Penn Wood Takes Care of Business Against Chester

Penn Wood took advantage of strong front-court play to dispose of Chester 64-45 today at Saint Joseph's University. I was on hand through three quarters of play today and have observations on some of the standout performers.

Aaron Brown- Penn Wood: During pre-game warm-ups, Brown couldn't buy a jumpshot, but that all changed once the action began. In the opening quarter, Aaron knocked down two 3-pointers and converted in close for an athletic layup. Brown is a 6'4, strong, physical, impressively athletic perimeter player. He thrived in the back-and-forth nature of this game. In the second quarter, he leaked out on the break and threw down a rim-rattling two-handed jam where he rose way above the rim. In this game, Brown demonstrated a desire to shut his man down on the defensive end. While pressing, Brown did not let Chester's speedy guards blow past him, using impressive lateral quickness and lower-body strength to stay in front of his man. Midway through the second quarter, Brown picked up his second foul on a technical and sat until the half. Aaron started the second half the same way he started the game, by knocking home a 3-ball from the corner. In December, Brown told Pat Stevens of NBE Basketball Report that he was looking at Providence, Richmond, La Salle, Temple, and Saint Joseph's. He finished the game with 18 points. Brown has all the makings of a very solid college player.


Shawn Oakman- Penn Wood: Oakman (pictured above) is a two-sport athlete, and a player probably considered a better prospect in football than basketball. Standing at 6'8 and checking in around 250 pounds, it is easy to see why. Oakman is as physically imposing a high school big as you're likely to see. On a team loaded with players that can score the ball, Oakman does not get too many touches on the offensive end. When he did get touches, he was aggressive in attacking the basket. In the first quarter, Oakman got the ball on the low block and spun past his man to score on a short bank-shot. Shawn also displayed a soft shooting touch with excellent rotation from the free-throw line. Chester's post players tried their best against Oakman, but he was simply too tall and strong for the Clippers. The junior finished the game 6 points and right around 10 rebounds.

Will Brown- Penn Wood: Every time Will drained a shot from deep, the announcer would announce his name as "Downtown Will Brown," which was fitting for the senior guard. Will finished the game as the high-point man for the Patriots with 20. Just like Aaron Brown, Will had two 3-pointers in the first quarter. He showed great range with his jumper, even completing a 4-point play in the first half when fouled as he drained a 3 right in front of the Chester bench. Will Brown had a great showing today.

Maurice Nelson- Chester: This was my second time seeing Maurice Nelson. The 6-foot guard was not in the starting line-up for the Clippers, but provided quite a boost for the team when he entered in the second quarter. Off the bat, he banked in a 3 from the corner. Maurice paced Chester with 17 points, despite sitting the entire first quarter. Maurice provided one of the game's funnier moments when he stepped to the line after someone was fouled around the basket. He stepped to the line and drained the free throw. The only problem with the shot is that he wasn't supposed to be at the line. Another Chester player was fouled. That player then stepped to the line and missed the front end of the one-and-one with Nelson standing behind the play with a smile on his face.

Picture of Shawn Oakman above courtesy of Phillyhoops.com

Jameer Nelson Classic Gets Underway Today

The sixth-annual Jameer Nelson Classic will tip-off later today, marking a start to four great days of high school hoops in the greater Philadelphia area. The tournament features a number of players with bright college futures ahead of them. One of the players, Plymouth-Whitemarsh's CJ Aiken, will be suiting up for Jameer's alma mater, Saint Joseph's, next fall. Jameer's younger brother, Chester guard Maurice Nelson, is another of the top-level talents playing in the showcase. Below is a list of some of the highlight games.

Saturday at Widener College:

1:00- Strawberry Mansion vs. Girard College- Strawberry Mansion stars one of the best unsigned seniors in the area in 6'4 guard DJ Newbill. Girard College lives and dies with the success of junior guard, and Pitt Panther commit, John Johnson.

4:30- Archbishop Carroll vs. Bartram- This game features two of the best guards in the Philadelphia area in Carroll's Juan'ya Green and Bartram's Tyrone Garland. Garland is an ACC-bound senior, headed to Virginia Tech next year. Green, on the other hand, is a junior who has yet to make a college decision. Many of the Philadelphia schools, including Saint Joseph's, have exhibited interest in the 6'3 shooting guard

6:15- Friends' Central vs. Life Center Academy- This game features two players considered elite talents in their respective recruiting classes. Life Center Academy, out of Burlington, New Jersey, stars Syracuse-bound college-ready senior guard Dion Waiters. Friends' Central has plenty of D1 talent, with sophomore forward Amile Jefferson being the most well-known name on a national level. Rivals.com has Jefferson as the number 5 player nationally in his class. Another player to keep an eye on on Friends' Central is junior guard Devin Coleman.

8:00- Plymouth-Whitemarsh vs. Chester- As the younger brother of Jameer Nelson, Maurice Nelson inherently has great expectations placed upon him. The 6'1 guard for the Chester Clippers doesn't seem to let that bother him though. Maurice, who recently stated that his dream is to play for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, is coming off a 38-point outburst earlier this week. The Clippers are always one of the best in the state, and they face a Plymouth-Whitemarsh team tonight with one of the best frontcourts in the area. That frontcourt features SJU-bound 6'9 senior CJ Aiken as well as hotly-recruited junior Jaylen Bond. The nightcap to the Saturday games is sure to be a great one.

Monday at Widener University:

6:00-Penn Wood vs. Academy of the New Church- When I looked at the schedule for the tournament, this is one of the two or three games that stood out most to me. Academy of the New Church features a frontcourt that many actually consider one of the elite in all of America. 6'11 junior Malcolm Gilbert, 6'9 junior Roc Christmas, and 6'6 sophomore Savon Goodman have size and athleticism usually reserved for college rosters. They will be tested tonight by a Penn Wood team that has some size and athleticism of their own. Penn Wood throws junior multi-sport standout Shawn Oakman at you in the post. Small forward Aaron Brown is coming off a monster effort at the City of Palms Tournament that garnered him national praise from the likes of recruiting sites Rivals.com, Scout.com, and ESPN.com. The 6'5 Brown and the 6'8 Oakman are both receiving recruiting interest from the Hawks, along with numerous other programs.

8:00- Chester vs. Bartram- A chance to see Mo Nelson and Tyrone Garland go head-to-head.

Wednesday at Gwynned Mercy College:

6:15- Academy of the New Church vs. Plymouth-Whitemarsh- A battle between the two best frontcourts in the area. Bond and Aiken for PW against Gilbert, Christmas, and Goodman for ANC. Hawk Hill Hardwood will be on hand for this match-up. A detailed recap will be on the site on Thursday.


Check back in here throughout the week for updates on these games and more. It's a great week of Holiday Hoops in Philadelphia.

Hawks Begin 2009-2010 Campaign with a Win; Some Visitors in the House

Saint Joseph's began their 2009-2010 campaign with an overtime win over Bruiser Flint's Drexel Dragons. The Hawks, who trailed by double digits about halfway through the second half, got a clutch 3 pointer from Darrin Govens and a game-tying shot from Garrett Williamson in the final seconds of the game. The Hawks won the game 77-67 behind 23 points from Govens. Idris Hilliard also had an impressive outing, finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds. The boxscore from ESPN is linked below:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=293172603

Hawk Hill Hardwood will have a more complete recap of the game tomorrow. Hawk fans got a nice glimpse into the future as Carl Jones (pictured above)scored 13 points in his collegiate debut. We will look at that among other things tomorrow.

I did want a quick update tonight concerning some visitors in the house for the opening game at the Michael J Hagan Arena.

Daryus Quarles and CJ Aiken, who have both signed their National Letters of Intent, were seated behind the Hawk bench. Another familiar face was seated courtside as well. That was Saint Peter's Prep's Ronald Roberts, who was on Hawk Hill for at least the third time this fall. Roberts was not the only Saint Peter's Prep player in the house, as he brought 2011 big-time guard Myles Davis down with him. Davis is likely the Hawks top guard target in the 2011 class. Another name of interest in the 2011 class was in the house, and that was 6'11 Academy of the New Church center Malcolm Gilbert. Maurice Nelson was also in attendance.

Tay Jones picture courtesy of SJUHawks.com