A recent analysis of data over the past two years revealed some very interesting findings. Of all of the freshman that accepted scholarships to play basketball in the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference over the past two years – 2013 and 2014 – 52% would NOT have been eligible if the 2016 NCAA eligibility guidelines were already in place.
Through analysis of SAT test score data and discussions with concerned HS Principals, HS coaches, AAU coaches, parents and student-athletes it was determined that Black student-athletes in the mid-Atlantic Region (NY, NJ, PA, DE & MD) were particularly at-risk of not meeting the new guidelines. Another area that may experience significant problems is Jackson, Mississippi.
We have decided to form the Scholastic Sports Think Tank (SSTT) to:
1) Disseminate information and increase knowledge of NCAA, NAIA and JUCO initial eligibility guidelines: The NCAA will implement several significant and increasingly stringent freshman eligibility guidelines. These guidelines will take effect on August 1, 2016.
2) Increase understanding and provide access to innovative interventions designed to help student-athletes meet the new eligibility requirements: Through accessing innovative interventions, we aim to help student-athletes access the tools necessary to meet eligibility requirements. We aim to get student-athletes to think outside the box for solutions.
For many of our youth, athletics is the means to accessing higher education. SSTT will work to help our youth understand what they need to accomplish in order to be eligible for athletic scholarships.
Look for announcements for FREE full-length practice SAT exams and transcript reviews.
Philly is a hoops mecca… For some, Philly is THE hoops mecca… The case for the top spot is strong. A brief perusal of the record books reveals the impact Philly ballers have had on the game. Wilt Chamberlain and Tom Gola led the charge for Philly in the 50’s. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe scorched college basketball in the 60’s. Gene Banks, Lewis Lloyd and Mike Brooks carried the city in the 70’s. Rico Washington, Pooh Richardson and Lionel Simmons held it down in in the 80’s. Rasheed Wallace, Marvin O’Connor and Eddie Griffin represented in the 90’s. After the turn of the century, Maureece Rice, Wayne Ellington, Maalik Wayns and Kyle Lowry emerged.
Wilt Chamberlain
In the contemporary era, grassroots/AAU hoops has superseded high school basketball in importance. Hoop heads interested in understanding the development of elite scholastic players have to pay attention to “Summer Ball.” In the not too distant past, the Sonny Hill League was a the focal point of summer hoops in the city… No more… No more…
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe
If you want to know what’s going on with elite scholastic hoops, you have to follow AAU/grassroots hoops. Perhaps, the biggest story of this summer has been the rapid ascent of two Philly Pride (Under Armour Association) players, Charles Brown, Jr. and DeAndre Hunter.
At the conclusion of his high school career at George Washington HS, Brown had zero (0) Division 1 scholarship offers. In fact, he had verbally committed to Division 2 West Chester University. After the first two Under Armour sessions, he had over 15 D1 scholarship offers from schools such as VCU, Rhode Island Quinnipiac, George Mason, Drexel and James Madison. He was drawing interest from high major programs like Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Maryland and Alabama.
Gene Banks
Brown committed to St. Joseph’s University. He cites his relationship with Assistant Coach Geoff Arnold as the primary factor determining his choice. According to Brown, “Coach Arnold told me when he first saw me that I was a division 1 basketball player and that meant a lot to me at the time.” His father Charles, Sr. played on the great Overbrook teams of the late 70’s with Tony Costner, Ricky Tucker and Steve Black. So, the family has always been familiar with the St. Joseph’s program and the campus.
But… How does a kid go from zero (0) offers to over fifteen (15) in just a 4-6 week span? AAU/grassroots basketball… that’s how…
The Black Cager talked to Charles’ Philly Pride teammate and his Coach Sean Colson to gain some insight into this particular program….
Marvin O’Connor
Black Cager: DeAndre… So far this summer you guys have had a really good run. About a month ago you knocked off highly regarded WE R 1 and about two weeks ago you defeated Team Final. I want get your thoughts about the AAU season thus far and see how you feel about those two wins in particular.
DeAndre Hunter: I feel like we’ve been playing really good. Beating those two teams, that are supposedly better than us, shows that we are just as good or even better than most of the teams in the country.
Black Cager: I agree… I agree with that and I would also add that when you take a look at what the local Under Armour teams have been able to accomplish it’s very impressive. Trevon Duval, Quade Green, Sedee Keita and Nysier Brooks who recently committed to Cincinnati (Big East) play for WE R 1. Then you also have you and Charles Brown who recently committed to St. Joseph’s (A10) playing for Philly Pride. One could argue that the Under Armour circuit, at least in our region, is equal to or ahead of the Nike and Adidas circuits. How do you feel about playing on the Under Armour circuit?
DeAndre Hunter: I feel like the Under Armour circuit is just as competitive as any other circuit. I understand the Nike people feel like their circuit is better because they have most talented or most ranked players. But, I really feel like the Under Armour circuit is just as competitive as any other brand.
Black Cager: About your college recruiting… How are your grades? I know you attend a highly competitive academic high school, Friends Central. How are making out academically? Are you on track?
DeAndre Hunter: Yeah… I’m good. On my last report card, I had one C. The rest of my grades were Bs and up so I’m in good shape.
Black Cager: That’s really good… Have you formulated any idea where you would like to play college basketball? Do you want to stay in Philly? Do you want to go far away? Does the geographic region matter at all? Are your trying avoid the cold? Do you want go where it’s warm year-round? Do you have a strategy or are you just taking things as they come?
DeAndre Hunter: I’m just taking it as it comes. It doesn’t matter if I stay local or go somewhere far away. I just want find a program where I’m comfortable and I can play right away.
Black Cager: Where do you see yourself playing at the college level, 2, 3 or even the 4?
DeAndre Hunter: Probably the 3 position… I gotta get bigger and strong though.
Black Cager: Now… I’m gonna really put you on the spot.. Who do you think are the best non-college or pro basketball players in the Greater Philadelphia region? I’ve had an on-going discussion with some of my friends in the local basketball community and the same names always come up are Tony Carr (Team Final/Roman Catholic HS), Quade Green (WE R 1/Neumann Goretti HS), Lamar Stevens (Team Final/Roman Catholic HS) and you. Although, recently a lot of people have started to include Charles Brown in that upper echelon of local talent. Who would say are the best 2 or 3 players in the area right now?
DeAndre Hunter: The three best players… Myself, Charlie Brown, Tony Carr…
Black Cager: That’s it?
DeAndre Hunter: Best players? In my class, yes… Me, Charlie and Tone Carr..
DeAndre Hunter & Charles Brown
Black Cager: I like that… I really appreciate the honest response… One last question, as you sort through this college selection process, are you dealing with this yourself? Are you bouncing things off Kamal, your HS coach, your Mom? If a college coach was reading this interview and he wanted to get your attention, what would be best way for him to go about it?
DeAndre Hunter: He should call me, my brother, Kamal or my AAU coach (Sean Colson).
Black Cager: DeAndre… I really appreciate this and I look forward to following you guys in Atlanta as you pursue the UUA National Championship.
Sean Colson is a Philly baller. He played at the University of Rhode Island and Charlotte University. He also played in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets. A basketball lifer, Colson also played in the USBL, CBA and overseas in Italy, France, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lebanon, Kuwait and Venezuela. In short… he has been there, done that…
For the past three years he has shared his considerable basketball knowledge and expertise with Philly kids as a coach with the Philly Pride AAU/grassroots program and Martin L. King HS in Philadelphia’s Public League. He also conducts the highly regarded “Sean Colson Workouts.”
The Black Cager spoke with Colson about Brown, Hunter and Philly Pride…
Sean Colson
Black Cager: What’s up Sean? I just talked to DeAndre… I talked to Charles Brown a few days ago… I’m gonna put you on the spot… I know about a month ago, you guys knocked off WE R 1 and couple of weeks ago you beat Team Final. In the Philly grassroots basketball, those are some big games and they were some big wins. What does that say about Philly Pride as an AAU/grassroots program right now?
Sean Colson: Well… for the last three years, not just this year I’ve been with this team… I coached them as 15u, 16u and now 17u and we’ve gotten better every year. So, we are just trying to build our program and make competitive on the national level. We are not really comparing ourselves to nobody else, we’re just trying to beat everybody we play… Everybody… WE R 1 and Team Final are really good programs… But we not trying be the best program in this area, we want to be the best in the country. We are trying to put our guys in position to get a lot of scholarships. We want to help them get to the right schools. We want people to know that when you play for Philly Pride you get better. In other programs, some guys get scholarships, but they don’t necessarily get better. We want to be known as a program where when you come here… Your game gets better and you get better as a young person.
Black Cager: I can appreciate that… Speaking of getting better, I would say that over the past 2 months people knew about DeAndre but lately he’s been getting a lot of national recognition. And, then you have Charles Brown… About 3 months ago people viewed him as a Division 2 player. Then there was a period where he was one of the hottest kids in the country. His recruitment went from 0 offers to over 15 scholarships in a matter of weeks. What does that say about his development and why was he able to demonstrate so much more skill playing for you guys than he did playing for his high school team?
Sean Colson: Sometimes I feel like people try to make that comparison… But, I feel like the George Washington coaches did right by Charles. I just feel like Charles has gotten better… I don’t feel like it’s fair to say the George Washington guys didn’t know how to use him or use his talents. I just think they got eliminated early. In fact, in February we (Martin L. King HS) took them out of the playoffs. Right after the season, Charles and his Dad came to work with me. That was in February. He’s been in here every day, just working. His father was very direct, he said look I think my son can get better and I think you are the guy to do it. I know you work with DeAndre, I know you work with a lot of people… But, can you just please take my son and do what you can with him. Charles has the right mindset… I mean he just came in here and worked… His skills have really developed because he’s been working. Looking back, some of the blame has to be placed on Charles. Maybe he wasn’t working as hard while he was in high school. Now, he’s really working hard. Yes, I demand it, but he’s really working hard. Getting to play everyday against DeAndre and some of the college guys has helped him. A lot of times it’s just me him, his Dad and DeAndre just working, working, working… I mean I was a pretty good player… I played in the NBA and I was a good player and I feel like my skills and just the knowledge of the game has rubbed off on Charlie. All of that has really helped his game take flight right now.
Black Cager: He’s gonna take a year and try to get his body together at St. Thomas More Prep School (Connecticut). What do you foresee for Charles playing in the Big 5 for St. Joseph’s?
Sean Colson: I think he’s gonna have an excellent career. Charlie… is.. honestly, he kinda like a steal to be honest with you. Because, he’s really developing. He has the frame of a pro 2 guard. Everyone doesn’t have the skills, but he definitely has the frame. He’s 6’6”, athletic, long arms, really can shoot the ball and plays defense. Even that part of his game, I don;t think he did a great job at Washington on defense. They played zone a lot the time. When he played man-to-man I don’t think he really cared. But, when he came here, I’m on him every single day about defense in the workouts, practices and games. Charlie has really taken pride in being a stopper. He wants to be a stopper. I don;t think he thought like that in high school. That’s an area where I will take some credit because we’ve really worked on that part of his game. But, I don;t want to discredit George Washington and their coaches because I don’t think it the case that they didn’t do enough. It’s just that me Charlie click… Just like me and DeAndre, we click… A lot of guys, they will listen to me where they might not listen to other people or take their advice. They know the things I’ve accomplished as a player and coach. They respect the players I’ve trained like Amile Jefferson and Khalif Wyatt. They see that if you train with me you get better. That’s an important part of it, we have good chemistry.
Black Cager: I think trust is an important part of the equation and that’s what you are conveying. Speaking of DeAndre, I’ve gotten to see him play quite few times this summer. It’s really hard for me to look at his game and say that another kid in this area is better. But he doesn’t get that recognition. A big part of it is that is probably because he plays in the Friends League. Where do you see him in comparison to the other top players in South Jersey, Philly, Delaware? And. what do you see for him at the next level?
Sean Colson: People play different positions and thing like that… But, I’ll say this… People say someone is the best… It’s a few really good players out there… There’s Tony Carr, Quade Green and some other good players here in our area like Lamar Stevens. But, I wouldn’t take nobody over DeAndre… me, personally… All those guys have come to my workouts, except Lamar. I know everyone… I love everybody… I want every one of them to do well. But, me personally I wouldn’t take anyone in this city over DeAndre Hunter. That’s just how I feel. And, I feel like he’s only getting better. I’ve had him with me for the last 3 1/2 years and he’s getting better every day. He picks everything up and wants to get better. That has actually rubbed off on Charles as well. He sees that every day. You know Charlie asked himself: What’s the reason DeAndre has gotten that much better over these past 3-4 years? He comes here and he says if that’s the guy that has helped DeAndre get that much better, I wanna get like that and even better. That has helped Charlie as well. The trust factor…
Black Cager: I followed your career… Me and you we communicate on social media a lil’ bit… I pay attention… I saw you finishing up you own academic course load. I know you are doing an outstanding job at the high school level. I know you are of the few guys that excel on both the HS level and on the AAU/grassroot circuit. What’s the future look like for Sean Colson? Would like like to get on an NBA coaching staff? Would you like to coach in college? What are you trying to do with this thing going forward?
Sean Colson: For me… I wanna build Martin L. King up. We’re good right now. In my three years, we’ve won Public League Championships, we’ve been to the State Championship game. These are things that have never been done at King, especially on a AAAA level at this school. So, we’re just trying to get guys to get to college. We want guys to get D1 or D2 scholarships. For me, that’s the joy that I have. I love to see everybody getting better. Through the Sean Colson workouts, I get to work with kids that go to all the different schools. Even though they are in different HS programs they still come to me to get better. I’ll take whatever is in store for me. I would like to be a college coach. Maybe I’ll be an NBA assistant or scout. I really like working kids out. I was just at the John Lucas camp working guys out and training some really good players there. Next week I’ll be at the Under Armour All-American camp. I love working people out, developing talent and getting guys better. That’s kinda what I am known for. But… I feel like I’m a strong X and O guy as well. I really like coaching. For me, I’ll take whatever falls in my lap. I’m just working. If it’s an NBA assistant job that would be great. If it’s joining a college staff that would be great. If it’s taking Sean Colson workouts to the next level where it’s national like John Lucas, that would be great. Luckily, I feel like I’m doing well and I have a few options. I’m not just a one trick pony. Whatever I think is best for Sean Colson and my family that’s what I’m gonna pursue. But right now, I feel like I’m getting a lot of blessings and I’m just happy everything is working out.
Black Cager: I just want say that Philadelphia’s basketball community is much better off having you as involved as you have been over the last three years. I have a lot of respect for what you have been able to accomplish. It’s tough at a school like King. The other schools have a lot of things they can use to attract the kids like outstanding academic reputations, locations like Roman Catholic is in Center City and Haverford is up on the Main Line. You are grinding it out right here… around the way in a public school facility. For that I give you a lot of credit. As well as all the work you Kamal Yard, Rodney Veney and Amauro Austin put in with this grassroots thing. Big respect man… we’re looking forward to seeing how Philly Pride does in the nationals. You ready to go on record? Y’all gonna take this thing from WE R 1 or what?
Sean Colson: Well… It’s not just about WE R 1… I know they are in 1st place and we are in 2nd place but they are a lot of good teams in the Under Armour Association. We’re trying to go down there and do well. But first, we have couple other things going on… Like I said we have the Under Armour camp. DeAndre’s in it… Charlie might be in it… Then we have Elevate Hoops at Philly U which is gonna be a big event. Then we go to Atlanta and then to Las Vegas… We’re just taking one step at a time… We gonna try to represent Philly like we always do and try to win it for sure.
Black Cager: Appreciate the time and we look forward to following Philly Pride.
”I think it’s sort of ironic when they began to integrate the South athletes were the ones used to pave the way, and they were used under the pious assertion that ‘we’re helping these poor kids… Now, apparently someone has said, ‘Enough,’ so they don’t need the kids anymore. They’re using the same rationale they used to get them in to begin to keep them out. I guess it’s a situation where we’re like shoes and clothes. We’re not in style anymore.” John Thompson, Former Georgetown Coach, 1989
“Let the white man say it: There’s no question in my mind that [the NCAA] is racially motivated, subconsciously or consciously, only because this is the only sport, and these the only people that have such stringent rules put on them. No other sport and no other group of individuals have ever been under the microscope like these people.” Sonny Vaccaro, Nike, 2002
“The NCAA is a racist organization of the highest order… On this day, it instituted a new punishment on black kids who have already been punished because they are poor. Any time the NCAA, which is 90 percent white, considers the youngsters in Division I basketball and football, it discriminates, because 89 percent of the kids are black. I wonder what message they are sending. It’s another hardship for black kids made by white folk.” John Chaney, Former Temple Coach, 1989
“That dream could be taken away after six semesters in high school… So for someone that’s a late bloomer, someone that the light bulb doesn’t go on until later, now it’s too late. And just the disproportionate number of minorities that’s going to affect, the number of people in general that’s going to affect, is not good.” John Thompson, III, Georgetown Coach 2015
“This is not about reducing standards. This is about, this isn’t fair. Why are you telling a kid after his junior year of high school that you are less desirable to get a college scholarship? Or, if the light comes on late, why can’t I go to prep school?” Paul Hewitt, Former George Mason Coach 2015
Shit ‘bout to get very real… It’s gonna be a bloodbath…
On the first day of school in September, thousands of talented and ambitious Black scholastic student-athletes across America will become ineligible for athletic scholarships to attend NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities.
On that first day of school, the moment the bell rings for homeroom on the initial day of their senior year, they will officially be done… toast…
Dead Men Ballin!!
We’ve been here before… The relationship between Blacks and the NCAA has been adversarial and contentious for more than a century. History never repeats itself exactly, so it would foolish to view the period of Black inclusion from the late 1960s to the present strictly through the prism of the past. Nevertheless, no real understanding of the shit the NCAA is currently pulling is possible without an appreciation of the long-standing struggle that followed the dismantling of rigidly racist/white-supremacist structures that prevailed from 1906 to around 1970.
In a manner very similar to South Africa, the United States developed from it’s inception a unique racist white-supremacist socio-economic structure and political apparatus. As a matter of fact, the NCAA was established on March 31, 1906, exactly ten years after American Apartheid was formally sanctioned with the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson ruling by the US Supreme Court. In the Plessy case State laws requiring racial segregation in public facilities were ruled constitutional under the doctrine of “separate but equal”. Jim Crow Apartheid reigned supreme within much of the United States and in NCAA for the better part of seven decades.
All-White Duke Men’s Basketball Team, 1967
Following the Civil Rights era, the 1970s witnessed the rapid influx of Black male student-athletes in colleges and universities across the country. By the early 1980s, Black males were a majority in football and basketball. After a decade of unfettered Black participation in America’s great collegiate sports programs like Alabama football and North Carolina basketball, the NCAA decided to pump the brakes.
They ran, and continue to run, a play that has proven very successful time after time. The basic scheme was outlined by the legendary Republican political campaign consultant, Lee Atwater, in a 1981 interview. Atwater, architect of President Reagan’s electoral landslides, explained how Republicans win the vote of racists without sounding racist themselves:
You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
Within the context of a historically racist/white supremacist American culture, this was a brilliant and highly effective strategy. Evil? Yes… But highly effective… It’s still being run by politicians emphasizing things like Voter ID laws and crime… The Atwater strategy is an American as apple pie.
Poster for Boogie Man, a documentary focused on Lee Atwater’s Role in GOP politics
So much so, the NCAA took it an ran their version of the play.
By the 1980’s the NCAA couldn’t say “Nigger, nigger, nigger”… So they started talking about academic standards, initial eligibility rules, SAT requirements, core course requirements and all that stuff. All the things they talked about were totally “academic” and a byproduct of them was, Blacks get hurt worse than whites… “We want to establish eligibility standards,” is a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”
George Raveling, John Chaney, John Thompson and Nolan Richardson immediately caught on to the Atwater strategy. They used their platforms as highly respected college basketball coaches to call out the racist consequences of the initiatives. Chaney breathed fire… he referred to the NCAA as “that RACIST organization” in response to the rule changes. John Thompson actually walked off the court before a game with Boston College in 1989 in protest of what he considered racist NCAA rule changes.
Hall of Fame Temple Coach, John Chaney
Jim O’Brien the opposing coach that night said, ”He’s making a statement that a lot of other coaches feel very strongly about.. ‘He is one person who is in a position to make a little noise about this. We’re talking about one of the most highly visible coaches in the country: the Olympic coach, coaching a team that’s in the top five, one of the best programs in the country. So when he does a lot of people sit up and take notice.”
Thompson and Chaney had the unwavering support of their bosses. ”John Thompson is hired as an educator, first and foremost,” said Frank Rienzo, Georgetown’s athletic director. ”One of his responsibilities is to coach, in this particular instance, the education that he is giving to the students who are entrusted to him has to do with things that are much more important than basketball, it has to do with social justice. ‘This Is a Bad Rule.’”
Hall of Fame Georgetown Coach, John Thompson
Fast forward a quarter century… A new organization of minority coaches last week sharply criticized NCAA eligibility standards set to take effect next year for incoming freshmen, saying they will deny too many athletes the opportunity to to go to college.
The National Association for Coaching Equity and Development, a group led by Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith, Georgetown coach John Thompson III, Texas coach Shaka Smart and former Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, issued a statement to The Associated Press said the standards disproportionately target minority and less affluent students in “an unintended consequence beyond acceptability.” They are less straightforward and raw than their predecessors, but their aim is exactly the same: Calling attention to the racist consequences of NCAA eligibility rule changes.
Texas Men’s Basketball coach, Shaka Smart
Let me take a few minutes and explain why these coaches are voicing such serious concerns. Why are so many in the Class of 2016, Dead Men Ballin….
Let me show you how the latest manifestation of the Atwater strategy is playing out within the NCAA…
If You Enroll AFTER August 1, 2016, to be eligible to practice, compete and receive athletics scholarships in your first full-time year at a Division I school, you must graduate high school and meet ALL the following requirements:
1. Complete 16 NCAA core courses:
• Four years of English;
• Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher);
• Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it);
• Two years of social science;
• One additional year of English, math or natural/physical science; and
• Four additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy.
These requirements have been in place for several years. High school coaches, AAU program directors and guidance counselors have a solid understanding of these requirements.
2. Complete 10 core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before the start of your seventh semester. Once you begin your seventh semester, you may not repeat or replace any of those 10 courses for GPA improvement.
Here comes the bullshit… This is where things get very tricky… The “new rules” say “Once you begin your seventh semester” (senior year) you “may not repeat or replace” core grades from freshman through junior years.
Simply stated… First day of senior year you could be done!! Dead Man Ballin’….
The NCAA reviews tens of thousands of transcripts annually through it’s Eligibility Center.
The NCAA knows full well that many Black boys struggle in 9th grade. In cities like Philadelphia and New York the graduation rate for Black males has been as low as 28% in recent years. Most struggle with the transition to high school. They fuck up in 9th grade when they are 14 or 15 years old. However, many realize that their athletic abilities can lift them out of dire situations by the time they are 17 or 18. Many have matured late and began to take education seriously as a junior or senior in high school. Many of the finest football and basketball student-athletes in the country have had to replace or repeat courses they failed or received Ds in as seniors or in Prep School. The NCAA is eliminating this opportunity.
Nigger, nigger, nigger…
3. Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your core courses.
Last year, the average graduation rate for black players on the 68 men’s teams in the Division 1 tournament was a record 65 percent. To understand what a leap that is, that percentage represents a sharp rise up from 51 percent in 2008 and 35 percent in 2003. Black males are doing better than ever. Indeed, they are doing better than US college students overall. The 2012 graduation rate for all first-time, full-time undergraduate students who began their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year degree-granting institution in fall 2006 was 59 percent. All of these Black male student-athletes that are graduating entered NCAA institutions with a 2.0 minimum requirement in place. Why raise the minimum to 2.3?
Nigger, nigger, nigger…
4. Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score that matches your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale for students enrolling on or after August 1, 2016.
If student-athlete has a 2.3 GPA he will have to score 900 on the combined Math/Verbal portions of the SAT to meet NCAA eligibility requirements. What are the chances that threshold can be met? As you can see, 39 of 58 (67.2%) Philadelphia public schools have average M/V SAT Scores below 800. Ten Schools (17.2%) have scores between 800 and 899. So… 85% of Philadelphia’s public high schools have average M/V SAT scores below 900. But… an athlete with a 2.3 GPA (C average) is gonna break 900?
The Charter Schools are not doing much better… As you can see, Philadelphia’s charter schools are struggling to produce adequate SAT scores. Only 1 charter school has an average score that meet NCAA minimum of 900 for a student with a 2.3 GPA. Some charter schools with nationally recognized athletic programs have scores well-below the NCAA minimum score.
Nigger, nigger, nigger…
Programs like Drexel, Villanova and LaSalle have graduated every 4 year player that has come through the program. Why tinker with success?
The Atwater strategy is in full effect… He told us the play they like to run… Will the class of 2016 make the necessary adjustments?
“Teams play game after game after game, sometimes winning or losing four times in one day. Very rarely do teams ever hold a practice. Some programs fly in top players from out of state for a single weekend to join their team. Certain players play for one team in the morning and another one in the afternoon. If mom and dad aren’t happy with their son’s playing time, they switch club teams and stick him on a different one the following week. The process of growing as a team basketball player — learning how to become part of a whole, how to fit into something bigger than oneself — becomes completely lost within the AAU fabric.” Steve Kerr
Head Coach, 2015 Western Conference Champion Golden St. Warriors
“AAU basketball.. Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game. It’s stupid.” Kobe Bryant
5 Time NBA Champion
17 time NBA All-Star
“If you’re playing defense in AAU, you don’t need to be playing… I’ve honestly never seen anyone play defense in AAU.” Michael Beasley
NCAA All-American 2007-08
2nd pick in 2008 NBA Draft
“AAU is the worst thing that ever happened to basketball…” Charles Barkley
1992-93 NBA MVP
11 time NBA All-Star
“It’s a bad system for developing players… They aren’t learning to handle the ball, they aren’t learning to make plays against pressure. The emphasis with our high-school players is to get exposure and play as many games as you can and show everybody how great you are. If I can win the 11-and-12 year old league and tell all my friends about it, that is a whole lot more important than if my kids actually get any better or learn anything about the game.” Stan Van Gundy
Head Coach, Detroit Pistons
The consensus is clear… The experts, the people whose opinions are valued most by fans and observers of collegiate and professional basketball, have emphatically declared that AAU basketball ain’t worth shit… Is that a fair assessment? One rarely has an opportunity to hear the other side. What do AAU guys think about the role they play?
The Black Cager sat down with Philadelphia’s most renowned AAU/Grassroots basketball figure for an in depth discussion. Kamal Yard is the director of Philly Pride a grassroots basketball program sponsored by Under Armour. He is also a marketing consultant with Under Armour charged with developing strategies to increase brand awareness in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Kamal Yard, Philly Pride Basketball
Black Cager: How long have you been involved in AAU/Grassroots basketball and how did you first get involved?
Kamal Yard: It’s funny man… For me, it started with my early years at the John Chaney/Sonny Hill basketball camp in the mid 1980’s. The camps were held at Cheyney University and on the Ambler campus of Temple University. During the camps, they had something called “lecture time.” During and lecture time, Mr. Hill and Coach Chaney would always talk about the importance of giving back. That was their main thing “giving back.” And, then you look at the camaraderie of the Chaney/Hill camp and the Sonny Hill League it was all about service. So that kinda like planted a seed in me that never left. Since then, I always wanted to establish a program that provided young kids in Philadelphia with structured, supervised and well organized opportunities to play basketball.
The legendary Sonny Hill
Black Cager: Most people are unfamiliar with the nuances and subtleties of AAU/Grassroots basketball in the Philadelphia area. Team Final, WE R 1, Team Philly and Philly Pride are the elite boys programs. Your partner program Philly Triple Threat, led by Eric Worley does a phenomenal job on the girls side. Team Final and WE R 1 are known as programs that feature elite Division 1 players, however, Philly Pride has developed a niche whereby you serve student-athletes that tend to come from less than ideal family, educational and social situations. How has that come about?
Kamal Yard: Honestly… I get motivated when people tell me a kid can’t make or won’t make it. When people say a kid is a “problem” or a “head case” I actually become more attracted to the kid. I’m from 25th and Diamond and I wanna help the kids that the other programs don’t want to deal with. Now, we’ve had some kids that were can’t miss in terms of their family and educational backgrounds. Garrett Williamson (St. Joseph’s), Ryan Brooks (Temple) and Darryl Reynolds (Villanova) all came from Lower Merion High School. These were kids that would have graduated from college without basketball, their families situations were straight. But for the most part, we tend to have kids from the “hood.” That’s just a commitment on my part. I’m the guy that will give kids a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th chance. Every situation is different, every case varies.
Black Cager: That’s a very interesting point. I can think of situations where the cases vary within single families. Let’s examine the White family. Older brother Desean, spent a season and a half at Providence, he transferred in the middle of the 2005-06 season to La Salle. After sitting out a year, he was dismissed from the team and never played a game for the Explorers. White then moved on to Delaware but was again dismissed from the team after being ruled academically ineligible. White ended up playing his final two years at Northwood, an NAIA school in Florida, where he was coached by former Villanova legend Rollie Massimino. There, he was a two-time NAIA First Team All-American. His younger brother, Devon had a much different experience.
Kamal Yard: Devon is a success story. Devon is a straight up success story. Absolutely! Look man, I don’t think of these kids as failures because sometimes they go and they try the school thing and it doesn’t work out. Most of the times it works out for the kids, but sometimes it doesn’t. What do you do? Do you throw him to the wolves because it doesn’t work out or do you try to pick him up? In my mind Desean and Devon are successes. Devon graduated from LaSalle and he even went on to pursue a Master’s degree at Niagara. He’s playing professionally overseas and taking care of himself and his family. That’s what this thing is all about.
Devon White, LaSalle University
Black Cager: When did you make the transition to a sponsored program and travel team? How did that come about?
Kamal Yard: First, when my cousin Cuttino Mobley was drafted into the NBA in 1998, he was with Nike so we were sponsored through a Nike “community deal.” How it worked was like this, we got the same amount of product that all the other Nike sponsored teams received. This arrangement was part of Cuttino’s contract with Nike. He simply diverted some of the compensation to our program through a “community deal” arrangement. We received sneakers, bags, T-shirts and uniforms. We had that arrangement for the duration of his career. That arrangement was good, it was really good for us. Then we switched over to Under Armour after he retired in 2010. I also became a consultant for Under Armour. In 2011, our program became officially sponsored by Under Armour… I just took that and ran with it. We currently have 370 kids in our program from 3rd grade through 11th grade, girls and boys.
Black Cager: Before I became acquainted with you, my perception of Under Armour was that it was a football, work out gear focused company. I didn’t really view them as a force to be reckoned with in the basketball marketplace. I did not associate Under Armour with basketball.
Kamal Yard: Nobody did… So, the first thing I did when I started working with them was to make sure all the top kids in the rec centers became familiar with the brand. I put up banners in rec centers, sponsored leagues and gave away shoes to all the little kids. I made sure all the top kids had it on in North Philly, Southwest Philly, South Philly, West Philly. Then I went out and signed up some of the best high schools. I signed Imhotep to a contract with Under Armour. Then I went after Roman Catholic and Chester High and signed them to their contract. At that time MCS was emerging and Vaux had Rysheed Jordan so I signed them. That was an important step. You have to remember at that time Rysheed, Aquille Carr and the Harrison twins were among the most highly visible high school players in the country. By having the top guys in Philly, Baltimore and Houston they really helped drive brand awareness in the inner cities. Under Armour really didn’t have a lot of pros at the time. We had Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams, other than that we didn’t have anyone in the league. The young guys kinda fueled the shit for Under Armour. They kinda served the same role as professional endorsers. Aquille was hot as fish grease down there in Baltimore. They called him the “crime stopper.” He had like 50,000 twitter followers. Rysheed had 30,000 twitter followers and the Harrison twins had a huge following. It really helped that we had Rysheed in Philly and he was a pretty popular player. And, then you have the success of the high schools we sponsored. Rysheed and Vaux won a state championship. It just helped catapult it and now it’s all over Philly.
Rysheed Jordan, Vaux High School
Black Cager: That’s really interesting… What would you say to someone that looks at that strategy and feels that you are just branding them and trying to turn them into future Under Armour consumers?
Kamal Yard: The reality of the situation is that in places like Baltimore, Philadelphia and Houston the publicly funded opportunities are gradually disappearing. The taxpayers are walking away… When we were kids you could play in the league at the rec center, you could play in free summer leagues, you could play junior high basketball, you could play junior varsity basketball. All of these publicly funded opportunities are disappearing. I feel a duty to leverage my relationship with corporations like Under Armour to provide opportunities for kids to play, participate and be within structured and supervised organizations. As far as the players, I’m with my guys for life. For me it’s about the high I get when I pick up a poor inner-city kid and take him off to college in front of his young siblings and little kids in the neighborhood. For me seeing the looks on those kids faces builds my confidence and my self-esteem. Right then, right there, I feel like I have a million dollars in my pocket. Think about the Whites. Everything didn’t pan out for Desean, but Devon watched his mistakes. Devon did everything he was supposed to in school, never had any issues with anybody. That’s how that shit go. We’re not trying to brand kids. I guess that comes with the territory. But, I’m doing this to save lives. I’m trying to go to graduations. My man Scootie Randall ‘bout to get married.
Scootie Randall, Temple University
Black Cager: Run off some of the names of players that came through your program that went on to play in college.
Kamal Yard: Scootie Randall (Temple), Ramone Moore (Temple) Rahlir Jefferson (Temple), Garrett Williamson (St. Joseph’s), Tyrone Garland (LaSalle), Jesse Morgan (Temple)… I don’t normally include guys like Darryl Reynolds (Villanova), Miles Overton (Drexel) and Ryan Brooks (Temple) because they would have made it college without our program and without basketball. They just came from really stable educationally focused families, but they were an important part of our teams. They would have been good no matter what. I always like to cite guys like Jeremiah “Lump” Worthem (Indian Hills Junior College), Quadir Welton (St. Peter’s) and Malike Starkes (Cecil Community College). Those are the guys I go after, because I feel like I can fix all of ‘em. You can’t tell me I can’t. We also had guys like Vinnie Simpson (Hampton), he was tough. I think I got over 100 guys that received Division 1 scholarships. I would bet that I have the most in this area by far. For a while I was getting 8, 9 or 10 a year. On Scootie’s team we had Larry Lougherty (Penn), Russell Johnson (Robert Morris), big Dev White (LaSalle) and Charles White that went to Hartford University. Charles is from the projects, he got his degree and he just got a big job with the Philadelphia Housing Authority.
Black Cager: How do you respond to the criticism that AAU programs don’t work on skill development and focus almost exclusively on playing games?
Kamal Yard: Honestly, the top tier programs… They got those kids in the gym. I know we do. We do mandatory stuff every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. But 5 days a week you can catch Sean Colson in the gym doing skill development for our program. We have 5 different coaches like that. Colson is coaching my 17u team and a Philly Public League product from FLC. He played at Charlotte University and in the NBA. With Colson, it’s really all about the “giveback” we talked about earlier. He’s an AAU coach and he’s also a high school coach. He understands the commitment, he understands the need to give back to the kids and sharing what he has learned. His whole thing is really making kids better. That’s all he talks about. If he could be in a gym 7 days a week making guys better that’s what he would be doing. I’m happy that he’s with us. I’m happy we got him. If you look at everything we do it’s really all about service to our kids, service to our community and service to our staff. I had to convince him to take the Martin L. King job. The principal at King came from Vaux and he told me he needed a coach. I told him I know just the guy and told Colson to take the job. We went back and forth for about 6 weeks because he still had offers to play overseas. Ultimately, I was able to convince him that this was a perfect opportunity to give back. For us, we take care of all of our people. You can’t be asking people to do all this volunteer shit and then not have a plan for them. I want all my coaches to be ambitious. They have to want to move on and be a college coach or high school coach. We want to see them progress. We take care of our guys.
Sean Colson, Philly Pride and Martin L. King, Jr. head coach
Black Cager: I think the recruitment of one of your current players, Charles Brown, gives a clear indication of how AAU/grassroots basketball is more important that high school basketball.
Kamal Yard: It is… it’s not the AAU guys fault… It’s just changing times… The college coaches, especially the coaches from the bigger conference tell me they don’t wanna see a kid like Charles Brown playing in a high school game against guys that aren’t even Division 3 prospects. A lot of this ties in with the way scholastic hoops has become saturated. The explosive growth in the number of charter schools means there a lot more teams, but there hasn’t been an increase in the number of players. These teams have to field teams. It’s watered down the basketball… What, if you are a D1 coach… are you gonna come see Charles Brown play against Palumbo or Esperanza? You are not coming to see that stuff.. If you wanna get a good gauge on his ability you wanna see him against Division 1 prospects. If you come to an Under Armour session, there are 40 17u teams and about 40 16u teams. With one plane ride you can see at least 100 Division 1 prospects.
Charles Brown, St. Joseph’s University commit
Black Cager: In Philadelphia, there’s a concentration of talent at say 6,7 or 8 high schools. These programs are so stacked up that some really talented players don’t an opportunity to play. Guys like Brown, DJ Newbill (Penn State) and Jarrod Denard (Claflin) leave one high school because they don’t get any playing time and emerge as All-State players at another school.
Kamal Yard: Take a program like Imhotep. Brother Andre Noble is doing an excellent job. Brother Andre is just like us.. He is all about giving back and lifting up the kids. Once you’ve been around him you gain an appreciation for all the things he does to take care of his kids. Now… Brother Andre looks at and feels that he has one of the best programs here. He has the best structure. So.. he’s going in… he’s getting the best talent. His program is just like DeMatha. DeMatha has kids that don’t play. They have kids that don’t qualify. Here in Philly, Roman Catholic has kids that don’t play a lot and transfer. People just aren’t used to seeing public schools doing it. Calculate the number of kids that have left different Catholic League schools over the past 5 years.
Brother Andre Noble, Imhotep Head Coach
Black Cager: Let’s talk about Philly college hoops… Which programs make the most sense for Philly kids? If I sent you my son and he was a D1 player which school would you suggest?
Kamal Yard: Imma keep it real with you… I’m a pro-Philly guy. If I was King for a day, if I could make rules I would make a rule where all of the top guys have to stay in Philly. I think that would reverberate throughout the Philly basketball community. Everyone would be better off. More assistant coaches would get head jobs. There would be higher salaries for the coaches and better attendance at the games. The talent level is so high here that if Philly kids were able to really infiltrate the City 6 programs shit would be bananas!
Black Cager: Do you think we are moving toward that? Kids are starting to stay home after watching many of those that left transfer back to City 6 schools. It seems the younger guys are learning from the experiences of the guys that came before them.
Kamal Yard: I think throughout the history of college basketball in Philadelphia, the better prospects, the better players always left. Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas), Andre McCarter (UCLA), Gene Banks (Duke), Dallas Comegys (DePaul), Pooh Richardson (UCLA) and Rasheed Wallace (North Carolina) all left. You have some that stayed like Michael Brooks (LaSalle), Cliff Anderson (St. Joseph’s) and Lionel Simmons (LaSalle). But for the most part, the better guys have always left. I think one of the main reasons kids leave is because it’s so rough around this city… The parents really influence that… They wanna get their kids away from the violence and mayhem they have seen all their lives. A lot of times the coaches get real petty and blame it on the kid, but in reality it’s the parents. If I’m raising a kid here for 18 years and I’m going to funerals all the time, first thing I’m thinking is my son is getting the heck outta here. If you go see the campus at the University of Virginia or you go out UCLA that’s the first thing you are thinking. I’m getting my kid as far away as possible from Philly. Take a kid like Savon Goodman (Arizona St.) at the end of the day he could have stayed here. But he had a pretty rough upbringing and when it came down to it his people were like you getting outta here. Same thing with Rakeem Christmas who grew up in Southwest Philly, his Aunt Amira was like you are going away. I do think it goes in cycles. At different times a lot of kids go away and at other times a lot of kids stay home. For me, I remember going to Big 5 games and I remember the intensity and the level of competitiveness Randy Woods (LaSalle), Aaron McKie (Temple), Bernard Blunt (St. Joseph’s) and all those guys played with. I think a lot of that was because those guys really knew each other. I think you are going to see more of that. All it takes is for some of these local kids to blow up and make to the NBA. I’m good with all the coaches.. I think all of ‘em do a good job. One thing about all the coaches, they are real Philly guys. I’ll never forget about ten years ago we were in a war down in West Virginia. Phil Martelli was so caught up in watching the game that he started yelling at the refs on our behalf. He got really loud and might have said some strong words. The refs threw him out the game… He actually got kicked out the game. The refs told him to get out and he said F you! He wasn’t faking it… I honestly can say, the area coaches are Philly guys to the core.
Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas University
Black Cager: If you were an AD or if an AD asked you and he needed a coach which current Philadelphia assistants would you recommend?
Kamal Yard: Right now, Geoff Arnold and Ashley Howard are everyone’s favorites. I think Geoff in terms of the type of person he is has everybody pulling him. Geoff is special. You know there are some guys that Geoff helped get into coaching that are now head coaches and Geoff has no bitterness towards anybody. So, selfishly speaking I would like to see Geoff get his shot. But I think Ash might be next up because he’s at Nova and he’s done an unbelievable job everywhere he’s been. When you talk about Geoff and Ash, I believe you are talking about 2 of the best assistant coaches in the country. I really do. They can really recruit. Look at the class St. Joseph’s just got. St. Joe’s doesn’t get those guys if Geoff’s not there. Look at the players Villanova’s gotten since Ash has been there. It ain’t no secret that when Ash was at Drexel they were able to win 28-29 games. Damian Lee was his parting gift to Drexel. He goes to Xavier and they get Semaj Christon. He goes to Nova and the DC pipeline really starts to open up. So at the end of the day, I think either one of those guys will be phenomenal coaches and they will recruit the hell out of Philly.
Geoff Arnold, St. Joseph’s Assistant Coach and his nephew New York Knick’s guard, Langston Galloway
Black Cager: A program like Rider, led by Kevin Baggett gets a lot of Philly kids. What would it take for a program like Delaware to really make inroads in Philly? Outside of Temple, they have the best facilities in the area.
Kamal Yard: I think that visibility is really important. I know Monté is from here, but I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen him. When was the last time he was in a barbershop in Southwest? When is the last time he was in a barbershop in West Philly? You know what I mean… I know as coach, a lot of times you can’t go to games like that but I think visibility is really important. If they could have some games where they play at Temple, at LaSalle or at St. Joseph’s every other year that would increase their visibility. But all it really takes is for them to get one that has a solid career and graduates. They can go from there. Delaware is a sleeping giant.
Monté Ross, University of Delaware Head Coach
Black Cager: Penn has had 2 Black coaches, Princeton has had 2 Black coaches, Bruiser’s been at Drexel for 15 years. Coach Chaney was at Temple for 25 years. Rider has a Black coach. Delaware has had 2 Black coaches. Maryland has had a Black coach. Georgetown and St. John’s have had two Black coaches. Rutgers and Seton Hall have had Black coaches. The Philadelphia Catholic universities, LaSalle, St. Joseph’s and Villanova have never had Black coaches. Why are some schools more successful in attracting and hiring Black coaches and does it matter to guys like you that are advising elite prospects?
Kamal Yard: I think each situation is different. However, if it is overly and abundantly clear that a school doesn’t have Blacks in senior positions then that should be a problem. Because when I’m trying to tell a kid to go to a particular school or advise him on his decision one of the things I tell him is that you have to open your eyes up and open your ears up. Who’s gonna be role models for the kid? Hypothetically, say they go to the University of Virginia and Craig Littlepage is the AD. That’s telling you that job is an attainable goal for you. You are seeing more African-American ADs. Temple has one. There’s a little progress being made and I think it comes from us complaining. But it’s still not enough. Blacks make up 70-80 percent of the players. It’s not just a problem at the college level. Look at the high school level. Catholic schools in Philly may have had, maybe 4-5 Black coaches in the history of the Philadelphia Catholic League. Two of them were from West Catholic. That is an issue. Where is our network? Shit is important.
Craig Littlepage, University of Virginia Athletic Director
Black Cager: Thirty years ago, John Thompson, John Chaney and Nolan Richardson spoke out against what they perceived as attempts to limit or reduce the Black presence through increasingly restrictive academic requirements based on standardized test scores. Who is gonna speak out today? Where are our Chaneys, Thompsons and Richardsons?
Kamal Yard: We don’t have any… We are in an era where there is an overall lack of support for those fighting these measures. At one time, we had some power. When Thompson, Chaney and Richardson were in there battling they were very secure in their jobs. Now guys have to worry about job security. There is no security now. I think we need to start real small and build the opposition to some of the things the NCAA is implementing. I want to bring guys together… I think dialogue like this is real important.
Black Cager: Thanks for taking the time to give us your thoughts on these important issues. The Black Cager is very pleased to provide you with a platform to counter the very negative narrative usually associated with AAU/grassroots basketball. We wish you the very best in July. Philly Pride is the 3rd seed in the Under Armour Association and will be expected to vie for the national championship this summer. Let’s hope Phil doesn’t get kicked out of the gym rooting for you guys.
Brandon Austin with Three PIAA State Championship Trophies
He’s the best Philly has to offer… The talent and skill level are undeniable… He’s the man… After winning three straight state championships and being named Class AAA Player of the Year in Pennsylvania, Brandon Austin was a consensus top 50 player in the class of 2013. He had it all… The future seemed secure… He would make a splash in the Big East with Providence and then embark on a long career in the National Basketball Association.
Maybe $100,000,000 or more…
Then came the detours… First an incident at Providence… transfer to Oregon… then another incident at Oregon…
Dream deferred…
Time to pick up the pieces… Forget basketball… It was time to rebuild trust and salvage his reputation…
After considering his dwindling options, Brandon decided to place his fate in the hands of Steve DeMeo, coach at Northwest Florida State College. DeMeo recognized that despite the allegations, Brandon was never convicted of anything… After meeting with Brandon, he felt the young man deserved an opportunity to continue his education and reestablish his basketball career. He gave him a scholarship.
Brandon reported to the campus in the sleepy town of Niceville, Florida ready to demonstrate that he was not the “predator” portrayed in national media outlets. For the past year, he kept his head down, stayed humble and accumulated academic credits. DeMeo says, “Brandon has been great with us. He’s a very respectful young man. He’s done everything we have asked of him off the court and more.”
On the court, Brandon flourished… Finally able to play after a year of allegations, investigations and suspensions, he led Northwest Florida to the Florida State Junior College Championship and the National Junior College Championship. The Raiders finished with a record of 33-2 and Brandon was named Most Valuable Player of the National Playoffs.
Northwest Florida State after winning Florida State JUCO Championship
While he has been cleared of all criminal charges, Brandon acknowledges that he made some questionable decisions that cost him dearly. “I have been focused on improving my decision-making. I have learned to better assess situations. In the past, I kinda went along with the crowd, no more of that for me.”
The basketball world has taken notice of the fact that he still one of the best players in the nation. Brandon is a long athletic combo guard with tremendous ball skills. He can play the 1, 2 and 3 position. He is an intelligent and smooth playmaker who never seems to get rattled or rushed into making mistakes. In his first year of competition at the collegiate level he showed great poise and maturity. In the semi-finals of the National JUCO Championship playoffs, with 0.6 seconds left, Austin stepped to the line and buried two free throws to send the second-seeded Raiders into the NJCAA Division I title game with a 105-103 overtime win over 19th-seeded Georgia Highlands. He ended the night with a game high 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Brandon Austin in National JUCO Playoffs
Offensively, he makes everything look easy. Austin has great imagination and creativity. He has exceptional vision and passing ability. He is an excellent decision maker and appears to have the ability to develop into an NBA point guard. His drive and kick is an effective element to his offensive arsenal. His length and long wingspan gives him the ability to disrupt passing lanes and shots, as well as giving him extra length to get to loose balls and get shots off.
Austin has good form on his shot and a quick release. He is very good at running the pick-and-roll, well ahead of most college guards. Brandon is capable of creating and hitting midrange shots with a nasty handle, using crossovers and fakes to rock defenders off balance. He has dedicated himself to improving his conditioning. He has worked on his body and is showing better upper body strength.
Most importantly, Brandon Austin is a winner. After winning 3 straight High School State Championships, he led his JUCO squad to the Florida State and the National Championships in his first year of collegiate competition.
Big 10, AAC, Big West, ACC, MEAC and SWAC teams have shown interest in Brandon. Some want to see him have another incident free year at Northwest Florida State. Others are willing to have him come on board immediately. Brandon can graduate with an Associate’s Degree this summer.
“I just wanna focus on finishing strong academically. I’ve never had any problems with my books in college. But, I have made some questionable decisions off the court and away from the classroom. My Mom, Lonnie Lowry (Team Philly), Warren Green (mentor) and my counselor Dr. Abby Baker have helped me make better decisions. I am grateful for the opportunity Coach DeMeo and Northwest Florida State gave me. When we won the Championship, I was happier for the school and my coaches than I was for myself.”
Whatever path Austin chooses to follow, it seems like a safe bet that team will win a lot of games and he will stay out of trouble.
Perhaps, one of the City 6 will step up and give Mr. Austin a chance to finish his education at home… After all, he is Philly’s Phinest!
Bruiser, Dunph, Dr. G, Phil, Jay… give him a call…
Right now, Philadelphia is a pro football and college basketball town. The Phillies stink, the Flyers are not a playoff team and the Sixers organization has purposely lost games for two straight seasons. Despite the insane levels of irrational exuberance displayed for the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), college football hasn’t gained significant traction in the region. In fact, I’m pretty sure there are more Dallas Cowboy fans than college football fans in the Greater Philadelphia Region. College football is largely ignored by all but diehard Owls fans and Philadelphia-based Penn State alums.
Villanova and Delaware are not BCS programs. They do not play big-time college football. On those rare occasions, when Penn State and Notre Dame are competing for national championships larger numbers of Philadelphians pay attention to NCAA football.
For the most part, collegiate athletics in this area, consists primarily of six Philadelphia-based Division 1 basketball programs (Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s, Drexel, LaSalle, Penn) competing with Rider, Delaware, Delaware State and Princeton for student-athletes and attention in the Greater Philadelphia region. While interest in college football lags, Philly college hoops matter… But there is a clear pecking order.
Truth be told, Villanova basketball is on another level… They regularly play in a sold out NBA arena. They are consistently ranked among the Top 10-20 programs in the nation. Wright graduates all of his players. He is able to land virtually every local recruit he targets. None of the other area programs are comparable to Villanova. Over the past decade, the Wildcats have exhibited an incredible level of success. Wright has led Nova to NCAA appearances in 10 of the last 11 years. Villanova’s big “problem” – if one identifies it as such – is “advancing” in the NCAA tournament. Big East Championships and spots in the Big Dance are expected every year. Villanova basketball gets the most print and television media attention by a significant margin.
But the consistent winning… The high graduation rates… The firmly entrenched and highly regarded coaching staff… are all kinda boring. You know Nova’s gonna win a lot of games every year. You know they will make the NCAA tournament. In recent years, they have struggled to make out of the first weekend. That’s a good problem to have.
Less discussed and, undoubtedly, more interesting developments are unfolding within the Temple and St. Joseph’s basketball programs. Over the past 25-30 years, these programs have each had only two head coaches. Coaching changes in City 6 basketball programs occur less frequently than Papal Inaugurations. However, dissenting voices emerged within each program’s fan base over the past couple of years. They did not receive a lot of coverage in local print and internet media. In both cases, the self styled ‘loyal opposition’, was a consistent presence on message boards and other websites. Before he won the A10 Championship in 2014, a “Phil Must Go” website emerged and a few hundred extremely loud hawk fans were calling for Martelli’s ouster. In fact, there were very strong and sustained chants of “Fire Phil” during the home loss to Villanova. It was bad on Hawk Hill… Fast forward three months, that Hawk team won the A10 Championship.
After posting a 9-22 record in 13-14, many Temple fans questioned Dunphy’s ability to right the ship. His ability to recruit Philly and other urban areas was frequently called into question. The next year, with a strong contingent of Philly players, Temple won 26 games and reached the NIT Final Four.
So… Where do things stand now? Both programs are headed by Philly hoops lifers and future Big 5 Hall of Famers. They clearly connect their program with Philadelphia’s strong basketball tradition. As evidenced by the incoming classes, they remain relevant in Philadelphia’s bare-knuckle college basketball recruiting scene. For one of the programs, the future direction seems clear…
Temple Athletic Director, Kevin Clark and President Neil D. Theobald have, apparently, committed to Dunphy (pictured above) and, his heir apparent, Aaron McKie. This makes a lot of sense.
Despite it’s national gridiron aspirations, athletically, Temple is a Philly school first and a basketball school second. Clark and Theobald can pursue BCS football aspirations and leave Temple basketball in capable Philly hands. Dunphy and his staff are proven winners and continue to demonstrate an ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with Philadelphia and Baltimore/Washington, DC based AAU/grassroots programs. These AAU/Grassroots programs are the lifeblood of college hoops.
After one losing season (13-14), Dunphy quickly regrouped and led the Owls to an appearance in the NIT Final Four. As you can see in the chart below, Dunphy has been a very consistent winner over the course of a career spanning a quarter century. On the few occasions his teams posted losing records, Dunphy was able to quickly rebuild and compete for Conference Championships and NCAA appearances within a season or two.
Dunphy is a very good and highly respected basketball coach, without a doubt… In recent seasons, we’ve seen him defeat Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and Coach K (Duke). Last December, Temple knocked off Bill Self and nationally ranked Kansas in a 77-52 blowout. That win snapped the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak. The last time we saw Dunphy’s team, they were ending an impressive postseason run in the National invitational Tournament. Temple fell 60-57 to the University of Miami (25-12) at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Final Four.
Dunphy has a lot of talented players. At 6’8”, freshman Obi Enechionyia displays a high ceiling and a considerable offensive skill set. Obi plays within himself, he shows great poise. His game is highly fundamental. He can go left and right and does a good job of using his athleticism on offense. Obi is a rapidly developing big forward capable of providing the Owls with consistent scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking over the next three seasons. Offensively, he’s shown flashes where he overpowers opponents and bangs on people around the rim. He also has a nice little mid-range jump shot.
Joining Obi and the upper classmen next season will be three highly regarded high school recruits. Levan “Shawn” Alston Jr. (Team Final/Haverford School), Trey Lowe (Team Final/Trenton Catholic) and Ernest Aflakpui (We R 1/Archbishop Carroll) are ranked among the best HS prospects in the nation. Dunphy says, “It’s a great grouping of guys to come in [during] one year. I think they’ll have terrific careers here. They all bring a little something different to the table.” Alston is 6’4” 175 pounds a four-star SG/PG. Lowe comes in at stands 6’5” 165 pounds. He’s a three-star WF/SG and Aflakpui is a 6’9” 230 lb three-star PF recruit. Next year, Dunph will have a core of solid veterans – Jaylen Bond, Josh Brown, Daniel Dingle, Quenton Decosey and Devin Coleman – to mix with the highly acclaimed young players. With Aaron McKie (pictured below) serving an apprenticeship under Dunphy, the Temple program is positioned well for a period of sustained success.
Over on City Avenue, things are little more complex and uncertain… Compared to the relatively steady ride enjoyed by Temple fans, Martelli has taken his program to higher highs experienced lower lows. Just 15 months ago, Martelli’s program sat at the top the tough Atlantic 10 Conference (pictured below). Last season, however, his squad finished 10th with an overall record of 13-18.
But as Martelli enters the final year of his contract, there’s reason for optimism on Hawk Hill. Phil’s got some good players again. Over the course of his career, Martelli has been able to recruit highly talented players and build winning teams around them. His most vocal critics focus on the rebuilding years between the winning seasons. Martelli won with Yah Davis and Rasheed Bey in 1997. Marvin O’Connor, Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led the Hawks from 00-01 to 03-04. Calathes and Nivens led the Hawks to the NCAA tournament in 2008.
That year Saint Joseph’s President Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. gave “clear indication of the University’s support of men’s basketball and of Phil Martelli…. [and] extended Martelli’s tenure at Saint Joseph’s through the 2015-16 season.” After two consecutive NIT’s, in 2014, Martelli led St. Joseph’s to the Atlantic 10 Championship and an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament. That Hawk squad was led by Langston Galloway, currently starting as rookie for the New York Knicks, Ron Roberts and Halil Kanecevic.
In what some observers considered a bit of a surprise, St. Joseph’s chose not to extend Martelli’s contract after he took eventual National Champion UConn to overtime in the 2014 NCAA tournament. For those more familiar recent developments at St. Joseph’s, it would have been a surprise if St. Joseph’s did extend Phil. Saint Joseph’s like many private and Catholic Universities across the country experienced difficulty with consecutive unexpected multimillion-dollar shortfalls. The administration responded by cutting budgets and working to increase enrollment and class sizes. The acceptance rate hovered around 80% and there was low morale among faculty and staff.
Last year, Saint Joseph’s professors censured the whole administration in September. In March, it took a no confidence vote in two senior administrators. In April, senators passed a resolution urging university to cut its ties with its current board chairman once his term expired. The business school faculty voted no confidence in the president, the Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, and the Senate Executive Committee warned the incoming board chairman the whole Senate was prepared to do the same. There was a need for a change.
Change has been implemented…
A couple of weeks ago, Saint Joseph’s chose Mark Reed (pictured above) as the first lay leader in the 164-year history of the school. A Philly native, Reed graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in 1992. In his most recent position, he was senior vice president and chief of staff at Fairfield University in Connecticut. Reed is replacing the embattled Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, who is stepping down after a three-year term.
So what does this mean for St. Joseph’s basketball?
Change is likely on North Broad Street and City Avenue over the next 3 to 5 years. What will it look like? At Temple, it appears that a succession plan is in place. Aaron McKie seems poised to assume the reigns at Temple University whenever Dunphy turns in his clipboard.
How will things play out at St. Joseph’s?
To a large extent, it depends… When blessed with talented players, Phil has been known to make runs… He could have a much improved team in the final year of his contract.
He has the most talented player, DeAndre Bembry (pictured above), in the Atlantic 10 and the Big 5. Can Phil build a winner around the uber-talented Bembry? Who, if anyone, will rise up and become a credible “Robin” to Bembry’s magnificent “Batman”? Will it be one of the new comers? Like Dunph, Phil can still land good players in the Philadelphia region. Recruits Chris Clover (Philly Pride/St. Joseph’s Prep) and LaMar Kimble (Team Final/Neumann-Goretti) are highly regarded Philly Catholic League players. Will one of the youngbucks help Bembry lift the Hawks into contention? Perhaps… But a far more likely source of the boost is the current roster.
After missing all of last season, Markell Lodge and Papa Ndao could be big contributors for Martelli next year. Lodge will bring an exceptional level of athleticism to the SJU front court. Lodge is immediately the best athlete on the team and one of the best in the Atlantic 10. His explosiveness and athleticism is comparable to that of former Hawk Ronald Roberts. Although the video below is over two years old, it allows one to see the raw athleticism Lodge brings to the table.
Additionally, Papa Ndao (pictured below) brings a sweet shooting stroke and significant experience. He has been part of the SJU program for more than four years. Ndao has demonstrated an ability to hit perimeter jumpers, even 3 pointers, when open. He is a solid rebounder and capable of defending the PF and WF positions. Papa will add a some new dimensions to Martelli’s attack next year.
Will the addition of Lodge, Ndao and the freshman be enough? Will St. Joseph’s play in a post season tournament next season? If so, would that warrant a long-term extension for Martelli? How should President Reed and his Athletic Director evaluate Phil? Those are important questions that will be hotly debated on Hawk Hill.
Over the long and proud history of Saint Joseph’s Basketball, the Hawks have participated in 19 NCAA tournaments. Martelli (pictured below) has led six of those teams. The Hawks have made 16 NIT appearances. Martelli coached six of those teams. He’s reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 twice (1997, 2004) and the Elite Eight once. He was Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2004. He became Saint Joseph’s all-time winningest coach four years ago.
Phil’s had a pretty good run at St. Joseph’s. He shows no sign of wanting to place his whistle in the drawer. He’s recruiting aggressively giving every indication he plans to coach St Joseph’s beyond next season. As noted earlier, Saint Joseph’s is experiencing difficulty with budget shortfalls by cutting budgets and working to increase enrollment and class sizes.
The context of legitimate fiscal constraints creates an interesting set of “political” circumstances for President Reed to consider. As noted on the Scout message board, according to most recent IRS form 990 for fiscal year 2012, Martelli’s “reportable compensation” from St. Joseph’s exceeded $2.1 million. In light of budget shortfalls issues and subsequent faculty unrest, does Dr. Reed extend Martelli at his current terms? Does SJU ask Phil to take less compensation? Suppose the Hawks make a run and reach the postseason this season this year, does Martelli merit an extension and a bump in compensation? There are a lot of unanswered questions on Hawk Hill…
Does Dr. Reed continue the longstanding tradition of identifying the most qualified Hawk to succeed Phil? Geoff Arnold and Mark Bass are former Hawk captains and members of the Saint Joseph’s University Basketball Hall of Fame. Dave Duda has been a hard working and loyal Hawk assistant for a decade.
Among followers of Temple basketball, it is widely assumed that Aaron McKie will assume leadership once Dunphy retires. McKie is alum of both Simon Gratz and Temple University. A former 1st round draft pick McKie played in the NBA from 1994 to 2007. He joined the Philadelphia Sixers coaching staff in September 2008. He joined the Temple staff in August 2014. McKie solidifies Temple’s stature in Philly’s AAU/Grassroots community. While Temple continues to recruit at a national level, they have also placed increased importance on the Philadelphia region. The strategy has paid dividends. Temple’s incoming class has two Team Final (Rob Brown, Director) alums and one from We Are 1 (Terrell Myers, Director). These AAU programs have consistently produced Division 1 prospects over the past 5 years. This year, Temple is once again heavily recruiting current players in both AAU programs. Led by Dunphy and McKie, Temple will continue to be force in the recruitment of elite local prospects.
Saint Joseph’s, led by Martelli and Geoff Arnold (pictured below), has also made significant inroads within the local AAU community. SJU has a Team Final (Lamar Kimble) product and a Philly Pride (Chris Clover) alum in it’s incoming class. They will join public league product Jai Williams. A current Philly Pride player, Charles Brown, has exhibited a strong desire to play on Hawk Hill. By all accounts, the Hawks are a force on the local recruiting scene.
Will Arnold, Bass or Duda emerge as the heir apparent to Martelli? Does President Reed make a run at Jameer Nelson? Will Phil coach St. Joseph’s beyond next season? A lot of questions at SJU?
How much juice does Phil have?
Temple fans and area AAU programs know Aaron McKie will be with Temple going forward.
President Reed… What’s up with Saint Joseph’s hoops?
Philadelphia is known for producing tough, highly skilled basketball players. Every year, college coaches trek to the City of Brotherly Love from all parts of the country in search of Philly ballplayers. In recent years, Jaquan Newton made his way south to Miami, Rakeem Christmas just finished a brilliant career at Syracuse and Savon Goodman is toiling away out west at Arizona State. These players, as well as others like Jabril Trawick (Georgetown) and Maurice Watson (Creighton), embody what coaches have come to expect from Philly ballers.
Entering the collegiate ranks in the Fall of 2016, Charles Brown (Philly Pride/George Washington HS) and Ryan Daly (Jersey Shore Warriors/Archbishop Carroll HS) possess a skill that sets them apart on the Philly landscape. These guys can flat out shoot the ball. They are both very confident shooters, especially when the game is on the line. Brown recently hit a game winning 3 in the first leg of the Under Armour Circuit in New Orleans. (congratulated by his teammates, far right).
Brown can put the ball on the floor and create his own mid-range shot from anywhere on the floor and he doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. Over the past year, he has become adept at getting defenders off balance using pump fakes and he is very difficult to guard because he possesses a quick and consistent release on his shot.
At 6’6″ 180 lbs Brown (below) possesses very good size and terrific length. A young player, that never re-classified, he isn’t very physically strong. He displays good overall athleticism. Brown has decided to spend the 2015-16 school year at St. Thomas More Prep School in Connecticut. His aim is increase his strength and quickness while playing in the super competitive New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.
Brown has offers from Drexel, Hofstra and Robert Morris. He has also been receiving interest from high major programs like Alabama and Maryland. When asked about his recruitment, Brown expressed a desire to stay close to home. His parents have consistently attended his high school and AAU games. The Brown’s are a close knit family. He made it clear that he really likes St. Joseph’s. “Coach [Geoff] Arnold has been very honest with me from the beginning, he has provided me with information that has helped me understand my options. He has developed a relationship with my family. My parents and I are very comfortable with St. Joseph’s.”
For the past two seasons, Ryan Daly has been used as a shooting specialist that wasn’t asked to do much else in the high powered Archbishop Carroll program. Paul Romanczuk has produced six Division 1 level players while Ryan has been in the program. Austin Tilghman (Monmouth), Derrick Jones (UNLV commit), Ernest Aflakpui (Temple commit), David Beatty (multiple offers), Josh Sharkey (multiple offers) and Daly will all play Division 1 basketball.
Surrounded by this vast array of talent, Daly gets the vast majority of his shots spotting up, coming off of screens, and spreading the floor in transition. He has a tremendous outside shot, making 60 3-point shots this past season. Employing textbook form with great touch, he loves to shoot the three ball. He has shown that he is able to knock it down with a hand in his face, but is simply lights out when he’s unguarded. One of the area’s best catch and shoot players. In high school competition, he has been running off of screens and floating to the open spot on the perimeter for two years.
While running for the Jersey Shore Warriors on the AAU circuit, Ryan instinctively gets open as the play develops. He is very good at coming off screens, and is becoming more effective against quicker guards who can close him out quickly and get a hand in his face. Daly is an excellent midrange shooter and will knock down jump shots from all over the place with consistency. He is also an outstanding rebounder from the backcourt, making effective use of his strength and determination.
Standing 6’4″ and weighing in at a solid 195, Daly is an outstanding student. He has offers from 2 Ivy League schools (Penn and Brown) as well as Hartford (America East). He has also received interest from several other schools with strong academic reputations (Lafayette, Davidson and Quinnipiac). Daly says academics and geographic location are very important to him. He wants to attend a “good college” that lies somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia/North Carolina. His mother, Tracie is the daughter of the late Jim Boyle, a legendary player and successful coach at St. Joseph’s. His father, Brian, is a former Philadelphia Catholic League Player of the Year and also a former St. Joseph’s Hawk. While he doesn’t necessarily want to be in the Philadelphia vicinity, Daly does want his family to be able to attend as many of his collegiate games as possible.
For college coaches in need of elite shooters… Brown and Daly will be ready and willing to suit up in the Fall of 2016.
Pussy got a better record than Floyd Mayweather. Undefeated every win by KO.
Charlamagne Tha God
Pussy is undefeated…
Some things you learn from your parents… Some things you learn in school… Some things you learn on the streets… Your friends, especially during that awkward transitional period known as puberty, will try to teach you a thing or two…
But, some of the most important lessons in life can only be learned through experience. It’s taken me half a century to come to this realization. Please allow me to give you a few of examples of shit I have come to understand, on my own, over the years.
I was born exactly 50 years ago, January 12, 1965. I came into a world and a nation characterized by strife and conflict. Unbeknownst to me, from the moment I drew my very first breath, my life was directly impacted by European colonialism and the resulting international conflicts.
White Americans and their European 1st cousins rule the world…
Life taught me this important lesson very early on. While I was learning to sit up, hold a bottle, crawl and eventually walk… The United States was heavily involved in a protracted conflict with the communist government of North Vietnam.
As a boy focused almost exclusively on how Ultra Man would overcome the evil monsters and awed by the strength Bam-Bam displayed in the fictional city of Bedrock, I had no way of knowing North Vietnam had run the French Colonialists out of their homeland in 1954. Looking back as I begin my second half-century, it kinda makes sense that the Vietnamese wanted to govern themselves.
Ultra Man
Who doesn’t? What people in this world want to be ruled by foreign powers?
George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the rest of the American Founding Fathers wanted the exact same thing and, for that, they are revered and celebrated.
One can almost imagine Alexander Hamilton or Ben Franklin loudly saying “FUCK King George!” The founding Fathers were rightly pissed about the lack of American representation in English Parliament. They really resented direct taxes levied by the English Parliament on the American colonies without their consent. Over time, they came to the conclusion that King George and the rest of England could “fuck off.” They created self-governing provinces, they circumvented the British ruling apparatus in each colony by 1774. Finally, in July 1776, they said “we out!”
We all know the narrative… It’s been drilled into us from Day 1… King George and England were the bad guys. Washington and the other Founding Fathers seeking self-governance and independence were the good guys.
As I came into the world, active US combat units were being introduced into Vietnamese Arena. By the time I was four, in 1969, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed in Vietnam.
Children running during Vietnam War
The North Vietnamese, like Jefferson, Adams and Franklin 180 years earlier, sought independence and self-determination.
“Fuck the French… We out!”
My toddler brain was only capable of caring about Ultra Man and 1 soldier, Private James Earl Wilson, my father. He was drafted and sent to fight for “his country” I was told.
When he came home, his foot was gone.
That’s how I learned Europeans rule the world… During my formative years, all I knew was that war took my father’s foot. War was bad… Actually, war was really fucked up.
To me, Muhammad Ali made perfect sense when he said, “I Ain’t Got No Quarrel With The VietCong… No VietCong Ever Called Me Nigger.” My Pop ain’t have no skin in that game. Yet, he came home without his foot. He made a helluva sacrifice for “his country” and the dying remnants of the French Colonial empire.
This process helped me become an “experiential learner.” That is, it helped me improve my ability to learn a lot of shit on my own. Experiential learning is a process through which people develop knowledge, skills, and values from direct experiences outside a traditional academic setting. Basically, it’s the shit you pick up and understand on your own.
For example, my teachers in high school and college never explained why George Washington was a revered “freedom fighter” and Nelson Mandela was a “despised terrorist”….
Some shit, I came to learn, you just have to pick up through experience and observation…
Over the past 5 decades, I have learned a lot of things outside the classroom.
White Flight is real…
Every February for as long I can remember, Black school children across the country are reminded that Crispus Attucks was the 1st American casualty in the the Revolutionary War, Frederick Douglass fought against slavery, Jackie Robinson was the 1st Black player in Major League baseball, Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on bus to a white man, Dr. King gave a great speech during the March on Washington and the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court in 1954 ruling ended segregation in American public schools.
Nettie Hunt and her daughter Nikki on Supreme Court steps in 1954
However, my experiences taught me a very different lesson… Every day, I got on buses with 200-300 other Black Darby Township students and we rode right past two predominantly white high schools to get to our predominantly Black high school…
While my history textbooks told me that school segregation was formally declared unconstitutional in 1954, my daily experiences from 1977-1982 taught me something very different… Segregation was very much alive… the Court ordered only that the states end segregation with “all deliberate speed.” This vagueness about how to enforce the ruling gave segregationists in Delaware County the opportunity to organize resistance. Their stall tactics worked for a full three decades.
Finally, after 30 years “all deliberate speed” arrived in the Southeast Delco School District… After, attending schools that were more than 90% Black from K-11, I spent my senior year as a distinct minority in the “desegregated” and newly formed Academy Park High School.
When it opened in 1982, the newly formed Academy Park HS was about 70% White and 30% Black… Today the school is about 70% Black and 30% White…
White flight is very real…
Again, my teachers and textbooks said one thing, my experiences taught me something very different…
This brings me to, perhaps, one of the most important lessons I have gleaned from 50 years of learning shit on my own. Like the examples cited above, the books don’t cover this one. Nonetheless… It’s extremely important.
Young fellas… Pussy is undefeated…. Please take notes!
In this corner some very famous, powerful and wealthy men like Mike Tyson, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods and most recently Bill Cosby….
And… In the other corner… pussy…
The resulting losses have been breathtaking, monumental and widely covered by the media… pussy has registered some incredible ass whoopings.
As you transition from High School to college, know that this lesson is not discussed in classrooms, you will not be assigned research papers on the topic, books on the subject won’t appear on syllabi… Yet… Eventually, you will come to know it’s the truth…
Of all the lessons Ol’ Heads try to impart on young fellas, this may be the hardest to teach. I have concluded, for many, this lesson can only be absorbed through experiential learning. Unfortunately, most of us have to experience the body shots, upper cuts, left hooks and right crosses first hand.
One very recent high profile case serves as a classic example…
Over the past decade, David H. Petraeus, a retired four-star general served as commander of American forces in both Iraq (2007) and Afghanistan (2010). After that, President Obama appointed him to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2011.
Plainly stated, Petraeus was da fucking MAN! He was running shit!!
He was at the forefront of presidential campaign speculation….
It all came crashing down when pussy whooped his ass…
General Petraeus during a briefing at the Pentagon
On January 9, 2014, the New York Times reported that the F.B.I. and Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against Petraeus.
Essentially, they are saying he was “pussy whooped” and it caused him to lose sight of his role and responsibilities…
According to the feds, he provided classified information to a lover while he was director of the C.I.A. The Justice Department investigation stems from an affair Mr. Petraeus had with Paula Broadwell, an Army Reserve officer who was writing his biography, and focuses on whether he gave her access to his C.I.A. email account and other highly classified information.
Of course General Patraeus is presumed innocent of all charges until they are proven in a court of law… I have no idea if he committed any crimes… That is for Attorney General Eric Holder to determine.
What we know for sure is that pussy kicked his Ass… 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… He’s out!!
Petraeus admitted as much in a statement as he resigned from the CIA, he stated “after being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment… Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours,” Petraeus said, referring to the C.I.A. “This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.”
Man down!!
Petraeus was at the pinnacle of power and prestige within the American Government. His future was wide open… Several laudatory chapters in American history books already secured, he was headed for a legitimate run for President… No more… This story plays out over and over again..
Who can forget that day in December 2009 when the immensely proud and intensely private Tiger Woods stood before the world and admitted, “I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves… I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.”
Tiger Woods Apologizing on National Television for “transgressions” during marriage
Virtually unbeatable on the fairways and greens, Tiger suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of…. Pussy.
Down for an 8 count, dazed, trying to make it to the end of one of the late rounds… President Clinton resorted to the following verbal gymnastics while trying to extricate himself from a relentless assault featuring devastating body shots:
“It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is…. Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true.”
That Georgetown education provide Bill with some ammunition, but in the end it wasn’t enough. He took the L like millions of other men that came before him.
Bill Clinton denies having “sexual relations” with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky
Young fellas… Pussy is about 973,864,899,034 – 0… More importantly, most of the victories have been secured by way of knockout…
I started thinking about all of this because one of my favorite young bucks, Brandon Austin, is on the ropes… He’s staggering, almost out on his feet… Like Holyfield in the third round of the Bert Cooper fight… He’s holding onto his opponent trying to prevent further immediate damage… On the surface, it looks like pussy’s gonna get another body…
Looks, however, can be deceiving…
When one examines the facts, it becomes apparent that he’s ahead on the scorecards and has gathered himself. Brandon stands a good chance of getting out of this thing alive, he can’t win… But a draw remains in the realm of possible outcomes.
The public’s perception of this particular contest, unfortunately, has been shaped by a series of less than favorable stories in national media outlets. News purveyors such as the Huffington Post, regularly describe Brandon Austin as “a sophomore accused of sexually assaulting women at two other colleges he attended in the past year.”
On July 28, 2014, the Huffington Post reported that “Austin and two other basketball players were accused of gang raping a female undergrad at the University of Oregon in March. The case did not lead to the district attorney’s pressing charges, but the university did suspend the three indefinitely from the team as players and for up to 10 years from the school as students.”
Brandon Austin
While condemning the behavior of the players, the story had to acknowledge that “the case did not lead to the district attorney’s pressing charges.”
Yet, a month earlier the same media outlet led with the following headline “Oregon Finds 3 Basketball Players Guilty Of Sexual Assault, Will Remove Them From Campus.”
Huh? Which is it?
Is it possible to simultaneously have no charges filed and be found “guilty”?
Yes… Yes… Yes… Austin has been “accused of sexually assaulting women” at two colleges. But, why not place emphasis on the investigation following the accusations and the resulting outcomes?
A Sexual assault is any involuntary sexual act in which a person is coerced or physically forced to engage against their will, or any non-consensual sexual touching of a person. By all indications, he had sex with women at two colleges.
Like billions of other men, he likes Pussy…
But, he has NOT sexually assaulted anyone… At least, that’s what the prosecutors and grand jury determined in each instance.
In Providence, the evidence regarding Brandon’s involvement was submitted to a Grand Jury.
The findings are as follows:
“After presentation of the evidence to the Grand Jury with respect to Brandon Austin, it was determined there was legally insufficient evidence to ask the Grand Jury to consider charges against Austin.”
There it is… Plain as day… No charges! Yet, the media insists on finding, crafting, subtly creating a way to label him “guilty.” Where are the arch-defenders of the process? I’ve seen so many of them on my television… I’ve read their op-eds… I’ve listened to them on talk radio…
In the aftermath of the grand jury decision NOT to indict NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo for murder following the strangulation death of Eric Garner, the DA, politicians and much of the mainstream media hailed the fairness of the process.
Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan stated, “No one likes to serve on juries, but they upheld their civic duty and they sat for nine weeks, and they’re the only people that heard all the evidence, and they’re the only people that deliberated…. I think we should respect their decision.”
When revealing the grand jury decision NOT to indict Officer Darren Wilson, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch declared, “The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction. After a full, impartial and critical examination of all the evidence and the law and decide if that evidence support filing of criminal charges…”
So… we are told, grand jury decides if there was the commission of a crime. In Providence, the grand jury reviewed the evidence and determined there was no crime.
Bandon’s cases, like others tossed by grand juries across America, is settled. Nothing to see here… Move on…
In Oregon, the Lane County District Attorney concluded that there was “Insufficient evidence to prove charge(s) beyond a reasonable doubt… the conflicting statements and actions by the victim make this case unprovable as a criminal case.”
Again, Brandon was cleared by the legal system. No charges were even filed in either case. He beat all criminal charges…
Despite sensationalistic headlines declaring him “Guilty,” Brandon has NEVER been convicted of any criminal acts.
On the scorecard, Brandon is ahead 2 round to none. But, all the Ol’ Heads know how this story ends… We all know that Pussy is undefeated…
Legally speaking, the grand jury cleared him in one instance… District Attorney cleared him in another…
As Americans have been repeatedly told after other prominent grand jury and prosecutor decisions NOT to prosecute… “I think we have to respect their decision.”
He has been cleared of all criminal charges, but like General Petraeus, Tiger and President Clinton his reputation has taken a beating.
He’s in his corner right now… He’s listening to his corner men… The cut man is on standby…
I just wish I could find a way to let him, and other young bucks, take advantage of the things I have learned over the course of the 50 years I have spent on this earth… Some things, I wish they didn’t have to learn from experience. At the top of that list is the fact that…
Langston Galloway drives against South Philly’s Rasul Butler in his NBA debut in D.C.
You don’t get to choose your family. You are born into your tribe. However, sometimes your friends become family over time. Because it’s a conscious choice it makes the bond even stronger and more special. Every once in a while you get to witness incredible journeys unfold.
It was the last week of February 1992 and my friend/brother, Geoff Arnold, and I decided to make our way the legendary festival of excess and debauchery known as Mardi Gras. Now, we are from the southern end of Darby Township, a town of 3,000 people, 2 bars about 7 churches and 3 traffic lights. We had always wondered about Mardi Gras. The closest thing we had back home were basement $1 parties with red lights. The highpoint of these parties was a slow drag with “that” girl when the DJ played the Whispers. I had just turned 27 and we wanted to experience the lewdness, drunkeness and gluttony first hand. We wanted to see it, touch it and smell it.
We wanted to experience a truly special week.
We decided to head for the bayou. After flying into Houston, we had to catch a prop plane for the short jaunt to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Maaaan listen…. The propeller driven plane scared the shit out of me. It felt like we were flying in Snoopy’s doghouse during one his legendary battles with the Red Baron.
“They have potholes in the sky? What the fuck?”
Fortunately, we reached Baton Rouge. We were a lil’ battered and a lil’ bruised, but we were safe. We were ready to go all out. We drove to, Geoff’’s sister, Jeralyn’s house. Immediately, her husband Larry Galloway, made us feel right at home… My man from day one…
Langston and his 1st coach, Larry Galloway
That first night we went out to pick up some seafood. So… we enter this huge fish market. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. They don’t do it like that in Philly… Tony’s Seafood Market is the largest purveyor of fresh fresh and crawfish in the Gulf region. Tony’s has been known to sell as much as 50,000 pounds of live and boiled crawfish in one day. I didn’t know places like this existed. It was a seafood mall.
Ever the gracious host, Larry asked me what I wanted. “We down south… Catfish man… I want the catfish.” I watched them take the live catfish out of the tank and expertly slice and dice it in a matter of seconds. Within just a few minutes were on the road back to the house.
Once we reached the kitchen, Larry said “Yo Del, check this out” as he unwrapped the fish. The filets still had a pulse. While Tony’s had removed the heart, the” heartbeat” remained. Beyond fresh, is the only way to describe the catfish. Jeralyn, battered it up and fried the best catfish I have ever had. I remember that day like it was yesterday.
The main reason that day sticks in my memory is because while Jeralyn was preparing the fish there was a little boy propped up on the counter in a baby carrier. He was about 11 weeks old. I liked this kid. He was friendly and outgoing. He wouldn’t stop smiling. He was inquisitive, reaching, grabbing and full of energy. That boy was Langston Galloway, number 2 for the New York Knicks.
Langston Galloway during home debut in Madison Square Garden
Yeah… later that week, Geoff and I made our way to New Orleans and, of course, we dove head first into the sinning, partying, drinking, parading, bead throwing and tittie observing that is Mardi Gras. They don’t party like that at the Darby Township Fire House… But, the thing I remember most… the thing that sticks out the most about that week was meeting that friendly, smiling little boy.
Fast forward 23 years, to January 8, 2015, my college buddy, Hansel Canon and I had the distinct pleasure of driving south on 95 to the Verizon Center in Washington, DC and watching that little boy play in his first NBA game against John Wall and the Washington Wizards. Nervous and clearly pressing a bit he managed to score 7 points in 17 minutes. He shot 2-8 from the field, while dishing 3 assists and grabbing 2 rebounds. Still, not a bad first night in da muthafuckin’ league…
We waited to talk to him after the game. The visitors passes he provided gave us access to the area next to the team buses. As usual, he was unfailingly polite and extremely appreciative while expressing gratitude for coming to see him play his first NBA game. My friend, Hansel Canon, has been to just about everyone of Langston’s college and tournament games. Like everyone else that has gotten to Larry, Jeralyn and Langston, he has fallen in love with them. He was able to freely express his joy to Langston and they engaged in repeated hugs and celebratory “Black” handshakes. You know, the kind President Obama gave Kevin Durant during his visit with the Olympic team.
Langston and Hansel Canon after immediately after his NBA debut
For me, it was tough… I was happy but I had to be reserved. Langston said “Man.. you ain’t come to none of my D-League games, but you here at the first NBA game.” Wanting to appear tough and unaffected, I replied “Man… Fuck the D-League.”
I wanted him to think I wasn’t overly impressed with his exemplary performance in that league. I didn’t want him to know I watched every D-League game on youtube… I didn’t want him to know I studied every box score immediately after each game… After all, I never let on that I had done the same thing when he was in Portsmouth and the NBA Summer League…
I had to keep it together… Throughout his life, I’ve always held back on effusively praising him. After this game, I said “You did good, you look good… Now we gotta stay up here.”
“I gotchu!” was his simple reply.
He said those words with his usual confidence. Nothing extra… Just straight talk, “I gotchu!”
While nearly everyone professes a profound admiration for “swagger”, they are usually referring to a false bravado exemplified by chest beating, unnecessarily boisterous gesturing and endless self-promotion. Lang, on the other hand, oozes “swag” because he really believes he belongs. He makes absolutely no effort to convince you.
He just shows you….
Phil Knight should really holla at the boy, because he exemplifies the Nike tagline “Just Do It” more than any kid I know…
When he said, “I gotchu!” I knew he meant it… I knew was going to prove he belonged.
I had to hurry up and make my way toward the exit… I was about to lose it… I was gonna cry… No way I could let Lang see me crying tears of joy!
“Sheeeeeeeeeit…” as Clay Davis would say, I’m the Ol’ head… He’s the youngbuck… I’m the “Uncle”… He’s the “nephew”… I didn’t want to confuse him… So I had to leave before I started crying like a little beeeeyotch…
The very next night, Geoff calls me and we’re watching Lang playing in a nationally televised game against the Houston Rockets led by the magnificent James Harden… In this, his second game, he plays 31 minutes and scores 19 points. He shot 6-10 from the field, 3-4 from the 3-point line, while snaring 4 rebounds and dishing 3 assists. During the course of the game he had a “here I am” moment when the Rockets failed to put a body on him and he got hold of a missed shot with his right and and flushed it cleanly through the basket with incredible force. Look closely in the background and you will see Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Amare Stoudemire leap from their seats in support of their new teammate. Everybody loves Lang…
Of course, the struggling Knicks have lost both games in which he has played, but there can be no denying that Lang has displayed an NBA level of skill, athleticism and confidence.
As I write, I think about the summers when he came to Philly. For years, I would always make him stand back to back with me and let him know he was still a little boy. Then one summer while in High School, he passed me by… I thought about all the times he would workout in the morning and come to my office to work on SAT/ACT prep even though he was NCAA qualified.
Lang just wanted to do better… just because…
I think about when Lang and his father collected thousands of sneakers for a community service project. I think about the time the Galloways arranged for a significant donation to the HERO Foundation in North Philadelphia because they wanted to give back to a city that accepted Langston with open arms.
Larry and Langston Galloway with thousands of donated shoes
I think about the times we talked about his recruiting process. I think about all the times I pretended to be impartial while his uncle was recruiting him. The same brother/friend I went to Mardi Gras with had to grind it out and really recruit the kid that was on the kitchen counter. After 3 state Championships, being named All-State a few times and showing out at Nike’s Peach Jam, Lang was recruited at a pretty high level. Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU and few other high majors were in hot pursuit.
Langston signing Letter of Intent to attend St. Joseph’s
I think about all the times I pretended I wanted him to go where he would be happy. I was pump faking… I wanted Lang to go to St. Joseph’s. I wanted to see every game he played. I wanted to be a part of his college experience. I wanted Geoff to land his nephew. But, I always acted like I was indifferent. Truth be told… I wanted to see Langston to win an A10 Championship like his Uncle Geoff. I wanted Langston to place the nets around his neck and hold the trophy high over his head.
Geoff Arnold 1986 A10 Champion, St. Joseph’s 2014 A10 Champions
I think about every one of the 1,991 points he scored on City Line Avenue. I think about the time I saw him make 10 straight three-pointers at Hagan. I think about the All-A10 First Team selection, the All-Big 5 Selections and Allstate NABC Good Works Team selection.
Langston Galloway after 2014 A10 Championship Game
I think about him helping my wife do yard work. I think about all the times I busted his ass in golf… I think about him graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Marketing.
What I don’t think about… What I don’t worry about is his future with the NY Knicks. For me, that was secured the moment Lang said “I gotchu!”
Larry and Jeralyn have done a phenomenal job with the little boy on the kitchen counter. Over the years, they always make sure to thank me for supporting Langston. It was an absolute pleasure… I thank them for sharing their son with me and the rest of Philadelphia for four years.
Langston, Jeralyn (Mom), Larry (Dad) and Lawrence (Brother)
Now appearing in NYC: Langston Galloway! His heart is pumping like that catfish filet from Tony’s… real strong!!
Yo Spike… Tell the Knicks to “Do The Right Thing” and lock my youngin up for the rest of the year!!
The Black Cager 
