PHILADELPHIA – The season before Robert Smith transferred into Bishop McDevitt, the Lancers finished 0-13 in the Philadelphia Catholic League and hadn’t made the league playoffs since 2014.
Smith, then a freshman at Roman Catholic, didn’t feel he was realizing his full potential in the Cahillites program. At the same time, one of his closest friends, Ahmir Harris, also a freshman and a member of the Roman junior varsity team, was considering transferring to McDevitt.
Smith and Harris looked into what the Wyncote, Pa. school had to offer and they eventually agreed it was the right place for them.
“I found out he was going to McDevitt,” Smith said. “His dad came and talked to [head coach Will Chavis,] who talked to my mom. They said, ‘It’s going to be a good couple years.’ I can see how.”
The pair became the starting backcourt as sophomores leading the Lancers to the PCL playoffs as well as a berth in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs, where they lost to Neumann-Goretti in the quarterfinals. Along with fellow sophomore Jamil Manigo, Smith, a Third Team All-Catholic selection, and Harris put Bishop McDevitt back into contention in the PCL and that momentum has spearheaded them through their junior campaign, including Monday night in a rematch with the Saints.
Behind 21 points and two steals from Smith and 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocks from Manigo, the Lancers pulled away in the fourth quarter with maturity and clutch free-throw shooting in their 56-48 victory over Neumann-Goretti. Harris chipped in two points, five rebounds and two of Bishop McDevitt’s 12 steals in the game. It was a momentous win for the Lancers as they took down a team that had beaten them by 33 points a year ago and one that has claimed five straight state championships.
Only four of the Lancers’ 15 points in the final quarter were field goals. Smith started the quarter with a basket then Manigo scored four consecutive points including two foul shots to push the Bishop McDevitt (16-4, 10-2 Philadelphia Catholic League) lead to 47-38. On the ensuing possession, sixth man, Shamir Mosley hit two free throws to give the Lancers their largest lead of the game at 11 with under three minutes remaining. The junior guard scored 12 points and tallied five steals.
Smith noted what the team had accomplished last year has fueled them throughout this season.
“Last year was a start to what is going on right now,” Smith said. “We were young and only finished 4-9 in the PCL, which made us hungry. This year, we had to compete with the best and play hungry in every game. We prepped a lot for this game: trying to shut down the key players and making clutch baskets and free throws to ice the game.”
Bishop McDevitt's Robert Smith #2 controls the ball for the Lancers:
Robert Smith dishes it off to Shamir Mosley for two:
McDevitt's Shamir Mosley with the steal to the rim:
Two of Jamil Manigo's 11 points vs. Neumann-Goretti:
Junior guard Glenn Smith turns the corner and scores for McDevitt:
Smith didn’t need any extra motivation but going against Neumann-Goretti’s Chris Ings, a Rider commit, brought out a killer instinct he has been knownto showcase in his two seasons with the Lancers. He put together a stretch of 11 straight points from the end of the second quarter to midway through the third, which included a three-pointer that cut the Saints’ lead to 31-30.
For Chavis, whose team has already tied its win total from all of last year, this was a crucial victory and one which showed his team’s commitment and preparation had paid off.
“We have a lot of respect for Neumann-Goretti and all of the teams in the Catholic League,” Chavis said. “This was a big win with the tradition that they have there but we work and prepare really hard to do well. It’s a manifestation of all of that hard work that we put in every day.”
The only marquee league wins the Lancers had coming in were against Archbishop Carroll, St. Joe’s Prep and Archbishop Wood, a team they hadn’t beaten in their last 13 matchups. Bishop McDevitt has been aided by the play of another transfer this season, Glenn Smith, who came over from Archbishop Ryan. Glenn Smith scored five points, including a trey which tied the game at 33-33, to go along with four boards and a steal. Mosley made his presence felt with six points in the third, the last two of which gave his team a five-point cushion at 41-36.
Chavis has been pleased with the number of his players which have had an impact on games and it’s attributed to how his young core plays every game as if it’s their last.
“We have a saying, ‘Failure to prepare is preparing to fail,’” Chavis said. “We try to go and prepare as if it’s our last game. That’s the approach that we take. We don’t take it for granted. We try to come into practice and work hard on the things we need to work hard on.”
Neumann-Goretti (12-8, 8-3) had a difficult night for a variety of reasons. First, Chris Ings scored 12 points but he committed three turnovers and fouled out with 51.7 seconds remaining. Second-leading scorer Hakim Byrd was limited to six points on 2-for-7 shooting but he had a game-high five turnovers. Cameron Young was the one bright spot for Carl Arrigale’s team with 14 points, nine boards and three blocks.
NG senior Chris Ings drives to the basket with a classic spin move:
Compared to what Bishop McDevitt displayed on the road on Monday night, the Saints head coach says immaturity has the story of his team’s season.
“We’re really immature,” Arrigale said. “We make some really curious decisions at times. I don’t know what they’re thinking at times but we’re going to keep plugging away and keep trying to get this thing fixed in the next week or so then hopefully get on a roll in the playoffs.”
The win gave Bishop McDevitt its 10th PCL victory of the year, its first season with at least 10 league wins since 1989. The Lancers will relish this win and its significance to what they’ve been building together as a program.
Smith knows matchups with the top two teams in the league, Roman Catholic, where his career began, and Bonner-Prendergast loom before the playoffs begin but Smith knows if they want to be playing late into February these are the types of games they have to learn to win.
“We have to compete with the best,” Smith said. “I know we can do it. I know we can go to the Palestra and beat everybody in this league. We have to come out focused and come out ready to work every day. We came out here and showed as we beat one of the best teams in the league that has been on top for a couple years. Getting this win is a true lesson for us.”
Looking Ahead:This Friday. Feb. 8, Bishop McDevitt will host Bonner-Prendie at 7PM and on Sunday, McDevitt will conclude its regular season at home against Roman Catholic at 2:30 PM. Neumann-Goretti will finish up the regular season on the road and will play away against Cardinal O’Hara on Friday at 7PM and at West Catholic on Sunday also at 2:30 PM.