“Don’t ever disrespect me… Man!”
“Me and Antwan Butler are the best two point guards in the city… Don’t ever disrespect us by comparing us to junior point guards… They’re not ready!”

Sam Sessoms, December 9, 2017

Shipley Senior Point Guard, Sam Sessoms

A year ago, I sat courtside and witnessed a magisterial point guard performance… I saw a young man do what he wanted, how he wanted, when he wanted against a Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse… He was unstoppable…

At the conclusion of that game, trying to capture the essence of a dominant 44 point performance… I spent a few moments thinking about different ways to describe what I had witnessed… Now, I’m a capable scribe… I know how to use thesaurus.com… But, after about 3-4 minutes I just decided to write what I truly felt at the time…

So I typed the following: “Collin Gillespie is a BAD MUTHAFUCKA!”

After all my years of study… undergraduate and graduate degrees… That was the very best I could do.

I was proud of myself! It really conveyed what I was trying to get across… People understood… It resonated…

Tonight… I find myself in the same position… So… I must emphatically state that…

Sam Sessoms is a BAD MUTHAFUCKA!

He singlehandedly willed his Shipley squad to a victory over mighty Neumann-Goretti in one of the marquee matchups of the five game set organized by Jeremy Treatman.

The Play-By-Play Classic Carroll Tip Off featured some of the finest players on the east coast. Tyree Pickron, Andrew Funk, Ryan Young, Justin Paz, Marcus Littles, Dahmir Montague, Will McNair, Donelle Holley and AJ Hoggard all played on the same court tonight. It was truly a glorious gathering of scholastic stars.

But one shined brighter than all the rest.

This ain’t AAU…

This past summer he played an important facilitator role while paired with two top 20 National recruits (Cam Reddish, Duke commit and Louis King, Oregon commit). With Shipley, Sessoms is asked to bring and aggressively utilize all of his tools… And, he has a full set…

Tonight… He was deep in his bag!

Sam Sessoms dominated this game against Neumann-Goretti. Scored 37 points and assisted on five (5) other baskets. But more than the stats, it was the way he did it. He refused to let Shipley lose. Neumann-Goretti defenders, especially, the uber athletic Chris Ings, were able to bother him from time to time. Nonetheless, Sessoms imposed his will on the game start to finish.

He helped his teammates play better. He offered encouragement and stern redirection when necessary. Whenever he sensed Neumann-Goretti gaining confidence he went for the kill. Pull up jumpers… Crossovers, spin moves, in and outs… Whatever was needed to create space, he utilized…

Well on his way to 2,000+ career points and headed to Binghamton after prom and graduation, he appears intent on forging a legacy that will stand the test of time.

For those that are admirers of “Philly guards”, I encourage you to make a few trips out to the Main Line to catch Shipley in person this season. You really won’t be disappointed, because…

Sam Sessoms is a BAD MUTHAFUCKA!