By: Rich Flanagan

Videos/Photos: Patty Morgan, Mike Nance &  Geanine Jamison 

CONTINUED FROM PART 1 ...

PHILADELPHIA - For the first time in 52 seasons, William “Speedy” Morris will not be roaming the sideline of any Philadelphia program, collegiate or high school. The legendary head coach retired after compiling a 1,035-455 record, making him the winningest coach in Philadelphia high school basketball history, and tallying eight league titles (six at Roman Catholic, two at St. Joe’s Prep). 

He has assembled an impressive staff to work with, which includes former Roman Catholic and Villanova standout Maalik Wayns and Ky Howard, who starred at Shipley and NJIT and whose father is Mo Howard, former St. Joe’s Prep and Maryland standout, played a few seasons in the NBA.

“This is almost like college-level intensity where all coaches are really locked into scouting, recruiting and game prep,” Harrigan said. “It really brings the best out of you. Every game is so brutal. It gives me an understanding of what to tell my staff and players what it takes to be successful. I feel a lot better coming in this time than the last. I had no idea how tough the league was.”

While Lansdale Catholic (6-16, 2-12) has not made the league playoffs since 2013, sixth-year head coach Joe Corbett thinks his Crusaders have a distinct advantage this season and they plan to exploit that. The Crusaders will have one of the bigger front lines in the league, even with the loss of forward Hunter Healy, who transferred to Bishop McDevitt. Corbett’s team also lost last year’s starting point guard Jamir Hicks to graduation and L.J. Phillips, the football team’s starting quarterback, will not be playing this season as he focuses on his career at Davidson College.

The two bigs will be 6-6 senior Jimmy Casey, who avg. 11.6 ppg in his first season with the Crusaders after coming over from Quakertown, and Kellan Ward, a 6-5 senior who saw time last season. Casey plans to play football in college but Corbett notes that “he adapted and held his own against some of the bigger guys in the league.” Ward had 13 points against Devon Prep and will see plenty of touches down low.

The Crusaders know their strength is inside and Corbett plans to make that the primary focus on the offensive end.

“We will be an inside-first team,” Corbett said. “We run the two big offense and spend a lot of time talking about what happens when one gets into foul trouble. One thing they have to do is shoot 15-16 feet out and we allow them to shoot. If we get them to shoot, it will open things inside for the other big and not clog the lane for the guards. You have to move the big guys out with pick & rolls so they’re not too stationary while also working the high post.”

Alongside Casey and Ward, Liam McDonell, a 5-10 junior, “will run the show at point guard this season,” according to Corbett, and seniors Matt McDougal and Shawn Gibbons (5-10) should also play major minutes. One addition to watch is 6-foot junior James Juarez.

Father Judge (9-13, 3-11) returns one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league in 5-10 senior Nahseer Johnson, a Third Team All-Catholic who avg. 17.1 ppg last year, and 5-9 senior Justin Blythe, who avg. 13.1 ppg a year ago. Johnson enters his final season with 720 career points, trying to become only the second 1,000-point scorer in school history (2017 grad Marc Rodriguez).

“Those two really had a great year along with Jalen, who was an unknown but stepped up and had some big games for us,” Tait said. “We had some games that were right in our grasp, despite all of the injuries, because of those three guys. Justin had to do more things and Nahseer had to handle the ball a little more. Going into the season we’ll be ok with those guys handling the point guard duties.”

Francis Bowe enters his third year at the helm of Archbishop Carroll (17-10, 8-6) and he has had the Patriots on the cusp of reaching the league semifinals in each of first two seasons. Two years ago, they had a 17-point lead on La Salle in the quarterfinals before squandering it then they had Archbishop Wood on the ropes before losing in overtime.

While the Patriots have not made the semifinals since 2018, Bowe does not downplay the expectations for the program since he took over for Paul Romanczuk.

“Paul left a mark on the program that no other coach has ever been able to do and I knew that coming in,” Bowe said. “There’s nothing that I can do that tops what he did but I want to let everyone know there are some quality kids in the school and the program. It takes a little bit of coaching and a little bit of talent. We’ve been able to do some nice things and were seconds from being in the Palestra [two years in a row.] We’re hitting year three and it’s an interesting dynamic.”

Harold Ivery, a 6-5 lefty and versatile junior, will play key minutes and provide help on the defensive front. Two members of the Patriots football program will figure into the rotation in Nick Lamey, the 6-foot senior quarterback, and 6-4 senior forward Darryl Simpson, who had six sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss this season.

Two seasons ago, Mike McKee and the La Salle Explorers (10-12, 3-11) survived the Patriots to eventually advance to the Philadelphia Catholic League title game. Last season, following the loss of four collegiate players, La Salle took a step back with only one returning starter, Jake Timby (Catholic University) coming back from that title-game team. The Explorers also lost Shane Holland (Albright College), Mike DiPietro (Moravian College) and Liam O’Donnell.

McKee, a former two-time league champion with Roman Catholic, has learned even more about the league since becoming a head coach and, while the team did not have a Division 1 player a year ago, that newfound perspective will continue to benefit his program.

“Some of the teams are very deep, talented and well coached,” McKee said. “If you look at my first year here, we ended up having three Division 1 players. That’s a blessing to have that in your program. Last year, we didn’t have that and that doesn’t mean our guys didn’t work really hard. The reality is that you have to have a certain level of talent in this league because there’s physicality and athleticism that you need to match. We were competitive but when we played some of the better teams we were a little overwhelmed.”

Philadelphia Catholic League Coach of the Year Kevin Funston, entering year three at the helm of Bonner-Prendergast, lost a 2020 class that went 34-7 in league play over the last three seasons and made four consecutive trips to the playoffs, including the 2018 title game. Throw in a run to the 2019 PIAA Class 4A title game and that class was one of the most accomplished in school history. Donovan Rodriguez (Northwest College of Wyoming), Christion Johnson (Georgia Court), Cobe Ruley (Cabrini), Oscar Uduma, who will play football at West Chester, Tyreese Watson, who reclassified to the class of 2021 and is doing a prep year at Springfield Commonwealth Academy (Mass.), and Connor Eagan have all moved on.

Add in Gestin Liberis, a 6-8 forward who transferred to the George School and reclassified to the class of 2022, and Funston has his work cut out for him. Still, he felt the latest senior class left a lasting impression on the program. 

“They really embodied what we are as a program,” Funston said. “They had a toughness about them and played with passion. It typically takes about two to three years to get your guys in and establish a culture and when I started, the first few years were tricky but it wasn’t until we brought in this class that things looked to be headed in the right direction. We really started to establish an identity and they brought into their roles. It’s a completely different team this year.”

There are still a few holdovers from last year’s roster including Malik Edwards, the 6-2 senior and Second Team All-Catholic selection who avg. 13.0 ppg. He’s the lone returning starter and “he’s really going to fill that void” left by the 2020 class, according to Funston. “He’s been waiting for this moment.” 

Funston is extremely high on his freshman class led by 6-3 guard Elijah Duval, brother of former IMG Academy and Duke standout Trevon Duval, and Touri “Deuce Ketner,” a 6-5 guard who is the brother of Tairi and son of Larry Ketner, the former Roman standout. Other freshmen include Jamal Hicks, a 6-1 guard, Jahseir Pendergrass-Sayles, a 6-4 guard, Kodi Johnson, a 6-4 combo guard, and Zafir Stewart, a 6-4 forward.

While Conwell-Egan (3-19, 0-14) did not win a single league game a season ago, third-year head coach Adam Bowen feels his Eagles are ready to make a huge jump in 2021. Conwell-Egan only lost one starter in KJ Davis, who avg. 12.2 ppg and will do a prep year at I.M.P.A.C.T. Baller’s Academy (Fla.) while reclassifying to 2021. In his first two years, Bowen has had to change over the roster and build a foundation with freshmen and transfers.

Last year had its fair share of difficulties but by the end of the season, Bowen’s team started coming together and playing as a cohesive unit.

“We had a very emotional end-of-season meeting and when you bring a lot of freshmen and transfers and throw them all together, they have their own agenda,” Bowen said. “The message was you’ve got a decision to make: if you’re going to be here, you have to do it our way and play together. Otherwise, it’s not going to work. Every single one of them made the decision saying, ‘Our way didn’t work and now we’re going to try your way.’”

Alex Ings, whose brother, Chris, starred at Neumann-Goretti and now plays at Rider, started at point guard for the Eagles. The 6-2 sophomore avg. 8.3 ppg, which included a 23-point game against St. Joe’s Prep where he nailed a school-record seven three-pointers. “He’s coming in with much more confidence this year,” according to Bowen. Donald Imo, a 6-8 senior forward, and Derrick Dolan, a 6-1 senior guard who worked with Rowan head coach Joe Crispin in the off-season, are back. The captains will be 6-2 senior guard Jalen Carey and 5-10 senior guard Mac Coyle. Jordan Garrison, a 6-6 junior forward, and Tyraiq Corbin Jr., a 6-2 sophomore guard whose father, Tyraiq, played at Truman High School and West Chester before a 10-year professional career in Europe, will be in the rotation.

A big addition will be 5-10 sophomore guard Destined McCray, a member of West Chester East’s PIAA Class 5A District 1 title team last season. He had 13 points in a game against West Chester Henderson as a freshman. Two freshmen who figure to see major minutes in year one are Aiden Mondragon, a 5-7 guard and Dolan’s brother, and Nate Townsend, a 6-2 forward, whose grandfather, Brian was a First Team Northern Division All-Catholic with the Eagles in 1974.

Will Chavis and Bishop McDevitt (17-8, 12-2) said goodbye to the most heralded senior class in school history when Robert Smith Jr. (West Chester, Jamil Manigo (West Chester) Ahmir Harris (Georgian Court), Shamir Mosley (Kutztown), Glenn Smith (Shippensburg) and Kevin Young graduated in the spring. That class went 27-14 in league play in the last three seasons, which included a trip to the semifinals in 2019 and the program’s first-ever trip to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals that same year.

The Lancers lost Trenton Middleton, who transferred to Math, Civics & Sciences and was a member of the rotation last year, but they have added plenty of depth. Justin Moore, a 6-1 junior transfer from Cheltenham, will man the point. He took over the Panthers offense after Zahree Harrison (St. Francis (Pa.)) went down with a season-opening injury. He had 14 points including going 10-for-13 from the free-throw line against the Lancers in a regular-season matchup. Bishop McDevitt also added Naim Walker, a 5-9 senior guard and All-Public League Liberty Division First Team who avg. 16.2 ppg at Overbrook last year, and Jaren Morton, a 6-4 junior guard who avg. 6.2 ppg at Winslow Township (N.J.). An addition inside will be Healy, the 6-7 senior big who avg. 7.9 ppg.

There are also multiple returnees starting with Terrell Pitts, the 6-4 sophomore forward who holds offers from Nebraska and St. Peter’s. He had 12 points versus South Philadelphia High School. Alassane Amadou, a 6-8 junior forward with offers from St. Joe’s, La Salle, Sienna and Drexel, will make a major jump in his second year in the program. He hit two crucial three-pointers to help down Roman Catholic in the regular-season finale. Sherod Cannedy, a 5-9 junior guard, Shawn Smith, a 6-2 junior guard, and Quinn Guilyard, a 6-4 senior forward who Chavis says is “only player left from my first year and a guy who “knows what to expect” finish out the rotation.

Last season ended without a single state champion, an acclaim Philadelphia Catholic League teams have become almost synonymous with in recent years, and the goal is to get back to claiming state titles. Despite an off-season unlike any other and limited practice time, there will be a league slate and champion crowned, which is all any of these teams could ask for. From Arrigale’s quest for league title No. 12 to the addition of a multitude of new players to Bishop McDevitt’s final run, the 2021 season will be one to remember following a year many will never forget.