Photos/Videos: Benji Rawson, Kathy Leister & Rich Flanagan
By: Rich Flanagan
PHILADELPHIA –The Roman Catholic roster looks drastically different from the past two seasons, both of which ended with major championships and added to the extensive legacy of the Cahillites program.
Roman Catholic head coach Chris McNesby - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister
In head coach Chris McNesby's first season back on the sideline, Daniel Skillings Jr. (Cincinnati), Khalil Farmer (Hofstra) and Xzayvier Brown led the Cahillites to the 2022 PIAA Class 6A title then last season current St. Joe’s freshmen in Brown and Anthony Finkley led Roman Catholic to its all-time leading 33rd Philadelphia Catholic League championship with the aforementioned Brown cementing himself with one of the most consequential shots in league history to force overtime.
They all have moved on but became stars at Broad & Vine. It didn’t happen immediately and seeing the way this year’s group plays, it’s noteworthy that its construction varies immensely from the way Roman Catholic rosters of previous seasons have been put together. Yet, the tradition of excellence continues for one of the premier programs in Philadelphia Catholic League history.
Sammy Jackson posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Robert Cottrell scored a game-high 17 points as Roman Catholic rolled to a 56-34 victory over Neumann-Goretti at Holy Family University. The storied programs have met in the last two league title games splitting the back-to-back matchups and what looked to be a potential preview of what may be to come in late February turned out to be a one-sided affair for much of the game.
Both teams were missing key pieces as Cahillites leading scorer Shareef Jackson was missing his third straight game with a sprained ankle while the Saints were without its two Division I commits in Amir Williams (Hofstra) and Khaafiq Myers (St. Joe’s), who suffered a torn ACL and is out for the remainder of the season.
Roman Catholic vs. Neumann-Goretti - PSD Game Highlights by Rich Flanagan
Cottrell had a big third quarter with seven points, including two three-pointers with the second one giving Roman Catholic a 43-28 lead. He then began the fourth with an and-one as Sammy Jackson found him on a backdoor cut and the Cahillites were up by 16 in a game where the lead never fell below double digits in the second half. Cottrell arrived at Roman Catholic last season by way of Simon Gratz and now the 5-foot-10 senior is someone McNesby and the newest additions look to in these types of games.
“Nobody really expected us to have this much success, but we need to keep pushing with our momentum and playing because we haven’t done anything yet,” Cottrell said.
With Shareef out, Roman Catholic (17-1, 8-1) looked to his younger brother, Sammy, the 6-6, 180-pound sophomore forward who can play inside and out. Sammy appeared in 10 games a season ago but after growing five inches between eighth grade and the beginning of this season along with some added muscle to that evolving frame, he is more than ready to contribute. He hit three-pointers on the day, the first to begin the second quarter then another to give the Cahillites a 21-13 lead with 5:47 left before halftime. His third trey of the afternoon put Roman Catholic in front, 26-13 as he finished off an 11-point quarter and put his side in terrific position.
Sammy already has comfortability on the perimeter with six assists, but he can also mix it up in the paint, recording three blocks against the shorter Neumann-Goretti (16-1, 7-1) lineup. No Shareef meant no problem for the Cahillites as Sammy sparked the biggest win of the season.
“We always talk about what Shareef does and when I have come into games in the past, he would show me how I could help,” Sammy said. “This way we don’t have a drop-off when he’s not in the game.”
Roman Catholic sophomore, Sammy Jackson #30 - PSD Photo by Benji Rawson
Sebastian Edwards, the 6-2 junior guard, is seeing his first season of extended action and he has performed well. He poured in 11 points with his left-handed layup on the right side of the rim giving Roman Catholic a 40-27 advantage at the 2:23 mark of the third quarter.
Cottrell, Sammy and Edwards are returnees from last year’s team but it’s the new, surrounding pieces that give the Cahillites offense its most versatility in several years. This team does not have Detroit Pistons forward Jalen Duren manning the middle or high-scoring guards in Lynn Greer III, Seth Lundy, Hakim Hart, and Justice Williams as the 2018-19 group did, but what it does have is a unique mix of guards who can play multiple positions to provide ample scoring, ball-handling and defensive prowess depending on the matchup.
Kabrien Goss (Trenton (N.J.)), Hunter Johnson (Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.)) and Travis Reed Jr. (Frankford) are three impact transfers that represent the latest influx of talent at Roman Catholic. It’s one thing to welcome a talented incoming freshmen class which eventually develops into a championship-winning lineup, but seeing this many transfers not only play but have integral roles is a change in philosophy and direction for the historic Philadelphia Catholic League program. It’s indicative of the current basketball landscape.
Johnson played two seasons at Cardinal O’Hara and has made his return to the Philadelphia Catholic League after a one-year stint in Orlando. The 6-foot senior has been a starter for the entire season and tallied four points, nine rebounds and six assists against the Saints. Reed has been one of the better shooters in the rotation. He hit a trey to open the game and finished with nine points.
Goss, the 5-4 senior guard, missed the first 12 games of the year coming back from two knee injuries and recently had his best game of the year with 11 points against West Catholic on January 15. He is now a full-time starter.
Those three along with 6-5 junior forward CJ Miller (Woodbury (N.J.)) have been essential to Roman Catholic’s success this season and will be pivotal to a deep postseason run.
Roman Catholic vs. Neumann-Goretti - PSD Gallery by Benji Rawson
Sammy feels having so many new faces that can do so many different things gives the Cahillites depth few teams in the league can boast.
“It’s always fun having new guys and teammates,” Sammy said. “We always bring in great transfers and the coaches do a great job with that. It’s great playing with new people and learning their games.”
The Saints battled at the start but couldn’t recover as the Cahillites interchanged lineups throughout the game. Torrey Brooks, the hero on Friday night after hitting the game-winning three-pointer to down Archbishop Ryan in overtime, was limited to four points, as was Stephon Ashley-Wright. West Chester University commit Larenzo Jerkins had another solid game with 12 points and 12 rebounds but that was the only bright spot for Neumann-Goretti. Jerkins hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 9-9 but after Sammy hit his first three-pointer to begin the second quarter, it was basically over at that point for a physically and emotionally exhausted team dealing with injuries coming off a wild game.
McNesby has inserted transfers into his lineup like Tony Carr in 2014 then later Lamar Stevens in 2016. Transfers are nothing new but adding an array of them at once combined with key returning players is no easy task, but to this point, the Cahillites have been cruising and they’re not finished yet.
“If somebody is having a bad game, the next person comes in and we’re all cheering each other up,” Cottrell said. “It’s tough in the Catholic League because everybody is going to compete. Everything is coming together.”