Photos: Lou Rabito, Colleen Claggett, James Quinn, Kathy Leister & Lennie Malmgren – Videos: Tommy Muir, Lennie Malmgren, Colleen Claggett
By: Marc Narducci
Westtown’s Lively stays grounded despite all the accolades
Dereck Lively II of Westtown doesn’t appear burdened by the expectations. This year the expectations couldn’t be higher for the 7-foot-1, 225-pound senior center.
Lively is the consensus No. 1 player in the country, a Duke commit. He was recently named to the McDonald’s All-American squad.
In addition to being named an All-American, Lively is among eight semifinalists for the Naismith Boys High School Player of The Year Award.
His game is both power and finesse, shooting and dunking and a heavy emphasis on defending.
In the 70-61 win over the Perkiomen School, Lively showed his all-around game, among his post moves, the three-point shot, adeptly running the floor, and defending. In that game he had 30 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots.
What might be scary is that Lively understands that he is far from a finished product.
“I feel my offensive game is still growing,” he said in an interview with PhiladelphiaSportsDigest.com “I am trying to be a more efficient scorer from the free throw line, the three-point line and getting to the rim.”
So, his game continues to expand.
Next season his skills will be showcased in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference for Duke. Lively and his fellow Blue Devil recruits will be the first ones who will play for current assistant Jon Scheyer. After this season, Scheyer will take over for legendary Mike Krzyzewski, who announced before this season that this will be his final one coaching Duke.
“I built a good relationship with coach Scheyer,” he said. “I know Duke is the right spot for me.”
Generally, if a somebody is listed as the No. 1 high school player in the nation, or near the top of that group, it usually means one season of college basketball and then on to the NBA.
Lively is the third Westtown player to earn McDonald’s All-American status. The others, Mo Bamba and Cam Reddish, spent one season in college with Texas and Duke respectively before becoming NBA Lottery picks. Bamba is with the Orlando Magic and Reddish recently was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the New York Knicks.
Lively understands the landscape, but he has taken a mature approach when the subject of the NBA is broached.
Westtown's Dereck Lively II (photos by Lou Rabito for PSD)
Westtown's Dereck Lively II - PSD Gallery by Lou Rabito
“I try to think of things in front of me instead of the future,” he said. “If I focus on the things in front of me, my future will come, so I try to stay focused on the games and practices in front of me.”
He then added, “I know over time I will get to the places I am looking to get.”
He has appreciated the chance to get to talk to Bamba and Reddish, something that his Westtown connection has afforded him.
“We talk occasionally, and I go to them if I have questions about things like the lifestyle at the next level,” Lively said. “I am grateful for the Westtown connection, to be able to reach out to them.”
He is also grateful for his time at Westtown, where he has spent his entire high school career.
Lively wasn’t able to play his freshman season due to an ankle injury, but even then, he displayed a mature outlook that helped his development.
“I knew coming out of middle school I was not ready to start on any team and was still working on my game,” he said. “Being able to sit and watch and learn helped me.”
Since that first year, he has blossomed each season to the point where he has earned his All-American status and No. 1 ranking.
Westtown vs. George School. (PSD game highlights by Lennie Malmgren)
“Dereck being named to the McDonald’s All-American team is amazing, but not surprising,” Westtown coach Seth Berger. said “He, just like Mohamed Bamba and Cam Reddish, puts in the hours in the gym to be the best player he can be.”
What Berger is most impressed about is how Lively attacks his work in the solitude of the gymnasium.
“Fans see the player on the court, I get to see how hard they work when the lights are off,” Berger said. “Dereck is in the gym by himself for hours upon hours. That is why he has become the player he is today.”
Lively can only hope his relationship with future coaches can match the one he has with Berger.
“Being able to put my trust in coach Berger, knowing he has my best interest is something I am grateful for and I know he will make the right decisions for me,” Lively said. “It makes it easier to play basketball.”
Lively said he was 6-10 and 190-pounds as a freshman. He has since grown, and he said that development-wise, getting stronger is his goal.
“I am always trying to gain weight, knowing everybody is trying to take me out of games physically,” he said.
Like many youngsters, Lively participated in several sports, including football (where he was a lineman), swimming and lacrosse.
He credits swimming with helping his athletic development.
“I am grateful for swimming because it helped my coordination,” he said.
He says he still does pool workouts, loves the cardio work and it’s a lot easier on his knees.
One thing that anybody can stump Lively on is his statistics. He doesn’t keep track, except for the W’s, which keep accumulating for Westtown, the seven-time defending Friends League champ and favored for No. 8.
“I am here to win games,” he said.
As for the NBA, he isn’t one to watch the league that much.
Westtown Senior Day vs. George School - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren
“I watch it occasionally, but I am usually playing,” he said. “I can’t sit, I want to play.”
And play he has.
Lively hasn’t let all the attention and plaudits get to his head.
His main goal is to win that next game, regardless of where he is competing.
That type of mature outlook bodes well for a player who will let others speak of his greatness, while he continues to put in the arduous work each and every day.
Westtown’s rugged schedule
Several Westtown players had impressive performances in Sunday’s 69-44 win over Blair Academy in the Lehigh Valley Showcase at Parkland High in Allentown.
Seyphon Triplet, Westtown’s 6-0 junior point guard, had 23 points, five rebounds and four assists. Lively added 19 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. Matt Mayock, a 6-5 junior, added 12 points and four rebounds.
Before that Westtown suffered a 54-43 loss to Sunrise Christian of Bel Aire, Kansas, which entered the game ranked No. 1 in the country according to ESPN.com
Westtown 63 vs. George School 40 in game Feb. 8 (PSD photo gallery by Lou Rabito)
Westtown senior combo guard Quin Berger had 15 points and two assists. Lively contributed eight points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. Jameel Brown, a 6-5 Penn State commit, added 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
In the aforementioned 70-61 win over the Perkiomen School, Quin Berger contributed 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.
George School tuning up for the postseason
George School, with Academy of the New Church, are considered the top contenders to favored Westtown for the Friends League title.
Recently, the George School has enjoyed some impressive wins, maybe none more than Sunday’s 60-48 victory over New Jersey’s St. Thomas Aquinas during the Metro Classic in Toms River, New Jersey.
George School vs. Abington Friends. (game highlights by Colleen Claggett for PSD)
George School 62 vs. Abington Friends 51 in Game on Feb 1. (PSD photos by Colleen Claggett)
St. Thomas Aquinas entered the game 20-0 and was the No. 4 team in New Jersey according to NJ.com.
A 22-9 fourth quarter clinched the win for the George School, which improved to 13-2,
Chris Bliss, a 6-4 sophomore, who has enjoyed an outstanding season, scored 23 points for George while 6-8 junior Kachi Nzeh added 17 and was his usual dominant self on the defensive end.
In a 56-46 win over Germantown Friends, George School 6-9 senior Gestin Liberis had 23 points, which included five dunks and 7-for-7 shooting from the foul line.
George School earned another win over a NJ team with a 66-63 victory over Trenton Catholic Academy. Nzeh led the way with 34 points. He had to come up big, especially since Bliss missed the game due to injury. Kyle Anderson, a 6-4 senior, added 13 for the winners.
Friends Central School sophomore coming on
Friends Central earned a 70-64 win last week over Abington Friends and the game showed the continued development of 5-10 sophomore Reid Belcher, who scored 15 points in the win.
“He is coming on well and leads us in virtually every statistical category,” coach Mike Cook said of Belcher. “He is a floor leader and the guys respect him. “He is helping us move forward as we build for the future.”
Collin Bowman, a 6-4 junior, had a team-high 16 points, including four three-point field goals, while 6-6 senior Kahmai Clark added 11 points.
For Abington Friends, 6-5 senior Debarrin Norman had 20 points, 5-10 junior Angel Otero 15 and 6-0 senior Aasim Gunther 12.
Friends Central vs. Abington Friends. (Photos by James Quinn for PSD)
Academy of the New Church's big two come through
All season 6-3 junior point guard Elmarko Jackson and 6-4 senior Anthony McCall have been the key leaders for the Academy of New Church.
Never was that more evident than in last week’s 73-63 win over Germantown Friends.
Jackson had 32 points, six rebounds and six assists, while McCall added 21 points and nine rebounds. McCall is averaging a team-best 20.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, while Jackson averages 17.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
In the loss, Germantown Friends’ two leading scorers came up big. Muhsin Muhammad, a 6-3 junior, exploded for 29 points, while 5-11 eighth grader Jordan Dill added 21 points.
Academy of the New Church vs. Germantown Friends. (photos by Kathy Leister for PSD)
Friends Select School uses balanced attack
A balanced attack led Friends Select to a 66-62 win over Friends Central. Christian Kirkland, a 6-7 junior had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Classmates Marley Ewell and Temir Davis had 14 and 13 points respectively. Senior Quaye Agoyo added 12 points.
FSS Coach Percell Cole talks about the win and full team effort heading into playoffs (video/Tommy Muir)
Friends Select School vs. Friends Central School - PSD Video Highlights by Tommy Muir:
FSS's Marley Ewell talks about adjustments in win vs. FCS. (video/Tommy Muir for PSD)
Grady continues to soar for Shipley
Junior combo guard Darrien Grady totaled 40 points as Shipley split its two most recent games.
Grady had 26 points, two blocks and four steals in Shipley’s 63-50 win over Sankofa International Academy. Raijon Dispensa, Shipley’s 6-7 junior added eight points seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals while 6-5 junior Will Lange added seven points and seven rebounds.
In a 45-44 loss to New Jersey’s Doane Academy, Grady had 14 points, four rebounds and two steals and Dispensa contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Grady is averaging a team-high 17.3 points.
Shipley's Darrien Grady #1 and Raijon Dispensa #4.(Photos by Lennie Malmgren)
FRIENDS LEAGUE PLAYOFF PAIRINGS SET
The Friends League playoff field has been set. All nine teams will compete in the playoffs.
There will be a game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seed on Wednesday (Feb. 9) to kick off the postseason.
Here are the pairings.
Wednesday Feb. 9
(9) Moorestown Friends at (8) Germantown Friends, 4 p.m.
Friday Feb. 11
Moorestown Friends-Germantown Friends winner at (1) Westtown
(7) Abington Friends at (2) Academy of the New Church
(6) Friends Central at (3) George School
(5) Shipley at (4) Friends Select
Tuesday Feb. 15
The semifinals will be at the higher seed.
Friday Feb.18
The Friends League Championship at La Salle University.
It will be a doubleheader, with the girls’ championship at 6 p.m. and the boys’ championship game at 8 p.m.
Standings (through Tuesday Feb. 8th)
Westtown 8-0, 20-7
Academy of the New Church 8-1, 15-5
George School 5-1, 13-2
Friends Select 3-3, 11-5
Shipley 3-4, 5-11
Friends Central 2-5, 5-13
Moorestown Friends 1-4, 1-7
Abington Friends 2-6, 11-9
Germantown Friends 1-7, 11-1