DEC. 31
NON-LEAGUE
West Catholic 78, Conwell-Egan 63
  Both teams had reason to feel good after ending 2007 with this tilt in the Huckdome. West's: That it was able to build a 27-18 lead despite not getting any scoring contributions from star sr. F Eric Brennan. C-E's: That it was able to regroup from early difficulties and even take a lead late in the third quarter. Huck has written a lot this season about the Burrs, so we'll mostly focus on C-E in this report. Like many teams that come into West's unique basement gym, C-E was slightly bug-eyed at the start. There were many turnovers and not all resulted from spectacular defense. A few times, C-E players, perhaps not familiar with the speed this game would require, made slow passes that were picked off by the Burrs. Swoosh, there was the ball, going in the other direction. But as jr. WG Rashad Little became more involved with run-the-offense duties, those problems lessened and C-E was able to bounce back. Jonas Skovdal, a jr. SF, was very impressive. Though righthanded, he uses his left early and often (and well) both to free himself and even to finish. He's a tough "guard" because of this and should do some nice things as Northern Division play resumes. His 20-point second half included two treys, a three-point play and 8-for-10 marksmanship at the line. Overall, he went for 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals. Sr. F-C Hayk Goykchyan managed eight points, 10 rebounds and three apiece of assists, steals and blocks. Because "Hike" goes 6-8 and has a decent build, you'd expect to see him on the blocks. But he's a foreigner and prefers a wing-man's game and he hesitates not at all to launch treys. Alas, he went just 3-for-9 from the floor. I have a feeling he might have been spooked when a first half jumper hit the ceiling. Little, a spindly kid with long arms and legs, had 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. As his body improves over the next year and a half, it'll be interesting to watch his progress. Sr. F Matt Engle, operating mostly out of the corners, did some sniping in the second half. His 12-point outing featured two treys. C-E's next challenge will be relearning how to downshift for Friday's game at Ryan. If the guards take care of the ball, the other guys will have a chance to thrive. By the way, Brennan was kept off the board early mostly because he wasn't getting many opportunities. The turnovers were leading to easy buckets for jr. PG Rob Holloman (13 points in the first quarter alone) and others. The first bucket by Brennan, a lefty, was a trey for a 30-18 lead. A short time later, he was hustling for a three-point play. Overall, EB went for 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and five blocks. Not bad for a quiet day, eh? Right after Holloman raised his point total to 13, I said to Huck, "Shawn Newman is lookin' uneasy right about now." Newman was the Dougherty player who scored 58 points, most ever by a CL player, in a 1990 game against West. Well, I jinxed him. Rob didn't score again until the third quarter. He wound up with 24 (along with five assists and four steals). Sr. F-C Sergino Mystil had six points, eight boards and three steals while jr. WG Curtis Drake, the star FB quarterback, notched 15 points. West is now using the bench away from the entry staircase, as coach Bill Ludlow figures the distractions are fewer down at that end. Also, I like how Bill and his assistants sit in the middle of the bench with 3-4 players on each side. Easier to keep a lid on things as well as deliver messages. Among those in attendance were all three members of Roman's varsity staff -- coach Dennis Seddon and assistants Pat McKee and Chris McNesby. I guess the Cahillites are taking the Burrs' nice December seriously (smile). Well, that's it for 2007. Best wishes to all for '08!

DEC. 30
HOLIDAY SHOWCASE
Cascia Hall (Tulsa, Okla.) 52, Malvern 50
  Well, gang, there were two of us On the Trail today. Riding shotgun was the lovely wife. This game was played at St. Augustine Prep, in Richland, N.J. (near Vineland), and when I reminded Anne that she had yet to see a basketball game this year, per our arrangement, she responded, "OK. I've got nothing better to do." Love the enthusiasm (smile). I was hoping the schedule I'd seen for this event was wrong because games involving Malvern and Bonner were both listed for noon. Turned out to be right. The old gym still exists. The one in the beautiful new building has been in use for only two weeks. Why did we cover this game? Well, Malvern coach Jim Rullo figured this game would be competitive while Bonner would post a comfortable win over Providence Catholic, of New Lenox, Ill. (Those Friars won, 54-43.) These Friars fell into an early hole and appeared headed for as much as a 20-point setback just three minutes into the fourth quarter. But, click!, good things started happening and Malvern had a chance to win at the buzzer. Inspiring. Sr. F Ryan Nassib (22 points, 10 rebounds) nailed a right-wing jumper on a pass from sr. PG Matt McManus, then jr. CG Brendan McNulty, who had a great fourth quarter, made a steal and a pass ahead to McManus for a layup. The 14-point deficit was now nine. Three big moments along the way: a hat trick of free throws by McNulty (after he got fouled on a trey), a trey by McManus from the top of the key, and two FTs by McNulty at 54.1 after a CH player slammed the ball to receive a tech after a traveling violation (not a bright move, buddy). That cut the deficit to 52-50. Malvern had the ball the rest of the way, but went 0-for-6. Two misses were followed by a tie-up, favorable-possession-arrow deal. Two more were followed by an offensive rebound and time at 6.3. The last possession went like this: McManus inbounded at halfcourt across from the benches. He passed to Nassib, who freed himself and launched from slightly inside the arc. Running in from the right corner, McNulty gathered in the rebound while sailing beneath the basket. He tried a twisting flip from the left side. It barely missed. Nassib, McManus (a lefty) and McNulty combined to score all of Malvern's fourth quarter points. In that session alone, the feisty McNulty added three apiece of rebounds, assists and steals. Sr. F-C Chris Cowell finished the game with five points, five boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Sr. G-F Kevin Corbett was off (1-for-9), but mixed five boards, two assists and three steals. I'd been hearing good reports on Malvern's youngsters, especially frosh G-F Lamon Church. However, he'd suffered an injury in the previous game and was unable to participate. As for the wife . . . early in the game, she said of CH, "They're pretty good, even though they're Okies." As our first half wound down, I said to her, "Why don't you go to the other gym and take some pics of Bonner." Shockingly enough, she agreed! It was almost halftime there, though, and she got only two shots (from the other end of the gym, no less) before the buzzer sounded. One had good action, but that gym is as dark as a cave (that's its nickname, in fact) so the pic was fuzzy like crazy. The other one was of Lijah Thompson shooting a free throw. Maybe we'll get her back onto the trail later this season. In 2005 at Villanova, for the Inter-Ac tourney, she did take a few nice pics. She's still bragging about them (smile).

DEC. 29
SNEAKER VILLA CLASSIC
Prep Charter 56, Neumann-Goretti 53
North Catholic 59, Strawberry Mansion 54
  Anybody have a hearing aid? And/or a bottle of aspirin? My head is still pounding and I left Ben Franklin close to 3 hours ago. This was one of those basketball's-only-part-of-it events. There were little contests and danceoffs and the throwing of free T-shirts into the stands and music. LOTS of music at the off-the-charts volume. Space was tight and Duck and I wound up sitting in folding chairs near the 15th and Green corner of the gym. Right NEXT to us was a gigantic speaker. When a song had a lot of base and the volume was turned up even higher, we were bouncing in our chairs (ha ha). Unbelievable. I'm too middle-aged for this stuff. Next time, folks, please mix in some Four Tops or Temptations or, best of all, Ain't Nothin' But a House Party by the Showstoppers (they were from Germantown; the record's on Youtube somewhere -- smile). Anyway . . . the games were pretty good. But like the recent Roman/NG game, very few of those in the packed house had a rooting interest so reactions to even impressive plays were minimal. Oh, well. Can't have everything. Since it had the better ending, we'll start with PC/N-G. This one was won with 1.5 seconds left when jr. SF Tyree "Chuck" Harris drained a left-corner trey on a pass from soph PG Willis Nicholson. Harris, who's tall and still rather thin, doesn't have the look of a jump-shooter. But he'd nailed a first quarter trey, his form was nice and the ball splashed perfectly into the net, so who are we to question that HE was the guy to take this shot. Clutch job, Chuck! The possession began with 32.4 seconds left, following a rebound by jr. F Ferg Myrick of a missed free throw by sr. PG Tyrell Taylor. Taylor had gotten to the line after converting a TOUGH drive, his second down the stretch, for an and-one opportunity. With 1:42 left, jr. CG Parrish Grant had converted his own three-point play for a 52-47 lead. Taylor's drive, which he finished with his left hand, sliced the deficit to 52-49. Somehow, though he appeared to still be dribbling, Grant was then called for walking while bringing the ball upcourt. Soph WG Tony Chennault followed with his own big-boy drive for a bucket. Next, just before PC was going to inbound at the other end, PC coach Dan Brinkley tried to get soph C Shaquille "He Got Two NBA Names" Duncan (Duck and I heard some guy behind us say that about him -- good stuff) off the floor. But he tried to make the substitution after the deadline and Duncan was ordered to stay on the court. You know what happened: He wound up with the ball and was fouled. He made the second of a double-bonus at 0:41. Myrick, one of three former Haverford School players in this game (along with N-G sophs Daniel Stewart and Tyreek Duren), totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 jerseys (his No. 10 got slightly bloodied and he had to switch to No. 41 late in the game). Harris and Duncan halved 14 boards while  Nicholson dealt five assists. Jr. WG Jesse Morgan was off with his jumper; just 3-for-14 from the floor. As for N-G, sr. WG-SF Jamal Wilson and Chennault were mostly off in the first half on their long-range jumpers. To their credit (or perhaps with strong nudges from their coaches), they edged closer to the hoop thereafter and succeeded with mid-range shots and hard-nosed forays. Chennault (10) and Wilson (nine) also were the Saints' leading boardmen. Jr. C Andre "Scooter" Gillette, virtually non-existent vs. Roman, had six rebounds and five blocks and no doubt came out with the game with improved feelings. Sr. F Shane Irwin kept making little-things contributions. There was one funny moment. In the second half, the Saints were coming downcourt when one guy passed to another and he flat-out wasn't paying attention. The ball went straight to coach Carl Arrigale, who caught it and then dribbled it two-handed a couple of times with an exasperated look on his face. He then walked over toward us and said, "There was a day when I could have made that." Indeed. Carl was the Inter-Ac MVP in his senior season (1983-84). The story of Game 1 was the clutch, stretch-run performance of sr. PG Velton Jones (Robert Morris). How important was this guy? Well, with NC up, 43-41, Jones caught a cramp right in front of North's bench and had to sit for a spell. Mansion merely rang up a 9-2 advantage and led, 50-43, with 3:52 left when Jones came back in. He totaled 12 points down the stretch! And even had to sit twice more (though for brief interludes). He put the Falcons ahead for good, at 53-52, with a four-point play at 2:24. He launched the trey from straight-on and was bumped by 6-8 sr. PF-C Devon White. Why the Knights' best rebounder was trying to block a jumper 20 feet from the basket is beyond me, but those were the circumstances. Jones and the other guy who plays some point, soph Woody Redding, halved eight assists. Sr. WG Lenny Young was the main (and sometimes only) force through three quarters. He wound up scoring 22 points (9-for-21 from floor) with his mixture of pullups off short, quick-burst moves and occasional standstills. NC coach Tim Hueber, who was running the show due to the fact Mike McCarron was ejected Friday night during a tournament loss to Rancocas Valley in Wildwood, N.J., used 13 players. This was North's third game in three nights, so the deep rotation might have been a blessing. For the moment, at least, Mansion is missing one of its top three guys. White and sr. WG-SF Dwayne Davis (Morehead) are still around, but sr. WG Eddie Frazier, a crafty lefty, is out with a health issue. White still doesn't get the ball enough. Will that ever change? His nine points came on just seven shots. He added 13 rebounds and seven blocks. Davis was not 100-percent zoned in. He did manage 15 points, seven boards, two assists and three blocks. Tonight's franchise player was jr. G Darren "DL" Lawrence. He was the only productive Knight out of the gate (nine points in first quarter) and finished with 22, including a 7-for-7 showing at the line. My original intention was to catch part of Game 3, American Christian (and some guy named Tyreke Evans, ever hear of him?) vs. APEX Academies, of South Jersey. But it was stinkin' hot in the gym and the sound was more annoying by the moment, plus the Morris twins of Prep Charter fame (Marcus & Markieff) were unable to play (supposedly because they're fifth-year seniors), so I was outta there.

DEC. 28
EXTRA TIDBIT
   I decided to do a little research on a foul-shooting trend I thought I'd noticed at games so far this season: When guys go to the line and wind up attempting two shots, their concentration is often not what it should be at the start!! Even including one-and-ones, which of course means a guy doesn't GET the second shot unless he makes the first, missing the first shot and then making the second is rather prevalent. Check it out . . .
  Missed first shot, made second: Has happened 84 times.
  Made first shot, missed second: Has happened 59 times (again, that includes one-and-one situations).
  Made both shots: Has happened 94 times.
  Missed both shots: Has happened 49 times (ouch! -- smile).
  Is there a moral here? Well, from years of watching this stuff, I can definitely tell you this: Guys OFTEN do not remain at the line and follow through correctly on their first shot. They fade back slightly and that makes the shot fall short. Then a coach or teammate will make a "friendly" reminder and the problem will be fixed on the second shot.
  How about not letting the mistake happen at all, guys? Sound good? (smile)

DEC. 28
HOLIDAY TOURNEY
Dobbins 64, Sayre 53
  Both teams are stocked with guards and others yearning to be guards and the venue for this School District Tourney final was the smaller of Northeast's two gyms, so I figured this one could be a run-and-gun classic. Both teams opened in presses and 10 points were on the board in the first 1 minute, 19 seconds. But then the scoreboard experienced a power failure and there was maybe a 10-minute delay and, for whatever reason, the game lost some of its steam. (In the main gym, in the other final, Olney was topping Northeast with Duck as one of the witnesses). Dobbins showed nice balance as six guys scored from seven to 17 points. Long-range shooting is not usually an "urban" thing, so to speak, but first-year coach John Sullivan has two guys who can snipe. One of them, sr. WG Tariq Lee, is the nephew of former Sixers' guard Aaron McKie (Gratz, Temple). I didn't know that until our interview session, but Tariq does have that same long release and the rotation on the ball is PERFECT. He hit three treys and even nailed three consecutive free throws after getting hammered in Treyball Land. He had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. On the other wing was sr. Samuel Everett-Bey, a lefty. He also hit three threes en route to 17 points and when a tech was called, he went to the line to shoot 'em. The PG was often sr. Paul McPherson, also a FB player. He's not a classic floor general, but shows sufficient headiness and his strength allows him to withstand double-teams. Gotta work on those foul shots, though, buddy (smile). Paul went just 2-for-10 at the line. He had eight points, 10 boards and four steals. Jr. SF Lamar Speller, another lefty (with bounce), had seven points and six boards. Sr. F Maurice Graves, though undersized, showed a willingness to mix things up inside. He had eight points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Another sr. F, Barry Williams, shot 4-for-5 en route to nine points. Sayre's leaders are -- surprise, surprise -- a pair of guards, sr. Jayvon Johnson and jr. Ramair "Juice" Garner. The latter mostly stations himself on the wing, with occasional visits to the point. He shows nice control and a pretty jumpshot and could be one to watch by this time next year. He had 13 points and four assists. Johnson, the current franchise, mostly operated out of the corners or along the baseline. Not an ideal locale for his skills, but he's forced to play out of position due to Sayre's overall personnel situation. He went for 15 points, 12 boards (impressive!), two assists and five steals. Shawn Washington, a lanky jr. F-C, had nine points and five steals. At least three times, he stepped in front of aggressive Mustangs to take charges. Each time he struggled to get up as if he was on death's doorstep (smile). I appreciated his willingness to sacrifice his body and make a smart basketball play. Sr. G Alfred Strickland hit two treys. One of Sayre's frontcourt rotation guys is jr. Nikoli Norman, a quality football lineman for West Philly. Dobbins' victory margin could have been greater, but it went just 9-for-20 at the line in the fourth quarter. Just once in that session, when Everett-Bey managed the feat, did a Mustang hit two free throws in the same visit. I have a strong suspicion about the two-shot fouls I've seen this season. Later, I'll add an extra note above this report. Two ex-Panther frontcourters were in attendance. Wayne Johnson wanted me to take his picture dunking. Then he missed. Kevin White was successful. Both pics are posted. I have a feeling Kevin will be busting Wayne's cubes deep into the new year. (ha ha).

DEC. 27
HOLIDAY TOURNEY
Olney 69, Swenson 46
  Nothing like a 9 a.m. game to get the juices flowing. At the start of this contest, played at Northeast as part of the School District's tourney, there were six people in the stands. There were also six people in Swenson uniforms. Though Olney came via bus, Swenson coach Pat Durkin figured it wouldn't make sense for his kids, many of whom are from the Olney area, to travel all the way to the Far Northeast and then come back to the mid-Northeast, so he told them just to go to the game site. Oh, well. (A seventh guy eventually showed up, but that was it). Before the game I told Olney coach Jeff McKenna that there's one thing his players will never be accused of doing: steroids. Man, talk about stick figures (smile). I saw no one with even a hint of bulk and one of the top two players, jr. F-C Terrance Bennett, has pencils for legs. He's bouncy, though, and shows good inside instincts and runs the floor well and he wants to be known as some kind of goofy name: Something Out the 40 (that's his uniform number). More like He Needs to Eat 40 Tastykakes Every Day (smile). Bennett had 21 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks. The other main Trojan was jr. PG Sam "Perpetual Motion" Pagan. This kid, in sensible fashion, flew around the court non-stop on offense, especially in transition, and also spent the first 30 minutes locking down Swenson franchise Krentz Sainte, a sr. WG who has been putting up big numbers, in a box-and-one. Tremendous effort! Pagan mixed nine points and nine assists (many to Bennett) and limited Sainte to nine points, along with just five shots from the floor. Sr. WG Danny Hinton shot 5-for-7 en route to 11 points. Jr. G-F Raheem Murray had 12 points and three steals. From what the Olney guys told me, Pagan lives close to Sainte and was excited about the challenge of trying to muzzle him. With Sainte unable to breathe, let alone prosper, sr. WG Greg Manning, a lefty, had to provide much of the offense. He missed seven of his first eight shots, but later heated up enough to score 17 points. Just on effort alone, he was able to claim seven boards while mixing in five steals. Sr. G Mike Carroll, listed at 5-3, had a crazy day. He went 0-for-7 from the floor and many, honestly, were bricks. But he looked supremely confident at the line while going 5-for-5. Frosh G Kervyn Haynes had seven points, three steals. Soph C Kyle Venson, the only guy on either team with bulk, had six points, four boards. Swenson's late arrival, 6-3 frosh Kwantel Adams, grabbed six rebounds. He's raw, but tries and Durkin said he earns straight A's, which is always nice to hear. McKenna is going through a rough period in his life. His 2-year-old son, Christopher, is battling cancer. Jeff's intention was to rush to the hospital after the game, stay overnight and then come back for tomorrow's final. We trust all will go well. Best of luck, little Chris!

DEC. 26
SPECIAL NOTE
  Bob Mizia, former All-Catholic, multi-sport athlete at La Salle High ('72), co-captain of Temple's football team and CL basketball referee, needs our prayers. He's in Jefferson Hospital with a severe staph infection. Any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact McDevitt coach Jack Rutter at jackrutter2@comcast.net.

DEC. 26
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
Episcopal 65, Collingswood (N.J.) 55
   The PA announcer for this first-round game at Garnet Valley could have had some fun with the Churchmen's starting lineup. "At guard . . . at guard . . . at guard . . . hey, is there an echo in here?" Yes, coach Dan Dougherty starts five of 'em even though the most impressive guy in the group, soph Jack O'Neill, goes about 6-4 and has to jump center and does show some small forward tendencies. OK, so explain this: How does a team with five guards commit numerous turnovers in the early going? Well, it was the day after Christmas and a certain amount of sloppy play is to be expected. Plus, Collingswood had some small, quick kids and did a nice job of trapping out of early pressure. In time, Doc's guys settled down and won in reasonably comfortable fashion. O'Neill has had an outstanding December and now I see why. Aside from savvy, he shows a bunch of athleticism. Check out the photos. He's often up by the rim. He mixed a soft jumper with impressive slices to the hoop, not to mention body control. I was sitting at the opposite end from Episcopal's bench in the first half and when Doc removed O'Neill with 3:35 left after his second foul, he walked over in front of him and made some pointed remarks. He reappeared later in offense-defense switches and was part of a marvelous sequence just before intermission. O'Neill was double-teamed in the right corner and was even trying to ask for time. The ref didn't hear him and he got the ball to jr. WG Cory Goodman along the baseline. The trappers moved toward Goodman and O'Neill broke to the hoop. Goodman made a great find and pass and O'Neill deposited a buzzer-beating layup. O'Neill finished 8-for-16 and 4-for-5 for 20 points. He also had 11 rebounds and three apiece of assists and steals. His glasswork is very important because the only other Churchman with such an inclination is the sixth man, jr. F-C Allen Heggs (five rebounds). DN ink went to sr. PG Dan Hilferty, also the football QB. He helped to regroup the Churchmen after the early follies and finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Also, he made what was likely THE play of the game. With EA up six with 4:00 left, Doc ordered his squad into its patented double-high delay offense. The words were no sooner out of his mouth when Hilferty, seeing a double-team coming at him, bolted straight to the hoop from the right wing and wound up posting a three-point play. Not for lack of trying, but C-wood was no more good. Goodman and soph Omari Grier are similar players. Goodman packed 11 of his 22 points into a 23-14 fourth quarter. He also had four steals for the game. Grier hit just three of 10 shots, but two were treys. Sr. WG Matt Byrne had three points and two assists. Consistency could be an issue, due to its youth, but this EA squad has noise-making potential in a wide open Inter-Ac. The final will pit Episcopal vs. Chichester, a 61-43 winner over Garnet Valley. Among those in the house: Joe Rapczynski, who was working in the snack bar. He starred at North and coached the Falcons to the '87 Catholic League title. His son, J.J., stars for GV. Episcopal frosh Isaiah Baker, who goes about 6-6 and is being brought along slowly (no action tonight), is the son of ex-Olney all-timer (class of '71) Jimmie Baker, who went on to play in the ABA. He'll be one to watch.

DEC. 19
NON-LEAGUE
McDevitt 60, Mastery 41
  Break up the Lancers!! OK, so the opposition's lineup includes no future lottery picks, but neither does McDevitt's and no matter what you have to face, it still takes effort and hustle and teamwork and coach Jack Rutter's squad showed all three. In recent years, McDevitt's preseason schedule has featured a who's who of who's thats? The good-guy coach has purposely scheduled down so his team gets to experience some pre-holiday joy in case the Northern Division wars prove to be painful. Mastery, a charter school, is one of the recent Pub newbies and aside from having no height (no one over 6-2), it also has no veterans (just one senior on the squad). Like many veteran coaches, Rutter is going with a scaled-back roster. I see it time and time again. Young guys keep 15-16 players. Older guys rarely have more than 12. But eight? Not sure of the reason because the original roster had 12. Only eight were in uniform today and there was no problem keeping them happy. Much to be said for that. OK, where should we start? With a website legend, of course! (smile) McDevitt's PG is sr. Matt Davis, who covered the FB Lancers in fine fashion. He's a lefty and from now on his name is Matt "Dishin'" Davis. He finished with six assists and made several more good passes leading to two-shot fouls and, though not a fancy ballhandler, he was very adept at using his body to protect the ball and making the right decision when he sensed a double-team. Nice job, website teammate! (Another one, football QB Luke Sawick, who writes about the hoops Lancers, sat at the table keeping the scorebook. He also did high-quality work.) Sr. F James Williams, a thin-springy 6-4 kid, can help a D-III program. He totaled 21 points, six boards, three assists and four blocks. He hit three treys and corner launches were among them; not an easy shot. I also liked his step-back tendencies. They should come in handy against taller and more athletic opponents. Sr. WG Matt "Man of Letters" Shervin (football, soccer and golf this past fall alone) had 14 points. He and Williams went crazy in exactly the first 3 minutes of the third quarter. They combined for 15 points by shooting 6-for-7 as the Lancers expanded their 31-19 halftime lead to 46-23. Fifteen points in 3 minutes. That'd be 160 in 32! Maybe next game. 6-7 sr. C Dan Drennen was mostly quiet (four points, seven rebounds). Sr. G Pat Doyle did little things and helped with ballhandling. Sr. F R.P. Boyle and jr. G-F Courtney Havens-Dobbs had three steals apiece and were constantly on the floor. For Mastery, 6-2 jr. F Jaleel Khabeer grabbed seven boards but had one of those it-just-won't-drop days from the floor (1-for-10). A pair of small (5-7) soph guards, Malcolm Lyles and Wanyae Hartsfield, had some spunky moments. Frosh Eddie Edgerton, though only 5-11, battled inside to claim eight rebounds. Jr. G Arvell Knox, whom I remembered liking a shade last year, struggled early and spent some time on the bench. He regrouped well down the stretch and made a few snappy passes. Like always the past few years at McDevitt (not that I get there THAT often), I hung out on the stage with the legendary PA man, Father Bill Chiriaco. After Knox hit an early jumper, I suggested to Father Bill that he could announce his further jumpers by saying, "He Knox one down." Alas, Arvell had no more buckets. Don't you hate when that happens? Bill Donohoe, father of several quality La Salle High FB players through the years and uncle to the Edgers, of SJ Prep, is coaching McDevitt's freshman team. He works in McDevitt's administration. With a laugh, he said Rutter asked him to help out with the squad one day and then told him the next, "By the way, you're the head coach." Former McDevitt/Notre Dame lineman Mark Zataveski (and effective basketball player despite his bulk; first team A-C in '91) is one of Jack's assistants. I told him we need to see The Chief (current beefy lineman Stephen Yuan) on the squad. Doesn't look like it's gonna happen, folks.

DEC. 17
NON-LEAGUE
Kensington 57, Furness 39
  Back and forth. Back and forth. All day I wavered on which game to attend, this one or Parkway-Mastbaum. I even left the house with all four teams' rosters. When I got across the Betsy Ross Bridge, the car just took me to Kensington (smile). The game itself was a disappointment and Furness coach Brian Blasy even called his squad's performance "a disgrace." But Kensington had two very productive players and it was a pleasure watching them. Theo West is a 6-4 jr. small forward prospect, but for the undersized Tigers -- hey, in diluted Pub ball these days, almost EVERY team is undersized -- he sometimes lines up at the high post. There is much to like about him. He has a feathery shot (7-for-8 from line), is always composed and made the correct decision again and again. Though he's not overly strong, he did display ample toughness while maintaining a certain slinky element to his game. In the early going, thrice he took passes in the foul-line area and knocked down jumpers in easy-as-pie fashion. Overall, he shot 7-for-13 from the floor while adding 12 boards, three assists and three blocked shots. Plus, as the fourth quarter started (and the Tigers had been lackluster in the third), he took the inbound pass and stormed straight to the hoop for an explosive dunk while absorbing contact. He then swished the free throw as fans still danced at the side of the court. One of the spectators was Terrance "Tex" Mack, a quality forward for Bok in '94. We spoke at halftime and he said he'd taught West in middle school and still serves as a basketball/life mentor. He spoke very highly of Theo. Nice to hear! The other main Tiger was jr. PF Henry "007" Bond, who's listed at 6-3. He gives off that fierce competitor aura and, even better, appeared to love his dirty-work role. He had 11 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and four blocks. Soph F Kyle Richardson chipped in with 11 points and seven carom-clutches. Strangely, Kensington's guards had almost no stats. Frosh PG Nigel Caldwell did have four early assists (with three coming on those aforementioned jumpers by West). By contrast, Furness is quite guard-oriented, with the headliners being the Johnson brothers, sr. PG Erick and jr. WG John. John had 11 points, two assists and five steals. Erick, who played at Archbishop Carroll through the early part of last season, had five points and four steals. He also had the misfortune of going 2-for-21 from the floor and missing all 11 of his attempts in the fourth quarter. It was inCREDible. He kept maneuvering around people with tricky ballhandling and getting close to the basket, then had watch in dismay as the ball somehow eased off the rim. Rarely have I seen anything like it. The Falcons' leading rebounder was jr. Andrew Bailey, with only six. Blasy had 16 people in uniform and at least 13 saw action. One of the starters was a skinny 6-5/6-6 soph named Mike Dickinson. He hit two early shots, including a trey, and might be someone to watch over the next two years. He won't be hard to find. He's a white guy (smile). OK, so it's 7:25 as I wind up this report. Wonder how the Parkway-Mastbaum game turned out? Just checked philly.com. Parkway won, 58-45. Might have been better than this one, but least I didn't miss a classic.

DEC. 14
NON-LEAGUE
Lamberton 70, Bracetti 68 (OT)
  Halloween was late and Christmas was early. 'Cause this game was a treat and a gift. When you go to watch two lower level Pub teams in a tournament (at Friends' Central, up City Ave. from Episcopal) where very few people in attendance are going to have a rooting interest, it's certainly unrealistic to expect a classic. But this was a VERY goodie, not just a goodie, and I'm so glad I saw it. There were two reasons to attend -- Bracetti's 6-10 sr. C, Diyaaldin Kelley, and Lamberton's 6-1 jr. WG, Jamil Brown. And there turned out to be two more in the squads' PGs -- Bracetti sr. Samuel Starks and Lamberton soph Jean-Pierre Forte. Bracetti, a charter school, formerly played a patchwork schedule and is brand new to the Pub. Kelley somehow flew under the radar -- apparently, he never hit the AAU circuit -- and has already signed a letter of intent with D-II Holy Family, in Northeast Philly (coach Alfred Johnson was in attendance). Diyaaldin has a 6-8 brother, Bilal, a junior (not his night: just six points and seven boards), and he has made an oral commitment there. So, how is Diyaaldin (pronounced D-L-deen)? Raw, but promising. He's thin and his high center of gravity allows defenders to bump him off his spot and nudge him away from the basket. His hands could use some work and he would probably benefit from shortening his stroke at the foul line. Not sure whether it's a lack of confidence or general shyness, but he rarely turns to face the basket after receiving passes. To his credit, he does have a good eye and does deliver the ball to the open man on kickout passes. In the first half, just when I was thinking, "This kid's not aggressive enough," he took a pass along the baseline and wolfed down a dunk. Even better, he jumped off one foot. The gathering process for a two-footed dunk takes too long and there are coaches out there who refuse to recruit two-footed jumpers because they believe that trait is something that signals the absence of, um, gonads. Of course, at 6-10, a guy is going to get some rebounds just by accident, especially against a foe, like Lamberton, with no true center. DK finished with 20, with 12 coming from the fourth quarter on. He also had five blocks, two assists and three steals. He missed his last seven shots (he had 13 points) and most were taps. Should a D-I school have pursued him? That's a tough call. Who knows what could happen for this kid? With strength and guidance, he could become a force. Maybe he'll be better served by going the D-II route. He'll be out of the media glare and won't expected to save anybody's program. Maybe we're looking at Samuel Dalembert II. I know Bracetti lost, but let's move on to Starks. I love this lefty! He shows that old-school North Philly heart and competes for every single second! Check out this line: 18 points, 11 assists, 11 steals and six rebounds. Phew! This is no lie: With a shade better shooting by his teammates (and the absence of whistles sounded when guys were in the act), he would have finished with 20 dimes. He kept making play after play after play. In all areas of the court, too. The 6-1 Brown is one of those born-scorer types. He's built like a fullback, but don't take that the wrong way. He has the athleticism of a cornerback, and the brass of a linebacker. Many times, especially with the game on the line, he sacrificed his body in the name of making the right play. Afterward, I shook hands with Jamil just to tell him nice game and the dude has snowshoes. Ha, ha. No wonder he's so adept at moving through traffic and maintaining control of the ball. He shows excellent lift on his jumper (drives end at the rim, as well) and threeballs are no problem. He finished with 30 points, five boards, two assists and two steals. Forte, buildwise and stylewise, reminds me of Dylan Brown, the PG in '05 for Episcopal. He has those short, choppy steps, yet is still deceptively quick. Don't leave him open, either, because he can also hit treys. He finished with 21 points and four steals and the Blue Devils sagged when he was off the floor. The game itself? Bracetti forced OT, at 62-62, with a left-corner trey by jr. WG Josh Hallums (kick-out pass by DK) that was followed by DK's partial deflection of a last-second layup by Brown. In OT, Starks missed a left-corner trey and the rebound went long to Forte, who completed a drive for 68-66 at 1:08. Later, with Starks all OVER him, Forte made a terrific pass to Brown, who drew a foul at 27.2. Jamil made the first, then missed the second. He darted to the left side, dove to the floor, claimed the ball and called for time. Great effort! Sr. F-C Bruce Kennedy hit one of two free throws for a four-point lead. Starks couldn't connect on another left-corner trey, but 6-4 soph Rasheed Spencer (14 points) converted a follow at 6.2. Bracetti had timeouts remaining, but didn't immediately signal for one. Brown wasn't fouled until 1.4 and, though he missed a double-bonus, Bracetti wasn't able to slap together any late heroics.

DEC. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Prep Charter 71, Strawberry Mansion 65
  Saul-Franklin Towne, this wasn't (smile). PC and Mansion are two of the Pub's top squads and, despite some sloppiness, always to be expected in December, they provided great entertainment in PC's spacious gym. PC, of course, has won the last two Class AA state titles along with the Pub crown in '07, but it now must proceed without its famed Twin Towers, Marcus and Markieff Morris. You'd think that would cause some problems. Doesn't look like it. The Huskies have added a key transfer, soph PG Willis Nicholson (Dougherty), and he is going to help immensely. First, he's brassy as all get-out. Second, his presence means that jr. combo G Parrish Grant only has to be a supplemental ballhandler and can expand his scoring horizons. Third, coach Dan Brinkley, as he did on occasion today, can run a spread offense and know that something good will happen because Nicholson is THAT dependable. His drives must be respected and when teams try to prevent them, Nicholson can make snappy passes to wing shooters such as Grant and, even more notably, jr. Jesse Morgan. Morgan, a classic jump-shooter, finished with 28 points, thanks in large part to 5-for-12 sniping on treys. He also claimed 11 rebounds and made three steals in a 21-17 third quarter. Two of his treys came right after he exploited sloppy inbounding for steals. Grant totaled 16 points, six assists and five steals. I'd heard much recently about the vast improvement made over the summer-fall by 6-8 soph Shaquille Duncan and 6-6 jr. Ferg Myrick. Well, Shaq was not in uniform (family matter) and Myrick might as well have stayed home for the first half. His first shot was punched rafterward by Mansion sr. 6-7 C Devon White and Ferg was no more good to intermission (0-for-5). Ah, but he regrouped nicely over the final 16 minutes to post 10 points, 10 boards and a pair of blocks of his own. When I spoke recently with Mansion coach Gerald Hendricks for the Pub preview (look in Tuesday's DN), he said he worries to some degree that his veteran squad has been playing together TOO long. "In those cases," he said, "guys can sometimes get selfish and look for their own stats." I wouldn't say anyone was a flat-out glory hound today, but the Knights do need to find a way to get the ball, in scoring position, much more often to White. One college assistant called him "the best unsigned senior big man on the East Coast." Despite missing pretty much the entire second quarter, White posted 16 boards and seven blocks. He also had 12 points, but rarely began his opportunities in proper spots. Sr. WG Dwayne Davis, who recently signed with Morehead State (Ky.), rattled home 25 points. His game features a mix of stand-still jumpers and flip shots off most-of-the-way penetration. He forced a few, but that's understandable because he IS a deadly shooter. He needs to grab more than three boards, though. Pogo-sticking sr. G-F Eddie Frazier, a slim lefty, totaled 12 points and 17 rebounds. One qualifier: close to half of those, I bet, came off his own misses. He had numerous "almosts." He also added four blocks and two apiece of dimes and thefts. The other four rotation members -- Gs Darren Lawrence (jr.), Marcus Grimes (jr.), Marcus "Worm" Johnson (jr.) and Isaac Bradford (sr.) -- all had SOME good moments. Early, Mansion threatened to frolic. The Knights jumped to a 10-0 lead while making PC go 0-for-8 from the floor. PC regrouped, of course, and edged ahead, 28-27, 2;30 before intermission on a pair of free throws by Nicholson. With 2:00 left in the game, PC held a 67-58 lead. Bang! Davis banked in a trey from the left of the top of the key. Frazier added a quick steal and drive and Mansion was within five. White followed with a spectacular block, but it was the WRONG play. Instead of merely guiding the ball to a nearby teammate, which definitely would have been possible and would have produced a fastbreak opportunity, he punched it way out of bounds. PC maintained possession and pushed the lead back to 69-63 on Grant's drive. Mansion again reduced the deficit to four on Frazier's follow, but it had committed just four team fouls to this point. The fifth came at 34, the sixth at 28 and at 23 Davis forced Grant into a traveling violation. This time, White did receive a pass, but his body was turned awkwardly and he missed two close-in shots. Frazier missed shot No. 3 and Lawrence hustled for the rebound in a floor scramble, getting a timeout at 9.5. As Hendricks noted afterward, Mansion had one more timeout in its bag. The Knights could have tried to drive for a quick two, and perhaps even an attempt at a three-point play could have resulted. Instead, Davis launched a 19-foot, 7-inch jumper from the right wing. Yes, his feet were barely on the line. The shot missed. At the other end, Grant missed a free throw and Myrick canned a follow at the buzzer. On at least two occasions in this one, Mansion players were guilty of immature acts in the bench area. This kind of stuff will not be tolerated at the college level. Why not start showing proper hoops behavior NOW, guys? This could be a truly wonderful season. Don't do silly things to sabotage it. (Especially with college coaches in attendance to make judgments on you.)

DEC. 9
NON-LEAGUE
Judge 51, O'Hara 37
  Another day on the trail, another goofy development. As I walked in at halftime of the JV game, Art Livingston Sr., father of former Judge player Art Jr., mentioned that I'd missed a great one Friday night because the Crusaders had given Neumann-Goretti a serious test. OK, so the varsity game starts and O'Hara jumps to an 8-4 lead. The same O'Hara team that had fallen to McDevitt Friday night. You know what thought was bouncing around in my mind: the Crusaders came out flat because they couldn't imagine O'Hara gving them a game. So, what happened? Judge regrouped nicely and O'Hara went off the deep end. The halftime score was 21-10. The Lions scored two points in roughly 12 minutes, with none in the second quarter (0-for-9 from floor; seven steals for Judge.) The game was basically even from then on, with O'Hara never able to make the Crusaders experience those uh-oh feelings. Another weird development: Judge was able to seize command despite a scoreless first half from sr. WG-SF Bob Zanneo; he finished with eight (two treys). Today's headliners were jr. WG Tom Ryan and sr. PF-C Andrew Vose. I don't know much about Ryan's hoops history. Maybe he's been a star all his life. But he hits me more as someone who's a very good athlete and is able to succeed in basketball on brass and willpower. He comes off as a very confident young man with back-down-to-NO-one leanings; he's already a standout WR. He totaled 16 points, six boards and five steals and two times he turned thievery into drives downcourt for easy buckets. In the fourth quarter he drained back-to-back treys. Vose was active in and around the lane throughout. I like that he doesn't fart around with the ball. If HIS chance is available, he goes for it. If not, he sends the ball to someone else in quick order. He shot 7-for-10 en route to 16 points while snagging 12 boards. Sr. PG Matt McLaughlin, a lefty, had four assists and three steals and kept O'Hara honest by going hard to the hole every so often. His nine points were accumulated in clean fashion. Sr. handyman Jim DiLisio, a first team All-City linebacker, added positive energy off the bench, which was no surprise. He grabbed four boards. O'Hara had to go without 6-7 sr. C Mark Wedderburn, who recently committed to Penn State for football. His time on the sidelines is about to come to an end (it's school related) and he'll give the Lions a completely different look. Sr. F Josh Showers freed himself for three early "opportunity" field goals, but thereafter the offense, pretty much exclusively, featured mad bombing from sr. WG-SF Jim Kelleher and sr. WG Zach Tansey. Kelleher went just 2-for-8 on treys (14 points) while Tansey (13) went 1-for-6. To his credit, Tansey seemed to sense his jump-shooting was off and did make four visits to the line for two-shot fouls. Sr. PG Ryan Wolski, also a lefty (and quite a character, as I learned during FB season -- smile), dished five assists. Every year for a while now, O'Hara coach Bud Gardler has been rumored to be contemplating retirement. After all, except for '76, when he was an assistant at American University, he has been a head coach in the CL since the '69 season! His first six players are seniors. Hmmmmmmm (smile). At least four other CL North head coaches were in attendance for scouting purposes -- Dougherty's Mark Heimerdinger, Ryan's Bernie Rogers, McDevitt's Jack Rutter and Wood's Joe Sette. Hockey Puck, a North assistant, was in attendance doing a game tape. From Judge we headed to Levittown for the viewing for C-E legend (and passionate website contributor) Mike Tos, who died last Tuesday at age 60. Most of C-E's FB players were in attendance, wearing their game jerseys, and the basketball players also showed up. FB coach Kevin Kelly and former grid bosses Chuck Knowles, Billy Travers and Bob Wagner were also on hand during the half-hour or so we were there. Mike was wearing a C-E sweatshirt (I loved that touch!) and a No. 65 jersey (the year of his graduation) was next to the casket; among other mementoes. The funeral will be tomorrow morning and I'm so thankful, and honored, that Chuck asked me to serve as a pallbearer. Mike was one of a kind -- a very special, salt-of-the-earth kind -- and as he looks down from above, I know he's thrilled, though he'd never admit it, by the outpouring of love and respect that has occurred this week. I can already hear what he'll be "saying" tomorrow: "These people should be at a GAME somewhere." (smile)

DEC. 7
NON-LEAGUE
Saul 24, Franklin Towne Charter 21
  So, is it going to be one of THOSE years? With lots of goofy occurrences? Two days ago, the hoops gods offered the sight of a West Philly kid missing five consecutive free throws on the SAME visit to the line. Today's menu featured a game where FTC scored 11 points in the first 30 minutes (incredible!!) and then rang up 10 thereafter and almost pulled off a miracle win. The game was played in a decent facility at the Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club, but believe us, folks, heat was just a rumor. As you can imagine, the shooting did nothing to add to the warmth factor. The rims are those old-school jobs with no give at all and there's almost no chance of a slightly-off shot somehow bouncing/rolling in. The halftime score was 8-6. Yes, 8-6. As the buzzer sounded, I walked toward the table just to make sure I hadn't lapsed into a coma at some point and missed all kinds of points being peppered onto the board. They hadn't. I said to Saul coach Paul Winters, formerly a football assistant at Germantown Academy, "I can't believe the halftime score is 8-6." He said with a laugh, "Yeah, they went for two and missed." Before its late burst, FTC was 4-for-35 from the floor. NEITHER team had a field goal in the second quarter, settling for one free throw apiece. Oh, baby. FTC finished 7-for-42. Saul was one shot better at 8-for-43. There was no stalling. No tremendous defense, either. Just a whole lotta brickin'. OK, so this was daggers-in-the-eyes material overall. But the stretch run provided salvation. With 1:59 left, jr. F David Vaughan took a pass from jr. G Matt Lyons and wound up converting a three-point play. That drew FTC within 22-14. The next points didn't come until 1:00 as Vaughan hit two free throws. Saul committed a turnover and Vaughan got another field goal on a pass from Lyons. This time he missed the free throw, but the arrow favored the Coyotes and Lyons buried a left-wing trey. Forty-one seconds remained and the score was now 22-21! Foul, foul, foul, foul. Four in relatively short order, but the bonus was still not in effect. Saul inbounded from midcourt. The pass was long toward the Razorbacks' basket. Lyons leaped and batted the ball to Vaughan. Now FTC would have a chance to SAW (steal a win). Jr. WG Jared Schwarz launched a right-wing trey. It did not connect (and left him 0-for-12 for the game). I liked that he still had the brass to take the shot. He showed good form all day. The shots just weren't going in. Jr. F Jamar Smith claimed the rebound for Saul and went to the line for a one-and-one at 0:02. Tweet! His foot was over the line. FTC would have one last chance. Alas, the inbound pass by jr. F Randy Emerson slammed off the rafters, at midcourt. Overall, just a crazy set of circumstances. The day's most impressive player was Saul's Xavier Williams, a 6-2 swingman. He has a good build and an aggressive nature and, though he's righthanded, he made a few tough moves long the left baseline. He's said to be a solid student and because of Saul's focus on agriculture, perhaps Delaware Valley could be a good fit? He totaled 15 points and eight boards. Sr. PF-C Jonathan Medina, who's also 6-2 and resembles Williams bodywise, grabbed 10 boards. Jr. 5-5 G Tyrell Smith dealt three assists and hit a big trey. Jr. PG Keith Brown had four first-half steals before suffering an injury to his right ankle; he missed the rest of the game. He was hurt on a semi-breakaway that resulted in a intentional foul call. Ridiculous. The foul was hard only because of bad timing/skill. There was no malicious intent. FTC lost two important players after last season. Scoring guard Francis Patriarca graduated. Small forward Joe Reid, now a junior, transferred to Gratz, alma mater of his mentor, Lynard Stewart. 'Nard was our Player of the Year in '94, then starred at Temple and now plays overseas. It's freaky how similar Reid's body and playing style are to Stewart's.

DEC. 6
NON-LEAGUE
Bodine 72, Esperanza 50
  Talk about wishy-washy. Part of me HATES the fact that the Pub has grown to 54 teams and the talent is so diluted. But I don't mind attending games between lesser-light teams because these kids work hard, too, and their coaches/players are almost universally nice people and they enjoy receiving attention. Anyway . . . a little house-keeping matter. Esperanza has dropped Nueva from its name. Nueva Esperanza means "New Hope" in Spanish and school officials were dismayed that people were referring to the school as Nueva for short when the emphasis, they correctly felt, should have been on Esperanza. Now it is. Thanks to sr. WG-SF Charles Campbell and jr. PG Andy Bousono for being good sports and posing with their hands covering "Nueva" on their uniforms, which are left over from the old days. If there's a hokey idea for a pic, you know I'm gonna think of it (smile). This is Bodine's best squad in a LONG time. Not sure how much headway the Ambassadors will be able to make against teams with more pizzazz than Esperanza, but these guys looked decent. D-III coaches should take a peek because the Bodine kids are almost always strong academically. Today's eye-catcher was 6-3 jr. WG Lamar Gary. He's almost an exact body double of Northeast's Tyron Lytes (lean, arms and legs forever) and he caused Esperanza a lot of trouble in trapping situations. He drained two early treys (three total) and finished with 19 points, five steals. Another jr., 6-3 Tarran Prince, was fundamentally sound on the near wings and around the basket. He made sure guys got assists, or wound up on the line, en route to 15 points, 14 boards. John Hughes, a 6-4 sr. with a good build, handled dirty-work duties and even went 4-for-5. Wayne Wilson, a 6-4 sr., showed some of Gary's tendencies, though he suffered through one of those can't-buy-a-basket outings. Nick Neal, a jr. lefty G, is one of those guys who probably frolics in games of one-on-one. Especially in the second half, he kept getting around guys for easy buckets. Sr. PG Korey Gastearl is a contributor in little ways at both ends. His dad, Greg "Quack-Quack" Overton, was a quality PG during a strong era at King. Esperanza's headliners are Campbell and Bousono. Campbell is another guy who can pretty much maneuver his way around anyone. He's blessed with strength and an ability to hang in the air and draw contact. He did miss eight of his 17 free throws and, as he knows, that stat MUST improve. I'd suggest a wider base; he stands with his feet almost exactly next to each other. He also kept leaning back as he released. He had 14 points, 10 boards, three assists and four steals. I first saw Bousono two years ago, when he stood MAYBE 4-10 and showed MANY great qualities. You know how pro teams give out bobbleheads? Esperanza should have an Andy Bousono Wind-Up Toy Day. I love this kid's heart and energy level. He mixed 16 points, four assists and six steals and claimed afterward with a smile that he now stands 5-2. Hmmmmmmmm. Though all of the Toros (nee Scorpions) hustle, there's a drastic skill dropoff after Campbell and Bousono and any time the ball leaves their hands, misadventures are possible. Here's hoping another junior shortie with zest, Zakee Moody, can make it back soon. He's awaiting clearance on a health issue. Two years ago, they played together and I dubbed them The Smallest Backcourt in America. Andy even drilled some treys against Freire that day and wound up being played in a box-and-one! Pretty cool, right? A 4-10 guy being hit with a junk defense! (smile) Later, I saw these guys vs. Lamberton and they posed for this pic. Then this one. Zakee told me today, "Just my luck. You come on a day when I can't play. And you didn't come see us at ALL last year." I told you these kids want attention (ha ha). Esperanza's center is Ben Alexander, a 6-2 junior who very much fills out his jersey, and then some. He worked hard and now needs to reshape his body. He's the Toros' only hint of a true frontcourt player. Knowing his team's lack of depth, coach Terrance Hudson took some chances as foul trouble mounted. Thus, two guys fouled out in the third quarter. The appearance of deep subs caused excitement for Bodine fans. Six-five Jr. Julian "My Game Shorts Stretch Almost to My Ankles" Lipscomb got fouled after catching a pass from jr. Tommy Le (he's Asian; no need for a second "e"), but missed both free throws. The two were at it again a half-minute later. This time Lipscomb converted the layup and the fans went nuts . . . not that there were too many. No matter. Northern Liberties RC is a loud place even when two people by themselves are whispering. The sound carries like crazy.

DEC. 5
NON-LEAGUE
Dobbins 80, West Phila. 54
  Well, there's a first time for everything, even in my 37th season of covering high school basketball. This was game No. 1 and it featured an all-time occurrence. With 3:42 remaining in the third quarter, West sr. G Jared Washington went to the line and missed FIVE consecutive shots. Yes, all on one visit. Huh? His second, third and fourth misses were wiped out by lane violations. As he missed No. 5, Dobbins' players stood to the sides of the lane like statues so as not to be called for another violation. The ball bounced back to Washington and he scored on a painless put-back. Unbelievable. I can't something such as that has happened ANYWHERE in basketball history, at any level. This has been a rough couple of days with the passing of Conwell-Egan FB legend Mike Tos and I needed an afternoon of fun. Go to Dobbins, right? That place is always cool. Not today. Fans were not permitted and the atmosphere was blah. The game itself? Early-December Pub games are rarely vintage, especially from the clean-play standpoint, and this one was true to form. West's roster is filled almost exclusively with players who stand 5-10 and the one kid with a hint of height, 6-4 jr. Rameak Taylor, is not yet a prime-timer. Dobbins used pressure to jump to a 20-10 lead after one quarter (eight steals in that session alone) and mostly cruised from there. Ballhandling duties were mostly handled by sr. lefty Samuel Everett-Bey, a ballsy kid who paced the early domination. He finished with 13 points, three assists and six steals. Because the floor is so narrow, Dobbins rarely has had quality three-point shooters. But in this one, sr. WG Tariq Lee went 4-for-6 from distance en route to 22 points and his bombs were perfect swishes. He also had six assists. I especially like the approach of sr. combo F Paul McPherson. The Mustangs aren't blessed with much height, either, but McPherson throws his body around while also showing the savvy of a point guard. He kept getting into the right spots or giving it to other guys who were. His line: 17 points, six boards, six assists, four steals, three blocks. Very nice! Sr. C Barry Williams mixed 10 points, nine boards. Sr. G-F Maurice Graves managed eight rebounds, four assists. One guy to keep an eye on, possibly, is 6-5 jr. F-C Philip Pringle. He's still thin and gangly, but there's some bounce in his step and I liked his attention to detail; he set up properly on the side of the lane, for instance. Lamar Speller, a 6-3 jr., was in street clothes today. He had some nice moments last year, so perhaps the Mustangs will make some noise. Their togetherness should help. Honestly, the Speedboys almost all looked the same: eager, but lacking in polish. Frosh G Nigell Hester had some good moments in the second half, mostly on penetration, and jr. SF Keith West, a football star, enjoyed success by mixing smarts and body control. Jr. G Antoine Buck also went hard to the hole on many occasions. Jr. WG Robert Smalley did some early sniping. Both teams have new coaches. Dobbins' boss is John Sullivan, also a football assistant. Now running West's program is Frank Steed, a U. City product, Philadelphia policeman and the FIFTH coach in FIVE years. Ed Wright, the former head coach (through '04), remains with the program. As the game ended, Steed shook his head and said with a smile, "I gotta get some horses." So do many teams in the watered-down Pub, Frank. You are NOT alone (smile). Hang in there.