BOYS BASKETBALL: League Leaders, Top Guards & Fierce Freshmen Compile This Week's PCL Roundup (Through January 16)

Photos/Videos: Colleen Claggett, Kathy Leister, Rachel Macauley & Krystal Williams

By: RICH FLANAGAN

PHILADELPHIA - We are a little over a month away from the next quartet of teams meeting at the Cathedral of College Basketball for the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals. We have played two weeks’ worth of games and there have been terrific matchups already. Roman Catholic traveled to Archbishop Wood and lost but rebounded to defeat Archbishop Ryan two days later. Devon Prep played in what seemed like its most anticipated matchup in recent memory when it hosted the Vikings on Friday night but could not pull out a victory. La Salle started league play with a pair of losses but turned things around with two consecutive wins.

While it’s still early in the season, we have seen plenty of notable performances and here’s a look what has transpired thus far:

Archbishop Wood reigns supreme:

In the span of three days, the Vikings handled two of the top contenders in the league in the Cahillites and the Tide. Drexel commit Justin Moore has been the perfect fit at point guard for Archbishop Wood, taking the position after Rahsool Diggins (UConn) graduated last year. The former Bishop McDevitt standout and 6-foot-2 senior guard had 21 points, including two three-pointers, in the 64-61 win over Roman Catholic. He followed that up with 15 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter, to go along with three rebounds and six assists in a 71-61 victory over Devon Prep.

The Vikings lost 92 percent of their scoring from last season with the loss of Diggins, Daeshon Shepherd (La Salle), Marcus Randolph (Richmond), Jaylen Stinson (James Madison) and Muneer Newton (William Penn College). All Archbishop Wood did was reload and retool to keep itself atop the league. Basil Laster, a 6-4 junior guard, emerged as a nice complement to Moore. He had 18 points against the Cahillites and received an offer from head coach Zach Spiker and Drexel the next day. He’s averaging 8.1 points per game and should be a key to the Vikings success.

Carson Howard has been a terrific presence in the middle. The 6-7 junior forward who transferred in from Lacey Township (N.J.) is avg. 9.1 points on the season. Through three Philadelphia Catholic League contests, he is also avg. 12.0 rebounds and his best game of the season may have come Friday night against the Tide when he tallied 17 points and 16 boards.

Wood Defeated Roman 64-61 on 1/2 - PSD Gallery by Kathy Leister

Wood vs. Roman Highlights by Kathy Leister:

Howard’s best facets are finding open spots down low on dribble drives but he is ferocious when attacking the glass. The Vikings staff knows he can do those things and they’re working to extend his game next.

“They’ve been teaching me to get outside and look for shots,” Howard said following the win over Devon Prep. “They want me to develop my shot but I also want to help my team win. I’m going to do whatever is in my power to win whether that’s crashing the boards like in this game.”

Head coach John Mosco has been thrilled with Howard’s development and what more he can contribute to this team.

“He’s got to get a lot better, but he’s a banger, the league’s not big, so he’s able to move his feet, guard the ball, he’s good on hedging on screens, so that’s one of his biggest assets,” Mosco said. “He’s just got to learn to finish and get better around the basket. And he can shoot the ball, but he doesn’t want to pick-and-pop all the time.”

Jalil Bethea, a 6-4 sophomore guard, has been the team’s best outside threat this season. He hit a pair of treys against the Tide. Returning rotational players in 6-3 senior guard Tyson Allen and 6-4 senior guard Mike Knouse have been integral to the strong start. Allen poste 12 points and seven rebounds versus Devon Prep while Knouse had 10 points of his own. Add in 6-2 sophomore Josh Reed, who had four of his six points against the Tide in the fourth quarter to help seal the win, and 5-10 senior Sherod Cannedy, another Bishop McDevitt transfer, and the Vikings have multiple options in their pursuit in a second straight Philadelphia Catholic League title.

Nemetz has his next crop of outstanding guards at Cardinal O’Hara:

It was only two seasons ago that head coach Ryan Nemetz helped vault Cardinal O’Hara back into contention in the league behind a lethal array of guards in Ant Purnell, Tre Dinkins, Adrian Irving and Jameel Burton. The Lions also had big man Solo Bambara in the post and they advanced to the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Two years later, Nemetz has depth and talent in his four-guard out offense and this next group has performed well through four league games.

It starts with 6-5 junior Izaiah Pasha, a transfer from Central Dauphin East who can play out on the perimeter or in the post to create a mismatch.

Heading into Friday’s action, he was avg. 14.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. He scored 17 and 14 points in losses to Roman Catholic and Archbishop Wood, respectively, to begin the league slate. He poured in 23 points while 6-2 sophomore guard Hunter Johnson added 20 points in a 60-51 victory over La Salle. It marked the first time that two players on Cardinal O’Hara scored 20 points in the same game since Dinkins (21) and Irving (20) against Bonner-Prendergast on Jan. 27, 2020.

Cardinal O'Hara defeated Arch. Carroll 55-53 on 1/14 - PSD Gallery by Kathy Leister

O'Hara vs. Carroll - PSD Highlights by Kathy Leister:

Johnson started as a freshman and has vastly improved, avg. 11.7 ppg this season. He also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Explorers. The emergence of 6-foot junior guard Josh Coulanges has paid dividends for the Lions. He had 18 points, including the game-winning layup, eight boards and three steals in a 55-53 win over Archbishop Carroll. Even with the layup, the Patriots still had an opportunity to tie or win it and Moses Hipps appeared to have a clean look, but Johnson rejected his shot to end the game. Pasha accounted for 16 points, including two three-pointers, seven rebounds and four assists against Archbishop Carroll.

Other options include 6-6 sophomore Pearson McGuinn, who can also play inside or out and has become a viable rim protector, and 6-foot sophomore guard Zuri Harris. McGuinn had nine boards and three blocks against the Vikings. In an offense where Nemetz gives his guards the freedom to make plays on the fly, he certainly has options to attack an opposing defense. If things go as they did in 2019-20, the Lions could be back in the postseason.

Freshmen are making an impact throughout the league:

Another season and another opportunity for incoming players to make a name for themselves. Freshmen have taken the league by storm once again and it’s not simply in the scoring column. Shareef Jackson, the 6-7 forward, has been the starting center for Roman Catholic this season. His father, Marc, was a standout for the Cahillites before moving on to play at Temple then seven seasons in the NBA. While only avg. 3.7 ppg, he’s been superb on the glass and at protecting the rim. He had seven rebounds and three blocks against Bonner-Prendergast this season.

St. Joe’s Prep boasts two of the most impactful young players in 6-1 guard Jaron McKie, son of the Temple men’s basketball head coach, and Olin Chamberlain Jr., the grandnephew of the late NBA HoFer Wilt Chamberlain.

McKie is avg. 13.3 ppg in his first season with the Hawks and scored 15 points against the Friars on Jan. 14. Earlier this season, he exploded for 27 points against Abraham Lincoln, the most by a St. Joe’s Prep freshman since Steve Vasturia (Notre Dame) had 24 against La Salle on Feb. 2, 2010.

St. Joseph's Prep freshman guard Jaron McKie #1 drives to the basket - PSD Photo by Krystal Williams

Chamberlain has taken command of the offense at point guard. He had six points, five assists and two steals vs. Conwell-Egan then scored eight points against the Friars. The Hawks have a dynamic backcourt tandem for years to come that is getting better with each game.

Isaac Cole, a 6-5 guard, hit three-pointers in West Catholic’s opener against Abraham Lincoln and has been a member of the rotation ever since.

Kevair Kennedy, a 6-foot guard, has seen action for Father Judge and has a bright future ahead.

Devon Prep’s Zane Conlon, a 6-4 forward, had 15 points in a win over Newark Charter (Del.) earlier this season and remains a rotational player.

Saaid Lee, a 5-9 guard, and Elijah Gunther, a 5-11 guard, have become mainstays in the starting backcourt for Bonner-Prendergast.

Jake West, a 5-9 guard and Plymouth Whitemarsh transfer, is avg. 8.4 ppg for the Carroll Patriots and has been a welcome addition to an already talented and crowded pool of guards.

Antwone George, a 6-foot guard at Conwell-Egan, has seen extended minutes to begin his career.

Finally, Archbishop Wood boasts 6-2 guard Milan Dean, 6-2 guard Deuce Maxey and 5-9 guard Mike Green, who will be the future of the program. All three have seen varsity action this season.

West Catholic freshman guard Isaac "Ice" Cole #25 - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert

Archbishop Carroll freshman guard Jake West #10 - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister

PCL Standings & Around the League Updates:

Philadelphia Catholic League Standings Through Jan. 16

Archbishop Wood (3-0)

West Catholic (3-0)

Neumann-Goretti (1-0)

Roman Catholic (3-1)

Archbishop Ryan (2-1)

Devon Prep (2-1)

Cardinal O’Hara (2-2)

Father Judge (2-2)

La Salle (2-2)

Archbishop Carroll (1-2)

Bonner-Prendergast (1-2)

St. Joe’s Prep (1-2)

Conwell-Egan (0-4)

Lansdale Catholic (0-4)

Top Ten Scorers Through Jan. 16

Lucas Orchard, Devon Prep, 19.9 ppg

Robert Wright III, Neumann-Goretti 18.8 ppg

Daniel Skillings Jr., Roman Catholic 17.8

Niame Scott, Conwell-Egan 17.2

Justin Moore, Archbishop Wood 17.1

Moses Hipps, Archbishop Carroll 17.0

Sam Brown, La Salle 16.6

Khalil Farmer, Roman Catholic 16.1

Thomas Sorber, Archbishop Ryan 16.1

Luke Boyd, Archbishop Ryan 16.0

Ernest Shelton, Father Judge 15.6

West Catholic twin brothers Kareem & Kaseem Watson say that they feed off each others' energy & note who would win in a one-on-one after the Burrs 59-33 victory vs. Father Judge - Video by Rachel Macauley