PHILADELPHIA, PA – Jordan Hall stands at 6-foot-8, making him the tallest player on Neumann-Goretti’s roster. The senior and St. Joseph’s commit has been a staple in the Saints front court for two seasons. Last year, he was utilized primarily as a shooter in an offense being run by Chris Ings (Rider).
This season, he’s the one running the show, finding shooters in the corner and creating mismatches in the low post with his quick first step and savvy passing ability. On a team with a number of players who can bring the ball up the floor in fellow senior Hakim Byrd, sixth man Hysier Miller and 6-6 Bowling Green commit Cameron Young, Hall is the one head coach Carl Arrigale has tasked with ensuring the Saints are getting the best shot possible on each possession.
Arrigale knows what Hall can do because he’s watched firsthand the maturation of his game, and as the Saints point forward, there’s few things he can’t do on the court.
“Jordan is big for us, especially when his mind and attitude is right,” Arrigale said. “He’s a great facilitator. I thought he got us a ton of good shots early but we just didn’t make them. He’s even a guy we can throw it into the post a little bit. He’s so versatile. He can shot the three and had some tough takes.”
Neumann-Goretti senior Jordan Hall (#23) scored 21 points to propel the Saints past Roman Catholic - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister NG vs. Malvern Prep
Hall poured in a team-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds while Byrd had 18 points as Neumann-Goretti held off Roman Catholic, 77-69 in double overtime to remain undefeated in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Despite fouling out in double overtime, it was Hall’s highest scoring output of the season and it couldn’t have come in a bigger game. Neumann-Goretti (12-2, 6-0 Philadelphia Catholic League) was playing in its first home game since Dec. 16 and Arrigale noted, “We usually shoot really well in here but we haven’t played at home.” They had played five league games on the road in a row.
Hall found junior Blaise Vespe (eight points) in the corner for a triple to tie the game at 58-58 with 2:38 remaining in regulation. A few possessions later, after the Cahillites’ Lynn Greer III had given his side a two-point lead, Hall converted a layup to tie the game at 63 all with 17.5 left in the fourth quarter.
The point forward position comes natural to Hall, who began his career at Cardinal O’Hara, and he was thrilled to be able to take that role over after Ings had graduated.
“Honestly, I’ve always been taller than most players and I have the point guard skills,” Hall said. “I see myself as a point forward. Last year, it was more of an adjustment with Chris because I couldn’t play that position. I like it a lot but I have to be able to have it translate it to the college level.”
This was the second consecutive regular-season matchup between Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic (8-6, 4-2) that went into at least one extra period.
Greer had 27 points a year ago to propel the Cahillites to victory and he had an opportunity to do it once again before a raucous crowd that jeered him all night long. The 6-3 senior had 17 points and nine rebounds and the Cahillites looked to him to close things out in regulation.
Neumann-Goretti vs. Roman Catholic Game Highlights by Rich Flanagan:
After Hall’s layup, he received the ball off the inbound, drove to his right and attempted a three-pointer while falling down but it was off the mark after a terrific defensive sequence from Miller and the game moved to overtime.
While Hall has been tasked with facilitating the offense, he’s also generally tasked with playing a variety of bigs and no defensive responsibility in the paint in the Philadelphia Catholic League may be more daunting than Jalen Duren. The 6-10 sophomore, who was a First Team All-Catholic as a freshman, had a career-high 27 points to go along with 19 rebounds and a two rejections.
After Hall scored the first basket in overtime, Duren slammed one home to tie it at the 1:56 mark of the first overtime. Later, Greer hit a smooth jumper from the elbow to tie the game at 68-68. Miller drove in for the win with and found Young (11 points, 11 rebounds, five steals) but Duren recorded his second block to force the second overtime.
Griffin, who has led the Cahillites to back-to-back league crowns, saw Duren emerge in a lineup with talented guards as a freshman and now he’s seeing the assertiveness in year two.
“He’s taken on a leadership role,” Griffin said.” He’s also taken ownership of his role as a player. That’s the next step for him is to be assertive. That’s what we work on every single day. He’s always looking to take it one step further. Last year, playing alongside Hakim (Hart), Seth (Lundy) and Louie (Wild), the game came a little easier but now he has to take it to another level.”
Just as he began the first overtime, Hall scored, this time on a tip-in, but fouled out on the next possession after being called for a charge. Miller finished at the rim to give the Saints a 72-68 lead with 1:05 left then Young sunk a floater in the lane to close the game out. Greer’s final three-point attempt of the night as the clock hit zero turned into a court storming of Neumann-Goretti students. The storming came after the Cahillites downed the Saints in the league semifinals at the Palestra last year when Roman Catholic students took the floor.
Roman Catholic sophomore Jalen Duren had 27 points in the Cahillites loss to Neumann-Goretti - PSD Photo by Zamani Feelings
With four players in double figures, Arrigale understands he has a plethora of guards who can put the ball on the floor and create alongside Hall. This year’s lineup harkens back to teams like the 2015 PIAA Class 3A title squad of Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble, Quade Green, Zane Martin and Vaughn Covington.
Arrigale knows what those teams can do and they’ve been some of his best.
“We actually moved Jordan to Chris’ spot, even when Hysier is out there because he gives us another ball handler,” Arrigale said. “When we’re at our best, we have multiple ball handlers. My best teams had four of them. I like to have the ability to have the extra ball handlers out there.”
The contest had all the makings of a classic Philadelphia Catholic League battle after the Saints took a two-point advantage into the locker room at halftime. Sophomore Justice Williams had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Cahillites including the opening basket of the game. He nailed two free throws in the third to give Roman Catholic its largest of the night at 41-34 but then Miller and Hall scored all of the Saints’ points during an 11-2 run to tie the game.
Hall has scored in single digits in four of the last six games but he’s not overly concerned about it because he knows his role is to be the point forward. He’s fine with that and he has a wealth of options on the offensive end to create for in Arrigale’s offense.
“(Coach Arrigale) really wants me to get everybody involved,” Hall said. “He knows I can score, get people involved and play defense. I have my role and everyone else has their role. That’s how we win.”