Congratulations to the Saints of Neumann-Goretti, who defeated Quaker Valley 93-68 to bring home the PIAA 4A State Title - PSD Photo by Mike Nance
Photos/Videos: Mike Nance, Donna Eckert, Rich Flanagan & John Knebels
By: Rich Flanagan
HERSHEY, PA - So many times Carl Arrigale contemplated what the next steps would be. Sitting in the bleachers in the Neumann-Goretti gymnasium in South Philadelphia, there were more times than not where he was at a loss for words as his concerns rarely centered on what was transpiring on the basketball court. Two years ago, his Neumann-Goretti team, led by Jordan Hall, Cameron Young, Hakim Byrd and Hysier Miller, won its first two state playoff games by a combined 71 points and appeared to be on a direct path to the title. The COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to that.
Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale - PSD Photo by Mike Nance
He recalled the anguish of not being able to lead that group of Saints players onto the floor at the GIANT Center and how things seemed to spiral out of control afterward, with little to do with the game of basketball.
Despite finishing the shortened 2021 regular season with only one loss, Arrigale and his staff were informed by the PIAA that the program was in violation of transfer rules and forced to vacate five wins. This prohibited Neumann-Goretti from the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals and the District 12 title game, quashing any possibility of a return to the state tournament.
Each new challenge was bigger than its predecessor and at the end of the day, the bad news wasn’t coming from losses on the hardwood; it all dealt with off-the-court issues that were determined by a higher authority.
So much was left up to chance and Arrigale was beside himself in figuring out ways to keep everything together.
“I had to try and center it and focus on giving the kids the best experience because that’s what I’ve always done this for,” Arrigale said. “I’ve done a lot of things to try and see this through and not waver. My main focus was not to waver for the kids and always show an upbeat face.”
The 2021-22 season started the way most do for Arrigale and the Saints with summer workouts and open gyms followed tryouts and early practices, and finally the team dove into its first slate of nonleague games in two seasons. Commence the next issue for Arrigale to maneuver through: a program shutdown, as a result of COVID-19 contact tracing, for 19 days after the team had only played one league game. Shockingly, the Saints played 14 games in five weeks en route to the Philadelphia Catholic title on the floor at the Palestra.
The longest tenured head coach in the Philadelphia Catholic League and holder of the all-time record for titles (12) couldn’t believe another controversy arose.
“I had to make it not about me; it was about them,” Arrigale said. “I kept changing our goals in my head over the season and I could never dream that we would be able to put it all together.”
Despite all the regression and uneasiness, Neumann-Goretti found itself back at the GIANT Center on Thursday and the bombardment of frustration was unloaded in the biggest game of the season. Aamir Hurst led six players in double figures with a career-high 20 points as the Saints dismantled Quaker Valley, 93-68 in the PIAA Class 4A Tournament Championship Game. The victory gives Arrigale his first state title since 2018 and ninth overall, extending another record. Hurst, who came in averaging 7.9 points per game, broke out for 10 points, including two of his four three-pointers, in the opening quarter to give Neumann-Goretti (23-4) a four-point lead after one.
Neumann-Goretti vs. Quaker Valley - PIAA 4A Championship Highlights by Rich Flanagan, Mike Nance & Donna Eckert:
Hurst was a member of that 2020 roster that advanced to the state quarterfinals and is humbled that he was able to have an opportunity to play for a state title in his final season.
“We weren’t able to get back for a few years due to COVID-19, so it means a lot to show up, have a good game and win another state championship,” Hurst said.
The 93 points were the second-most Neumann-Goretti had scored in a state title game since breaking out for 99 against Mars in 2016. Hurst became the first Neumann-Goretti play to score 20 or more points in a state final since Dymir Montague (23) in 2018, but there were contributions from a plethora of players who were waiting for their opportunity to shine, and they did it on the biggest stage.
Neumann-Goretti senior Masud Stewart said it was a blessing to compete - PSD video by Rich Flanagan:
A proud and elated Neumann-Goretti coach Carl Arrigale - PSD Video by John Knebels:
Bruce Smith finished with 14 points, his fourth double-digit scoring outing of the season, but his second straight after tallying 10 against Dallas in the semifinals. He converted an and-one to begin the second quarter then had five more points during a 10-0 run to push the Saints lead to 37-23 with 2:36 left before halftime. Big man Sultan Adewale, the 6-foot-8 junior big man who had double-doubles in the Philadelphia Catholic League title game against Archbishop Ryan and the state semifinals, scored four of his 10 points to close out the first half and allowed the Saints to take a 14-point lead into the locker room. He also added seven rebounds and three blocks in the win.
The other senior leader, Masud Stewart, who was a member of the rotation alongside Hall, Young, Byrd and Miller two seasons ago, came alive during a huge third quarter and helped spur a night where the Saints shot 63.8 percent from the field. After Hurst began the second half with a three-pointer from the corner, Stewart scored eight of the next 10 points to give Neumann-Goretti a 54-34 advantage.
This title was special to Stewart for much more than simply the amount of time he had to wait to be able to play for something so meaningful.
“I get to be a part of that [Neumann-Goretti] legacy,” Stewart said. “It means a lot because the past few years have been a struggle with COVID-19 and other outside stuff. Last year we couldn’t play in states because of other reasons but to win this and be here, honestly, it’s a blessing.”
Robert Wright III just completed one of the best postseason runs in recent memory, reminiscent of what former Saints greats like Ja’Quan Newton have done in their careers. The 6-foot sophomore emerged as one of the premiere guards in Pa. this season and he closed out a spectacular season with 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He avg. 21.8 ppg during the postseason, which began on Feb. 18 with a win over La Salle in the league quarterfinals. Quaker Valley (27-1), playing in its first state championship game, showed some signs of life by going on a 9-1 run to begin the fourth and cut the deficit to 70-53. Wright answered with a floater off the glass and the lead was back at 19 with 5:53 left to play.
The Quakers high-scoring duo of Adou Thiero (18 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) and Markus Frank (29 points, 10 rebounds) were superb, especially in the fourth quarter as they made their final push of the night. Thiero, who had Kentucky head coach John Calipari in the stands to take in his performance, scored the first four points of the fourth then Frank scored 19 points in the second half, one of those being an and-one to make it 81-66. Smith put back his own miss inside then Wright, as he seemed to do whenever the Saints needed an answer, swished a floater in the lane and the lead returned to 19 to put the finishing touches on a night that seemed unfathomable after two years where Arrigale wasn’t sure he could put the pieces back together.
“We never really got to our best because we never really had a chance to fix things,” Arrigale said. “We were playing so much. We’ve been chasing that best game.”
A tumultuous two years turned into a triumphant return to the top for Arrigale and Neumann-Goretti.
