PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, January 4, 2023 — SUREATHLETE announced NIL partnerships with that men’s college basketball players Hysier Miller (Temple), AJ Hoggard (Michigan State) and Derek Simpson (Rutgers). All three players will be championing SURATHLETE’s Prism® Portrait. The Prism® Portrait reveals comprehensive insights into nearly every aspect of an athlete or coach’s Emotional, Relational and Team Intelligence (ERT-i™). This highly relevant and transformative data provides coaches, athletic directors and other administrators with critical information that impacts personal and professional performance, productivity and success.
“The Prism® Portrait describes how athletes present themselves and how others might perceive them. It gives coaches insight into how athletes present themselves under stress, how they process information and how the manage conflict. Prism® Portraits help coaches and players use people analytics to navigate the highly competitive collegiate sports landscape,” according to Sean Flynn, CEO of SUREATHLETE. “As a proud supporter of scholastic and collegiate sports, I am pleased to associate with these proven, dedicated and professional young men.”
“The relationship I am building with SUREATHLETE is very similar to how they do business on campuses across the country,” said Miller. “It’s very personal, impactful, and important. I couldn’t ask for a better company to represent than SUREAHLETE.” The student-athletes will also participate in projects as researchers refine and enhance SURATHLETE’s products and services that drive better outcomes throughout the entire talent lifecycle – from recruiting, roster management and player development to gam coaching. “These highly intelligent young men have provided us with valuable insight and will continue to help us understand the value of a relationship with college athletic programs,” said Neal.
According to Hoggard, “I’m happy to have partnered with such an innovative company. As a point guard, understanding what motivates my teammates and how they perform under stress is crucial. SUREATHLETE helps me be a better team leader.”
About Hysier Miller Hysier Miller took over as the starting point guard midway through his freshman season. He is now entrenched as the floor general for Aaron McKie’s Owl. In high school, he was named 2021 PA AAAA State Player of the Year, averaging 18.4 points, 10 rebounds, 6.4 assists & 2.9 steals. Miller recorded two triple-doubles in 2020-21, including a 30-point, 12-rebound and 10-assist outing in an overtime loss to league champion, Archbishop Wood
About AJ Hoggard AJ Hoggard, a junior, is the starting point guard for Michigan State. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 36 games, starting eight times. Hoggard started eight of the final 13 games of the season and finished the season averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds. He led the team with 4.8 assists per game while playing 20.3 minutes and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in assists per game. Hoggard played at Archbishop Carroll in Philadelphia for two years before transferring to Huntington Prep for his junior and senior years. He was ranked No. 71 nationally by 247Sports.com and No. 13 among all point guards.
About Derek Simpson Derek Simpson is a freshman point guard for Rutgers. He has made several starts in his rookie campaign. In high school, Simpson averaged a team-high 20.6 points-per-game and 4.9 assists-per-game for Lenape High School also making the most three-pointers on his team. Simpson was recognized with several accolades in his home state of New Jersey and Burlington County after his stellar performance last season. He was a member of the All-State Third Team, the 2021 Burlington County All-County Team and was named the 2021 Burlington County Player of the Year.
About SUREATHLETE SUREATHLETE, a division of the SUREPEOPLE Corporation, headquartered in Rosemont, IL, synthesizes three critical data sets – who people are, how people think/feel and how people behave/perform – to derive predictive insights and deliver prescriptive actions for every leader, team and mission-critical player and coach in your program. SUREATHLETE utilizes Prism Psychometrics to understand how each player and coach in your program is uniquely wired by measuring 54 key traits and attributes across Personality & Personality Under Pressure; Processing; Decision Making; Motivation; Conflict Management; and, Fundamental Needs. Prism provides talent with the richest, most nuanced psychometric portrait for increasing self-awareness, understanding strengths & blind spots and guiding personal & professional growth.
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — University of Maryland star senior forward Donta Scott spent much of last summer talking to youth across the Mid-Atlantic region and promoting his book, “Wired Diffrently: MySchool Journey.”While growing up in Philadelphia, Scott’s athletic career was nearly sidetracked. Throughout elementary and middle school, Scott was consumed with frustration while trying to keeping up with his peers. “It was hard for me to just deal with school,” said the 4 year Big 10 starter. “Those emotions—I just locked them up.” With the help of HYPE U CEO, Delgreco Wilson, Scott took advantage of recent NIL legislation to share the lessons he learned throughout his educational journey in a children’s book.
More recently, Hysier Miller (Temple), AJ Hoggard (Michigan State), Eric Dixon (Villanova) and Derek Simpson (Rutgers) have each inked four figure NIL deals with the assistance of HYPE U. With Pennsylvania and Maryland just becoming the 23rd and 24th states to allow NIL at the high school level, HYPE U has helped Ahmad Nowell (Imhotep CHS) identify an opportunity and is working closely with St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland to identify opportunities for boys and girls basketball players as well as football athletes.
Unlike in the south, student-athletes in the Mid-Atlantic region have been slow to leverage NIL opportunities and get paid for their name, image and likeness. For the past decade, Wilson’s firm Black Cager Sports Media has worked to increase the visibility and marketability of elite basketball student-athletes. The aforementioned players whose on the court exploits were covered by Black Cager Sports Media are now taking advantage of the NIL era and they’re doing it by building their own brand with assistance from HYPE U Philadelphia-Camden based company.
“When NIL legislation became inevitable, we positioned ourselves to take this on but really take it on in a different manner really focusing on high character individuals,” said Wilson. “Young men like Hysier, Eric, AJ and Hoggard are outstanding citizens making significant contributions to their respective learning communities. We are able to strongly recommend them to companies and organizations without even the slightest hesitation. We know their families, we’ve been in their homes.”
With advent of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation and policy changes, student-athletes are in position to earn levels of compensation their predecessors could only dream about. Black Cager Sports recognized the need to help high school participants better understand the NIL marketplace. Black Cager Sports wanted to help high school athletes navigate “the new normal.” Toward that end, Black Cager Sports sponsored an NIL Cyber-Symposium in October 2022.
In addition to identifying local opportunities for college and high school student-athletes, HYPE U provides a secure one-stop-shop for fans to buy and sell authenticated NFTs, autographed trading cards and sports memorabilia among a global fan-investor community.
HYPE U is an opportunity marketplace that connects high character student-athletes to brand partnerships and capital resources during and after their high school and collegiate playing career. The mission is to create branding, charitable, and non-playing opportunities for student-athletes that will maximize the value of their name, image, and likeness for current and future career benefits.
“We are witnessing the unleashing of competitive market forces that will allow student-athletes and businesses to create mutually profitable partnerships,” said Wilson. “HYPE U is a platform designed help high character mid-Atlantic based student-athletes take full advantage of their name, image, and likeness with hopes to bring athlete diversity, and compensation balance to the NIL space.”
About HYPE U
HYPE U is a full service management and consulting company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Specializing in Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) & brand identity for high character athletes at the collegiate and high school levels.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 12, 2022) – SUREATHLETE has announced name, image and likeness “NIL” deals with collegiate and scholastic student-athletes in Philadelphia. SUREATHLETE has new agreements with Temple University sophomore point guard, Hysier Miller, currently leading Philadelphia’s Big 5 in assists and Neumann-Goretti HS junior point guard, Khaafiq Myers, who led the Saints to the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship last season.
As part of the collaboration, SUREATHLETE will provide access to the science of people analytics to select mid-Atlantic region High School basketball programs. SUREATHLETE’s unique solutions will enable select high school coaches to effectively acquire, develop, engage and assist talented players in their college recruiting. In a hyper-competitive recruiting environment, SUREATHLETE will provide Philadelphia Catholic League prospects with an edge when engaging college coaches.
“We have long admired Hysier and Khaafiq’s talent on the court and want to help them increase their Emotional, Relational and Team intelligence (ERT-i®). Delgreco Wilson from Black Cager Sports Media, identified these young men as super competitive players, outstanding students and true leaders on the court,” said Sean Flynn, CEO, SUREATHLETE. “We are excited to team up with these exceptional student athletes, serve other players in the mid-Atlantic region and look forward to rest of the college and high school basketball seasons.
“This collaboration is a natural fit and it allows us to help SUREATHLETE empower other high school student-athletes in the region to elevate their Emotional, Relational and Team intelligence.” said Hysier Miller. “The SUREATHLETE team gave us the ability to create a deal that benefits other student-athletes in the Catholic League and beyond. That’s real… the Catholic League that gave us an opportunity to play at highest level. Knowing that we helped other high school players and programs have access to the industry’s most powerful psychometric and personal development tool is amazing.”
The SUREATHLETE platform was developed for professional, collegiate and Olympic sports organizations. This collaboration with two South Philly point guards will allow select mid-Atlantic high school programs to join Hysier and Khaafiq in benefiting from the science of Prism psychometrics, anonymous survey feedback and behavioral analytics.
About SUREATHLETE
SUREATHLETE, a division of the SUREPEOPLE Corporation, headquartered in Rosemont, IL, synthesizes three critical data sets – who people are, how people think/feel and how people behave/perform – to derive predictive insights and deliver prescriptive actions for every leader, team and mission-critical player and coach in your program. SUREATHLETE utilizes Prism Psychometrics to understand how each player and coach in your program is uniquely wired by measuring 54 key traits and attributes across Personality & Personality Under Pressure; Processing; Decision Making; Motivation; Conflict Management; and, Fundamental Needs. Prism provides talent with the richest, most nuanced psychometric portrait for increasing self-awareness, understanding strengths & blind spots and guiding personal & professional growth.
Shon Minnis is my guy… Now… Shon was a damn good player in his own right back in the day. He was a starting guard for Southern’s 1988 and 1989 Public League semifinalists. He is what you would call a basketball lifer… He is most likely to be found in a high school gym on any given day sitting quietly in the corner observing and assessing the quality of play and the talent level of the players.
I met Shon about 12 years ago. His son, Deshon “Biggie” Minnis was one to the top prospects in the region, but he was having some eligibility issues. Several knowledgeable people told Shon that Biggie was an academic “non-qualifier” at the NCAA Division 1 level. They even suggested that Biggie and Shon consider the D2 or even the JUCO route. Shon came to my office seeking advice on becoming eligible. We combed over Biggie’s transcripts and SAT scores with a fine tooth comb.
“I see why they think he’s a non-qualifier Shon,” I said. “He’s below the threshold right now.”
But, the window was still cracked. I explained to Shon that it was “possible” to meet the the D1 eligibility criteria. Biggie would have to cross every “t”, dot every “I” and walk around about 87 mulberry bushes. If he jumped over the river and wrestled 11 alligators we “could” make it.
No one else had even held out the possibility of getting it done. Shon was visibly excited.
I explained that Shon and Biggie’s Mom, Chandra Myers, would have to make sure he stayed focused and stuck to the plan. “FUCK ALL THAT SHIT everyone else is telling you… Stick with the plan and MAYBE we can get there.”
Fast forward a few months, Biggie made it and accepted a full ride to attend and play at Texas Tech University for Billy Gillespie late in the Spring of 2011.
I’ve talked to Shon damn near everyday since. Like I said, Shon is my guy…
Over the past decade, we’ve traversed the I-95 corridor countless times in search of good basketball games. Shon is always ready to ride out.
About 3 years ago, he told me he was getting involved in grassroots basketball in South Philadelphia. He wanted to help South Philly kids learn to play the game the “right” way. He was focused on middle school kids.
Aasim “Flash” Burton
Around that time, he started to talk about his prodigy, “Flash.” His government name is Aasim Burton, but everyone calls the boy Flash.
Shon was sold early, “Del… I got one… I’m telling you, Flash is gonna be good… rally good.”
I’ve heard this from 12,386 middle school coaches. They all think their kid is gonna go D1. But Shon is different.
He kept saying things like, “I’m gonna make him a mid-range killer… We not dribbling around a bunch of cones… We playing basketball. Flash plays the right way. He doesn’t turn it over… he makes the right pass… He’s unselfish.”
I don’t get out to see much middle school basketball. In fact, I don’t see any… So all I had to go by was Shon’s pronouncements.
Eventually, Flash enrolled at Math, Civics & Sciences Charter School where he played in one of the finest Public League programs for Head Coach Lonnie Diggs. Flash was a good role player during his two year stint with the Mighty Elephants.
But, the lure of the Catholic League was strong, both academically and athletically. First and foremost, Flash is an outstanding student and his mother and Shon wanted to place him in a more rigorous and competitive academic setting. Of equal importance was an opportunity to “get to the Palestra” for the Philadelphia Catholic League Final Four.
This has become the Holy Grail for many high school ballers in the the Greater Philadelphia region.
Shon did his research… He and Flash narrowed their target destinations down to 3 or 4 schools. Shon had seen all of the school play on multiple occasions. He knew what the basketball was like in each program.
But he didn’t know the people and he didn’t have a firm grasp of the academic offerings at the schools. He asked if I knew the coaches and the principals at these schools.
I did.
I asked if Flash and his Mom were sure they wanted to leave MCS. Shon and Flash assured me that they were “out” and told me they had informed Coach Diggs of their decision.
I introduced Shon and Flash to principals and coaches at several schools. Eventually, Flash and his Mom chose O’Hara.
My decision to assist Shon and the family with researching his school options led to the end of what had been a very good relationship with the MCS basketball program. I had worked with MCS alums Jeremiah “Lump” Worthem, Mike Watkins and Samir Doughty… each ended up eligible to accept a scholarship and played Division 1 basketball… It was all good…
Until it wasn’t…
Flash decided to transfer and Shon is my guy…
Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Delaware County is Flash’s new home. The boy from the “P” plays in da county these days.
The transfer behind him, all summer Shon was talking heavy… “We goin’ to the Palestra.”
“Easy… Easy… Shon.”
Alas, Shon was not trying to hear my suggestion that he temper his expectations.
“We goin’ to the Palestra!”
On Friday, O’Hara was scheduled to travel to Reading for a HUGE road game against perennial Berks County power Reading High. I’m on a 3-way call with Shon and Rider Assistant Coach Geoff Arnold. I tell Shon to be prepared to watch a tough game. I explained that Reading is damn near impossible to beat in Reading.
Shon wasn’t trying to hear that shit…
“We gonna kick their ass…”
Mannnn listen… I wanted to go that that game. But I was scheduled to cover the Neumann-Goretti/Constitution game and I wouldn’t be able to make it.
I told Shon, I thought Reading would win the game because their press defense would force a lot of turnovers. I’ve seen Reading do that to so many good teams in recent years.
“Flash doesn’t turn the ball over Del…”
“I’ll bet you $10 that they turn Flash over at least 3 times.”
“Let’s bet $20…”
“Naaaah… I’m not a gambler but I’ll bet the $10.”
“Bet…”
Low and behold, a few minutes after making the wager, Pat Sorrentino, a Nuemann-Goretti Assistant informs me that the Constitution game has been postponed. The Saints were playing for state Championship in football and the whole school planned on going to support the squad.
I hang up from Pat and immediately call Shon, “What time you leaving? I’m riding out with you”
“5:30… Meet me at 23rd and Federal… down the P.”
Traffic is fucked up… We arrive at the massive Geigle Complex just before the tip off.
I scramble to set up my camera.
First play of the game… Flash had the ball out top… dribbled toward the baseline stopped took a step back and elevated for one of his trademark mid-range jump shots…
SPLASH! All net…
Flash made sure to let the Reading faithful seated along the baseline know that it was going to be a long night. He was talking major shit…
O’Hara came out and led with a series of right crosses. Reading, clearly, was expecting O’Hara to feel them out early with jabs. They were not ready. Right hooks and crushing body blows delivered by Flash and his running mate Izaiah Pasha ’23 (Iona commit) left Reading dazed and confused.
Like Mike Tyson jumping on a defenseless Mike Spinks, O’Hara jumped out to an early double-digit lead. Before you knew it the score was 9-2 and by the end of the first, the Lions led 23-12.
It was more of the same as the bell rung for the 2nd quarter, Flash kept the pressure on. Flash and Pasha were bussing Reading’s ass. In front of about 2,000 stunned Reading supporters. They combined for 22 of O’Hara’s 41 first-half points.
Never having ventured to Reading for a game before, Shon felt comfortable. He should have… O’Hara was having it their way.
Until they weren’t…
It’s hard to explain to Philadelphia hoopheads. These Reading muthafuckas just don’t know how to quit… It’s just not in ‘em.
They are gonna keep coming and coming.
Two years ago, the Reading knocked off Catholic League Champion Archbishop Wood in the State Championship game. Last year, they knocked off nationally ranked Imhotep in a highly entertaining contest.
This year? Down 19 at home to O’Hara? No problem…
Check rock…
Myles Grey
Led by senior guard, Myles Grey’s 20 points, the Knights demonstrated their ability to engage in a relentless form of persistence hunting. Coach Perez’s boys stalked and chased O’Hara until they could no longer flee and succumbed to what seemed like an inevitable defeat.
While O’ Hara came up short in this battle, Flash played well in front of coaches from 2 MAAC programs. Rider Assistant, Dino Pressley and Fairfield Assistant, James Johns were there evaluating Shon’s prodigy.
The very next day, Fairfield offered Flash a scholarship. This served to brighten and otherwise disappointing night.
On the way home, we stopped at Appleby’s to grab a bite to eat. However, it was too crowded at the wait was over 30 minutes. We left and decided to just grab something from WaWa.
I ordered a Chicken Fajita Panini, grabbed a bag of chips and a Mango Iced Tea. When I got to the register, Shon boxed me out and paid for my meal.
I am a fan of Big 5 basketball. Subconsciously, I approach every matchup looking for streamers to rain from heavens after the first made basket for each team. For young readers unfamiliar with the tradition, once upon a time, during Big 5 games after each team’s first made basket, fans would throw streamers of their team’s colors onto the playing surface.
The NCAA banned this traditional practice in 1985. Ostensibly, because they thought it was dangerous. I actually think they banned it because they couldn’t figure out a way to monetize it.
The NCAA can always be counted on to do some nut shit…
For 67 years, Philadelphia’s Big 5 — LaSalle, Pennsylvania, St. Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova — have waged a unique Philly college basketball round robin. Nowhere else in America will you find five Division 1 basketball programs in on metropolitan area competing so intensely for a “made up” title. The Big 5 is not a league or conference. Winning the Big 5 doesn’t lead to an NCAA appearance… It doesn’t improve your national rankings.
For nearly 7 decades, the reward has been the winners ability to talk shit to the losers for the next 12 months… In other words, it meant a lot!
Like so many things from my childhood era, the Big 5 is different these days. They don’t play all the games at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The programs have abandoned college basketball’s cathedral in favor of campus arenas… Better chance to win at home.
On Tuesday, yet another interesting and dare I say it… BIG… Big 5 matchup will take place at the Liacouras on North Broad Street.
Why? Why, one might ask would you categorize this as a BIG game? After all, both programs are several years removed from national prominence.
The game is BIG because somethings gotta give… To varying degrees, Aaron McKie and Billy Lange are lurching toward the point where they have to shit or get off the toilet.
Aaron McKie
McKie is now in his 4th season after taking the reigns from one of his mentors, Fran Dunphy. His record, 41-44 (.482) overall and 20-29 (.408) in the AAC, has been lackluster by Temple standards. Two Temple coaches, Harry Litwack and John Chaney, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Temple currently sits 5th in all-time victories trailing only certified blue bloods Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke. Viewed from a historical perspective, McKie is off to a rather inauspicious beginning.
Nonetheless, there has been steady improvement in the Owl program under McKie. He has finished 10th, t-8th and 4th the past three seasons… Gotta keep moving up… He has some talented young players in the fold. The Owls have also demonstrated a willingness to fight for some of the top talent in the Greater Philadelphia region. Hysier Miller is from South Philly. Zach Hicks is from Camden. Jalil White and Taj Thweatt played for Wildwood Catholic. Khalif Battle is a Trenton native. McKie and his staff are beating the local bushes. West Catholic’s Zion Stanford joins the fold next season.
Billy Lange
Lange is also in his 4th season leading the Hawks. He succeeded Phil Martelli who coached at St. Joseph’s for 24 seasons. Lange’s record, 25-64 (.284) overall and 10-38 (.208) in the A10 has been atrocious. Hawk faithful had become accustomed to, more or less, regular post-season appearances. Martelli led Saint Joseph’s to seven NCAA Tournaments and 6 NIT (13 total post-season) appearances in 24 seasons as head coach.
Up to this point, Lange has made very zero progress toward returning the Hawks to contention for post-season tournament appearances. St. Joseph’s has finished t-13th, 13th and t-12th past three seasons. Like McKie, Lange has had some success in local recruiting. Neumman-Goretti’s Jordan Hall has moved onto the NBA after just 2 seasons on Hawk Hill. Roman Catholic alum Lynn Greer III has taken over the point guard position. Camden High graduate Rasheer Fleming is one of the more intriguing freshman in the mid-Atlantic region. Substitute guard, Quin Berger played scholastically at Westtown.
Lange also successfully recruited Philadelphia natives, Rahmir Moore, Chereef Knox and Dahmir Bishop each of whom has transferred to other programs. Next year, three more highly regarded Philly prospects are scheduled to arrive at 54th and City Ave. as Shawn Simmons, Anthony Finkley and Xzayvier Brown begin their collegiate careers.
Both teams need a win in the worst way.
Tuesday’s contest is a rubber match for Lange and McKie. In their first meeting on December 10, 2019 at the Liacouras Center, McKie’s Owls literally beat the shit down the legs of the Hawks by 47 points (108-61). It was one of the most lopsided Big 5 games I have ever witnessed over the past 40 years.
Hard dunk after strong dunk after powerful dunk… As Buddy Ryan would say, The Hawks “lifted their skirts” early…
With Covid-19 wreaking havoc on schedules, they Owls and the Hawks would not play each other in 2020.
Lange would exact revenge on December 11. 2021 in the cozy confines of Hagan Arena. Jordan Hall, 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals put on a magnificent performance as the Hawks smacked the shit out of the Owls by a final score of 68-49.
The McKie-Lange scorecard stands at 1-1.
Erik Reynolds
So what should we expect on Tuesday? St. Joseph’s is gonna rely heavily on Erik Reynolds, II to generate some offense. I would anticipate Temple’s defensive stopper, Jalil White, to be nose to nose with Reynolds for much of the evening. White is a strong, long, athletic wing with exceptional lateral quickness. For this years Temple squad, he basically has one job… Stop the best muthafucka on the other team from scoring. White does it rather well.
Lynn Greer III has provided a steady hand at the point guard spot for the Hawks. He is a big, strong point guard with solid ball-handling and passing skills. In this, his first real season of collegiate competition he has struggled mightily with his shooting. He is shooting just 36.4 from the floor and a paltry 13.3% from behind the 3-point line. He also needs to cut down on the turnovers. Greer had 6 last game and is averaging over 4 per contest. He will square off against another Catholic League point guard. Hysier Miller is a throwback pass-first point guard for the Owls. Still finding his way, Miller has a stranglehold on the point guard spot for the Owls. While scoring over 7 ppg, he is dishing 4.8 apg while limiting his turnovers to just 2.1 per game.
Khalif Battle and Damian Dunn
Temple’s dynamic scoring duo of Battle and Damian Dunn contribute anywhere from 35 to 45 points almost every game. They will be a tough matchup for Cam Brown and Reynolds on the defensive end of the floor. Kacper Klaczek and Rasheer Fleming will have to chase Temple marksman Zach Hicks off screens all night. Hicks has shown hat he is capable of hitting 3’s in bunches.
Transfer center Jamile Reynolds has been very good at times for the Owls. He has provided them with a legitimate low-post offensive presence as well as solid rebounding. St. Joseph’s center Ejike Obinna, on the other hand, has struggled and his production is down considerably across the board when compared to last that of last season.
So who wins?
Well… I don’t foresee another blowout either way. St. Joseph’s should be motivated coming off a dreadful 17 point loss in a buy game to visiting Fairleigh Dickinson. Temple bounced back from an opening night loss to Wagner in a buy game to knock off Villanova. Can the Hawks duplicate such a feat? Naaaaah… Temple’s will try mightily to limit Reynolds’ offensive production. I just don’t think the Hawks have enough firepower to win at Liacouras this year.
Parental rights and prerogatives have long been recognized in American courts. Parental rights in making important decisions in the following three areas are recognized in every jurisdiction:
Religious upbringing
Medical Care
Education
Religious upbringing is often a sensitive topic within families and can lead to disagreements between parents and other family members. In some cases, a parent may be concerned about religious practices and their potential influence on their child. Imagine a Christian, Jewish or Muslim family having to answer to a principal, coach or athletic director about a decision to change churches, mosques or synagogue?
Makes no sense…
Ongoing medical care child is an essential element of parenting. State and federal laws are in place to ensure that parents provide adequate healthcare coverage for their children. Imagine a family having to seek permission from a principal, coach or athletic director for a broken bone, surgery or cancer treatment?
Makes no sense…
A major component of parenting involves decisions related to education including the location of the child’s schooling and education related expenses. Details related to a child’s extracurricular activities are also an important aspect of parenting. Imagine a family having to seek permission from a principal, coach or athletic director at his old school to transfer to another school and play football, basketball, softball or tennis.
Also, makes no fuckin sense… But…
RJ Sledge, a sophomore at Imani Christian won an appeal of Bishop Canevin’s efforts to BLOCK him from playing last week.
That is exactly how the system is currently structured.
It’s as if your ex-girlfriend had veto power over who you could and could not date after you broke up. Or, your old boss could determine where you could work after you were no longer employed by the company.
Principals, coaches and athletic directors are BLOCKING kids from participating in varsity athletic with increasing frequency. In many of these cases, sports is one of the main factors keeping the kids engaged with educational institutions. This is especially the case for many young Black male student-athletes.
The struggle in the Black community is real. Recent studies indicate that 45% of Black students attended high-poverty schools, compared with 8% of white students. More than 64% of Black students have parents whose education level is less than high school. About 45% live in mother-only households. Another 35% live in father-only households.
It’s no secret that Black males between the ages of 12-25 are fueling incredible levels of violent criminal activity seen in American cities. Why would any “educator” purposely place barriers between young people and opportunities to participate in scholastic sports?
Wouldn’t you rather watch a young man run the 100 meter hurdles than witness him unloading 40-60 high caliber shells into other young men?
Wouldn’t you rather watch a young man dunk on somebody than witness him dragging someone’s grandmother out of her car at gunpoint?
I attended one PIAA eligibility hearing where after being denied an opportunity to play his senior year, a young man jumped on the table and attempted assault the coaches and athletic director that BLOCKED him from playing. I had to sit with the young man and attempt to calm him down… The anger and frustration was boiling over… Understandable, to say the least.
So… How exactly does this work? What are the tools that adults are using to douse the athletic and educational flames raging within these young people?
Let’s walk through the process… Below is page 1 of the PIAA Athletic Waiver Request Form. As you can see, page 1 collects basic demographic information and sports participation history beginning in the 7th grade.
Things get much more interesting on page 2 below. As you can see, the principal is given an a choice to “complete and sign EITHER A or B.” If the principal completes and signs A, the kid is good to go. The principal is “releasing” the kid. This is the action one would expect a career educator to take. After all, the principal is entrusted with administering a facility designed to educate and inspire young people.
The reality of the situation, unfortunately, is that principals completing and signing part B with alarming frequency.
The language is very clear, “I hereby request that the District Committee having jurisdiction over my school review the circumstances of Transfer to assess whether the Transfer was motivated in some material way by an athletic purpose and/or was the result of recruiting, which was materially motivated in some way by an athletic purpose.”
The principal at the behest of the coach and/or athletic director, at this point, has decided to BLOCK a kid from playing scholastic sports for a year. It’s NOT the District, it’s NOT the system, it’s NOT some anonymous complaint… The ONLY way a kid is BLOCKED is by the principal at the behest of the coach and/or athletic director.
This is how it works…
Maybe a coach spent a lot of extra time working with the kid in the summer or after practice. The coach feels that he has invested time and energy in the kid and now he wants to prevent another school from benefiting from his efforts. The coach feels justified in saying if you don’t play for me, you won’t play anywhere this season.
Maybe the coach at the new school never contacted the coach at the old school about the transfer. Maybe the coach feels disrespected. In a perfect world, a coach would reach out to another coach if one of his kids pops up in his gym or workout talking about transferring. That is a professional courtesy that many coaches extend. But some don’t… Should the kid have to sit a full season because a coach failed to call another coach? Naaaah… that consequence ‘s way too harsh.
Pages 3 and 4 are where the principals, coaches and athletic directors have to provide “evidence” to support their desire to prevent the kid from playing.
Fully aware that the parents have decided to transfer the kid, this is where principals, coaches and athletic directors insert “proof” that the parents are lying. This is where they tell the state to completely disregard whatever reasons the parents provided.
Family moved? School climate unsafe? Poor academics?
“Fuck all that shit… Dey lyin'”
They transferred him for athletic reasons and here is the dossier supporting are request to BLOCK the kid.
Imagine having to present this to your pastor, imam or rabbi before joining prayer?
Imagine having to present this to your pediatrician, oncologist or dentist before receiving medical treatment?
For me, it’s really very simple “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Somewhere along the line, the logic underlying Luke 6:31 has been replaced by JBM 1:1…
All hoop heads face the same dilemmas in a world of limitless viewing options. Which college teams to follow? Which college games to watch? Which college players to track?
Jack Clark, NC State transfer
Here I make explicit the teams I try to monitor and why… Every day, I look for boxscores and check the standing for these programs.
The Black Cager give a fuck list…
Program
League
Record
Why it matters to Black Cager Sports
Auburn
SEC
6-0, 0-0
Bruce Pearl is a friend of Black Cager Sports. Asst. Coach Ira Bowman is a Penn alum. Super talented freshman Chance Westry is on the roster.
Maryland
Big 10
6-0, 0-0
Kevin Willard is in his 1st year with Donta Scott, Hakim Hart and Julian Reese headlining. Big 10 basketball in the DMV.
Miss. State
SEC
6-0, 0-0
Darryl Scholfield disciple David Anwar is 1st year Asst. Coach with the Bulldogs. Philadelphia native is one of the nation’s elite recruiters.
St. John’s
Big East
6-0,0-0
Mike Anderson is clearly influenced by Nolan Richardson… St. John’s gets on your ass… They pick you up when you arrive at the hotel… Shoes Vetrone is a top assistant. Big East basketball in NYC.
Kansas State
Big 12
6-0, 0-0
Jareem Dowling is an asst. coach
Penn State
Big 10
6-1,0-0
Micah Shrewsberry has something brewing… Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk, Jameel Brown and Demetrius Lilly are on the roster. Mike Green, Adam Fisher and Mike Farrelly are on staff. Big 10 basketball in central Pennsylvania.
NC State
ACC
6-1, 0-0
Jack Clark starts for the Wolfpack.
Virginia Tech
ACC
6-1, 0-0
Christian Webster is an asst.coach.
Kansas
Big 12
6-1, 0-0
Joe Dooley is on staff.
Michigan
Big 10
5-1,0-0
Juwan Howard is head coach. Phil Martelli is asst. coach.
Fordham
A10
5-1, 0-0
Keith Urgo is head coach.
Miami
ACC
5-1, 0-0
Isaiah Wong and Wooga play for the Hurricanes. DJ Irving is an asst. coach.
Towson
CAA
5-1, 0-0
Rahdir Hicks ia a PG.
FGCU
ASUN
5-2, 0-0
Pat Chambers is my guy. Dahmir Bishop and Blaise Vespe are my youngbuls. Shep Garner is on staff.
Rutgers
Big 10
4-1, 0-0
Freshman Derek Simpson is currently starting PG. Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell are close to coming back. Big 10 basketball in central New Jersey.
UMass
A10
4-1, 0-0
Frank Martin is my guy… Sool Diggins is my youngbul. My guy, Taquan Woodley, is away from the team for personal reasons.
Bryant
America East
4-1, 0-0
Phil Martelli Jr. is an asst. coach
Kentucky
SEC
4-2, 0-0
Began involvement in college basketball with Bruiser Flint at Coppin State and UMass with John Calipari. Lance Ware is on the roster. DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards will be on the roster next year.
Hofstra
CAA
4-2,0-0
Aaron Estrada is a muthafucka… Currently averaging 22.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 4.2 apg… Christian Tomasco, Khalil Farmer and Griffin Barrouk are on the roster.
Colgate
Patriot
4-2, 0-0
Matt Langel has emerged has one of the finest basketball coaches in the nation. Colgate has finished 1st in each of the past 4 years and 2nd five years ago. A likely target for high major programs going forward.
St. Bonaventure
A10
4-2, 0-0
Anquan Hill is on the roster. Sean Neal is an asst. coach.
Marquette
Big East
4-2, 0-0
Stevie Mitchell starts for the Golden Eagles.
Providence
Big East
4-2, 0-0
Ed Cooley is had coach. Ed Croswell, Cliff Moore and Jared Bynum play for the Friars.
Seton Hall
Big East
4-2, 0-0
Shaheen Halloway is head coach. Corey Lowery is an asst. coach.
Longwood
Big South
4-3, 0-0
Graham Bousley is on staff.
Wagner
NEC
3-2, 0-0
Donald Copeland is in his 1st season as Head Coach. Scott Rogers and Pete Lappas are asst. coaches. Wagner beat Temple at Temple.
American
Patriot
3-2,0-0
Mike Brennan is Head Coach. Matt Delaney is on the roster. American beat Georgetown at Georgetown.
Princeton
Patriot
3-2, 0-0
It’s Princeton
George Washington
A10
3-2,0-0
Chris Caputo is head coach. Dwayne Lee is an asst. coach.
VCU
A10
3-2, 0-0
Ace Baldwin is PG. Jimmy Martelli is on staff.
DePaul
Big East
3-3, 0-0
Tony Stubblefield is head coach. Bino Ranson is an asst. coach.
Drexel
CAA
3-3, 0-0
Zach Spiker is in his 7th year at the helm. His record at Drexel stands at 79-106 (.427) overall and 36-63 (.364) in the CAA. He led the Dragons to the NCAA tournament in 2021. Will Chavis is a top assistant. Justin Moore, Kobe Magee, and Luke House are on the roster.
Georgetown
Big East
3-3, 0-0
Now in his 6th year, Patrick Ewing’s record is 71-87 (.449) and 26-63 (.292) in Big East play. Abysmal performance for a once mighty Georgetown program.
Cal St Bakersfield
Big West
3-3, 0-0
Mike Scott is an asst. coach. Kaseem and Kareem Watson are on the roster
Penn
IVY
3-4, 0-0
Seventh year head coach, Steve Donahue is 95-80 (.540) and 44-34 (.564) in the Ivy League.
Albany
America East
3-4, 0-0
Dwayne Killings is head coach. Bob Jordan and Ryan Daly are on staff. Da’kquan Davis, Tairi Ketner, NyMire Little and Aaron Reddish are on roster.
Howard
MEAC
3-5, 0-0
Kenny Blakeney is Head Coach. It’s Howard.
Coppin State
MEAC
3-5, 0-0
Sam Sessoms is the PG. Justin Steers in on the roster.
La Salle
A10
2-3, 0-0
Fran Dunphy in Head Coach. Donnie Carr is an Asst. Coach. Jig Brickus and Khalil Brantley are in the backcourt.
St. Joseph’s
A10
2-3, 0-0
Billy Lange is in his 4th season as had coach. His record is 24-63 (.274) and 10-38 (.208) in the A10. Lynn Greer III, Rasheer Fleming, Quin Berger and Christian Winborne ar on the roster. Xzayvier Brown, Anthony Finkley and Shawn Simmons arrive on Hawk Hill next season.
Temple
American
2-4, 0-0
Fourth year coach Aaron McKie’s record is 38-44 (.470) and 20-29 (.408) in the AAC. Hysier Miller and Zack Hicks are starters. Zion Stanford arrives next season.
Villanova
Big East
2-4, 0-0
Kyle Neptune is following the greatest coach in Big 5 history. He’s hit potholes Wildcat fans didn’t know existed. The ‘adjustment period’ for NovaNation. Eric Dixon, Chris Arcidiacono, Jordan Longino and Nnanna Njoku are on the roster. It’s Nova…
St Francis (PA)
NEC
2-4, 0-0
Zahree Harrison is a Philly PG. Myles Thompson, Gestin Liberis and Wisler Sanon II are on the roster.
Tulsa
American
2-4, 0-0
Yaphett King is an asst. coach
Morgan State
MEAC
2-5, 0-0
Kevin Broadus is head coach. Khalil Turner is a starter.
Rider
MAAC
1-4, 0-0
Kevin Baggett is head coach. Geoff Arnold is asst. coach. Allen Powell, Ajiri Ogemudo-Johnson, Tariq Ingraham, Allen Betrand and Anthony McCall are on the roster
Delaware St
MEAC
1-4, 0-0
Stan Waterman is head coach. Horace Owens is asst. coach. Aaron Lemon-Warren, Ray Somerville, Kareem Ewell, Jevin Muniz, are on the roster
Merrimack
NEC
1-5, 0-0
Jaylen Stinson is the PG.
Florida State
ACC
1-6, 0-0
Jalen Warley, Naheem McLeod and Jeremiah Bembry are on the roster.
SureAthlete Sponsors Broadcasts of Elite Mid-Atlantic Region HS Basketball Games
CAMDEN, New Jersey, November 17, 2022 – Black Cager Sports Television (BCS TV) is pleased to announce SureAthlete as an official sponsor for an exciting lineup high school basketball broadcasts featuring some of the top teams and players in the nation. BCS TV has announced the schedule of 25 regular season games to be broadcast on BlackCagerTV.com and YouTube during the upcoming 2022-23 season. The slate, which will feature teams from the Philadelphia Catholic League, Delaware, New Jersey, Chester County and Berks County, begins with a pair of games between Westtown and Perkiomen as well as West Nottingham and Olympus on Wednesday, November 30. On Friday, December 2, BCS TV will showcase the Catholic League’s Archbishop Carroll in their home opener when they face Penn Wood at 6:00 p.m. ET.
“Our expanded relationship with SureAthlete will allow BCS TV to continue to providing exposure for Philadelphia Catholic League teams and athletes across all platforms. This will help expose not just the Catholic League but high school basketball in the Mid-Atllantic region to a larger audience of fans throughout the winter,” said BCS TV Executive Director Delgreco Wilson. “This schedule, along with our spring and summer events, will help us raise the bar, and the enterprise value, for all. We can’t wait to get the season started.”
“SureAthlete is honored to serve as an official sponsor for the BCS TV broadcasts of High School basketball,” said Sean Flynn, SureAthlete, CEO. “We collect and synthesize critical athlete data to derive predictive insights and deliver prescriptive actions for every coach, athlete and mission-critical staff member. While our programs were developed for professional, collegiate and Olympic sports organizations, we are excited to begin working with high school coaches and athletes in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.”
Black Cager Sports has a proven track record of encouraging and inspiring high school student-athletes as they transition to the college and professional ranks. SureAthlete exists to create a landscape where student-athletes are sure of themselves and high school/college programs are sure of their student-athletes.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to follow up on our extensive coverage of Catholic League Basketball last season with the SureAthlete’s sponsorship,” added Wilson. “Leveraging our partnership with top Catholic League programs works to help area student-athletes gain exposure and compete for college basketball scholarships.”
About SureAthlete SureAthlete is a talent management and people analytics platform used by world-class sports organizations, such as MLB, NFL, NBA,WNBA and NHL. The platform uniquely synthesizes Prism psychometrics, athlete feedback and performance data to derive predictive insights and deliver prescriptive actions for leadership development, team optimization, talent management and digital learning & development. SureAthlete transforms roster management into a more data-driven, strategic function — from an art to a science — and measurably elevates individual, team and organizational performance.
About Black Cager Sports Television Black Cager Sports Television (BCS TV) is an industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the Mid-Atlantic region live sports events, original programming sports talk and exclusive editorial content from Black Cager Sports writers and analysts. Launched in September 2013, Black Cager Sports generates over 250,000 views annually.
About the Philadelphia Catholic League The Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) was founded in the summer of 1920. The PCL features several nationally recognized basketball programs such as Roman Catholic, Neumman-Goretti, Archbishop Wood, Archbishop Ryan and West Catholic. The PCL season culminates with an annual Final Four and Championship at the fabled Palestra, located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
I went to the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena at 54th and City Avenue to watch a St. Joseph’s home game for what seems like the 1,023rd time. Over the past 40 years, I have made my way inside the cozy confines of this facility to watch the Hawks take on any and all comers at least twice as many times as I have visited any other arena. For years, Hagan, previously known as Alumni Fieldhouse, was my favorite basketball place.
The faces have changed… Bryan Warrick, Tony Costner, Bob Lojewski, Geoff Arnold, Bruiser Flint, Mo Martin, Rodney Blake, Rap Curry, Bernard Blunt, Mark Bass, Terrell Myers, Rashid Bey, Yah Davis, Naim Crenshaw, Marvin O’Connor, Delonte West, Tyrone Barley, Pat Carroll, Tasheed Carr, Tay Jones, Langston Galloway and Charlie Brown ain’t dere no mo…
It’s a different experience.
Billy Lange, Head Coach, St. Joseph’s University
I arrived about an hour before the jump ball and I parked about 100 feet from the entrance. For decades, I had to park 2 or 3 blocks from the arena. The crowd, in comparison to the Hagan I have grown accustomed to, was sparse. The student section was noticeably thin. Lines at the concession counter were nonexistent. The band was down more than a few pieces…
The JUICE just wasn’t there.
Now… don’t get me wrong, there were some fantastic players in the building. John Linehan is one of greatest on ball defenders in the history of college basketball. He still holds holds the 4 year NCAA career steals record. One of the 5 year Covid guys surpassed his total, but did so with an asterisk in about 30 more games. Mike Jordan is a 3 time 1st team All-Ivy Leaguer and a member of the Big 5 Hall of fame. Tasheed Carr was a very good point guard for some solid Hawk teams. Lynn Greer I is a certified CIAA legend and Lynn Greer II ranks with Rogers, Lear and Macon among the greatest Temple Owls of all-time.
Unfortunately, Linehan and Jordan are coaching these days, while Carr, LG1 and LG2 are relegated to spectator status.
The guys on the court, for both squads, played hard and truly competed ’til the final buzzer sounded. In the end, just like so many other times over the past century, the HAWK REFUSED to die.
But it just wasn’t the same… I know it… You know it… We all know it…
The question becomes: Is the Hawk program headed back to prominence? Does Billy Lange have them on the right track?
Since, then President, Mark Reed and first year Athletic Director, Jill Bodensteiner stunned the Philadelphia basketball community and decided to move on from, long time head coach, Phil Martelli, the Hawks are 23-61 (.274) overall and 10-38 (.208) in the A10.
The road, post-Martelli, has been rough, to say the least.
Looking back, it’s fair to say Martelli’s dismissal was handled in a rather clumsy manner. As a result, a close knit Hawk community was fractured. On a positive note, it appears that some of the wounds are beginning to heal. Martelli’s successor, Billy Lange inherited a decimated lineup. The bungled transition left SJU with a hastily assembled roster with just a couple of proven A10 caliber players, Ryan Daly and Taylor Funk.
The resulting 6-26 record that first year was to be expected. In one fell swoop, an Uber came to 54th and City Ave and picked up Fresh Kimble (transfer to Louisville), Charlie Brown Jr. (NBA) and Jared Bynum (transfer to Providence).
A Lyft on it’s way to City Avenue containing Bones Hyland (committed to VCU), Hakim Hart (committed to Maryland) screeched to a halt and made a quick u-turn. The driver turned off his cell phone and unplugged his GPS.
Two NBA players and 3 high major starters… Gone… In the blink of an eye…
6-26
Figuratively speaking, Reed and Bodensteiner gave Lange a new house, but before he could move in vandals ripped out all of the copper pipes… They also stole the furnace, water heater, stove, dishwasher and the refrigerator…
Nonetheless… Immediately after closing, Lange moved in… It was the worst time of year to be in the market for new appliances, all that fly high end Viking and Wolf shit was on back order. Lange had no choice but to run out and grab some leftover Maytag and Frigidaire stuff to get by…
St. Joseph’s muddled through their worst season since 1974–75.
Mike Jordan, Lafayette Head Coach (r) and Delgreco Wilson, Black Cager Sports Media (l)
Given ample time to plan and execute a recruiting strategy, Lange was able identify and land an absolute steal. He brought an NBA level talent, Jordan Hall, from Neumann-Goretti to 54th and City Ave. Hall teamed with Martelli holdovers, Daly and Funk, to give St. Joseph’s a fighting chance on most nights. Despite the unexpected disappearance of opening day starting point guard, Greg Foster, after just a handful of games, the Hawks finished the 5-15, 3-9 in a truncated A10 season.
The Hawk was not dead… But, he took more than few standing 8 counts under Lange those first two seasons.
Year 3, Lange was able to get another steal when he convinced Erik Reynolds to come up I-95 and join the Hawks. But, perhaps, his most impressive accomplishment in this area was re-recruiting Jordan Hall after he had announced his transfer to Texas A&M. The Hawks were able to get squeeze out 11 wins in Lange’s 3rd season.
The team showed signs of improving. One step forward…
Then another Lyft showed up and carried Rahmir Moore to Wagner in the middle of the season. Another Uber SUV arrived at the end of the season and this time Dahmir Bishop (transfer to FGCU), Jake Forrest (transfer to Bucknell), Taylor Funk (transfer to Utah State) and Jadrian Tracey (transfer to Florida SouthWestern State) hopped in and sped away from Wynnefield. Hall took his considerable talents to the San Antonio Spurs.
Two steps backward?
John Linehan, Assistant Coach, St. Joseph’s University
That brings us to the home opener in year 4. The Hawks opened the season against the Houston Cougars. Ranked #3 in the nation at the time, Kelvin Sampson’s team is big, athletic, strong, fast, mean and fiercely competitive. Lange’s boys weren’t ready for that smoke… Houston jumped out early and led wire to wire as they spanked the Hawks.
Basically, Sampson told Lange, “Go get me a switch… and, it betta not be a lil’ one.”
No shame there, Houston has since ascended to #1 in some polls for a reason. They are serious Final Four contenders.
The Hawks, while showing signs of improvement, are not National Championship contenders just yet. St. Joseph’s faithful are hoping to make it to middle of the A10 pack. As noted earlier, the question becomes: Are the Hawks on the road back to prominence? St. Joe’s could normally be counted on to make an NCAA tournament appearance every 3 or 4 years. Will Lange go dancing in the foreseeable future?
Mike Jordan’s Lafayette squad provided a more realistic opportunity to gauge this year’s version of the Hawks than Sampson’s Cougars.
Coming into the game, the Leopards were 0-2 with tough road losses to Miami (ACC) and St. John’s (Big East). After facing such stiff Power 5 competition to open the season, Jordan was looking to grab a win in his hometown against the Hawks. For the first 10 minutes, it was a back and forth affair with 6 lead changes. With 9:48 remaining in the first half, St. Joseph’s took an 18-17 lead that they would never relinquish.
First impression, Jordan has the Leopards running some really good shit!
The ball really moves… pass, pass, pass, pass, drive, kick open look. Time after time, Lafayette was able to get very clean looks at 3 point shots. Their sophomore point guard CJ Fulton played an outstanding floor game. He was able control the pace throughout much the contest. Fulton moved the ball ahead in transition with regularity, broke down Hawk defenders off the dribble to find shooters and bigs underneath, and hit the weak side shooters in the hands consistently. He plays with excellent pace and timing out of ball screens. Fulton also and got all the way to the rim in the half court a couple times and converted uncontested layups. He finished with 15 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 5 steals. Fulton is really tough and will be problem for Patriot League opponents for sure.
Ultimately, however, it came down to the Jimmys and Joes…
Cam Brown and Eric Reynolds, St. Joseph’s
The Hawks were able to pull out the victory because they have two bonafide A10 players. Cam Brown entered this, his senior, season with over 700 points and 300 rebounds under his belt. He is a big, strong experienced wing with a smooth shooting stroke. Against Lafayette, he added 20 points and 12 rebounds to those totals. Reynolds started 29 games last season as a freshman and actually led the team in scoring in A10 play at 14.4 ppg. Last night he dropped 21 points while shooting 7-13 overall and 5-10 from behind the 3 point line. Reynolds also dropped 4 dimes and had 2 steals.
Brown and Reynolds were very good… They looked like good A10 players… Lynn Greer III, playing in just his 12th college basketball game struggled from the field (0-8, 0-3 3FG) but he had 5 assists and knocked down 2 clutch free throws with 11 seconds left in the game to extend a 2 point lead to 4. He also spoon-fed Ejike Obinna with a couple of soft perfectly placed alley-oop passes for dunks. Sophomore forward, Kacper Klaczek playing in just his 13th college game contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a blocked shot in 35 minutes. He looked much more comfortable shooting and handling the ball from the perimeter than he did in limited action last season.
This year’s prized rookie, Christian Winborne, had 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and, most importantly, 4 steals. His last pilfer came with 1:20 left in the game and SJU leading 59-54. His effort was greeted with boundless enthusiasm by, Linehan, the best ever in that category. Winborne is an explosive high major athlete learning his way around college basketball. Playing with Reynolds and Greer will allow him to share playmaking responsibilities as he gains an understanding of how to contribute to wins on Hawk Hill. Another good get for Lange.
One of the most promising and intriguing young players in the Big 5 and the A10 is St. Joseph’s rookie PF Rasheer Fleming. With his sprained ankle in a boot, Fleming was unavailable against Lafayette. His combination of length, athleticism and energy will make it tough to keep him off the floor when he returns to action. Somehow, someway Fleming is gonna play starter minutes this year,
After watching St. Joseph’s in action against a pretty good Patriot League team, one would have to conclude that Lange has the Hawks headed in the right direction. There are some solid A10 players on the roster, the young guys Winborne, Fleming and Christ Essandoko (current redshirt) have to potential to be very good A10 players.
Seated directly behind the Hawk bench were prized recruits Shawn Simmons, Anthony Finkley and Xzayvier Brown, all of whom will don Hawk uniforms next season. Intermingled with the ’23 Hawk commits were some of the top ’24 prospects in the mid-Atlantic region. Deuce Maxey (Wood), Thomas Sorber (Ryan) and Khaafiq Myers (Neumann-Goretti) were enjoying the sights and sound of Hagan Arena.
Lange is shopping for Viking and Wolf appliances these days…
So, yes… The Hawks appear to be headed in the right direction.
But, will they get there on time?
Who knows?
President Reed is now leading Loyola University of Chicago and the Athletic Director, Jill Bodensteiner, has taken an extended leave of absence.
With the win last night, Lange is now 23-61,10-38 in the early stages of year 4 at the helm. By any reasonable assessment, that’s not good. Indeed, that is historically bad. But, he was dealt a really fucked up hand when his walked in the door.
Apparently, the folk that fired Martelli and hired Lange, will not be assessing his progress. Will a new President and athletic director look backward, emphasize the struggle to compile wins and go in another direction? Or, will they look at the recruiting momentum and give Lange an opportunity to coach the talented kids he’s landed and perhaps even grab a few more?
Imagine… You’re a hardworking Black father in Pittsburgh. You graduated from an HBCU, Cheyney University, you value education. You are a hands-on parent. You are heavily involved in your children’s lives… All 11 of them… You decided to enroll your 14 year old son in a Catholic High School because you are looking for a better educational setting. You and his mother were raised, and continue to reside, in a solid working class, predominantly Black, section of of the city. As parents, you are seeking a school that will provide discipline and a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. After months of carefully considering traditional public school, magnet school, charter school and independent school options you decide to make some financial sacrifices and enroll your son in what you think is a good Catholic High School, Bishop Canevin.
You and his mother feel good about the decision. You have decided to place your child’s education in the hands of the Jesuits that run Canevin. This is a research-based decision on your part. After all, you learn that Jesuit educational institutions are universally lauded for their track record of preparing students intellectually, morally and spiritually for lives characterized by solidarity, service and professional success. You and his mother are beyond pleased that your child will be receiving a “Jesuit education.” After all, the goals and values expressed by the teachers, administrators and staff at Cavenin are very much aligned with your own.
Your son is inquisitive, bright and eager to learn. With the high school decision made, you and his mother even begin to contemplate Jesuit colleges. Four years of high school can go by rather quickly. A quick internet search and you discover Boston College, Georgetown, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Holy Cross, Fordham and Marquette are just a few of 28 highly regarded Jesuit colleges and universities across the United States.
You begin to think, “maybe… just maybe… we can have our boy spend 8 years with the Jesuits… He’ll be straight educationally.”
But…
Then he actually enrolls and begins to take classes. While he is able to maintain his grades, you notice subtle changes in his demeanor. Something is a lil’ off… Initially, you and his mother assume the changes can be attributed to his adjustment to a new school setting and the challenges of high school academics. Then one day, your son informs you…
“Dad… They called me nigger.”
“What?”
It’s Pittsburgh and it’s 2022, you and his mother did not expect nor did you plan for the possibility that your son would be subjected to such racial trauma as a high school freshman. You spend countless hours wondering if somehow it was your fault for enrolling him in this predominantly white Catholic School. Did we make a mistake choosing Bishop Canevin?
While traditional public schools in Pittsburgh lack the high standardized test scores and college acceptance rates of Bishop Canevin, your son would not be subjected to this type of racist behavior.
Shit adds another layer of stress… You and his mother now have a whole new host of concerns and worries. Your boy is just beginning his high school career and already you are worried about how racial incidents will impact his ability to have relationships, concentrate on school work, and feel safe.
You and his mother decide to immediately report the incident to school administrators.
As Black parents of school age children, you understand that racial discrimination can be harmful to a boy’s mental health. You are very much aware of the fact that perceptions of racial discrimination have been linked to lower life satisfaction levels, decreased self-esteem, increased depressive symptoms, as well as increased anger and anxiety among Black adolescents. You don’t want your son to begin exhibiting any depressive symptoms, conduct problems or decreased self-esteem.
This is a tough situation… You and his mother decide to stick it for the school year and attempt to work through it with the school officials.
Bishop Canevin administrators listen to your concerns and say all the right things. They say they want to ensure that your son has an affirming and safe school environment that celebrates him for who he is. They seem to recognize that they have an obligation to ensure that your son is not denied opportunities, treated differently, discriminated against, or harassed because of his race, color, or national origin.
On the surface, at least, it seems like they get it…
Nonetheless, after the school year is over, you and his mother begin to rethink the Catholic School placement. In addition to this and other racial incidents, the cost is proving to be problematic and perhaps even prohibitive. Once again, you weigh all the pros and cons of the traditional public, magnet, charter and private schools in the region. After carefully considering all of your options, you decide to remain committed to a faith-based educational setting.
You and his mother settle son to a small predominantly Black Christian school, Imani Christian Academy, serving students from low-income, under resourced school districts. Unlike Bishop Canevin, where more than 75% of the students were white, most of the students at Imani Christian are Black inner-city youth. Many come from single-parent homes or are being raised by a grandparent or guardian.
You and his mother have concluded that Imani Christian can provide a stable and nurturing environment for your young Black son.
Moreover, Imani Christian’s tuition is significantly less than the Canevin’s. That matters… At a the end of the most recent school year, you had a balance exceeding a couple thousand dollars. The financial struggle is real. Overall, you have determined that Imani Christian is the better educational buy for your family. Imani Christian delivers higher returns at a lower cost. So much so, that you can actually afford to begin paying down the debt at Bishop Canevin and pay tuition at Imani Christian.
Clearly, you and your son’s mother exercised your parental prerogative in a thoughtful and considerate manner. This is what we constantly encourage Black parents to do when it comes to their children’s education.
There are, however, some folk that think are better suited to make educational decisions for your son than you and his mother. The white educational and administrative elites at Bishop Canevin have decided that your son should remain there despite the racial animus and the financial burden your family is enduring.
They understand that you and his mother have chosen to transfer your son… They disagree with your decision. Not only do they disagree, they are going to take actions that will negatively impact your son’s educational experience after he is no longer attending Canevin. The Jesuits at Canevin decided your son would not play varsity basketball as a sophomore.
You and his mother are flabbergasted… You have no say over where Bishop Canevin administrators send their children to school. You do not get to decide if their daughter can play tennis or field hockey… Why do they get to make such a decision for your boy? Why do the Canevin Jesuits want to harm your boy?
Cavenin administrators sat directly across from you during meetings and mediation attempts surrounding the racial incidents. They acknowledged what happened. They see the ledger, they know you’re struggling with the tuition payments. They know all of this and, yet, they have determined that you and his mother should not send your son elsewhere. You should not seek an alternative placement for your son. They even go so far as to publicly declare that your decision to transfer is not based on all the aforementioned factors that kept you awake at night.
Canevin administrators basically, said fuck you and your wife…
They know your son was called a nigger here… They know school costs are problem for you… But, they have decided those factors did not influence your transfer decision. They determined that your concerns about racial incidents involving your son and their impact on his educational, social and emotional development are not important. At least not important enough to lead you to transfer. They have also determined the financial stress you endured is irrelevant.
Why would any Black family entrust the Administrators at Bishop Cavenin with their Black child’s educational development? They have demonstrated a willingness to usurp Black parental prerogative.
Although, the Bishop Jesuits were not at the kitchen table when you and his mother made educational decisions, they are effectively exercising a veto. Furthermore. their veto was enforced by administrators within the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). The Bishop Cavenin Jesuits and WPIAL think they know, better than you, what’s best for your Black son.
Shit… he’s the only member of last year’s state championship team that has not received his ring. You have no choice but to conclude, they just don’t like your son… Maybe… just maybe they don’t like boys like him.
Black parents… Stop sending your talented Black students to Bishop Canevin. If you decide to leave, they will feel they have some say in your future…
The Black Cager 