Boys Basketball Notebook (1/15)
Photos/Videos: Donna Eckert, Lennie Malmgren, Ryan Nix & Dylan Precious
By: Marc Narducci
Germantown Friends Jordan Dill just missed on half a 100
Jordan Dill says he had nobody to blame but himself. Then again, the 6-foot-1 Germantown Friends combo sophomore guard was being a little hard on himself. During the non-conference schedule, Dill exploded for 49 points in an 86-44 win over Bodine.
He fell one point shy of tying the school record of 50 points set by legendary Germantown Friends guard Jonathan Haynes more than three decades ago.
“I was really mad because my free throws weren’t falling and I usually don’t miss free throws,” said Dill, who shot 5-for-8 from the foul line.
Germantown Friends sophomore Jordan Dill #12 - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix
Haynes would go on to play with Villanova. He’ll go down as among the more successful players in Friends League history.
“He is a Philadelphia legend,” Dill said of Haynes. “I haven’t met him, but I can’t wait to meet him.”
Before his career is over, there are plenty of fans who will likely want to meet Dill as well.
Last season he averaged 23.3 points per game.
This year he is averaging more than 33 points per contest.
Germantown Friends was hit hard by graduation, which has made the Tigers more reliant on Dill’s scoring.
“We lost four seniors from last year, so the whole team is young,” he said. “I don’t go into every game feeling I have to score 40, I just want to win and do what I can. I don’t care if it means me stopping the best player or scoring 100, that is why we play, to win.”
The high school season will lead into what promises to be a busy offseason for Dill.
He plays for the AAU program Team Melo, sponsored by former NBA star Carmelo Anthony. This summer Dill will also compete for Puerto Rico in the U-17 national tournament in Egypt.
And after that, it will be recruiting.
NCAA coaches are able to contact prospective recruits beginning in September of the junior year.
“My dad has been telling me he has seen several Division I coaches since the summer (watching Dill play),” he said.
For now, he’s just concerned with helping Germantown Friends be competitive in the always difficult Friends League.
“We are definitely the underdogs with how young we are,” he said. “Everybody has something to prove, and I love being the underdog.”
Also from Germantown Friends, Dill led the Tigers with 17 points in a 74-46 loss to Friends Select. Zay Dill, a 5-9 eighth grader and the brother of Jordan, contributed 11 points.
Tough non-league schedule helps Friends Select in league opener
Friends Select had one of the more ambitious non-league schedules and the Falcons took their lumps on the scoreboard, starting out 0-9. Yet that is a deceptive record because Friends Select was competitive with virtually everybody.
Want some examples?
There was a 48-47 loss to perennial Philadelphia Catholic League power Roman Catholic, and two other close losses to Catholic League heavyweights, 64-58 to Father Judge and 59-53 to St. Joseph Prep.
There was also a 71-69 loss to Germantown Academy of the Inter-Ac League.
To their credit, the Falcons didn’t hang their collective heads. They opened up Friend League play with a 60-35 win over Shipley.
Leading the way was 6-1 junior Isaiah Marshall, who had 23 points and six rebounds. Owen Coughlin, a 6-7 junior transfer from Wissahickon, added 10 points and seven rebounds.
And then there was 5-10 junior Jay Chiles.
“Jay Chiles controlled the pace at the point guard position and had three steals, seven assists and three rebounds,” Friends Select coach Percell Coles said.
Chiles has been an impactful defensive force all season. In an earlier loss to Fels, he had 15 points and 10 steals.
This is junior-laden team, although 5-8 senior Tiko Morris-Louis has provided plenty of leadership.
While some teams may have gotten down by the scores from the non-league games, Coles continued to encourage his team and it paid off in the Friends League opener.
“I told the guys throughout, to keep their confidence and their heads up,” Coles said. “We knew we had to get better at taking care of the ball, but we have been getting better.”
It sure showed during the Friends League opener.
Friends Select opened FSL play with a 74-46 win over Germantown Friends - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
FSS junior Jay Chiles #4 - PSD Photo by Donna Eckert
Marshall had 23 points and six rebounds in a 74-46 Friends League win over Germantown Friends. Ahmeil McLaurin added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Reggie Moore contributed 17 points and three steals. Morris had 13 points and five steals.
Defending champs open with a league win
Defending Friends League champion George School opened league play with a 74-59 win over Abington Friends. Tristen Guillouette, a 6-9 senior, scored 29 points, shooting 10-of-14 from the field. Kasey Fleming, a 6-3 sophomore, scored 16 points and hit four, three-pointers. Freshman Tyler Sutton added 10 points.
Big win for Friends Central
Friends Central showed it will be a contender with a 73-69 win at Westtown. Pat Feamster, a 6-4 freshman, had a team-high 19 points. Reid Belcher, a 5-11 senior, added 18, while 6-3 senior Muhsin Muhammad added 11 points.
George School vs. Friends Central - PSD Gallery by Ryan Nix
Wallace leads Westtown in opener
Westtown opened league action with a 71-59 Friends League win over Abington Friends.
Cam Wallace, a 6-6 junior scored a team-high 28 points. Wallace recently announced that he has received an offer from Texas A&M.
The Moose came just short in a 73-69 loss to Friends Central. Wallace led the way with 21 points. Jayden Kelsey, a 6-7 junior combo guard added 20 points.
“We have had some big non-league wins, but we have yet to establish a level of consistency,” Westtown coach Seth Berger said.
Westtown vs. AFS Highlights by PSD Jr. Reporter Dylan Precious:
ANC update
Yet another Friends League contender, Academy of the New Church, improved to 2-0 in Friends League action with a 73-64 win over Shipley. ANC opened with a 19-9 first quarter advantage and controlled the game from there.
Bahsil Laster, 6-5 senior who is among the top players in the Friends League, had 15 points and four assists. Dior Carter, a 6-4 sophomore had 16 points and seven rebounds, while 6-2 sophomore Tobe Nwobu added 14 points and shot 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Littles leading the way for Shipley
Shipley, under first-year coach Tom Ferrick, suffered a 73-64 loss to Academy of New Church in its second Friends League game. In the final quarter, Shipley tried to battle back, outscoring the Lions, 17-11 in the fourth quarter.
The senior backcourt of Will Littles Jr. and Gyasi Miller combined for 40 points, with Littles scoring 21. Littles was 3-for-5 from three-point range, while Miller was 3-for-6. Matt Lange, a 6-2 senior, added 10 points.
In Shipley’s Friends League opener, Littles scored a team-high 14 points in a 60-35 loss to Friends Select. Littles shot 6-for-9 from the field.
ANC vs. Shipley - PSD Highlights by Lennie Malmgren
ANC vs. Shipley - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren
Abington Friends competitive in defeat
Abington Friends was competitive in its first Friends League game, falling 71-59 to Westtown. Zamir Parker-Barnes, a 6-5 junior combo guard, scored 28 points to share game-high scoring honors. The Kangaroos then were competitive in a 74-59 loss to defending champion George School. Parker-Barnes led the way with 19 points. Senior Kaydin Ford added 14 points and the third double-figure scorer was junior Kamani Healey with 10 points.