By: Rich Flanagan
Photos by: Mike Nance
PHILADELPHIA- When the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on life for so many across the U.S, it changed the landscape of basketball, particularly at the high school level. The AAU season was canceled, and the live recruiting period was pushed back further and further as cases steadily rose from state to state. At the same time, the NCAA decided to grant student-athletes an additional year of eligibility, thus making it more of an incentive to remain with a program than to transfer.
Therefore, the trickle-down effect brought almost a complete stoppage to recruitment of high school players. Scholarships have become limited and programs are looking at experienced players in the transfer portal instead of getting an underclassman up to speed with a new team. Two players who realized that the landscape was changing by the week were Philly Pride teammates Khalil Farmer and Daniel Skillings Jr.
Farmer had finished his second season with the Shipley School while Skillings completed his sophomore campaign at St. Joseph’s High School (N.J.). While practicing and playing together over the summer, the two began to have discussions about what would be the best fit for them, not only for recruiting purposes but for overall success. Playing on a Philly Pride team with talented prospects in Gabe Moss (The Hill School), Mike Walz (Conestoga), Naji Reid (Imhotep Charter), Mark Butler (Penn Charter), Alassane Amadou (Bishop McDevitt) and Nasir Griffin (West Catholic), both guys stood out and were looking for their next challenge.
They noticed a Philadelphia Catholic League program in the heart of the city coming off three straight trips to the league title game had lost a wealth of talent but had a rich history of winning and one of the premiere coaches in the area.
Roman Catholic junior Khalil Farmer is celebrated for his 1000 pt milestone before the game. (photo by Mike Nance for PSD)
Skillings recalled what he and Farmer wanted to accomplish and how their individual expectations became a driving force.
“We had lots of talks during the summer about wanting to come in and take over the PCL,” Skillings said. “A lot of people didn’t think Roman was going to be anything having lost a lot of valuable players, seniors and others to transferring. He and I talked throughout the year and showed them that we can bring something new.”
Skillings poured 15 of his 22 points in the second half while Farmer added 13 points as Roman Catholic cruised past Archbishop Ryan with a 70-58 victory at the Salvation Army on Friday night.
Both teams entered the contest with one loss on the season and the win put the Cahillites (9-1) in position to make yet another run to the Philadelphia Catholic League title game. Their only blemish is a loss to Archbishop Wood, a team they may very well meet in the title game, but they still have a matchup with Neumann-Goretti on March 10 before getting to that point.
Roman vs. Ryan Game Highlights by Rich Flanagan for PSD
Archbishop Ryan took it to the Cahillites early as Aaron Lemon-Warren scored two of the first three baskets of the game then a three-pointer from Luke Boyd gave the Raiders a 10-0 lead to start. Xzayvier Brown (12 points) put in Roman Catholic’s first bucket with a triple from the wing. Christian Tomasco, who corralled 11 rebounds, sank a pair of free throws to push the lead to nine. Matija Radunovic, another new addition for the Cahillites, scored five of his team’s next seven points to cut the lead to two.
Farmer, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, noted how the Cahillites are still working through some growing pains, even through 10 games into the season.
“We started off unfamiliar with each other’s gameplay but as the season has rolled on, we’re learning each other’s tendencies,” Farmer said. “We’ve been progressing slowly.”
The second quarter scoring for Roman Catholic began with a Skillings three from the corner. Farmer finally got on the board with a three-pointer of his own, which tied things up at 20-20. John Flood hit five free throws on the night, including two that gave the Cahillites a two-point lead with 3:59 left before halftime.
A 7-2 run capped off by a stepback three-pointer from Brown gave Roman Catholic a five-point advantage heading into the locker room.
The talent lost from last year’s squad cannot be understated.
Roman Catholic junior Khalil Farmer helped seal victory over Ryan. (photo by Mike Nance for PSD)
Lynn Greer III, who recently committed to Dayton, graduated, and is completing a prep year at IMG Academy (Fla.). Justice Williams and 6-foot-10 Jalen Duren, the No.3 player in the Class of 2022, also moved down to the sunshine state to play for Montverde Academy (Fla.). Christian Kirkland, who started several games, returned to Friends Select School, where he played his freshman season. Will Norman, a freshman starter last season, transferred to Woodbury High School (N.J.) to focus on football. Finally, Nasir Lett (Lincoln University) and Kyle Maska (Gwynedd Mercy) also graduated.
Altogether, that was 85 percent of its scoring output from a season ago. Greer left as arguably one of the most accomplished players in program history while Williams and Duren appeared primed to lead the Cahillites alongside the next wave of talent and claim a league title of their own. Those three were integral parts of Roman Catholic’s 2019 Philadelphia Catholic League title team.
With all of them gone the torch has now been passed to Skillings, a 6-6 athletic forward who can score from any spot on the floor, and Farmer, a 6-4 guard who combines a quick first step and ability to finish through traffic with a smooth jumper from the outside.
The Raiders (7-2) started to succumb to the pressure in the third quarter. Farmer scored inside then Radunovic, who chipped in 11 points and six boards, finished with his left hand to push the lead to 33-25. Lemon-Warren (14 points, seven rebounds) did his best to keep his side within striking distance in the third.
Roman Catholic junior Daniel Skillings Jr. scored game high of 22 points in game vs. Ryan. (photo by Mike Nance for PSD)
He scored four of Archbishop Ryan’s final six points in the quarter but Skillings halted that momentum with a triple to give the Cahillites an eight-point lead. Two baskets by Farmer to begin the fourth and a pair of free throws by Skillings increased the advantage to 11. As if he had not put a stop to several Raiders’ runs on the night, Skillings scored seven of Roman Catholic’s next 11 points.
Head coach Joe Zeglinski and the Raiders were coming off an emotional win over Bishop McDevitt on Wednesday, a victory over one of the better teams in the league and one that kept them in position to make a run to the title game.
This loss hurts their chances and Zeglinski stressed how his side started playing its opponent’s game instead of its own.
“It’s all about poise,” Zeglinski said. “We started pressing a little bit and rushing shots. It kind of snowballed after that. We played a tough game on Wednesday then had to turn around and play a really tough team. It caught up to us with all of these games in a row.”
The last team to appear in four straight Philadelphia Catholic League title games was Neumann-Goretti, which made nine straight appearances from 2009-17. The Saints, who also fell to the undefeated Vikings this season, will be the biggest test of the season for the Cahillites when they face off on Wednesday. Both teams have lost a lot from the squads that met in last season’s title game, but they boast reloaded starting lineups
There are a few things Skillings stressed that will make the difference in getting back to a spot Roman Catholic has long become accustomed to being in.
“Attitude,” Skillings said. “Playing more selfless and talking on defense. Stay focused. Stay engaged.”
