Category Archives: Rider Basketball

Cahillite Nation… Da Fck?

February 26, 2020 By in Catholic League Basketball, Collin Gillespie, Neumann-Goretti, Rider Basketball, Roman Catholic Basketball, Uncategorized Leave a comment

I go to a LOT of basketball games… High School, college and occasionally an NBA game. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a highly competitive basketball game where there’s some real sh!t on the line! Quite frankly, that’s why I avoid the NBA…

Let’s keep it real… They actually play more regulars season games (82) than players get named to the Philadelphia All-Public Team (81)… Fckin Amazing…

My interest in the NBA starts to get piqued when the NBA playoffs edge toward the conference finals. Until then, it’s usually non-stop college hoops for me. Philadelphia City 6 basketball has been my sweet spot for more than 30 years. Most years, Drexel, Penn, Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Temple and La Salle provide a hoop head with a wide range of options.

Unfortunately, this season has been highly problematic. Unless you visit the Main line, it’s damn near impossible to find college games where “there’s some real sh!t on the line.”

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Collin Gillespie, Villanova Point Guard

Villanova exists in an entirely different and distinct universe. The gap between the City 6 haves and have nots hasn’t been this cavernous since the boy from Chester was running point and kicking everybody’s ass at 54th and City Ave.

Jameer, Delonte, Barley, Carroll and Jones were clearly head and shoulders above everyone else in the area for an impressive 24-36 month span. Nova’s run, however, is now approaching a decade. Quite frankly, Jay is so good one could convincingly argue he has fcked up the competitive balance of the Big 5. On far too many occasions, it feels like you are watching a 20 year old big brother dominate his 9 year old little brother in a driveway battle for household supremacy.

Moreover and more importantly… There’s no end in sight…

As of today, St. Joseph’s (1-13), La Salle (4-10) and Temple (6-8) have a combined league record of 11-31… They, more or less, stink… Some smell much worse than the others… But they have all been a lil’ pungent this year.

It should be noted that I LOVE these basketball programs! Many of the coaches are my friends and I’ve watched a lot of the players rise through the ranks to reach their D1 goal. I like nothing more than driving to conference tournaments when these teams are in contention and watching them with a chance to play themselves into March Madness…

Again… I LOVE to watch them play with some real shit on the line!

Well this year… There’s a better chance that Mexico will “pay for the wall” than St. Joseph’s, LaSalle or Temple playing themselves in the NCAA tournament by sweeping through their respective conference tournaments…

Real Rap… Stick a fork in ’em… Or, let’s talk about next year…

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Camren Wynter, Drexel Point Guard

 

Drexel has had some spurts… They have, Camren Wynter, one of the best guards in the CAA and James Butler, a double-double machine at power forward. Zack Spiker’s crew had my hopes up for a moment… Maybe… Just maybe I could head out to the CAA tournament. Then they lost 8 of their last 9 games… Da Fuck?

The Penn Quakers, last year’s Big 5 Champion actually DON’T stink… They ahiiiight… Standing 13-10 overall and 5-5 in the league, maybe just maybe they can pull it together and make a run in the Ivy League tournament… But… But… first they have to get in the tournament.

The Ivy Tournament features ONLY the top 4 teams in the league and right now the Quakers are 5th… If they season ended today they would be on the outside looking in… If they sweep their remaining 4 games they would be in good shape… Good Luck… I’ll be paying close attention, because the Quakers are actually playing games with “some real shit on the line.”

Back to Nova… Being from Darby Township, I’m not a Grey Poupon/Main Line kinda guy… While I’m the first to admit that Nova has, by far, the best product on the market, I’m NOT going that far up Lancaster Ave. more than once or twice a year.

Nonetheless, I refuse to give up my quest for games with “some real sh!t on the line.”
So, I have turned my attention to the scholastic ranks… Man, let me tell you… the high school kids didn’t let me down.

I watched a LOT of HS ball this year… Reading vs Wilson West Lawn, Poly (MD) vs St. Frances (MD), Oak Hill (VA) vs St. Frances, IMG vs Poly (MD), West Catholic vs Archbishop Ryan, Roman Catholic vs Roman, SLA Beeber vs West Philadelphia, Lincoln vs MCS, Archbishop Wood vs Neumann-Goretti, Downingtown West vs Coatesville, Academy Park vs Chester and many others.

These kids were BALLING!! These games were intense!! I got my fix…

But yesterday, I damn near overdosed…

I attended what has to be the most special and most significant HS basketball game in America. The Championship game of the Philadelphia Catholic League is played annually in front of capacity crowds in the historic Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Blaise Vespe and Warren Eaddy, Neumann-Goretti

This years game was special for many reasons…More than anything else, it’s a game with a LOT of real shit on the line.

First of all, it was a rematch of last years semi-final contest between to the two dominant Catholic League HS programs of the past quarter century.  Roman Catholic knocked off Neumann-Goretti 72-66 at the Palestra last year.

That was last year…

That 2019 Roman squad was loaded. Seth Lundy and Hakim Hart are Big 10 players a year later. Louie Wild is drawing low D1/D2 interest while completing a prep year with Olympus. Gabe Perez is on the roster at D2 Chestnut Hill College. Jalen Duren is the consensus #2 player in the Class of 2022. Justice Williams has emerged as a Top 30 National prospect in the 2022 class one of the top 3 guards in the Greater Philadelphia region regardless of class. Lynn Greer, III is a solid mid-major plus/high major prospect.

Shit!

As expected, Roman won the Catholic League Championship.

Neumann-Goretti’s 2019 squad was also very strong. Chris Ings has been a freshman starter for a good Rider University team all year. Hakim Byrd has committed to join Ings in the MAAC with Marist College. Jordan Hall is headed to 54th and City Ave. to play for the Hawks in the A10. Cameron Young is on his way to Bowling Green and the tough MAC conference. Chris Evans has been drawing interest from low D1/D2 programs and may the best 3-point shooter in the region.

As good as Neumann-Goretti was, it wasn’t enough to get past Roman as the Cahillites won their 4th Catholic League Championship in 5 years.

But graduation took Hart, Lundy, Wild and Perez away. That’s a LOT to lose at one time. Fans and supporters of a typical program would urge caution going forward. The logical thing to do would be to tamper down expectations. Especially, in light of Neumann-Goretti acquiring free agent D1 prospects Hysier Miller (Martin L. King) and Blaise Vespe (St. Augustine Prep) in a busy off-season.

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Hakim Byrd and Hysier Miller, Neumann-Goretti Guards

But… Cahillite Nation ain’t built like that… Their DNA is missing the modesty gene… It renders them incapable to spotting shortcomings and acknowledging weaknesses. Even when they are glaring and easy to spot.

Although they are incredibly gifted athletes, Duren and Williams are just basketball babies, they are mere sophomores. While Greer has been around and been a key part of some wonderful Roman Catholic teams, he was never THE guy. Seth Lundy was THE guy… Hakim Hart was the OTHER guy… Louie Wild did all the little intangible stuff that wins games… They were all gone.

Talent alone is not enough to win games against other talented well-coached teams.

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Cameron Young and Chris Evans, Neumann-Goretti

Recognizing the need to reshape and reformulate his team, Roman Catholic Head Coach, Matt Griffin kept them active year round. Matt is a super sharp guy… He gets it…

Cahillite Nation saw the individual rankings… They saw the high major offers… They heard the incredibly optimistic chatter… They thought people would roll over and play dead because Roman showed up with 3 high major prospects.

The problem is… You have to ACTUALLY play basketball games.

In the summer they went up to Rider and played in a team camp. The competition was fierce. Roman got swept.

Cahillite Nation chimed in… “Team Camp games don’t count!”

Huh? The refs were there… They kept score… Rider coaches were watching…

Coach Griffin knew better…  He put the Cahillites in the best HS Live Period Event on the eastern seaboard. Once again, Roman got swept… Spanked… Embarrassed…

Cahillite Nation spoke up immediately… “HS Live Period games don’t count!”

Huh? Fans were there… Over 200 D1 coaches watched the games…

Fall came around, St. Frances (MD) and Trenton Catholic (NJ) squared off against Roman in The Black Cager Fall Classic in late September… Again… Roman went 0-2.

A pattern was becoming obvious… something was awry… something was askew… Shit wasn’t right… Cahillite Nation was not even slightly concerned… They would just turn it on and run through the regular season.

The capacity crowds that watched the Fall Classic didn’t matter… Like #45, Cahillite Nation insisted “what you see and hear is not actually happening.”

But… Then they started playing regular seasons HS games…

Roman, as always, had a STRONG national schedule lined up… They faced McEachern in Florida and lost… They faced Vashon in St. Louis and lost…

To their credit, They traveled across the Ben Franklin bridge and knocked off Nationally ranked and NJ #1 Camden HS… With that victory, Cahillite Nation was convinced the ship was righted… They forcefully told me so in the aftermath of that particular game.

Then they traveled to Utah and lost to Wasatch Academy and Indiana where they fell to La Lumiere…

SMH…

By now you would think Cahillite Nation would exhibit a little humility and grace… Nope! Not a chance…

“None of that matters, we gonna roll through the Catholic League… watch!”

The talk was HEAVY, real HEAVY!

Then Catholic League play started and Friars travelled from Drexel Hill to play Roman in the matchbox on the top floor. Bonner-Prendie spanked ‘em at home… Whoaaa…

Ten days later, they would face Neumann-Goretti and Archbishop Wood in back-to-back road contests… Roman lost both games…

Two weeks after that, they would make their way up to Wyncote to face a tough McDevitt club… Yet another loss…

After spending the entire Summer, Fall and a good portion of the winter losing basketball games, Cahillite Nation proudly declared Roman Catholic the favorite to win the prestigious Catholic League Championship.

“We built for the Palestra” they said…

Roman proceeded to eek out a narrow 2-point victory over Bonner-Prendie in the quarterfinals to make it back to the Palestra for the semi-finals. Then they spanked a tough Archbishop Wood squad in the semi-finals by 10 to advance to the finals.

Under the influence of a 6 game winning streak, Cahillite Nation couldn’t resist the temptation to talk shit.

The Championship became a foregone conclusion in their narrative… They would roll over Neumann-Goretti to retain the title that is their birthright.

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Head Coach, Carl Arrigale and Asst. Coach, Pat Sorrento, Neumann-Goretti

Except they had to actually play the basketball game… Cameron Young, Hysier Miller, Hakim Byrd, Jordan Hall, Chris Evans and Blaise Vespe felt very strongly that they were the better team. During the 32 minute contest, they proved they had the better basketball team.

They proceeded to lead the contest for about 29 or 30 of the 32 minutes. Few objective observers would disagree with the assertion that the Saints were the better team.

As the clock wound down, one of my dear friends and one of the leaders of Cahillite Nation started to leave with a few seconds remaining on the clock. I made sure to get his attention and shake his hand before he could exit.

He extended his hand and said “This game doesn’t matter, we’re gonna win the next 2 anyway.”

Cahillite Nation… Da Fuck?

Doughty is CLEARLY the Best? That’s a Big Fuckin’ Thumb on the Scale!

December 9, 2019 By in Black Basketball Hall of Fame, College Athletics, Collin Gillespie, Fresh Kimble, Philadelphia Catholic League, Public League, Rider Basketball, Uncategorized Tags: Leave a comment

Inevitably, in any conversation worth having about basketball you end up making comparisons. What I find extremely interesting is size and weight of the “thumb” that is invariably put on the scale. It’s one of those things that’s always there but it rarely made explicit.

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In a recent social media “debate” with my good friend Charles Jones from Born Leader Family, he asserts that Samir Doughty (Auburn/R-Senior) is “easily best college guard [from] our area offensively & defensively.”

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Samir Doughty, Auburn/R-Senior

That’s a STRONG fuckin’ statement… Indeed, Jones refuses to consider alternative assessments. While I love the energy and analytical rigor he brings to the discussion, I am not ready to concede that his conclusion is accurate.

Jones did make me realize this topic warrants a more serious evaluation. We need to make some things VERY EXPLICIT so we won’t continue the long-standing Philadelphia tradition of talking right past one another.

Toward that end, I want to perform a comparative analysis of some current Philly guards playing NCAA Division 1 basketball. The Below chart is a listing some Philly guards and their “per game” statistics in Division 1 competition.

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We chose per game averages instead of career totals for a reason. While interesting and in some ways informative, total stats are really not useful in the present comparative analysis because of the extreme variation in the number of games played. Some have only played as few as 41 and 51 games while others have played in as many as 102 and 107. This wide variation renders a comparison of totals almost meaningless. The per game averages, however, shed some useful light.

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Ryan Daly, St. Joseph’s/R-Junior

An objective comparison of the actual NCAA Division 1 game performance is fairly straightforward. More points, rebounds, assists and steals per game is better than fewer. As far as scoring is concerned, Sam Sessoms is the most prolific scorer over the course of his career which is also the shortest at 43 games.

But… We all know the game is much more than simply scoring points. Other important factors have to be taken into consideration. Keep in mind the objective here is not to identify the “perfect” way of framing the argument and measuring performance. Rather. the goal is to identify “better” ways of framing the argument. We are trying to lay the foundation for future debates and discussions. Most importantly, we want to help the hundreds of new consumers of Black Cager content understand what is often left unsaid.

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Sam Sessoms, Binghamton/Sophomore

We take it seriously and do it a little differently at Black Cager Sports Media.

My man Jones leaves very little unsaid… It was a heated dialogue with him that prompted this essay.  He rather forcefully put forth the following assertion, “In meaningless basketball (knowing you gonna lose going into games makes it a lot easier to play. No real pressure). As a ranked team coming off a final 4 you getting teams best punch. Big differentiating factor when u expected to win at the highest level and your expected to lose at a Lower level.”

Fair points… Jones has pushed the argument forward on an analytical level. You cannot just look at D1 stats and compare across the board.

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Stevie Jordan, Rider/Senior

At it’s core, his essential point is that when comparing player performance across conferences to determine which is “better” you have to put the “thumb” on the scale…

SEC points > American East points
SEC rebounds > American East rebounds
SEC assists > American East assists
SEC steals > American East steals

Again, fair points…

After establishing this point, Jones can argue that Doughty with NCAA Division 1 performance stats significantly lower than those of Samuel Sessoms, Ryan Daly, Stevie Jordan (Rider) and several other Philly guards is the “BEST” player. In a very straightforward manner, Jones is arguing that 18.4 ppg in the America East is not equal to nor is it a reasonable predictor for scoring in the Big East, ACC, Big 12, PAC 12, Big 10 or SEC.

Basically… He making it very clear that it’s levels to this shit!

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Josh Sharkey, Samford/Senior

And… If you don’t put your “thumb” on the scale for the Big East/ACC/Big 12/PAC 12, Big 10/SEC player… The comparison is unfair to the high major players and more or less useless.

Jones is right..

With aforementioned data one can compare and contrast any two guards. If we limit ourselves to a “simple” compare-and-contrast analysis, in which the data is weighed equally, we make a HUGE assumption that needs to be made explicit.

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Tommy Funk, Army/Senior

We assume that all D1 games are equal. That is simply not the case. In this regard, I agree with Jones.

However, the far more interesting and difficult question becomes: Exactly, how heavy should the thumb be?

Let’s walk through two examples. For illustrative purposes, we can conceptualize and measure “impact” per game by simply add the average number of points, rebound, assists and steals per game. This will result is a score for each player we call the Division 1 game “impact” number.

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The results are different than our earlier comparison of scoring averages alone. If one compares the resulting impact numbers, Ryan Daley overtakes Sam Sessoms as the leader and Josh Sharkey (Samford) overtakes Tommy Funk (Army). Taking overall performance into account, Daly’s ability to rebound at a significantly higher rate than the others explains his jump in the rankings. Same thing with Sharkey’s ability to steal the ball. Stevie Jordan’s strong overall performance across categories throughout his career at Rider keeps him near the top of the list.

With this data one can compare and contrast any two guards in terms of their performance in NCAA Division 1 games. However, as noted earlier,  if we limit ourselves to such a “simple” compare-and-contrast analysis, in which you weigh the data equally, we make a HUGE assumption that needs to be made explicit.

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Quade Green, Washington/Junior

We assume that all D1 games are equal. I agree with Jones, that is simply not the case.As a result, the rankings of Doughty, Quade Green (Kentucky/Washington) and Collin Gillespie (Villanova) suffer.

This brings us back to the question at hand: Exactly, how heavy should the thumb be?

Here we make explicit exactly how much the “thumb” weighs in two different examples. Varying weights assigned to the “thumb” result in significant variations in the rankings. In the first example, we use following multipliers to account for the effect of playing in more competitive leagues/conferences:

We multiply the Impact score times 1 for Low Division 1 leagues.
We multiply the impact score times 1.25 for Mid-major Division 1 leagues.
We multiple the impact score times 1.50 for High-Major Division 1 leagues.

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Fresh Kimble, Louisville/Graduate Student

In this way we recognize that it is tougher to be a productive player in the A10 Conference than in the America East Conference. This way of accounting for “League Competitiveness” also recognizes that the SEC Conference is tougher than the A10.

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When the strength of the conferences is taken into account in this assessment, Doughty makes the biggest jump in the rankings. He goes from 8th to 3rd. Fatts Russell (Rhode Island) moves from 6th to 4th.

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Fatts Russell, Rhode Island/Junior

But, this still would be insufficient for some observers. Consider this argument Jones unflinchingly adheres to, “no matter what context you put it in [Doughty] is a better player as a role player and as a primary. More efficient, better defender, better athlete, and is a center piece of winning. I been said the context matters. Meaningful basketball is different. You put it into stats I told u… That [Doughty] is better. You talked about situations and I still told u why. And if you was starting a team and u took any of them players before him you’d prolly [sic] get fired.”

But how does one convincingly substantiate the position that Doughty “no matter what context you put it in [Doughty] is a better player”? You simply cannot discard performance in games.

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Dave Beatty, La Salle Junior

You have to assume that Doughty has a harder row to hoe…

Statistically, what you have to do is assigned double the weight to every high major point, rebound, assist and steal while holding low to mid-major stats steady. If your rubric assumes that “high major” leagues are twice as difficult as low and mid major leagues, Doughty becomes the clear cut “best” player. See the chart below with such revised Weighted Impact scores.

High major conference impact #s have multiplier of 2. All others have a multiplier of 1. Even when such disparate weight is applied, Daly remains second in the ranking. Passed only by Doughty. Quade Green and Collin Gillespie also surpass all of the low to mid major players on the list.

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I’ll be the first to admit that the Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12 and SEC conferences are tougher that the low to mid-major conferences. But I’m not willing to assign a weight to the high majors that is twice that assigned to the A10, Mountain West and American.

Jones is right… “It’s levels to this shit!”

However, the differences between the levels are not as large he would have us believe… Doughty may very well be the best Philly Guard in college basketball, but the discussion is definitely unsettled and ongoing.

Black Cager Sports Media thanks him for introducing some much needed nuance and subtlety into discussion usually driven by personal bias and animosity.

We will revisit this topic every few weeks or so.

 

“Devine” Intervention: Khalil Turner’s Philadelphia Story

November 23, 2018 By in College Athletics, Rider Basketball, Uncategorized, Urban Education Leave a comment

Written by Khalil Turner

Family is supposed to protect you. The safest place in the world is with your family…

Isn’t it?

That is what I was always taught… In fact, I internalized and deeply believed that message.

Then real life intervened!

What happens when your family becomes a threat to your safety and well-being? I was truly unprepared for the moment I had to really face that situation head on.
Never had I felt that my safety and well-being were at risk… Never, ever… My older siblings, however, have not always agreed.

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Khalil Turner and his extended family

About three years ago, I was just starting my freshman year at Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. Finally, I was a “big boy.” I was a High School student filled with anticipation and eager to begin my academic and athletic journey, when a report was filed with the Sankofa counselor. This report stated that my sister and I were being “mistreated” at home.

More specifically, my siblings felt so strongly that our health and general well-being were at-risk that they decided to formally intervene. It was that bad. Looking back, I realize I lacked a frame of reference, I thought it was normal. I thought everyone struggled like we did… But my older siblings knew better and they came to the conclusion that my family was unable to adequately provide for and protect us.

A call was made…

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Khalil Turner and his older siblings during his LOI signing ceremony

Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is the county child welfare and juvenile justice agency. Their mission is to provide and promote safety, permanency, and well-being for children and youth at risk of abuse, neglect, and delinquency. Unbeknownst to me, our living situation definitely fell under their purview.

So… One day they just appeared… DHS was at my front door…

I had no comprehension of the concept, so I never imagined that I was “at-risk.”
I remember the DHS case workers making detailed observations of our living conditions… They literally looked in every crack and crevice of our family home. Everything was closely examined. Then, they conducted exhaustive interviews of my family members and came to a conclusion that would alter the trajectory of my life.

DHS concluded that our needs were not being adequately met. We had to be removed from the only home we ever knew.

What?!?! Foster care… Huh?

Now I knew my mother was struggling with some dependence and related mental health issues, but I never for a moment felt abused or neglected. I was just living day to day… But DHS determined otherwise. Citing a lack of structure and a paucity of resources in the household, they decided we had to leave our family home, for our own good.

Real life crept up on me real quick… My friends are worried about homework and playing Madden or NBA 2K on PlayStation… I’m just beginning my freshman year in high school and suddenly dealing with change and adversity of a magnitude I never imagine.

Honestly, at times, it was too much for me to bear…

Angry and frustrated, I had an immensely strained relationship with the family that DHS wanted me to move in with. It just wasn’t going to work. This I knew almost immediately.

I wanted to be with family… I wanted to be with people I love… I wanted to be with people I trust… DHS wanted me to live with total strangers.

I was scared… Then God intervened.

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Kobe Devine (foreground), Dayna Devine and Khalil Turner

He made it possible for me to live with my friend Kobe Devine and his parents Dayna and Barry Devine. Actually, there was no real plan. It kind of just happened. I would stay with the Devines when he had AAU basketball tournaments. Kobe’s Dad was my AAU coach and, logistically, it was just easier to be there than to have them worrying about picking me up and dropping me off. Eventually, I just decided to stay and not return to the “foster home” where the relations were strained.

Again… I thank God!

The Devine family members were angels sent from above in my time of need. This I am sure of. Nonetheless, it was initially awkward, while I loved the Devines they were not my “real” family. I was a young, insecure and scared boy. But this family was beyond patient and understanding with me. After a few months, the love and support overwhelmed me, Kobe became my “blood” brother and his parents became my parents as well. They made sure I felt welcomed. They were always asking me if I needed anything.

Before I knew it, I felt safe… Again. Now… It should be noted that this process wasn’t easy!

After moving into the Devine home, my life changed in so many ways. For the first time, I experienced unwavering family structure. There were limits, there were boundaries, there were rules… And, they were rigidly enforced. For the first time, I had to consistently deal with consequences of my actions and decisions.

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Khalil Turner and Dayna Devine

The first few months were rough because I had never really been subjected to discipline and structure. Immature and ignorant, I tried to balk and disagree when Kobe’s mom, Dayna, imposed the family structure on me. I didn’t want to hear it… I didn’t like being held accountable. I didn’t want to suffer the logical consequences of my actions. I would attempt to argue with her.

I was immature and unable to fully comprehend the blessing I was receiving.

Now, I fully understand how wrong and misguided I was.

Over time, I became increasingly respectful and considerate toward others because Kobe’s Mom and Dad were respectful and considerate toward me. I realized that they were preparing me to enter the world on my own.

Dayna Devine was my mentor, my teacher and my surrogate mother. The lessons and encouragement were non-stop. Several times a day, she would talk to me about the importance of respect, obedience and discipline. Within a few months, I began to internalize these values. She really led me through the process of becoming a more mature, responsible and accountable young man.

Every night, I would think to myself: how can I become a better man? How can I avoid the negative paths that so many of my neighbors, friends and family members have embarked upon? Every night, I would think about making my Mom and Kobe’s mom proud… I wanted to make sure they didn’t have to stress about paying for me to go to college.

After everything my family has endured, I still wanted to look out for my mother because I believe that family is still first. With the Devines in my life I am blessed to have an extended family added to the equation.

Since I began living with Kobe and the Devines, I had no choice other than to go hard in pursuit of my dreams and everything I love. I was determined to make my mother happy. I wanted to bring a smile to Dayna Devine’s face. I wanted an opportunity to continue my education and play college basketball at the Division 1 level.

Basketball is my love and I recognized that I could leverage my athletic ability to access college. As I progressed through high school, with the guidance of the Devines, I was able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have tried to include Kobe every step of the way because he did not have to invite me into his family and his home. He is my brother and I love him. I thank him for helping me pursue my dreams and I will always stand with him as he pursues his dreams.

God had been incredibly good to me… Although I didn’t have a stable father in my life, I kept meeting men that were a positive and strong influence on me. Many men in the Philadelphia basketball community embraced me and helped cultivate my talent.

Then it happened…

I picked up my first Division 1 basketball scholarship offer from Hartford University. With this offer, it became tangible… It became real…

I could use basketball to attend college for free. There would be another offer… and another offer… and another offer…

No Sankofa student had ever received a Division 1 scholarship. This was huge for my school, my family, my friends and for me. More than anything else, it inspired me to work even harder. Receiving that first scholarship offer made me think that’s anything is possible. It also made me think about the support and protection I would need once I graduate from Sankofa. I chose Rider University because I know the Kevin Baggett (Head Coach), Dino Presley (Assistant Coach) and the other coaches will be there for me for the rest of my life.

As months and years went by, the drama of the DHS ordeal began to recede from the forefront of my thoughts. I began to truly believe that I was going to be something special in life. I was experiencing a great deal of success in the classroom and on the basketball court.

But, beneath the surface, the pain still lingers…

 

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Between his two mothers, Turner signs a Letter of Intent to attend Rider University

I recently signed a Letter of Intent to attend and play at Rider. After graduation from Sankofa, I will spend four years living, learning and playing on campus in Lawrenceville, NJ. But today I am still not living with my mother. Regrettably, she has not addressed or resolved her mental health and dependence issues to the satisfaction of DHS.

I love my mother, but I can’t focus on that right now I just have to keep working hard. I know she loves me and I pray she gets better soon. However, I am intensely focused on making both my biological and my extended families proud. These past few years have changed me. It was very hard at the beginning and has become a little easier everyday. I am happy that I have my good friend and brother, Kobe, in my life. I truly do not know where I would be at this moment if Kobe and the Devines did not accept me into their family. I know I wouldn’t have the protection and love that a family is supposed to provide.

I know I would not feel safe.

Philly Ballers… Why NOT Rider?

November 18, 2018 By in Rider Basketball, Scholastic Basketball, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Over the past decade or so, the Rider University basketball program led by Tommy Dempsey and subsequently Kevin Baggett has been very successful in landing local prospects. Arguably, the Rider coaches have recruited the Greater Philadelphia region more effectively than any other staff. At minimum, the Broncs have outperformed expectations on the recruiting trail.

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Mike Ringgold, Roman Catholic HS and Rider University

On the face of it, this makes no sense… Rider shouldn’t be able to get so many good local players. After all, there are some things just assumed to be true…

For example, it is expected that the frequency of top student-athlete commitments increases with higher Cost of Attendance stipends and other cash considerations. In other words, more money spent results in more frequent and higher ranked recruit commitments. While Rider offers a modest stipend to basketball players, Rider is NOT a High Major program and does not even field a football team. Financially, Rider cannot compete with big boys.

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Novar Gadson, John Bartram HS and Rider University

It is also assumed that the frequency of top student-athlete athlete commitments increase with better living arrangements. Private apartment style housing with single bedrooms and private bathrooms are preferred to traditional dormitory-style housing. Rider does NOT offer such luxurious accommodations.

The frequency of top student-athlete commitments increases with participation in a High Major or Power Conference (ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC, PAC 12 and Big East). Rider plays in the decidedly mid-major MAAC Conference.

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Danny Stewart, Neumann-Goretti and Rider University

The frequency of elite student-athlete commitments increases with higher numbers of NBA players from the college program. Rider has had one player, Jason Thompson, go on to play in the NBA.

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Jason Thompson, Lenape HS, Rider University and the NBA

Lastly, the frequency of top student-athlete commitments are supposed to increase with higher numbers of NCAA tournament appearances. Dempsey and Baggett have ZERO (0) NCAA tournament appearances. Baggett did win the regular season MAAC title and play in the NIT last season.

Despite their inherent disadvantages, Rider basketball coaches have convinced more than 25 area players to commit to playing for the Broncs in recent years.

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Junior Fortunat, Roman Catholic HS and Rider University

How? Why? What gives?

Based on my personal observations of their recruiting strategy over the past decade, I’ve come to some conclusions about the way Rider goes about the business of  recruiting.

They aren’t intimidated by bigger programs from bigger conferences. Rather than assuming kids will go with the biggest name, Rider coaches view student-athletes as satisficers — as young people who choose the option that will satisfy their needs and wants without putting too much emphasis on making sure they access every possible benefit and potential amenity.

The Rider coaches know their program is “good enough” and they make sure the kids and their people understand that fact.

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Nurideen Lindsey, Overbrook HS, St. John’s University and Rider University

This is a significant point for Rider basketball coaches. More specifically, Rider coaches have strong and trusting relationships with multiple AAU/grassroots programs and most area high school coaches. This allows the Rider staff to enlist these stakeholders to ensure complete unfettered access is granted during the recruitment process. This is especially helpful if competing programs offer significantly higher COA stipends and other cash considerations, upgraded living accommodations, play in a high major conference or has a much higher number of NBA players. Rider coaches rely, almost exclusively, on relationship building.

Although the Broncs have considerably upgraded the basketball facilities, Rider coaches still sell their family environment and commitment to graduating kids. When competing against Big 5, Atlantic 10 and CAA programs, they identify targets early in the process (10th and 11th grade), establish relationships with key stakeholders (parents, mentors, AAU/grassroots coaches and HS coaches) and enlist them to facilitate the informational flow to the targeted student-athlete. Then the focus becomes gaining widespread understanding and acceptance of the fact that Rider Basketball will satisfy their desire to get a college education and prepare them to play professional basketball.

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Tyere Marshall, Martin L. King HS and Rider University

Additionally, Rider coaches have incorporated an understanding of “frustrated behavior” into their pitch to the family and stakeholders. The list of area student-athletes that returned to Philadelphia after experiencing failure and frustration at Power 5 schools is extensive. Jaylen Bond struggled at Texas (Big 12) before he returned home to rebuild his career at Temple. Devin Coleman barely played at Clemson (ACC) before becoming a key member of some strong Owl squads. Likewise, Dalton Pepper was a deep reserve at West Virginia (Big 12) before emerging as a star at Temple.

City-wide the list long. Tyrone Garland started at Virginia Tech (ACC) before returning home to La Salle. BJ Johnson spent 2 seasons at Syracuse (ACC) before piling up more than a 1,000 points in 2 years at La Salle. Tasheed Carr was at Iowa State (Big 12) before returning play point guard at Saint Joseph’s.

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Anthony Durham, Abington HS and Rider University

In most cases, the stakeholders around a student-athlete are from the same low-income environment. They likely have similar uncertainties and fears. Rider coaches explicitly acknowledge the pattern. They note that for decades a significant number of Philly kids have chosen to attend high major programs only to return to Rider, La Salle, Temple and other local schools.

Rider coaches establish among the families, stakeholders and the student-athlete a firm understanding of the precarious nature of signing with high major programs in distant cities. The coaches at those high major programs do not necessarily have to come back to the Philadelphia area for additional players. If they do not give the targeted student-athlete a fair opportunity, there is no natural consequence for the program. If the student-athlete leaves out of frustration, the coaching staff does not have to answer to members of the community in the player’s hometown. Indeed, if there is competition for playing time between the targeted player and a player from the area where the college is located, the local player will likely win out.

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Stevie Jordan, Conwell-Egan and Rider University

The question becomes: Why take chance on a program with an unproven record of developing and educating players from Philadelphia?

Located in the leafy, safe and low-stress suburban enclave of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Rider provides a nearby alternative to the urban setting of some area colleges. Moreover, with over 100 victories and 3 post-season appearances in 6 years, Kevin Baggett has built a highly competitive basketball program.

Rider coaches work diligently to ensure that student-athletes and stakeholders visit campus regularly to become familiar with life in the Rider program. They make sure the message is conveyed that all the needs of Rider student-athletes are met while at Rider and beyond.

Philly kids have been listening closely… See current freshman, Ajiri Johnson (Bonner/WeRone Hoops) and 2019 commit Chris Ings (Neumann-Goretti/K-Low Elite)… I strongly suspect they will continue to do so…