BY JEREMY GOODE

PHILA.-- In 1995, it would be difficult to assess what would be the newly hired boys’ basketball coach of the Academy of The New Church (ANC), Kevin Givens, return on investment.

 Reflecting on the hire 31 years later… people may start looking to ANC for stock tips.

The program has won seven Friends School League titles under Givens, and appeared in 15 championships. Currently, they are coming off back to back league titles, and looking to three-peat.

And on Sat., Jan 3, Given's further cemented his case at ANC by winning his 400th game, as defending Friends School League champion ANC beat defending Inter-Ac League champion William Penn Charter in their home gym, 70-61.

It is great to be a Lion now, but it did not use to be this way, especially at the start of Givens' employment at ANC.

“When I first started and took over the program, we had a season where we were 1-21, 2-19; we did not win many games,” Givens said. “In fact, everyone wanted to play us because we just were not that good. The difference is, we started to bring in some players, and then people stopped wanting to play me.”

While it took a little bit of time to get ANC off the ground and running, Givens eventually -turned ANC basketball into a powerhouse. Earning his first Friends School League title in 1998, he has since collected six more, including the last two seasons in which his Lions have gone back-to-back.

It has been a rich 30 plus years of history for the program, all of which Givens has overseen. From Hakeem Christmas to Elmarko Jackson, Givens has coached a plethora of talent which illustrates how he was able to get to 400 wins.

And the talent does not stop when a player leaves ANC. Givens has developed many players who have gone on to play at prestigious programs after high school, including Syracuse, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, among several others.

This year has been a continuation of Givens’ progress at ANC. He has a loaded roster that is looking to three-peat as FSL champions. He has the talent and experience to do it.

After returning most of his repeat league championship from last year who beat George School in Feb. 70-54 for the trophy, ANC is poised to win its third title in a row for the first time in program history.

They have the personnel and coaching to do it.

Cam Smith, who just committed to Kutztown University, is shooting 62 percent from the field and averaging just over 15 points per game. Bryce Rollerson, currently uncommitted,  is leading the team in scoring from the point guard position with 18.4 points.

Ryan Warren, also uncommitted, is averaging a near double double with 15.9 points and 8.6 rebounds.

“This year, my role is to get rebounds, score for my team of course,” Warren said. “Just make the plays that my team needs to win.”

Dior Carter, also uncommitted, is adding over 10 points per game and 2.5 steals per contest.

It was all on display at Penn Charter before both teams were to dive into conference play.

ANC hit the court running, scoring 21 points in the first quarter while maintaining a 10-point lead. They held onto a 39-31 lead at halftime, with Rollerson leading the way with his shooting on 16 points, including four three pointers on four of four shooting from beyond the arc. Warren had 14 at the break.

“I am a very comfortable shooter from the outside and the team really relies on the outside shot,” Rollerson said. “Confidence comes from the work that I put into my three-point shot.”

While ANC fell victim to several turnovers, they continued their defense effort in the third quarter, outscoring Penn Charter by eight while holding them to 11 points and  maintaining a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter. While Penn Charter’s Carter Smith scored 34 points on the afternoon, he was held to four in the third.

ANC held off a final Penn Charter run by Carter Smith and George School transfer Casey Fleming, as Rollerson’s five points in the final eight minutes kept Penn Charter from getting too close.

“We could have limited turnovers, found the open man more, but I feel like we played well and that’s how we got the win,” Warren said.

ANC has grown accustomed to winning with this squad over the past two seasons. The talent is there; it seems to be a matter of staying the course and playing winning basketball. Most notably, protecting the basketball.

Perspective is also important. ANC’s opponent is a Penn Charter team that lost its entire starting five –the backbone of its going undefeated in the Inter-Ac League -- to college programs last year,

For both teams, it was a good game to schedule, as it featured non-league teams that each had a championship pedigree in neighboring conferences.

“Two great programs; great schools, a lot of relationships and ties; I know a lot of coaches over there; a lot of players from Penn Charter, so a lot of respect to them,” Rollerson said. “We had a good game plan coming in. Watched a lot of film on Penn Charter, and we thought we had the upper hand.”

For Givens, while there is work to be done as they approach their competitive friends school league schedule, the win at Penn Charter goes far.

“It was a good game,” Givens said. “We have good scorers, and we’re athletic and a little longer than they are. But, I think we did a very good job today on rebounding the basketball, and I think that helped us out.”