There’s a lineage of unappreciated, underfunded and unrecognized basketball savants in the City of Brotherly Love. As often described by first ballot Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Famer, Claude Gross, these guys consistently made “chicken salad out of chicken shit.”

To those truly familiar with Philadelphia’s grassroots basketball, the names are as recognizable as Calipari, Krzyzewski, Calhoun, Hurley and Wooten.

Gross, John Hardnett, Paul Gripper and the recently deceased Darryl Schofield are basketball giants in the Delaware Valley. If you played at the highest level in high school, if you competed in college, if you recruited Philly players for a Division 1 program you knew exactly who these guys were.

Gross along with Sonny Hill, Tee Shields and the rest of the Baker League brain trust ruled Philadelphia summers in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Hardnett formed a basketball laboratory at Gustine Lake Rec Center that was a crucible from which countless high major college and NBA players were forged. Gripper cajoled, motivated and passionately pushed a generation of middle school kids to heights they couldn’t even imagine.

Schofield, armed with little more than grit and determination, took on the establishment and whupped dey muthafuckin’ asses up and down the east coast.

In the late ‘90s, Schofield began to gather a group of “no stars” from the Philadelphia Public League and take them on the road to compete in AAU and grassroots basketball events. Many of these kids came from single parents homes, some had no home at all. More than few literally came to Schofield straight from the corner where they had been engaged in hand-to-hand pharmaceutical marketing. Several had open juvenile cases. Posession with intent to sell, assault and battery, robbery… Shit like that…

These were the kids that nobody wanted… Schofield’s gift was his ability to transform these castoffs into high powered, fiercely competitive and dominant prep school teams.

It all started with a program called Philadelphia Christian. Scho was still learning the ropes with this crew. Administrative functions were never his strong suit. There were times when opposing players and coaches would speculate as to whether Philadelphia Christian would show up for their scheduled games. But when the van pulled up, the outcome was predictable. Philadelphia Christian relying on exceptional athleticism and a straight “dog” mentality would just whup dey muthafuckin’ asses.

Eventually, Philadelphia Christian was disbanded. Scho was refining his model. A new and improved program would emerge in its place.

The result was Philadelphia Lutheran… Scho had it figured out… Philadelphia Lutheran and subsequently Lutheran Christian Academy beat the shit down the legs of the established New England Prep Schools on a regular and consistent basis.

Along the way, Scho took on the kids that had been overlooked and forsaken by Division programs 1 up and down the east coast and provided them with an opportunity to prove themselves on the court and and become academically eligible for Division I scholarships.

Plainly stated, Scho was the muthafuckin man!

Over a five year period spanning 2003 to 2007, Schofield sent scores of previously overlooked and academically unqualified student-athletes to mid and high major D1 programs across the country. Scho’s guys landed at places like UTEP, East Carolina, Xavier, Temple, La Salle and Mississippi State. Fresh off breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s high school scoring record, Maureece Rice, played for Scho. Stefon Jackson, left Lutheran and went on to become the second all-time leading scorer in the history of CUSA at UTEP.

Try to wrap your mind around this fact… in 2004–05, twenty-seven kids who played at Lutheran that year alone, spread across A and B teams, moved on to D1 schools. Twenty-seven poor, academically struggling, largely ignored young men from one program went D1.

Legendary shit!

Indeed, Scho was TOO good… The New England Blue Bloods grew increasingly tired of scrubbing and washing off the shit that Scho beat down their legs. They were envious of this little broke program attracting 30, 40 or even 50 college coaches to every practice.

They eventually got him… His naysayers and haters organized and supported a New York Times investigation and concurrent NCAA colonoscopy. Determined to isolate and marginalize Scho and Lutheran, they steadfastly clung to a few minor violations and ended the program. After they were done, Scho was left with no program, no players, and a highly prominent role as a scapegoat for a fucked up NCAA eligibility system.

Looking back on his experience with the NCAA, Scho lamented, “That’s how it goes… If you don’t play the political game or do favors for certain people, all of the sudden they’re at your doorstep to shut you down.”

Fuck the NCAA and Fuck those bull shit eligibility rules. Most of which, have since been cast aside anyway. Scho breathed life into basketball careers that were considered dead.

For a decade or so, Scho determined who got a shot at a better life, not the NCAA. For that, he had to be shut down…

But not before he BEAT THE SHIT DOWN DEY MUTHAFUCKIN’ LEGS!

I respected School more than just about anyone else I have encountered in 30+ plus years of dealing with scholastic and collegiate basketball… Real shit.

Trenton Catholic Academy lost a tough game tonight. After being down double figures, they surged to take a seven point lead in the 4th quarter only to watch it dissipate as the George School won a fiercely contested battle. First year Head Coach, Mark Bass, has won a few big games this year. Trenton Catholic defeated The Patrick School and Olympus Prep in back to back games last week. Once they closed the gap and took the lead it appeared another scalp was about to be taken.

But it was not to be… Trenton Catholic Academy lost. Ben Luber’s team showed some real intestinal fortitude.

Coach Bass is one of my very best friends. I met him as incoming St. Joseph’s University freshman in August 1992. I can count on two hands the number of days we have NOT spoken since his freshman year in college. I watched damn near every game he played on Hawk Hill. Then I watched damn near every game in which he served as an assistant coach over a 20 year span. He watched my daughter grow up. I was at his wedding. His Mom is my Ol’ Head. His wife is my sister. His sons are my nephews. Mark Bass is my brother.

Mark Bass and his Trenton Catholic team LOST a basketball game. I write this knowing he will read it, knowing his wife will read it… Shit… His oldest son might read it…

Trenton Catholic lost a game against the George School. Black Cager Sports is reporting that simple straightforward fact. Tomorrow, Black Cager Sports will do a live remote sports talk show from the Bass home. His son’s will be happy to see the “Professor.” I will be happy to see them.

Call me crazy, but I actually think this how the interaction between AAU/Grassroots/high school basketball coaches/directors and media outlets are suppose occur.

I never received the memo explaining that sharing final scores and boxscores were personal attacks. I must’ve been absent from the office that day.

I’m pretty sure some of the guys coaching/directing HS/AAU programs stop speaking to the weatherman when he reports frigid temperature and icy rain. The weatherman doesn’t know he’s only supposed to report 80 degrees and sunny… every fuckin’ day.

I’m truly elated that there are guys like Mark Bass and the George School coach Ben Luber involved in the game. They understand that it rains sometimes.

As for the game itself… Trenton Catholic’s Deuce Jones ‘24 and George School’s Onyekacki Nzeh ’23 scored 32 and 34 points respectively. The manner in which they accumulated the points was far more impressive than the actual totals themselves. These young men demonstrated why they are at or very near the top of their respective recruiting classes.

Nzeh is a high energy four with great length (7-foot-plus wingspan) and solid all around skill set. His ball-handling and perimeter shooting have improved immensely over the past year. Coach Luber and his staff have done an outstanding job preparing Nzeh for the next level. He has always exhibited tremendous defensive ability, utilizing his huge wingspan and quickness. Nzeh, literally, came to the game of basketball as a world class athlete.

As a 14 year old, he ran a 400 meter race in 51.93 seconds in the AAU Mid Season Invitational Championship. Remember… He is 6’9” tall… Huh… Fuck you gonna do with that?

To say that he is very fast in the open floor is a huge understatement… More importantly he demonstrates a desire and will to outwork his opponent, hustling down the floor on every possession. In addition to being an elite level run jump athlete, Nzeh shows improving lateral speed. He projects as a big that will be very effective guarding both on the perimeter and in the post. With increased experience, he will be able to legitimately stay in front of guards out on the perimeter, which is highly unusaual for a 6-9 forward.

He appears to have great focus and energy on the defensive end and causes havoc for offensive schemes with his great length. Nzeh is a high level rebounder who goes hard for every ball and utilizes his big hands and long arms to secure rebounds in and out of his area at the HS level. Offensive game has shown significant improvement over the past year. He’s comfortable creating shots on the block and has an effective jump hook shot. He also shows the ability to attack the basket and surprisingly good ball handling ability.

He has developed a smooth and repeatable shooting stroke. He made some clutch free throws to secure the win for the George School. He also made several 3-point shots when his team desperately needed offensive production showing that his game is not solely predicated on getting to the rim as is the case with some 4s. Right now, with full 17U schedule with the NY Rens and his senior season at the George School remaining, Nzeh projects as a high major energy four providing immediate defense and rebounding while he continues to polish his offensive skills.

Any serious discussion of the top high school players in the mid-Atlantic region, must include Onyekacki Nzeh and Deuce Jones… Period.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.“
US Constition, 1st Amendment

The support and encouragement I receive from fans of high school and college basketball can be overwhelming sometimes. Walking into gyms in places like Reading, PA, Severna Park, MD and Piscataway, NJ, I am often greeted by people that find Black Cager Sports content informative and entertaining.

Just last week, one white woman who appeared to be in her 60s came up to me and said, “You’re Black Cager…”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“I read all of your stuff. It’s really good.”

“Thank you Ma’am. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my writing.”

“Your language can be a little ‘spicy’ sometimes, but I enjoy your stuff.”

“My Mom also tells me to cut back on the ‘spicy’ language… But I just write what I really feel at the time… I really do appreciate you.”

Over and over again, I meet and engage people that know of me as a result of reading or watching Black Cager Sports Media content.

For example, while covering the Wood game at Devon Prep, one of the Devon Prep students approached me and said, “Black Cager… you gotta show my man Lucas Orchard some love.”

You know what, he’s right… One of the top scorers in the Catholic League, Orchard deserves some coverage… It’s coming…

This happens almost every time I step into a gym. It’s really inspiring to know that people actually consume and place value on the content produced under the Black Cager banner.

Then there’s the other side…

On several occasions, some dear friends of mine have relayed concerning messages to me. On other occasions, people I considered friends have publicly attacked me.

It seems that some adult Black males are deeply offended and feel personally attacked when Black Cager Sports posts a final score, shares a boxscore or writes a recap about a game in which their team was on the losing end.

“Tell your man to stop coming after Player A.”
“Why your man gotta post the boxscore when Player A had a bad game?”

“Something’s gonna happen to your man, if he keep writing about High School A.”

“AAU coach A don’t fuck with you because you posted when they lost.”

These are all very real instances… I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to.

Each and every time, it’s Black men directing their ire at Black Cager Sports. I often wonder if Adam Zagoria, Paul Biancardi, Jeff Goodman, Dave Telep, Steve Keller and all the other white guys covering the high school basketball receive similar messages. But… we all know they don’t.

On a political level, freedom of speech and freedom of the press were core rights granted to white male Americans when this nation was founded. These rights and a host of other civil and human rights were fought for by Blacks for nearly two centuries. Eventually, about 50 years ago these rights were formally extended to Black Americans.

In many ways, things have gotten worse since then…

Today, we are witnessing to dissolution of the very fabric that has held urban Black communities together. Black boys and young men have literally embarked on a genocidal campaign against the Black community. Everyday the bodies pile up in the morgue… the blood of Black people endlessly streams down the streets of cities like Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore.

Less than 5% of students attending many urban public schools are able to perform at proficient levels on reading, math and science exams. There is an organized effort to suppress the right to vote in many predominantly Black districts. Laws are being passed that will allow right wing whites to toss aside electoral outcomes that do not go their way.

Black people in America are losing… across the board.

It is within this context that some Black men seek to control or even silence the reporting of basketball game results. Small minded, petty and woefully insecure men seeking to exert power they do not possess. Please stop! Cut it out… We need more independent Black media voices in sports and beyond. Even those saying and writing things you don’t agree with.

On a personal level, I say to these men… “FUCK YOU… Lots of AAU, high school and college basketball scores, boxscores and game results coming!” Black Cager Sports is not now, nor will it ever be, in the ass kissing business.

A masterpiece… How do we know when we witness one? Who determines? Who knows? Merrian-Webster defines a masterpiece as follows:

1 : a work done with extraordinary skill especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement. 2 : a piece of work presented to a medieval guild as evidence of qualification for the rank of master.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is widely considered a masterpiece. I learned this primarily from cartoons where the painting would frequently be depicted and popular music references. I’ve never actually seen the Mona Lisa and I certainly wasn’t around in 1506 when da Vinci actually put oil to canvas. I guess it’s a masterpiece because everyone says so. Same thing with Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night… Although I do have a print of this van Gogh masterpiece framed and hung in my kitchen, I have never seen the original and certainly wasn’t around in 1889 when this work was created. I would give anything to have been able to read the notes and have access to drafts of The Souls of Black Folk as W.E.B. DuBois crafted this masterpiece in 1903.

To be in the room when a masterpiece is created… A true privilege…

I often imagine what it must’ve been like to be on the set of the classic film Stormy Weather in 1943 when the Nicholas Brothers performed the greatest dance sequence ever captured on film. How cool would it have been to sit in the editing room with Francis Ford Coppola as he put the finishing touches on The Godfather in 1972? Suppose Stevie Wonder was my homie and I had advance copies of Songs in the Key of Life in 1976…

Imagine that shit…

Back in 1994, I was still wasting thousands of dollars on car stereos… What if I had access to demos of Illmatic before Nas released his masterpiece it to the general public?

Wouldn’t heave been able to tell me shit down the plateau!

Unfortunately, I missed every opportunity to witness the creation of the aforementioned masterpieces. However, I did have the good fortune of witnessing one particular masterpiece come to fruition on a cold Thursday evening in January 2017. That night, in a virtuoso performance, Collin Gillespie scored 42 points grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists to lead Archbishop Wood to a an 82-73 victory over Neumann-Goretti in a highly anticipated battle for 1st place in the Philadelphia Catholic League. It was a magnificent performance featuring shot-making, play-making and decision-making of the highest order.

Simply stated… “GILLESPIE TRULY BUSSED DEY ASS!”

That game has since been etched in stone as a masterpiece. Ask anyone that was there…

It happened again yesterday… On Martin L. King, Jr. Day at Archbishop Spalding High School, I had the distinct pleasure watching and recording Imhotep junior forward Justin Edwards’ masterful performance against St. Frances Academy (MD). Edwards scored 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had 3 key steals and blocked a shot while willing Imhotep to a tough victory. St. Frances entered the game ranked 20th in the nation by ESPN. Imhotep was unranked.

But… Imhotep had Edwards…

On this night, Edwards lived up to… No… FUCK THAT… He exceeded his #16 ranking in the class of 2023. His performance against a tenacious St. Frances squad in their backyard certified Edwards status as one to the top high major prospects in the mid-Atlantic region for 2023.

Shit… He may very well be the best prospect.

Edwards high major potential begins with his prototypical physical profile for an elite high major/NBA wing player. He comes in at 6-8, with a wingspan that appears to be 6-10 or more. While he is slender, he has an excellent frame that will fill out over time with broad shoulders and great hip mobility for his size.

As you will see in the highlight video, Edwards is a graceful and fluid athlete with long strides in the open court and the ability to cover a lot of ground. He gives Imhotep an exceptional advantage with his ability to grab defensive rebounds and push the ball up the court effortlessly in transition. He is also very effective on the fast break off the ball, as he understands how to fill lanes correctly and get himself an easy finish at the rim.

Edwards’ most appealing selling point, at this stage in his development, is his highly advanced offensive skill set in the half court, and his high major ready scoring ability. He is an exceptionally polished scorer for a high school junior. Edwards consistently exhibits an ability to operate from all three levels. He is at his best in the mid-range area where he can create space and shoot over the top of the defense with a high release point on his jumper. He also has very precise footwork and is never too sped up by the defense.

Edwards is especially effective working out of the mid-post area where he has a variety of moves in his arsenal to beat his man. He is a capable threat from deep, especially off the drive and kick. He has steady and repeatable shooting stroke and should be a terrific free-throw shooter. At the high school level, he is also a good pick and pop threat when needed to play the four. He does a tremendous job of attacking hard closeouts with superb footwork. Edwards is undoubtedly the best isolation scorer in the mid-Atlantic region.

He has a lot of tools in his bag. Edwards utilizes a variety of hesitation pull-ups, jab steps, step backs, crossovers, spins, etc., and he can stop on a dime with ease to get into his shot. He was an absolute nightmare for the St. Frances defenders.

Keeping it all the way real, EDWARDS BUSSED DEY ASS!

He also has the tools to hold his own on the defensive end at the high major level, in large part due to his size and length. When motivated, he slides his feet very well and can cover a lot of ground when closing out on shooters. Against St. Frances, he repeatedly demonstrated the ability to stay calm in pressure situations and come up big in crunch time. His game will fit well a the high major level, and he should be an immediate impact scorer in a league like the Big East for example.

On the defensive end, at times, he seems to just go through the motions. This was the case in a game against Reading High School earlier in the season. He didn’t demonstrate the competitive desire to lock his man down. Currently, he is not physical enough to handle bigger players down low, and he needs to add some muscle, especially if he’s considering SEC and Big 10 college destinations.

At his best, I haven’t seen a better player in the class of 2023. It was truly a pleasure watching Edwards play against St. Frances. I was in the room as he delivered a masterpiece performance against a tough nationally ranked opponent on their home turf.

Edwards, like Gillespie, is a BAD muthafucka!

Rahsool Diggins is gone… He’s on the UConn roster. Marcus Randolph is gone… He’s on the Richmond roster… Daeshon Shepherd is gone… He’s on the La Salle roster… Jaylen Stinson is gone… He’s on the James Madison roster…

These guys formed the core of the Archbishop Wood basketball program over the past three years. Diggins had one of the all-time great Philadelphia schoolboy careers. He ended up a consensus top 100 prospect and landed in the highly regarded Big East Conference, Randolph, a southpaw sniper, could always be counted on for a big bucket in a crucial moment. A big shooting guard, he plies his trade in the Atlantic 10. Shepherd was one of the most explosive leapers in recent years. He seemed to effortlessly sail through the air in Wood’s Warminster gym and violently deposit the ball through the rim. Like Randolph, he now competes in the Atlantic 10. Stinson was a defensive stopper. A tenacious on ball defender, he took great pleasure in disrupting the best laid game plans of opposing coaches and point guards. He’s continuing his career in Colonial Athletic Association.

All of those guys, four (4) NCAA Division 1 scholarship recipients, played for John Mosco’s Catholic League Champion Vikings last season. All of them are gone…

But wait… There’s more…

The consulate glue guy, Muneer Newton, is contributing to the success of the William Penn University NAIA basketball program. William Penn is currently 15-1 and ranked 2nd in the latest National NAIA poll. Newton has played in all 16 games.

Rob Jackson, another stalwart for Mosco’s program over the past few years accepted a football scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats won the American Athletic Conference championship while going undefeated through the regular season. Jackson and the Bearcats lost to top-ranked Alabama 27-6 in the College Football Playoff.

I say all of that to say two things… One, Mosco and his staff have done an amazing job developing young men into college ready student-athletes. Many of the the young men coming through the Wood program, since Mosco became coach, have gone on to college. More importantly, for the most part, the parents have not received a single bill for room, board, tuition, fees and books.

That’s just GOOD SHIT!

The other reason, I outlined all of that recent success was because I thought Mosco and Wood would fall off.

What program could lose 4,000+ points all at once and remain at the top of the heap? Surely, this would be a rebuilding year at Wood… Right?

Further complicating things for the Vikings was the departure of Mosco’s long-time consigliere, Chris Roantree. Roantree served as an assistant Mosco for the eight seasons. He helped lead the Vikings to the 2017 & 2021 PCL titles, the 2017 PIAA Championship and state runner-up finishes in both 2019 & 2021. 

Six full scholarship athletes and his top assistant… Gone… all at once.

Mosco is vulnerable… This is the year the tables will turn and he’s gonna take his lumps in th Catholic League… Right?

Wrong… I was fuckin’ wrong!

I failed to adequately account for the impact of Justin Moore’s arrival in Warminster. After McDevitt joined St. James, North Catholic, Cardinal Dougherty and Hallahan on scrap heap of Catholic League history, Philly’s finest point guard became an unrestricted free agent. Committed to play for Zach Spiker and his McDevitt Head Coach Will Chavis at Drexel University, Moore decided spend his senior season playing point guard for the Vikings.

Following in the footsteps of Tommy Funk, Collin Gillespie and Rahsool Diggins, Moore is vying for a seat in the BIG chair. He may very well be the best Philly guard this year.

Deploying a different cast of characters, while reading from the same script it looks John Mosco may be headed toward a familiar ending. Moore may lead Wood to yet another Palestra appearance in pursuit of third Catholic League title and a subsequent deep run in the state playoffs.

Tonight, I ventured out to the Main Line to watch Mosco and the Vikings take on Devon Prep led by Head Coach Jason Fisher. Now in their fourth season as a member of the Catholic League, Devon Prep has established itself as a formidable and highly competitive basketball program.

The tiny Devon Prep gym looks like it holds maybe 300-400 people, if the fire Marshall looks the other way. It’s about the size of the Roman Catholic gym with an actual regulation high school basketball court in place.

This was my initial visit to Devon Prep, it quickly became apparent that they have a very real home court advantage. The game was completely sold-out. Their relatively small student section competed well above it’s weight class. Maybe 100 or so students were EXTREMELY loud, energetic, boisterous and fully engaged to the final buzzer.

I was impressed.

As I watched the teams warm-up, I noticed that Wood looked like a really good high school team. They were long, lean and athletic. Junior PF Carson Howard stands about 6’8.” Senior wing Mike Knouse comes in at about 6’4” and a sturdy 210 lbs. Junior PG Bahsil Laster is a lean and athletic 6’4”. Super smooth sophomore SG Jahlil Bethea is also 6’4”. Senior wing Tyson Allen is a powerfully built 6’3”. The smallest of the bunch is yet another NCAA Division 1 scholarship recipient. The aforementioned Moore is 6’2”, super quick and very athletic.

Devon Prep, on the other hand, looked like a group of high school students that happened to be playing basketball. They aren’t very long… They aren’t extraordinarily athletic…

But… I’ve come to learn that looks can be very deceiving. I’ve seen Jason Fisher’s team rout Archbishop Ryan in Ryan’s gym. I’ve also witnessed their takedown of a nationally ranked St. Frances (MD) program during a fall event.

Devon Prep can play and they have some very good players. Junior forward Lucas Orchard (19.3 ppg) is one of the leading scorers in the Catholic League. Senior guard IV Petit (13.2 ppg) is a skilled and tough competitor. Senior point guard Allen Cieslak (13.3) is hard-nosed and Junior forward Jacen Holloway (12.1) is strong rebounder capable to stepping out and knocking down 3-point shots with ease.

They are a tough out…

Devon Prep runs an offense that appears to have no set “pattern” per se (such as the flex offense). Instead, Coach Fisher’s way of playing offense uses principles that require offensive players to read the defense. For the most part, Devon Prep runs an unstructured free-lance offense that uses screens and cuts, with players reading and reacting to the defense.

The Devon Prep offense is very deliberate and patient, often featuring many passes each possession. This tends to slow the game down, controlling the tempo, usually resulting in lower game scores. Opponents have to be committed to staying attached to their man. Devon Prep thrives on mental lapses and over aggression.

John Mosco had his Wood Vikings ready for this challenge.

Wood jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead with 5:03 left in the first quarter. At the 2:25 mark Wood was up 10-2. After one quarter of play, Wood held a 15-2 lead. They extended that lead to 20-2 with 5:19 left in the first half. At halftime Wood was up 12, 27-15.

The lead would hover around the 8-12 point range for the remainder of the game until Devon Prep was able to close the gap to 4, 59-63 with 1:04 remaining in the game. From there, Devon Prep was forced to foul to stop the clock and extend the game. Wood players calmly converted the free throws and escaped with a 10 point, 71-61 road victory.

Justin Moore demonstrated why he is considered the best point guard in the city by many observers. He did an outstanding job defending IV Petit while picking spots to assert himself offensively. Carson Howard was dominant on the boards finishing with 16 rebounds. Senior forward Mike Knouse was a steadying force throughout the contest.

Wood is still Wood… Johnny Mosco hasn’t fallen off.

As of January 15, Wood sits atop the Catholic League Standings, along with West Catholic. The Vikings have 3 league wins and 0 losses. Roman Catholic, Archbishop Ryan and Devon Prep each have 1 loss. Neumann-Goretti has only played 1 league game.

Faced with the challenge of replacing over 90% of the production from last years team without his top lieutenant, Mosco has Wood right where they were last year… At the top of the standings…

Maybe… Just maybe… John Mosco actually knows what hell he is doing.

Camden, NJ (January 13, 2022) For the past three years, Camden High has dominated the local scholastic hoops basketball scene. The Panthers had lost exactly one (1) game in three seasons. Since the start of this season, Camden had beaten nationally ranked Roselle Catholic (67-64) in a tough season opener in the new Camden High gymnasium, blown out the reigning Philly Catholic League Champions Archbishop Wood (73-41) on a neutral court and knocked off South Jersey contender Lenape (76-64) at home. On paper, these were three tough local opponents. Once they got their legs under them, the Panthers started to consistently open up BIG CANS of “whoop ass” on regional opponents.

Bishop Eustace fell by 19 (66-47), then they slaughtered Winslow Township by 54 and in their most recent game the Panthers decimated Eastern by 61 points. Camden High is by far the best and most dominant local team. Every local ranking has Camden sitting in the #1 spot and it has been that way for quite a while. Indeed, Camden entered their game tonight riding the crest of a 44 game winning streak.

Simply stated, since DJ Wagner arrived and Rick Brunson assumed the reins, none of the locals can fuck with Camden.

Well… almost none of them…

There was that one December night in 2019 at Cherry Hill East HS when Roman Catholic, featuring 2022 NBA lottery Pick Jalen Duren, current LSU Tiger Justice Williams, recent St. Joseph’s transfer Lynn Greer and current Cahillite star Xzayvier Brown came across the Ben Franklin bridge and knocked off the Panthers 70-59 in front of an overflowing, boisterous, raucous and decidedly Camden crowd.

Other than that one night, Brunson and the Panthers have run the table.

Indeed, the Panthers have been so dominant that it’s difficult to imagine a local high school basketball team beating them for the remainder of this year and through next year. Unquestionably, Camden High is head and shoulders above the local competition.

The problem is… Montverde ain’t from ‘round here…

Those boys are different.

While Camden has at least 8 eight Division 1 basketball prospects, including 2 high major targets (Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw), Montverde’s roster is filled with high major prospects top to bottom.

Take a moment and think about the fact that Kwame Evans, ESPN #3 in the class of 2023, and Derek Queen, ESPN #2 in the class of 2024, do NOT start and play sparingly for this Montverde team.

Dariq Whitehead, ESPN #5 in the Class of 2022 (Duke Commit) is the leader of this talented bunch. He finished with an exhilarating 18 points in front of about 30 of his supporters who drove down from Newark to see his matchup with Wagner, ESPN #1 in the class of 2023. Whitehead did not disappoint… He dunked, made threes and even did a little Globetrotter inspired behind the back euro-step layup.

Dariq Whitehead came back to Jersey and led Montverde to a win over Camden, ending their 44-game win streak! @MVABasketball @dariq_whitehead pic.twitter.com/yTkUyukRMS

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 14, 2022

Dillon Mitchell, ESPN #18 in the Class of 2022 (Texas Commit) chipped in with 13 points. For Camden, Aaron Bradshaw, ESPN #22 in the Class of 2023, showed why he is so highly ranked. He was the lone Panther able to match the length and explosiveness of Montverde. He was aggressive attacking the basket and made several spectacular blocks. Bradshaw led Camden with 17 points and Wagner chipped in 4.

Those of us of a certain age will remember the tremendous anticipation accompanying the build up to an early Mike Tyson defense of his heavyweight title. That’s what this week was like… How would Camden fare against national competition? Some openly wondered if Montverde could hang with the Panthers.

Then… the bell rung… And, Montverde landed a hard right cross squarely on Camden’s jaw… For all intents and purposes, the fight was over in the first round.

Montverde jumped out to a quick 14-2 lead with 5 thunderous dunks. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 22-4 Montverde.

Camden needed a standing 8 count. For the uninitiated, A standing eight count, also known as a protection count, is a boxing judgment call made by a referee during a bout. When invoked, the referee stops the action and counts to eight. … Standing eight counts by the referee are scored the same as a knockdown, whether the boxer was knocked down or not…

1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… Okay… Let me wipe your gloves…

Eventually, Brunson went into a 2-3 zone and forced Montverde to shoot from the perimeter. This lessened the frequency of the aggravated assaults on the rim.

As the game progressed through the second, third and fourth quarters, Brunson was essentially a “cut man.” He liberally applied grease to his players eye area, ears and forehead to prevent Montverde’s leather boxing gloves from tearing and cutting the skin. When it looked like their eyes were getting puffy, Brunson applied an ice-cold steel bar to the skin to prevent swelling. The Camden coaches used a cotton swab to push clotting powder into the cut that did appear. In this way, they were able to stop further bleeding that might have deterred their player’s attention and focus during the game.

Camden lost a decisive unanimous decision. They did not win a round… 120-108 on all three cards…

But Camden did live to fight another day… Four of their next seven games are against more teams that ain’t from ‘round here. Hopefully, tonight’s loss will serve an learning opportunity. Camden may want to study that Floyd Mayweather shoulder roll tomorrow. Money Mayweather always protects his chin AND gets that bag.

There’s really nothing new under the sun… Thirty years ago, long before the advent of the NCAA “Transfer Portal” one of my youngbucks, Reggie Townsend, wanted to roll out during his freshman year… I’m so glad he fought through adversity and became a really good player right here in the Big 5.

It’s early Fall 1992 and John Griffin is entering his 3rd season at helm of the Men’s Basketball program at his alma mater, St. Joseph’s University. His first two years were just ok… He went 13-17 year one and 13-15 year two.

But there was a palpable buzz around the Hawk program.

Bernard Blunt and Rap Curry were no longer underclassmen with high ceilings… There were certified studs… Both were legitimate NBA prospects entering their junior seasons. Carlin Warley was a walking double-double and Bernard Jones shot about 87% from inside 15ft. Demetrius Poles was a highly skilled utility knife (PF/C) that could do just about everything – pass, shoot, rebound – on the court.

These were my youngbucks… I had extremely high expectations for this bunch.

To this core, Griffin added three really good freshmen… Mark Bass, Will Johnson and Reggie Townsend. Bass was from Trenton, NJ, Johnson was from Philly and Townsend hailed from Saginaw, Michigan.

Griffin knew he had a good team on paper. With Bass and Townsend coming from out of town, Griffin asked me to mentor these kids to help them adjust to Philly and the social, emotional and academic demands of college life.

Several evenings a week, we met at the Fieldhouse or in the dorms. We had a a lot of fun… Of course, my guys handled their business academically. I viewed my role as that of a “translator”… I put the history, social science, English material in terms they would understand and contexts they could relate to. There were a LOT of cuss words and laughter… I demonstrated how a lot of the scholars they were reading were “lying muthafuckas”…

But after each session, I was very sure my guys understood the material and were able to appropriately explain any and all relevant concepts. They were solid students and used me to gain the confidence necessary to compete in the classroom. Of course, both hold degrees from St. Joe’s.

On the court, they had very different journeys. Bass, standing… maybe… 5’9” was ready for college basketball as freshman. He was able to identify and carve out an important role for himself playing off of Blunt and Curry. Bass was a tremendous athlete with an unusual level of grit, determination and self-confidence. Coach Griffin and the upperclassmen immediately embraced him. He started every game and averaged 10 ppg and 34.1 mpg while guarding some of best players in the nation.

Townsend, on the other hand, appeared in 22 games and only played 4.8 mpg when he did get on the floor. He averaged a minuscule 1.4 ppg.

Once they got deep into the season, the study sessions would get a little tense. Townsend was frustrated. Bass was cool… Shit Bass was starting and getting double figures most nights. Nonetheless, Bass ALWAYS supported and encouraged his friend and teammate.

One evening, Townsend declared… “I’m out Del!”

“Where the fuck you going Big Dog?”

“I think Imma go to Praire View…”

“Huh?.. Praire View? Fuckouttahere Bro… Naaaah.”

“Yeah they was on me hard… I’m tired of not playing.”

“Slow down Big Dog… Your time is gonna come… Carlin is good… BJ is good… Meat is good… Just be ready when your time comes.”

“Fuck that…”

“Chill Big Dog… You gonna be alright.”

The next season, Townsend started 18 of 28 games and scored 7.6 ppg while playing 23.4 mpg.

Then the Big Dog took over...

Townsend started his last 61 games in a SJU uniform. He was damn near automatic on the low block. Think of a poor man’s Wayman Tisdale… His footwork was impeccable and he could easily step out to 18 feet with a sweet stroke. He averaged 15 ppg and 6 rpg as a junior and 15 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a senior.

Townsend finished his career with 1146 points, 484 rebounds and an appearance in the 1996 NIT finals at Madison Square Garden where the Hawks lost to Nebraska and a freshman PG named Tyronn Lue. Real Shit… When A.I. bussed Lue’s ass and disrespectfully stepped over him in the NBA finals, it felt like revenge for my youngins… Real Shit…

“Yeah… Fuck Dat Ni**a A.I.!”

More young players need to fight through adversity like the Big Dog.

Happy New Year to Reggie Townsend… The Big Dog from Saginaw… Luv U Bro!!

People have favorites… Some won’t admit it… Not me…

I have favorites… I like some players more than others.

My favorites usually fall into one of 2 camps. Either, I believe they are the BEST players or I just LOVE the kids. A special few fit into both categories: Jamal Nichols, Jameer Nelson, Sr., DJ Newbill, Langston Galloway, Ryan Daly, Samme Givens, Donta Scott and Eric Dixon are some examples. Once they become a favorite, there’s literally nothing that can change that status… As my favorite Ol’ Head, Claude Gross, told me almost everyday, “I love you and ain’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

There are no rankings you are just a favorite… There is no BEST favorite, there’s no LEAST favorite… they are all the same…

Three area middle school players were basically born into Black Cager Sports “favorite” status: Tor Harrison, Jr., Kamal Yard, Jr. and Jarrod Denard, Jr. Indeed, Jarrod, Jr. was just a thought when his Dad, Jarrod, Sr. publicly thanked my man Marlon Garrett and I for helping “him get better as a player, and grow up…” as he committed to college.

I’ve known each of them for years now… I can’t remember meeting them and I know they can’t remember meeting me… You know… Just like your family…

These young men are exceedingly respectful, always thoughtful, super intelligent and mature. They are exactly what you want to see in young Black boys… When I see them, I am always excited to learn what’s going on in their lives.

“What up Boy?”

What follows is always fascinating…

Their fathers are my friends and that has resulted in a high level of trust and respect in my relationships with their sons. I am truly grateful that they allow me to be my loud, opinionated and authentic self with their boys. I look forward to the high school journey with each of them.

Well… I finally got to see one of my favorite middle school guys actually play basketball yesterday. Low and behold, I LOVE him and he’s one of the BEST middle school guards I’ve seen in recent years.

Jarrod Denard, Jr. is one of the leaders on a talent-laden Happy Hallow Elite 2027 team.

Although Jarrod and his teammates are only 7th graders, it was really hard to evaluate them as players because there was a significant talent gap between Happy Hallow and the 8th/9th graders they were facing.

Happy Hollow smoked ‘em… They were quicker, more athletic, better shooters, better passers, better defenders, more unselfish, more disciplined… Shit… They were just waaaaay better at basketball.

Even though the talent gap between the teams was huge, I was able to make a few basketball observations about one of my favorites. Jarrod is an advanced middle school basketball player. He understands how to play. At the middle school level, he’s one of the more prolific scorers in the region. Possesses good size for a Varsity HS point guard at 13, standing about 5’10″ with a nice wingspan. He uses his strong frame well to absorb contact around the rim. Jarrod is an extremely confident shooter that is dangerous at mid-range or well behind the HS 3-point arc. He doesn’t hesitate to square up from 22-25 away from the hoop. Needs very little space or time to get off a quality shot against middle school/junior high school competition. He is able to create his own shot or spot-up off the ball effectively. He handles the ball very well and uses quick, short dribbles and changes of direction/speed to keep defenders off balance. Jarrod is very aggressive in transition, always looking to make something happen. He is a quality passer, that has the ability to create for his teammates by driving into the lane and kicking the ball out. Most importantly, he appears to be a strong leader with a competitive drive… Like his Daddy!

Jarrod, Jr., as a 13 year old 7th grader, already possesses varsity High School talent, but like most middle school prospects, he hasn’t proved that he can consistently produce against elite HS level talent… YET! An elite high school program team looking for a tough, talented, scoring point guard would be well-served by catching Happy Hallow Elite and talking to Jarrod Denard, Sr. about his son’s educational plans.