first of three Coaches vs. Cancer tilts at Saint Joseph's University. Late in the game, I was sitting near a young lady, Krystle Marcellus, who formerly worked for the Daily News as a free-lance photographer and now is a staff member for the new-fangled Bulletin. She said after yet another Gratz miss, "It looks like they're just throwing the ball up there." Indeed it did. The Bulldogs shot 9-for-57 for the game (16 percent) and 1-for-12 on three-pointers (8 percent). Hay-zoooooos. Prep, meanwhile, looked awesome. The Hawks have a very different look this season, not only for itself but for basketball teams in general. This is the era of guards and more guards, but Morris puts just one on the court for the opening jump-ball. Luckily for him and the rest of the Hawks, that one guy is sr. PG Matt Griffin. It'll be interesting to see which college makes a wonderful decision and gives Griffin a chance despite his small stature (listed at 5-11, 150). John Stockton would have been proud to call this performance his own. Griffin had just three points on an early trey. But he finished with eight assists and even eight rebounds and he completely controlled this affair tempowise. When the break was there, he took it. When a halfcourt approach was called for, he was skilled in running that, too. What a great job. The other starters are 6-3 or taller and none is especially skilled as a ballhandler. That could become an issue in latter games, but Gratz certainly did nothing to exploit the situation. Jr. Larry Loughery is now able to exclusively play forward due to the presence of 6-8 sr. C Rob Coney and he was very impressive. He appears to be in perfect shape and again and again he had his way along the baseline, in the lane, on the near wings; didn't matter. "Lock" finished with 19 points, 10 boards and two assists, and even drained a trey. Often, he drove one side of the lane/baseline and then curled in a layup from the opposite side while using the basket for protection. Coney is gradually becoming a presence. I especially liked that he hit all four of his free throws. He added eight rebounds and five blocks. The wing guard is Jim Mower, a 6-3 junior. Can you say sniper? He went 7-for-11 total and 4-for-6 on treys. The other starter is 6-6 sr. F Matt Dolan. His numbers were eight for points and five for boards. It's only mid-December and who knows whether the Hawks will again slap things together to THIS extent in any game for the rest of the season, especially against a quality opponent. No matter, because this was MIGHTY impressive. In time, bench help could become an issue, but Morris-coached squads usually find a way to stay out of foul trouble -- YOU said the refs are intimidated by him; not me (smile). I'm not sure WHAT to say about Gratz. The two most prominent Bulldogs are sr. combo G Josh "Scrap" Martin (formerly of Prep Charter and Dougherty before that) and sr. F Ishmawiyl McFadden. Martin went scoreless, with 0-for-10 miseries from the floor. McFadden went 1-for-12. About says it all. There'll be many more times to talk about those two guys, and other Bulldogs. Today it's better to go the bare-bones route, I suspect. The PA announcer was Joe Donahue, the director of basketball operations under Speedy. In the third quarter, Gratz jr. WG Alibaba Odd did something to merit his name getting announced and Joe delivered with over-the-top flair. Krystle said with a laugh, "He was waiting all day to say that name." Indeed.

DEC. 15
NON-LEAGUE
Franklin Towne 43, Saul 32
   I know most people would not be caught dead at a game involving these kinds of lesser lights. Well, only 10 would have been caught alive. Eleven, if you count me. That's how many people wandered into Saul's gym for this game between teams that overall will have few chances this season for victory. Was it classic basketball? Not quite. Was it horrible basketball? Far from it. There was lots of hustling and teamwork, and there was no knuckleheaded behavior, so this was no doubt a worthwhile experience. The main motivation for attending was to get a look at FT's Francis Patriarca, a sr. combo guard. He's maybe 5-6 or 5-7, but he almost always gets numbers and today I saw why: He can snipe it a little. He finished with 19 points, three assists and four steals. He hit two first-quarter treys and I had that feeling, "Hmmm. We could be lookin' at numbers." But he never quite found the range and wound up going 6-for-15 total, just 2-for-9 on treys. Coach Josh Rorer said his star is in a little bit of a slump. Patriarca has pretty good feet and is constantly in motion. So what I'm saying is, he's NOT one of those lead-footed guys who can only zone-bust. I was especially impressed at the very beginning of the second quarter when Saul came out in man-to-man after having played zone. Patriarca got the ball and, zip, immediately recognized the switch and drove to the hole for a layup. Delaware Valley is expressing interest and, if not there, there has be a D-3 program that could use him. In college, of course, he'll play the point. FT's most intriguing player is Joe Reid, a soph who stands maybe 6-4, 6-5. He looks like the kind of late-bloomer who always seems to pop up at E&S. Rorer said Reid, in effect, last year could barely stand up without losing his balance, but now can dunk. He's still quite gangly and Rorer is bringing him along slowly. Off the bench in maybe half the game, he had six points, five boards and two blocks. His most impressive moment came in transition, as he caught a pass from Patriarca on the dead run and deposited a layup without having a chance to fully set himself. My strong guess is that last year he would have butchered that play completely. Keep working, young man. It WILL come together. Reid also appears to be popular with his teammates; they cheered and yelled his name every time he did anything even remotely positive. Sr. G-F Ron Gunning, a baseball mainstay, had five boards, three assists, four steals and three blocks. Sr. Chris Stein did similar little things. Soph WG Jared Schwarz shot 3-for-4 on treys en route to 13 points. Saul's main threat is jr. F Xavier Williams. He has a solid build and a knack for knowing how to position himself. He pretty much had his way in terms of getting his shots OFF; not too many went in. He went 5-for-21 and 4-for-4 at the line for 14 points. Soph PG Keith Brown has decent floor-general potential. He dished five assists and that total could have been a dozen, easily, if shots had fallen. The Razorbacks' unheralded, dirty-work guy is sr. PF Steve Pownall. He snagged nine rebounds. Jonathan Medina, a jr. F, had eight points and seven boards. Always good to see ref Jerry Kleger, a good guy from way back who once guided Franklin to the Pub baseball title. Hard to believe, right? The other ref was very excited because he'd heard his picture was in the Other Philly Paper in the background of a dunk pic featuring Southern's Robert "Jay" McKee. He said he buy it on his way home. Buy the Inquirer? Refs have no sense (smile). Like always, it was good to see Saul coach Paul Winters, who formerly coached the football offense at Germantown Academy (and bears a slight resemblance to Jon Gruden.) We've had some good discussions about the Pub's past and future.

DEC. 14
PUBLIC LEAGUE
Northeast 58, Franklin 51
   For mid-December, it was freakishly warm outside (mid-60s, maybe?) and maybe people couldn't fully get into basketball. The play was somewhat lackluster and the fans didn't even come close to getting involved. Very weird. Then again, NE and Fkn are not exactly neighborhood rivals and I doubt too many of the players know each other. The first quarter offered this interesting development: Fkn jr. F Brandon Penn was playing great and NE sr. F-C Sean Evans was stinkin' it up. The personal duel was Penn 10, Evans 2, and Fkn finished up, 19-12. Well, you already read the score line so you know the Vikings eventually regrouped. That was a direct reflection of the Penn-Evans tussle. Mostly through no fault of his own, Penn's teammates mostly ignored him through the middle sessions as Northeast seized control. He took just three shots over those 16 minutes and notched a field goal and two free throws for four points. The 6-6, 205-pound Evans, showing respectable ball and face-up skills, had 10 points in the second quarter. Overall, he collected 20 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. A smattering of mid- to low-I schools are after him for hoops and football coaches continue to put in bids, as well. (Temple, West Virginia and Syracuse are the most persistent among them.) Sean can't decide which sport he wants to play in college; he was the subject of my DN story. In many ways, from build to flexibility to the length of his arms and legs, and how he moves along the baseline, etc., Penn reminds me a WHOLE lot of ex-Gratz star Lynard Stewart, our Player of the Year in '94 (and now playing overseas). Not saying he'll be the same kind of player (yet -- smile), but there's much to like. I stopped briefly to speak with him afterward and he was attentive and appreciative and that's always a good sign. The other compelling NE players were jr. PG Tyron Lytes and jr. WG Jordan Green. Lytes had 12 points (two treys) and two assists and is effective all over the court. He's unusual for a point guard in that he has a high center of gravity, but he's able to knife through traps and he shows pretty good vision. Green is exclusively a three-launcher. He went 4-for-8 on 'em en route to 13 points and speaking of 13, that's about three years older than he looks (smile). Jr. F Nicolae McIntosh had just five points, but totaled seven boards and two blocks. Mr. Dog-'Em-on-Defense, sr. G Keurlin Charles, made a late-game impact with important steals and blocks. For Fkn, jr. G William "B.J." Kearse had three assists and four steals and the other little guy, sr. G Tyriq Timmons, managed 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Both have PG skills. Sr. F Shah Warren had 10 points and nine rebounds. Evans' one dunk came at the start of the fourth quarter and gave the Vikings a 43-38 lead. Evans made a steal, ran the court, took a backward flip from jr. G Corey Wilkins and, bam!, rammed that rock home! Fkn was still quite alive with 90 seconds left, at 52-49, when a three-pointer kicked long off the rim. Green then drained his fourth threeball. Helping with stats today was the younger half of the world-famous (well, almost) Leak brothers, Mike. He played football at Mastbaum and is hopeful of becoming a factor at Howard. "Famous" Amos (Dobbins) is at IUP. As halftime wound down, I kept hearing knocking on a nearby door. I walked over and two people kept saying, "Can you let us in?" I said they had to walk down to the other end. They kept saying, "We're cheerleaders." I know sound can get distorted coming through a door, but I kept saying to myself, "They sure don't SOUND like cheerleaders." Well, guess what? They WERE! Someone else let them in and they helped with lifting, etc. Oh, baby. They asked to have their picture taken. One guy closed his eyes. They called themselves "maleleaders." Hay-zooooooooooos.

DEC. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Ryan 57, West Catholic 50
   We have no listed record for this category -- most free throws made in succession, game -- but whatever it is, Ryan likely gave it a run (or perhaps even beat it?). And the Raiders still have a chance at whatever THIS record is -- most free throws made in succession, overall. Say what? Well, here's the deal. Shortly after the second half began, jr. PG Andrew Rogers, brother of coach Bernie Rogers, surprisingly missed both halves of a two-shot foul. But then . . . phew! We're talking perfection, in bulk! The Raiders went 20-for-20 from then on. Rogers did all of the heavy lifting in the third quarter, adding a 6-for-6 showing. He tacked on two more in the fourth session while help came from sr. WG Keith Czarny (6-for-6), jr. F Chris Wilk (4-for-4) and jr. F Tom Marshall (2-for-2). I didn't write down this tidbit, of course, but I seem to remember that almost every shot was a swish, or close to it. Amazing . . . OK, back from a quick dinner as lovingly prepared by The Wife. Meat loaf, noodles, corn, lemonade and even a piece of bread! With butter! Not quite as good overall as a McDonald's No. 2, with no onions, but she tries. And because she dislikes cooking almost as much as I dislike the four-five calls that come from Puck by 9:30 every morning, she cooks in bulk. "This should carry us through Tuesday," she beamed as dinner wound down. Total elapsed time at the table? Maybe 4 minutes. We're not into that drawn-out-dinner stuff. It's food. Wolf it down. Move on . . . Under B. Rogers, Ryan is still running that Princeton-style offense that calls for millions of back-doors and opens the floor as much as possible. A. Rogers is already a 2-year vet, but now he's more assertive because he's the lone Raider with much experience. He's adept at working angles and knowing when to stop short or continue all the way to the hole and he went 2-for-3 on his only trey attempts. Final stats: 18 points, five assists and even four rebounds. Rogers' playmates aside from Czarny, Wilk and Marshall included sr. F Jeff Sottnick, sr. G Eric Dethloff, sr. F Tim Kelly and jr. G-F Eric Jann. Czarny had 11 points, five boards and three steals. Wilk, the star football LB, managed eight points. Sottnick scored all 10 of his points in the first half, thanks in part to two treys. Marshall added eight points. This game featured leads of three points or less almost throughout, but with 2:02 left Wilk hit two free throws to make it 47-40 and the spread reached nine at 1:02 when Rogers, while falling to the floor near Ryan's bench, made a crosscourt pass to Marshall for a layup. Great play! The Burrs did some late, full-court pressing and even forced a couple of turnovers, but mostly allowed Ryan to play halfcourt basketball. Coach Bill Ludlow's squad includes at least four football players, so perhaps conditioning is still an issue. Soph PG Rob Holloman had 15 points and five assists and sr. WG Jerome McRae did some lefty-style sniping en route to 11 points, while adding three steals. Sr. F Mike Williams, in limited duty, led the Burrs in boards with the hardly-grand total of four. Yes, four. Jr. SF Sergino Mystil looks like a player with possibilities. Decent spring and shooting touch. Appears to be a shade "underconfident." Jr. F-C Eric Brennan, formerly the starting QB, did some nice things around the basket. He used his right (off) hand as easily as his left and displayed a decent feel for his teammates' games. He also capped a weird sequence as the first half wound down. As I've mentioned in other reports in other years, high school teams RARELY succeed when they hold the ball for a last shot, especially for extended periods. In fact, sports writers like to call it "holding for the last turnover." The Burrs held and held for more than a minute and, sure enough, a pass when whizzing into the second row with 0:04 left. But Ryan reciprocated as Brennan stole the inbound pass and got fouled at 0:00. He drained both free throws to provide a 26-24 lead. Puck was in attendance, shooting a scouting tape for his North Catholic ballclub. As was Huck, of course. (VERY rare is the West game he misses.) They had some playful exchanges. I told them they should pick basketball games for the website. "I can't do that! I work for Norf! I'm always awound dem! You cwazy?!" Huck and I just looked at each other in dumbfounded fashion. Then I said, "Puck, Huck is always around West. He keeps their stats. Knows all their coaches and kids. It doesn't keep him from picking West's games. And even picking against them sometimes." Puck's response? "Uhhhhhhh ...... " Then he walked back to the corner where he was taping the game. He did say later to us, "Yo, I can't pick basketball games. Tell Amauro to do it. Huck don't give me enough competition. Right after he call me fraud, I start kickin' his butt." Just another day on the trail, folks. And when Puck's around, it's always insane (smile).

DEC. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Edison 56, Kensington 42
   Respectable game, but not a memory-maker. This was my first visit to Kensington's relatively new annex, about a block-and-a-half from the main building. The gym walls are exclusively cinder block and the sound carries like crazy, so this could definitely be an intimidating place. Plus, a drum corps with six performed at halftime. What's that you say? Come again? Can't hear you. My ears are still bleeding. Phew! The other quirk about this place: the bottom section of all the walls is painted bright yellow. Looks weird and maybe it's a shade disconcerting? Edison was fun to watch. Coach Kevin Reilly has the Owls playing unselfish ball and they really appeared to enjoy giving each other the ball in better and better spots out of set offenses, or even in transition. The headliner is jr. WG George Baker, a dead-eye shooter from distance. He still jumps maybe 2 inches off the floor on his shots and still gets them off tremendously fast. He mostly sets up in corners or near wings. He had 19 points and logged four steals with quick flicks, mostly at the top of zones. He had a great give-and-go exchange with jr. G Eric Jones. The Owls' only senior of note is 6-foot G-F Daniel Johnson, a slim, spidery guy with an ability to slice through multiple defenders AND shoot from distance. He's at least a D-3 guy. Reilly said Johnson had some recent problems going off half-cocked, but he was mostly under control today. He had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The other mainstays were soph PG Luis Martinez and soph F-C Ernesto Sanchez. Martinez took only treys and hit just one, but he looked confident uncorking so this was likely just a glitch. Though just 6-foot, he played the back line in the zone and grabbed 11 boards. He also had six assists, most on very nice looks. Sanchez had six early points, but did little thereafter. Kensington's most interesting players are underclassmen -- 6-4 soph Theo West and 5-11 frosh WG Dashawn McLeod. West stayed mostly in the high post and worked well with cutters a couple times. His shooting was OK -- 5-for-12 -- and he grabbed 12 rebounds. He also logged three, in-your-face blocks. He's all arms and legs right now, but so was Neumann-Goretti's Rick Jackson a few years ago and look what happened to him. Believe it or not, West actually bears a facial resemblance to Jackson. If he keeps growing, who knows? McLeod already has a solid build. He hit two treys in confident fashion and I liked that he played from a wide base. This kid bears watching as well. Sr. PG Courtney Roberson had five assists. Sr. WG Angel Miranda, a lefty, was a shade too quick-drawish to suit me, especially after he hit two treys early in the fourth quarter. But there's no doubting he did provide some rallying juice and he did go 4-for-4 at the line in the fourth quarter. Junior F Emanuel Cruz grabbed seven boards. Kensington coach Joe Egenolf said all kinds of ex-Tigers were in the gym. One for sure was Baltazar Feliciano, one of only two Hispanics in city history to surpass 1,000 career points. Where'd he play? Both schools! smile. Baltazar ('03) was the second Hispanic to reach a grand. The first was Angel "Fuey" Gonzalez ('99). And so did he! Play at both schools, that is. They went in opposite directions -- Fuey from Kensington to Edison, then Baltazar from Edison to Kensington. Gotta love it. Can't get this kind of info anywhere else. (Not that you'd want to -- ha ha).

DEC. 1
NON-LEAGUE
Vaux 78, Bok 44
   There's no such thing as a bad trip to watch any sporting event involving Bok because the coaches and players are always good people, but what mostly pushed me to attend this one was a desire to see the first varsity game for Vaux, located at 23rd and Master, in North Philly. I've known the Cougars' coach, John "Chubby" Cox, for many years and he has always been a gentleman. Chubby's nephew, Kobe Bryant, is someone you might have heard of (smile -- Chubby's sister is married to Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, Kobe's dad and himself a former NBA player), and Chubby also spent some time in the NBA after starring at Roxborough ('73), Villanova and the University of San Francisco. USF is also where Chubby's son, John, was a headliner after an outstanding career at Engineering and Science, and John now plays in France. Vaux, formerly a Ben Franklin feeder, is one of those ex-middle schools that's now a high school and part of the ever-expanding Pub (along with Sayre and FitzSimons). I happened to see Chubby in the hallway when arriving at Bok and he took me into the auditorium to meet his players and chat for a couple minutes as they killed time waiting for the school day to end so they could get into the gym for warmups. Chubby emphasized several times that he holds all of his players in high regard as young men and was looking forward to an enjoyable season. Guess what? These guys might be able to create some noise in Division D (for smaller enrollment schools that are NOT charters). It's tough to be sure because Bok was decimated by graduation and could not offer quality opposition, but I definitely liked how Vaux competed and, beyond that, how the kids shared the ball and supported each other. Very impressive! Vaux has no true big man, but makes do with a collection of runners/jumpers and even has an outside sniper, which so many Pub teams do not. That would be sr. WG Hakeem Wilson. He went 4-for-5 on treys while displaying a nice, easy stroke with very little loft. He scored 22 points in all while adding eight boards and two assists. The inside force, just because he was active, was 6-3 sr. C Victor Nwakpuda (12 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks). Sr. WG Phillip Michaels is one of those always-get-to-the-basket guys and he wound up attempting 12 free throws (though he missed five) en route to 15 points. The PG is yet another sr., 6-2 Melvin Williams. He easily wolfed down two transition dunks and was a game-long terror with 11 points, six boards, six assists and five steals. Not bad, eh? Another G, jr. Maleek Singleton, scrambled for eight boards, three dishes and four steals. Cox said he's without two guys who will later be part of his starting lineup, or at least early subs, so this squad could be interesting. For trivia buffs, the Cougars' first points went to Wilson on a basket that followed an offensive rebound and quick pass from Williams. Wilson then added a trey on another good pass from Williams, making it 5-2. En route to getting mercy-ruled (35-point deficit early in the fourth quarter), Bok had major trouble taking care of the ball and launching sensible shots. Beyond that, the Wildcats had difficulties finishing off respectable drives for layups. The one reliable Bokster was football star Maurice "Rookie" Goodwin, who showed impressive athleticism with 15 points and four steals. Considering there was no way any of Bok's students could have had strong interest in seeing a school making its varsity debut, especially a school from North Philly (and not South or West, from which Bok draws almost all of its students), a respectable crowd was on hand. Well, folks, one b-ball game down for 2006-07. Maybe 70-75 to go? We'll see.