Coleman to Clemson

According to a number of sources, Friends' Central (PA) senior guard Devin Coleman ended his recruitment Saturday night, committing to Clemson and coach Brad Brownell. Coleman, a 6'3 guard, is currently on an official visit to the ACC school. Coleman selected Clemson over Penn, Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Siena, Rhode Island, and several other schools.

Last night, Coleman watched Clemson easily dispatch of Wake Forest, 63-49. With the win, Clemson improved to 8-6 in the ACC and kept themselves on the tournament bubble. Wake Forest dropped to 1-13 in conference play with the loss.

Below is a link to an interview with Devin's high school coach, Jason Polykoff, as well as a recap from when Friends' Central took on Jersey City's Saint Anthony High School.

Interview with Jason Polykoff


Friends' Central-Saint Anthony Recap

Philadelphia Catholic League Semis-Faces in the Crowd

Both the Philadelphia Public League and Philadelphia Catholic League semi-finals took place last night. At Southern, Imhotep and Constitution were the winners, setting up a battle for the Public League crown this weekend at Temple. Imhotep has won the past two years and have as loaded a roster as you're going to find in the city. Constitution has some star power of its own, with junior guard Daiquan Walker being the biggest name.

I was able to attend the PCL semis at the Palestra last night. In game one, Archbishop Carroll defeated La Salle 58-45. Sophomore guard Yosef Yacoub led the way for Carroll, scoring 18 points. For La Salle, senior guard and Rider commit Eddie Mitchell had 22 points.

The second semi-final game was the headliner, and for good reason. Neumann-Goretti escaped the Palestra with a one-point winner over Roman Catholic, 47-46. Lamin Fulton was the high-man for Neumann, scoring 14 points in the win. Roman had two double-digit scorers in Montana Mayfield (12) and Junior Fortunat (10).

A detailed recap will be up later. For the time being, you can check out Rick O'Brien's article on the Neumann game here and Ted Silary's article here .

There were a number of high school and college coaches in the house, as well as some other recognizable figures.

Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Vetrone was on hand to watch unsigned senior big Junior Fortunat. I wrote a piece on Junior last week, that can be found here .

Legendary Tom Konchalski of the HSBI Report was also in attendance.

Former Saint Joseph's Hawk player Rashid Bey was another familiar face in the crowd.

Check back later for a recap of the night's games.

Pat Swilling Jr. Leaves Hawk Hill

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Ray Parillo, Saint Joseph's freshman guard Patrick Swilling Jr. is no longer enrolled at SJU, per a source close to the situation. Prior to last Wednesday's home game against Xavier, Swilling was reported as being in violation of the school's code of conduct policy. Both Swilling and junior center Todd O'Brien missed the Xavier game, and on Sunday, the Temple game. While Todd O'Brien is expected back with the team this week, it appears as if Swilling is gone. In the Ray Parillo article linked here , a source close to the situation claimed that Swilling returned home to New Orleans prior to the completion of the judicial process.

In a blog article on NewOrleans.com, author Ed Daniels reports that Swilling is likely headed to either Central Florida or Louisiana Tech. That article can be found here .

Patrick averaged just under 12 minutes per game with the Hawks, averaging 1.4 points per game. He is the second Hawk to leave the team during the season. Sophomore guard Justin Crosgile left the team at the beginning of the month "to concentrate on personal issues."

The Hawks return to action Wednesday night at UMass.

Terry Sanford High Takes Mid-South 4-A Title

On Friday evening, Terry Sanford High School (NC) won their fifth consecutive Mid-South 4-A conference championship. 2011 Saint Joseph's basketball signee Chris Wilson dropped 17 points in the winning effort, pacing his team in a 58-51 win over Jack Britt.

With the win, Terry Sanford improved to 24-2 on the season. Chris Wilson, a 6'2 point guard for Terry Sanford, won tournament MVP. A recap of the game, written by Earl Vaughan Jr. of FayObserver.com, can be found here .

I spoke with Terry Sanford coach Bill Boyette last month about his team, and specifically about Chris Wilson. Those articles can be found here and here .

Terry Sanford has their opening round NCHSAA playoff game on Monday afternoon. I will be speaking with Coach Bill Boyette as his team moves through the state playoffs. Check back for updates.

Junior Fortunat Getting Looks

As fall turns to winter, and winter turns to spring, the number of quality unsigned seniors in high school basketball dwindles down to next to nothing. Over the past couple weeks, I have taken a look into the play and recruitment of Friends' Central's Devin Coleman, who is arguably the best unsigned senior guard in the city of Brotherly Love. Today we are going to move into the frontcourt and look at Roman Catholic senior big Fortunat "Junior" Kangudi. According to most that follow Philadelphia high school hoops, including Ted Silary, Junior is the best available big-man in the city.

Junior is a 6'8, 220-pound post player at Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High School. Originally from Montreal, he is in his second season at Roman playing under head coach Chris McNesby.

At 6'8 and 220, Junior plays the 5 for Roman Catholic, but is being recruited to play the power forward spot in college. A very strong finisher around the rim, Junior possesses great athleticism and loves to run the court. He runs well and thrives in the open-court. On the defensive side of the ball, Junior is a shot-blocking and rebounding presence. In a big win last Sunday over Archbishop Wood, Junior had 20 points, 9 rebounds,and 4 blocks. Roman Catholic plays their opening-round Catholic League playoff game today at Father Judge, and will likely take on Neumann-Goretti if they are to advance. Last week, Roman fell to Father Judge by a point, missing a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.

I got to catch up with Junior on Wednesday night, and he gave me an update on his recruitment. A native of Montreal, Junior's native tongue is French, which has played a significant part of his recruiting process. At the moment, he is awaiting his most recent ACT scores. Junior took the ACT last week and will receive his scores shortly. Once those scores come in, and his high school season comes to a close, Junior's recruitment will begin to pick up steam.

At the moment, Junior has a wide range of schools calling and inquiring about him, ranging from the Big East to the Big 12 to the CAA. Seton Hall is one of the schools pursuing Junior the hardest at the moment. In addition to the Big East school, Missouri is another school that has recently jumped into his recruitment. Rutgers, Drexel, VCU, and Fairleigh Dickinson are also in the mix. Coach Marcus Toney-El at Fairleigh Dickinson is making a hard push for Junior, as well as unsigned senior guard Carrington Ward, also from Philadelphia.

While these schools are currently involved with Junior, he is also open to hear pitches from new schools. In no rush to decide, he wants to take visits once his qualification is settled and his high school season is over.

When asked what he was looking for in a school, Junior said that he most wants the opportunity to compete early for minutes. Junior told me that he is aware that minutes will not simply be given, but that they have to be earned. That being said, he has no interest in taking a redshirt next year.

As things develop with Junior's recruitment, I will continue to provide updates here. With so few quality unsigned players around this late in the year, expect to hear a lot about Junior this spring. Quality big men are always at a premium, especially those with Junior's athleticism and mobility.

Upcoming Updates

Sorry that things have been quiet on here lately. I am working on a number of pieces that will be going up over the next 24 hours or so.

One piece is on Roman Catholic senior Junior Fortunat, who gave me an update on his season and recruitment. Roman Catholic begins the Catholic League playoffs today at Father Judge.

I will be speaking with Chris Wilson's high school coach, Bill Boyette, later today and getting an update on how Terry Sanford High is doing in their playoffs.

There will also be a look into the recent information regarding Saint Joseph's players Todd O'Brien and Pat Swilling Jr.

Devin Coleman Sets Clemson Visit

According to Hale McGranahan, on the Clemson Scout.com site (linked here ) Friends' Central senior guard Devin Coleman is planning a late-month visit to Clemson. The ACC school is a relative newcomer in Coleman's recruitment, but they are coming hard. An assistant from Clemson was on hand when Coleman and his Friends' Central squad nearly knocked off Bob Hurley's Saint Anthony team last weekend.

Most schools involved with Coleman, like Saint Joseph's, Penn, Penn State, and La Salle, are close to home. Obviously Clemson is not, but that does not seem a deterrence at the moment. In the McGranahan article linked above, Coleman expresses high interest in Clemson.

I have written a number of pieces on Coleman over the past couple of weeks. They are all linked below.

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap-Devin Coleman

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap-General

Interview with Coleman's High School Coach

Continue to check back for updates on Devin's season and recruitment.

2/12 Odds and Ends

It was a great night of high school hoops in Philadelphia on Friday. I was unable to make it out to any of the games, but fans were treated to a number of great games with major implications.

First off, Friends' Central defeated Academy of the New Church last night for the Friends League title. It is their second consecutive title, one they captured with a 52-48 victory last night at Haverford College. Unsigned senior guard Devin Coleman had 17 points and 6 boards for Friends' Central. Star junior Amile Jefferson had 12 points and 8 rebounds, despite battling foul trouble once again. For ANC, junior Marcus Gilbert had 18 points. Recently named McDonald's All-American Rakeem Christmas had 7 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Rick O'Brien's article from Philly.com is linked here .

In the Philadelphia Catholic League, Neumann-Goretti defeated Saint Joseph's Prep on a final-second three by Lamin Fulton. With the game tied at 74, Neumann rebounded a Prep miss and called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Fulton heaved a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Neumann a 77-74 win. Lamin Fulton was the star for Neumann, but also got help from sophomore guard Johnny Davis, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. For the Prep, the star was once again sophomore Steve Vasturia. He had 28 points for Saint Joseph's Prep. The box score and recap are linked here .

In Saint Joseph's recruiting news, according to Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop, coaches watched Princeton Day School's Davon Reed on Thursday night. Reed appears to be one of the staff's top recruiting target in the 2013 class.

On Wednesday, Ted Silary released a list of the city's best college basketball prospects. It's well worth a look. The article is linked here .

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap Part Three

Over the course of this week, I have posted recaps of Sunday's Hakim Warrick Classic. If you missed any of those articles, they are linked at the bottom of this. They focus on the Friends' Central-Saint Anthony game.

The day's first game, between Neshaminy and Penn Wood, seemingly had the makings of an entertaining game. Both teams star Big East recruits. Neshaminy junior guard Ryan Arcidiacono has already given a verbal pledge to Jay Wright and Villanova. On the other side of the ball, Penn Wood wing Aaron Brown will be playing for Bob Huggins and West Virginia next year. Unfortunately, Neshaminy was never able to establish themselves on the court, and found themselves trailing 48-27 at the half, and ultimately losing 85-49. Below are player recaps of Arcidiacono, Brown, Sean Oakman, and Darian Barnes.

Ryan Arcidiacono- Neshaminy Junior: Arcidiacono is clearly the key to the success that Neshaminy has found over the past two years. They go as Ryan goes. On Saturday, he was kept in check by Penn Wood's physical defense and held to only 10 points. Penn Wood threw a number of defenses at Neshaminy with the sole intention of stopping Ryan. He was double-teamed nearly every time he touched the ball. Ryan exerted so much energy simply getting the ball, and when he got it, he was trapped, double-teamed, and frustrated. To his credit, Ryan didn't back down at all from Penn Wood's physical play and toughness. Standing 6'3, Ryan is strong and willing to mix it up inside. Unfortunately, on this day, he was unable to get it going offensively. Neshaminy is still one of the better teams in the region, but on this day it was all Penn Wood. Neshaminy had no answer inside for Sean Oakman, Darian Barnes, or Aaron Brown.


Aaron Brown-Penn Wood Senior: This was my first time seeing Aaron since last season's state final contest against Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Right off the bat, it was evident that Aaron has bulked up, adding muscle to an already strong frame. He is a muscular, athletic, 6'5 wing that certainly looks the part. On Saturday, he played the part too, in front of West Virginia assistant coach Billy Hahn. Aaron won MVP honors for Penn Wood with his 29-point, 12-rebound performance. Aaron scored the ball just about every way imaginable. He has always been a tremendous finisher around the basket due to his tenacity and athleticism. On Saturday, he showed some perimeter skills that were still a work in progress last year. Aaron knocked down shots from three and hit perimeter shots off the dribble. Every time I saw Aaron last year, I was impressed by his competitive nature. However, at times he appeared to sulk. That was not an issue on Sunday, as his play and on-court demeanor were both tremendous. Aaron looks like a player that will be able to play the wing at the Big East level next year for West Virginia.

Shawn Oakman-Penn Wood Senior (Pictured Above): The Penn Wood big man was just too much for Neshaminy inside. There are few bigs in the area that can match up well with Oakman, who is headed to Penn State next year to play football for Joe Paterno. While not the most polished player, Shawn would have had himself a nice college basketball career if he had chosen that route. Not only is he an absolute load in the middle, but Shawn has a nice, soft touch from the free throw line and can hit the mid-range jumper. Sean had 15 points in the game, and although I don't have an official rebound total, he certainly had an impact on the boards. The 6'8 250 pound senior is basically a walking double-double. On Sunday, he was just too much for Neshaminy in the paint.

Darian Barnes-Penn Wood Senior: While Aaron Brown and Sean Oakman get the bulk of the press for Penn Wood, senior Darian Barnes also plays a critical role. Barnes impressed me last season every time I saw Penn Wood, and he was no different on Sunday. Currently, Barnes is unsigned, but he certainly looks like a player that could have a nice college career at the right school. When you look at Barnes, the first thing you notice is his ridiculous length. Darian is 6'8, but looks to have a wingspan well over 7 feet. He uses this length and athleticism on both sides of the ball. For Penn Wood, Darian is the finesse to Oakman's brute strength. Although they are roughly the same height, Oakman seems to have an easy 60 or 70 pounds on Barnes. Darian will have to add muscle to his frame in order to really live up to his potential. At the moment, he is a player that contributes by blocking shots, scoring in transition, and getting rebounds. His size, length, and athleticism make him a really interesting prospect. According to ESPN.com, Mount Saint Mary's and Robert Morris are two schools interested in him. Darian is someone that I am hoping to follow up on as the district and state playoffs begin.

Recap Part One

Recap Part Two

Picture of Shawn Oakman above courtesy of the Delco Times.

Pittsburgh Junior Gathers Three In-State Offers

Last week, I posted an article here about how Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli was one of many coaches that flocked to Pittsburgh last weekend to watch a high school tournament. It seems as if one particular player in that tournament, Beaver Falls' Sheldon Jeter, impressed. According to the Pittsburgh Basketball Report ( here ) Jeter has recently collected scholarship offers from Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Penn State. Along with the Penn State offer cam an unofficial visit to campus this past weekend.

Sheldon Jeter is a 6'6 wing who missed the first part of the season with a broken bone in his left hand. Since his return, his Beaver Falls team has won nine consecutive games. A video of Jeter, filled with highlights from last season, can be found here .

Hakim Warrick Recap Part Two

Yesterday I began my recap on Saturday afternoon's high school games at Philadelphia University. In the recap, I focused on the play of Friends' Central. This article will look at a handful of the Saint Anthony players. The final recap will look at Penn Wood's Aaron Brown, Sean Oakman, and Darian Barnes, along with Neshaminy's Ryan Arcidiacono.

Myles Mack-Saint Anthony Senior: Mack, a senior guard headed to Rutgers in the fall, was not the top name in the contest. In fact, he's not the biggest name in his very own backcourt. However, on this day, Mack provided the spark that ultimately won the game for the Saint Anthony Friars. Myles scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Most of his points came during a flurry at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. While Mack is certainly not the tallest player on the court (generally listed around 5'9), he plays with great confidence and speed. His jumper, which wasn't falling in the first half, came to life in the second. Myles scored driving the ball to the basket, as well as shooting it from the perimeter. He is part of Rutgers' highly-regarded recruiting class next season, and has the look of a player that will be competing hard for minutes as a freshman.

Kyle Anderson-Saint Anthony Junior (Pictured Above) : Kyle Anderson has the reputation as one of the most unique players in high school basketball, regardless of class. Standing 6'8, Kyle has a tremendous feel for the game, a high basketball IQ, and a skill set more commonly found in players that are 5'8. The debate surrounding him, and one that could play a significant role in his college choice, is where he plays for you on the court. Anderson handles the ball like a point guard, but stands 6'8. He is a great facilitator of the offense out of the high post, where his height and vision allow him to really control the game. This was my second time seeing Kyle this year, and it was not his finest performance. Despite struggling with his shot, Anderson finished the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. While not particularly quick or athletic, Kyle has such a great feel for the game. Even in this particular contest, where he was struggling from the field, he was able to impact the game in so many other areas.

Jerome Frink- Saint Anthony Junior: Frink is one of the few post players that Bob Hurley has in his rotation. Although he has the size of a wing, Frink plays mostly down low for Hurley. Frink and senior Tyjuan Williams are the primary bigs for the legendary coach. Jerome, who stands right around 6'5, has a wide frame, good strength, and really solid athleticism. In this game, he scored 6 points and pulled down his share of rebounds. Frink is currently getting looks from a variety of colleges. Due to his height, colleges are likely going to want him to prove that he can play at the 3. Otherwise, despite his strength and athleticism, he would be an undersized power forward. I can see Frink being a player that gets a number of Atlantic 10 and CAA offers, with a chance to play himself into some higher offers as well.

Josh Brown- Saint Anthony Sophomore: I saw Brown, along with Frink and Anderson, earlier this year at the Eddie Griffin Challenge. He made a couple of plays during that showcase that really impressed me, so he is a guy I was looking forward to seeing again. Considering the fact that he's only a sophomore, and logging solid minutes for the Friars, it's obvious that the talent is there. Brown connected on a three in this game en route to his 7 points. This 6'2 guard is yet another player earning his way for the Friars. Already earning minutes as a sophomore, Brown should see even more time next year with the graduation of Myles Mack. He's yet another player to keep a close eye on in this sophomore class.


Photo of Kyle Anderson above is linked for this Zagsblog article.

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap Part One

Yesterday afternoon, Philadelphia University hosted the Hakim Warrick Classic, a triple-header of high school hoops featuring some of the best teams in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In fact, the headliner game of the day featured the number one high school team in America, Jersey City's Saint Anthony. In order to get something up here tonight, I am breaking the recap into two parts. The day's first game, between Neshaminy and Penn Wood, ended up being much more of a one-sided affair than I anticipated. Penn Wood won going away, 85-49. Penn Wood got a 29 point, 12 rebound MVP performance from senior wing Aaron Brown. I will write about Brown, fellow Penn Wood seniors Sean Oakman and Darian Barnes, and Neshaminy junior Ryan Arcidiacono tomorrow, so please check back. The focus of this entry will be on the day's second game, between Friends' Central and Saint Anthony.

Earlier in the week, Saint Anthony coach Bob Hurley registered his 1,000th win of his career. On this day, he would earn win 1,002, although, the game was anything but easy for Hurley and his Friars. Saint Anthony came out of the gate very slowly, and found themselves trailing 12 to 7 at the end of the first quarter. Saint Anthony actually went into the locker room trailing 22-21 at the half. An offensive outburst at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter helped Saint Anthony close the gap and take the lead. Rutgers-bound guard Myles Mack caught fire near the end of the third quarter. He scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. The Friars ended up winning the game 59-49, but it was a much closer and more competitive game than that score indicates.

A few players on each side stood out to me. Below are write-ups on the Friends' Central players, with Kyle Anderson, Josh Brown, Jerome Frink, and Myles Mack's write-ups for the Saint Anthony side of things being posted tomorrow.

Devin Coleman- Friends' Central Senior: Coleman won MVP honors for the Friends' Central Phoenix, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. It was a gritty performance by Coleman, who scored all 19 points in the paint and at the free-throw line. In the first quarter alone, Coleman scored on three offensive rebound put-backs. While he never got it going from the perimeter, Coleman was extremely effective defensively, on the glass, and scoring the ball. The 6'2 guard plays with toughness and a great competitive streak. His athleticism and toughness were on display yesterday as he went toe-to-toe with the number one team in America. A number of college coaches were in the house yesterday, a few of whom were probably paying extra attention to Coleman. Clemson, Penn, Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Penn State, and Siena are rumored to be among the schools battling for his services next year.

Amile Jefferson-Friends' Central Junior (Pictured Above): Jay Wright, Fran Dunphy, and Phil Martelli represented 3/5 of the Big Five at the games yesterday. With the possible exception of Saint Anthony's Kyle Anderson, there was no player yesterday who those coaches would rather have on their team in two years. Amile scored his 1,000th career point during yesterday's contest. Despite being riddled with foul trouble, Amile had a strong outing, scoring 15 points and collecting 8 rebounds. Amile picked up his third foul in the second quarter on a questionable charging call. From that point on, he had to play more tentatively, and FCS coach Jason Polykoff went offense-defense substitutions with Amile whenever he could. Amile has just about every school in America recruiting him. Where he plays in college will be interesting, as he appears to be a combo forward at the moment. For Friends' Central, Amile is the only player about 6'2 or 6'3 that gets significant minutes, so he is forced to play in the post. He is very likely, at 6'8, to play at the 3 in the right college system too. Wherever he plays his college ball, and whatever position, Amile is one of the nation's most interesting and talented juniors.

Conrad Chambers-Friends' Central Freshman: Chambers is a freshman guard who played well beyond his years yesterday, scoring 10 points and handling intense ball pressure from Saint Anthony. Chambers hit at least once from beyond the arc during the contest, and also earned a few trips to the free-throw line, where he knocked down critical shots. At the moment, Amile and Devin get the lion's share of the recognition at FCS, but Chambers and sophomore guard Karon Davis are going to earn their accolades as well. Chambers really impressed yesterday, playing a very mature game for a freshman on a big stage.

Karon Davis-Friends' Central Sophomore: This was my third time seeing Davis, and he continues to impress. The heady, strong sophomore guard is one of many talented sophomores in Philadelphia. Davis, like Conrad Chambers, handled Saint Anthony's defensive pressure very nicely. Davis, Chambers, Malique Killing, and Devin Coleman were the primary ball-handlers for FCS during the game. Davis scored five points, including a corner three when Friends' Central was in control of the game. Only a sophomore, Davis is one-half of Friends' Central's backcourt of the future.

A write-up of the Penn Wood game, as well as player reviews for Saint Anthony will be up tomorrow, so please check back again then. I am also working on a number of other articles. These will be a bit of a departure from the norm here. I'm looking forward to writing them and hope you will enjoy them. They will pop up over the next week or so.

Picture of Amile Jefferson Courtesy of bluedevilnation.com

Saint Anthony, Penn Wood Victorious in Hakim Warrick Classic

I caught two-thirds of today's Hakim Warrick Classic over at Philadelphia University this afternoon. A complete recap of the games will be up here tomorrow. In the day's first contest, Penn Wood ran all over Neshaminy. Penn Wood was led by senior wing Aaron Brown, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds in front of one of his future coaches, West Virginia's Billy Hahn.

In the day's second game, Saint Anthony (NJ) took down Pennsylvania's Friends' Central 59-49. The final score, however, is not indicative of how close the contest was. Friends' Central took a lead into halftime, and expanded it to nearly double digits near the end of the third quarter. Some shaky ball-handling and questionable shot selection allowed Saint Anthony to claw into that lead going into the fourth quarter, before getting an offensive outburst from senior Myles Mack. Mack, who is headed to Rutgers next year, breathed life into a somewhat stagnant Saint Anthony offense on a flurry of drives to the basket.

Friends' Central was led by unsigned senior Devin Coleman. Coleman had 19 points and 15 rebounds, winning MVP honors for the Phoenix. Junior forward Amile Jefferson had a solid outing despite being saddled with foul trouble. Freshman Conrad Chamber and sophomore Karon Davis also played well for Friends' Central.

A number of college coaches were in attendance for the day's triple-header. In addition to Billy Hahn, Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli, Villanova's Jay Wright, Temple's Fran Dunphy, and a member of the Clemson coaching staff were also in attendance. Jay Wright watched his 2012 commit Ryan Arcidiacono in the day's first game. Villanova is also recruiting Saint Anthony's Kyle Anderson and Friends' Central's Amile Jefferson. Clemson and Saint Joseph's are among the schools recruiting Devin Coleman, who played a terrific game in front of some potential suitors.

Again, a complete recap will be up tomorrow.

Enjoy the Super Bowl everyone!

Hawks Snap Skid; Hakim Warrick Classic Tomorrow

On Saturday evening, the Hawks got their first win of 2011, beating UMass 67-64. The win snapped a 9-game losing streak, and gave the Hawks their first win since New Years Eve against Siena. Saint Joseph's played the game without leading scorer, sophomore guard Tay Jones, who missed the game with an ankle sprain that he suffered yesterday during practice. Senior guard Charoy Bentley got the start in his place, playing 32 minutes for the Hawks. The Hawks were led by freshman guard Langston Galloway, who went 6-6 from three en route to his game-high 25 points. The only other double-digit scorer for SJU was freshman Daryus Quarles, who finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Saint Joseph's held a 4-point lead going into the half, and increased the lead to 13 with roughly 9 minutes to go in the game. Behind hot shooting from guards Freddie Riley and Anthony Gurley down the stretch, the lead was whittled all the way down to 1. Senior forward Idris Hilliard hit two critical free throws for the Hawks in the final seconds, and SJU escaped with their first conference win of the year. UMass out-rebounded Saint Joseph's 42-23 and shot 42% from three. However, the Mintemen only connected on 6 of 14 free throws, and turned the ball over 15 times to the Hawks' 7.

The Hawks have a week off before facing off with Fordham next Sunday in New Jersey.





The Hakim Warrick Classic will take place tomorrow afternoon at Philadelphia University. I will be on hand for the games, so check back on Monday for a recap. The schedule is as follows:

Neshaminy vs. Penn Wood- Noon

Friends' Central vs. Saint Anthony- 1:45

Shabazz vs. Lower Merion- 3:30



The games feature a number of highly-regarded players. 2012 Villanova commit Ryan Arcidiacono stars for Neshaminy, and will face off against 2011 West Virginia University commit Aaron Brown. Friends' Central stars senior Devin Coleman and one of the best juniors in America, Amile Jefferson. Another elite 2012 recruit, 6'8 guard/forward Kyle Anderson headlines a loaded Saint Anthony roster. The Friars are currently ranked as the #1 high school team in America. Again, I will be on hand for the games, so check back on Monday for a recap.

February 1st Odds and Ends

Instead of putting up a number of short articles, I decided to include everything in here. The topics range from the Hawks' roster on Wednesday to Justin Crosgile's departure from the team to local high school hoops to SJU recruiting.

On his Hawk Talk radio show Monday evening, head coach Phil Martelli announced that the starting line-up tomorrow night at Richmond will have a different look. Tay Jones, Langston Galloway, Daryus Quarles, and Idris Hilliard will remain in the line-up, but freshman forward CJ Aiken will be replaced by fellow freshman Ronald Roberts. In Saturday's loss to Temple, Roberts had 17 points and 3 rebounds in 28 minutes of playing time.

News broke yesterday that Saint Joseph's sophomore Justin Crosgile is taking a "leave of absence" from the team to take care of personal issues. A link to Dick Jerardi's article can be found here . The sophomore guard from New Jersey was averaging just under 5 points per game for the Hawks. It remains to be seen when, or if, Crosgile will return to the team.

Head coach Phil Martelli spent Sunday on the road recruiting. Martelli was one of several coaches in Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh Basketball Classic. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Martelli was there along with son, and current Rutgers assistant, Jimmy Martelli. Coaches from Wisconsin, Temple, West Virginia, and Robert Morris were also in attendance according to the Post-Gazette (linked here ). Who was Martelli watching? The sophomore and junior classes in the Pittsburgh area feature a number of talented players. The biggest name in the area is 6'3 sophomore guard Geno Thorpe, who the Wisconsin coaches were on hand to watch. In the junior class, some of the bigger names playing yesterday were 6'7 forward Sheldon Jeter, 6'9 wing Devontae Watson, and 6'10 forward Barnett Harris.

Locally, Saint Joseph's Prep head coach Speedy Morris got his 600th win as a high school coach last night. The Prep throttled West Catholic 70-31 behind 23 points from junior Gene Williams and 15 points from sophomore guard Steve Vasturia. On Sunday, in the PrimeTime Shootout, Trenton Catholic defeated Friends' Central 69-61, despite 23 points from senior guard Devin Coleman. I wrote a piece on Coleman Friday that can be found here .

This Sunday, the Hakim Warrick Classic will take place at Philadelphia University. At noon, Neshaminy and Penn Wood face off. At 1:45, Saint Anthony (NJ) and Friends' Central will play. The day's final game, between Lower Merion and Shabazz(NJ), is a 3:30 tip. Those game times are from the Scholastic Play by Play website linked here . I will be on hand covering the games. Solid planning by the event organizers to have the games early in the day so everyone can make it home for the Super Bowl.