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.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Takes State Title

Last night, at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials defeated the Penn Wood Patriots 58-51 to take home the Pennsylvania AAAA title. The win avenged an overtime loss to Penn Wood in the District 1 Final at Villanova. The Colonials were led by senior forward CJ Aiken's 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Senior guard Whis Grant had yet another strong performance as well, dropping 17 points and really controlling the game's tempo. On the other side, Penn Wood got 15 points from both Aaron Brown and Tyree Johnson. Shawn Oakman, the junior center for Penn Wood, was held to only 4 points. He was not nearly the factor that he was when the teams met in the district final.

CJ Aiken's last high school game of his career was certainly one to remember. Plymouth-Whitemarsh trailed by 4 at the half and Aiken was kept relatively in check. He had the Colonials' first 4 points in the game on dunks, but was quiet after that, only hitting a pair of free throws. CJ was a force in the second half though, providing a number of highlight-reel plays. He had two blocks on Penn Wood's Aaron Brown as well as a put-back one-handed dunk that had the Plymouth-Whitemarsh faithful happy they traveled west to Happy Valley.

The first time the teams met, in the district final, the turning point was Aaron Brown's dunk that had Aiken running for cover. In this game, the turning point was a rejection of Brown by Aiken. Aaron's dunk attempt was swatted away by Aiken this time, and Plymouth-Whitemarsh didn't look back from there.

Brown did have a solid game for the Patriots still, especially in the first half. Aaron and Tyree Johnson sparked Penn Wood to an early lead, but it was closed to 30-26 at the half.

Saint Joseph's coaches Phil Martelli and Geoff Arnold were on hand for the game, as was Temple's Fran Dunphy. Both schools are recruiting Penn Wood's Aaron Brown. During the TV telecast, the announcers stated that Shawn Oakman was at Penn State a day early, on a visit for the Nittany Lions football team. Temple is also heavily recruiting Plymouth-Whitemarsh's junior forward Jaylen Bond, who was limited to only 5 points in this game after having a career game in the semi-finals with Pitt coach Jaime Dixon in the house.

A number of links to recaps, video, and pictures from the game are below:

Inquirer Article by Rick O'Brien

Times Herald Article and Video from State Final

Chris Vito Article from Delco Times

The picture above of CJ Aiken's block on Aaron Brown is from the Times Herald article linked above.

Darrun Hilliard Picks up SJU Offer

I was on hand for Wednesday night's Penn Wood-Liberty game, won easily by the Patriots of Penn Wood. Two names on Penn Wood, Shawn Oakman and Aaron Brown, have long been on the radar of the Saint Joseph's coaches and fans. Liberty High, out of Bethlehem, PA, has a star of their own in 6'5 junior guard Darrun Hilliard. Following his 26-point outburst in the game, Hilliard picked up an offer from the Hawks according to the article linked below. Darrun was on Hawk Hill, and seated behind the SJU bench, for the Dayton game earlier this year. Coincidentally, Neshaminy sophomore guard Ryan Arcidiacono was also at the Dayton game. Ryan was also in the stands at Council Rock, as a spectator, on Wednesday night.

In the game on Wednesday, Darrun got off to a slow start before really taking the game over in the third quarter. Darrun showed an ability to shoot the ball from deep, burying a few shots from well beyond the 3-point line. He also took the ball strong to the basket, finishing at the rim with both hands. In this particular game, Darrun was the best player on the court for either team. It will be interesting to follow Darrun's recruitment over the coming months.

Philly.com Article on Hilliard Offer

Image of Hilliard above from acrylicsports.com

PIAA Semi-Finals Recap

Last night I made my way over to Villanova for the two 4A district semifinal games. While neither game was especially close or competitive, the stage is now set for a game that many people have been waiting for since December. At 9:00 on Friday night at Nova, Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh will take the court for the district title. I have a write-up on some of the standout players in both games below. Keep in mind, while reading, that I don't keep stats myself at games. Some of the numbers may not be perfect, but most are from Philly.com articles that are linked below.

Penn Wood is loaded with Division 1 talent. This was my second time this week seeing them play, and it's amazing how roles on the team can change. When I saw Penn Wood beat Bensalem last Tuesday night, it was the Aaron Brown show. Brown was dominant while senior Hartford-bound guard Tyree Johnson had a rough outing. Last night it was Tyree Johnson and Shawn Oakman with the most impressive performances. Tyree had 15 points and more than half a dozen assists while really controlling the game's tempo. Penn Wood's size was just too much for Souderton. Shawn Oakman played as well as I've ever seen him play. What really impresses you about Oakman is his great feel around the basket and great hands. He is as physically imposing a force as you'll find in high school basketball, but he also possesses great hands that allow him to catch just about any ball in his direction. Shawn also showed good shooting touch on a jumper from the right wing. For the most part, his points will come in the paint, but that's not a bad thing. Someone with his size and feel around the bucket shouldn't worry about spending much time away from it.

When I looked at the box score linked below after the game last night, I shook my head when I saw Aaron Brown's line. He finished the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds, which is very solid. And he did that while playing the least impressive game I've seen from him this year. Early in the game, Aaron's jumper was not falling the way that it was last week. In the first quarter, he went up strong for a two-handed dunk, was hit, but the whistles remained silent. There was definitely some frustration evident in his demeanor the rest of the half. Penn Wood won the game going away and did not need anything more from Aaron last night. Despite it being an off game for Brown, he still showed some real flashes. He displayed his athleticism on a monster fast-break dunk. Aaron also buried a 3 in the 4th quarter from the right wing. Brown is one of SJU's top targets in the 2011 recruiting class. That was evident in assistant coach Geoff Arnold's presence in the crowd at Nova.

Game 2 featured top-seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh and a talented West Chester Rustin team. Unfortunately for W.C. Rustin fans, this one was over shortly after it began. PW won the game going away, 79-47. PW's bigmen, senior CJ Aiken and junior Jaylen Bond, were too much for West Chester. Aiken had a triple-double (12 pts, 12 boards, and 12 blocks) in the win while Bond had 17 points and 17 boards. Aiken's uncanny ability to block shots was on full display last night. In the first quarter, West Chester players continued to drive the lane past Aiken, and time and again, their shots were swatted away. CJ's points were almost all right around the bucket on a flurry of acrobatic dunks and layups. On one particular play, Aiken followed up a Jaylen Bond miss and dunked the ball home with both arms elevated way above the rim. He is a human pogo stick around the basket. Aiken has the talent to be a real difference-maker on Hawk Hill. At first, it may be mostly on the defensive side of the ball, but CJ is not nearly as raw offensively as most high school bigs.

This was one of the best outings I've seen from junior Jaylen Bond. Bond has an interesting decision ahead of him. He could be an all-league player for 2 or 3 years in a conference like the A10 or work his way into a rotation on a Big East or ACC school. That is not a knock on Bond. Not in the least. He is an absolute force around the basket. While he is undersized for a college 4, standing around 6'6, he has the strength and athleticism to play that position in college. It would be an adjustment for him to play the 4 in the Big East due to his height. Can Jaylen turn into a college 3? Possibly. What I saw last night, however, was a player who is a force around the basket. Temple is recruiting Bond hard, and he would be a great get for Fran Dunphy. On the flipside, a top program in the A10 is probably a great fit for Bond. He is an incredible talent who impressed me again last night.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh's bigs get all the attention, but, as I've said before on here, Whis Grant is very underrated in the area. Whis, along with the other PW guards, is a terrific on-ball defender. He also plays a terrific floor game, which was evident again last night. I don't know what schools are looking at Grant, but he looks like a player that should have a terrific career at the right program. I'm really interested and curious to see where Whis plays his college ball next year.

I am planning on attending the title game Friday night, so check back here for a recap on Saturday.

Penn Wood Recap from Philly.com

Delco Times Article on Plymouth-Whitemarsh Win

Picture above of Penn Wood's Shawn Oakman from Rick O'Brien's article linked above.

Penn Wood and Plymouth Whitemarsh to Face Off for the District Friday

The match-up that players and fans (Plymouth-Whitemarsh fans last night were chanting "We want Penn Wood" in the first half) have been awaiting all season long will finally take place on Friday night at Villanova. Both Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh cruised to easy victories last night in the district semi-finals. There was no drama. No need for a late rally. After giving up some early easy buckets, Penn Wood tightened things up defensively and continued to feed the ball to junior center Shawn Oakman en route to victory over Souderton. In the night's second game, Plymouth-Whitemarsh never allowed West Chester Rustin to even feel like they belonged on the same court. SJU commit CJ Aiken notched a triple-double with 12 points, 12 boards, and 12 blocks while junior forward Jaylen Bond also had a monster game and double-double. Senior guard Whis Grant also had another impressive outing. I will have a more detailed recap up on the site later today.

Penn Wood - Bensalem Game Notes

As I posted yesterday, I had the chance last night to see the Bensalem game at host Penn Wood. Penn Wood is known for their toughness, and for the vast majority of the game, Bensalem matched that intensity. Until collapsing in the final two minutes, Bensalem played a terrific 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. The evening was also senior night for Penn Wood. Starters Tyree Johnson, Dequan Pelzer, and Will Brown were honored as well as Chris Warner. Johnson is going to Hartford next year, while Pelzer and Brown are still undecided. Both are college-level players with a number of schools involved. Two players for Penn Wood are of interest to Saint Joseph's as well as other programs. Those juniors are wing Aaron Brown and space-eating center Shawn Oakman.

Aaron Brown is a 6'4-6'5, physically imposing wing guard. This was my second time this year seeing Aaron, and he once again put on an impressive performance. Aaron scored 10 points in the game's opening minutes on an array of 3-pointers, drives, and alley-oops. He helped Penn Wood out to their early 16-3 lead. Aaron was in foul trouble during the majority of the game, which certainly played a role in Bensalem getting back in the game, and in fact almost winning it. He finished the game with roughly 20 points and his fair share of rebounds. Aaron's jumper looked significantly better than when I last saw him, and that was less than two months ago. If Aaron's jump-shot continues to improve as it has so far this year, he is a big-time wing guard at the college level. When you watch Aaron play, you see the tools in place to really be a lock-down defender at the college level as well. Aaron is a terrific rebounder from the wing spot due to his athleticism, toughness, and nose for the ball. Saint Joseph's, Temple, Richmond, Penn State, Providence, and Maryland are among the many schools involved with Brown, according to The Delaware County Times' Jack McCaffery. A link to his article on Brown is below.

Shawn Oakman is simply unlike anyone that I've ever seen in person at the high school level. When you look at Shawn you feel like you are watching an NBA or NFL player. His combination of size and strength really is unmatched in the area. Oakman is currently being recruited at a higher level as a football player. When schools like NC State, Penn State, Ohio State, and West Virginia are looking at you, you certainly look back. On the basketball court, Oakman is a space-eater who is a defensive presence and then some. Oakman had 9 points by my count, including two highlight-reel dunks that brought the crowd to their feet. Shawn also blocked a shot that you could hear, even above the raucous crowd. Below I have linked a great interview with Delco Times sports writer Chris Vito and Oakman. You have to scroll about halfway down the page to see the interview. He discusses his thoughts on playing football in college versus football. He lists the Hawks as one of the schools after him for hoops, as well as Miami, Providence, Houston, Marquette, and Pitt. The interest is certainly warranted as Oakman is the type of post presence that every college team could use.

The picture above is of Shawn Oakman from Chris Vito's interview linked below.

Jack McCaffery Article on Aaron Brown

Chris Vito Interview with Shawn Oakman

Penn Wood Defeats Bensalem in a Barn-Burner

I just returned home from tonight's second-round playoff match-up between host Penn Wood and Bensalem. A more complete recap will be up tomorrow, featuring write-ups on Penn Wood juniors Aaron Brown and Shawn Oakman. Penn Wood led 16-3 before Bensalem could catch their breath, with Aaron Brown scoring 10 of Penn Wood's first 11 points. A game that appeared to be a blowout was all knotted up at the half. Bensalem saw a small deficit turn into a ballooning lead as the 4th quarter edged on. With a little over 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Bensalem held a comfortable 10 point lead. Penn Wood head coach Clyde Jones kept his team calm and cool down the stretch, forcing a number of Bensalem turnovers and getting lucky with a number of missed Bensalem free throws. With just under 20 seconds remaining in the game, and down 2, junior Aaron Brown drove down the right baseline and saw him layup bounce off the rim and into the hands of teammate Jeff Kyem. Kyem got the bucket to go, was fouled, and drained the free throw. The free throw put Penn Wood up 56-55 and turned out to be the final score. Again, a more complete recap with some notes on Brown and Oakman will be on the site tomorrow afternoon.

Friday Recap

Plymouth-Whitemarsh's regular season finale against Springfield High School, scheduled for last night, was postponed due to the still snowy conditions. The game, at Springfield, will instead take place tonight at 7. While that game was snowed out, a handful of other games of interest were still played.

Penn Wood improved to 17-3 on the season behind a double-double from junior center Shawn Oakman (14 points, 11 rebounds) and 14 points from Aaron Brown. In scoring 14 points, Brown also scored his 1,000th career point. In addition, the Patriots got another solid outing from senior floor general Tyree Johnson, powering them to a blowout win over visiting Glen Mills.

Senior Saint Joseph's commit Langston Galloway scored 29 points last night to lead Christian Life Academy past West Saint John 75-36. With the win, CLA improved to 29-5.

On the college hardwood, the Penn Quakers shocked a top 25 Cornell team at the Palestra last night. Penn entered last night's contest with a 3-15 record. They faced off against a Cornell team that earlier this season lost at number 1 Kansas only in the game's final seconds. None of that mattered as Penn routed Cornell by 15 points, 79-64.

Week in Review

My last update on here was Saturday, and quite a bit has happened between then and now. This is my effort of getting you (and me) back up to date.

On Sunday, Plymouth-Whitemarsh suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Danny Hurley's Saint Benedict's squad 52-50. Despite the loss, Plymouth-Whitemarsh made their debut in the national top 25, according to Prepnation.com. PW checks in at number 25 on that list, which is quite an accomplishment for Jim Donofrio's team, led by frontcourt stars CJ Aiken and Jaylen Bond. The Colonials bounced back on Tuesday night, defeating Upper Dublin by 13 points. Friday evening, the Colonials have a rematch with Norristown at home.

On Tuesday, Penn Wood got their 13th win in a row, demolishing Chichester 88-49. Penn Wood was, once again, paced by Saint Joseph's recruiting target Aaron Brown and his 22 points. Penn Wood then defeated rival Chester earlier this evening by a final score of 57-40. Aaron Brown had 27 points to once again lead the way for Penn Wood.

UMass picked up an important commitment earlier this week, when Maryland senior point guard Daryl Traynham decided to play his college ball for the Minutemen. Traynham is a quick, tiny (5'8) point guard who is well regarded by the recruiting sites, and ranked 110th in the senior class by Rivals.com. Derek Kellog has done a nice job recruiting at UMass, but that has yet to really translate to wins. Traynham could be a part of that change.

Earlier in the week, I came across this video of current Louisville freshman Mike Marra dunking in a game last year for Northfield Mount Herman. It's a 30 second, slow-mo clip of Marra throwing down an impressive dunk. Well worth the 30 seconds it takes to watch.


Mike Marra Dunk

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

Oakman, Brown, and Randall Updates from NBE Basketball Report

NBE Basketball Report has a recruiting update from the City of Palms Tournament that took place in Florida last week. Three 2011 Hawk targets, Aaron Brown, Derrick Randall, and Shawn Oakman, are mentioned.

According to the NBE Basketball Report, Randall is being tracked by a number of schools, including Providence, Saint John's, and Providence. There is no mention of the Hawks.

Penn Wood standout juniors Aaron Brown and Shawn Oakman both listed the Hawks. Oakman had Providence, Maryland, and Saint Joseph's in Florida watching him last week. He has interest from the Hawks, Maryland, Providence, La Salle, Drexel, Arizona, and Georgetown. Aaron Brown, according to the article, has five schools tracking him: Providence, Richmond, Saint Joseph's, Temple, and La Salle. The Owls already have a commitment from another Aaron Brown, the senior from Saint Benedict's.

Article linked below:

NBE Basketball Report Update from City of Palms

More From the Jameer Nelson Classic

The Jameer Nelson Classic continued on Monday and was highlighted by a resounding win by the Penn Wood Crusaders over Academy of the New Church. Pat Leonard of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a great article about the day's games linked below.

In a game that featured at least 3 recruiting targets for the Hawks, Penn Wood beat Academy of the New Church 53-41 at Widener University. Academy of the New Church boasts one of the best high school frontcourts in America, with Roc Christmas, Savon Goodman, and Hawk target Malcolm Gilbert. Gilbert was limited to 5 points while being guarded by another Hawk target, Shawn Oakman. Oakman, a 6'9 250 pound presence in the paint, scored 8 points in the winning effort. Another target for Saint Joseph's, small forward Aaron Brown (pictured above), notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Pat Leonard Recap of JNC Day 3

Photo Courtesy of Maxpreps

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.

From Canada to Roman Catholic: Fortunate Kangudi

Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High School has produced a number of talented Division 1 basketball players over the past couple years. Current Villanova freshman Maalik Wayns starred at Roman Catholic before becoming a McDonald's All American and moving onto Nova. Current Pitt junior Brad Wanamaker is another Roman Catholic alum. As is Rider forward Mike Ringgold. Current Roman senior guard Rakeem Brookins will play college ball at Tulane next year.

While those are familiar names to people in tune with Philadelphia hoops over recent years, another name on the Roman Catholic roster is certain to become popular in the coming months. That name is Fortunate "Junior" Kangudi. Kangudi transferred to Roman Catholic this year from Montreal, Canada. He is a 6'7 forward just getting acclimated to playing ball in America.

I had a chance to speak with Roman Catholic head coach Chris McNesby about his new frontcourt player. First of all was the matter of the name. His name is Fortunate "Junior" Kangudi, although most websites and online resources list him as Junior Fortunat. Kangudi did not have a high school team in Montreal, so he instead focused on AAU and travel team ball. McNesby said that Kangudi's strengths include athleticism and playing up-tempo, while an area in need of improvement is his shooting range beyond the free throw range.

As of now, Kangudi is receiving recruiting interest from some A10 and MAAC schools. One of the schools already keeping tabs on the developing big man is Saint Joseph's. Coach McNesby said that it is difficult to project exactly what level Kangudi is capable of playing at because he has only played, literally, one high school game in America. In that game, against Coatesville, Kangudi had ten points. McNesby said that the work ethic and desire are there for Kangudi to be successful. As coaches get a chance to see Kangudi, and as he gets comfortable playing organized basketball, recruiting interest is sure to pick up.

Prior to ending up at Roman Catholic, Kangudi was slated to play this season at LeBron James' alma mater, Akron Saint Vincent Saint Mary. He actually played AAU ball for the Ohio Basketball Club and coach Ken Taylor. In an article linked below, Taylor had this to say about Kangudi. "Junior’s upside is crazy. He has great length, athleticism, and a 42-inch vertical. Athletically he is a professional, and that you can not teach. He is not afraid to mix it up inside, likes to talk and throw some elbows every now and again."

Kangudi Article.


As of now, the Hawks have been linked with a number of bigmen in the class of 2011. Among those are Academy of the New Church's Malcolm Gilbert, Paterson Catholic's Derrick Randall, and Pennwood's Shawn Oakman. It looks like Kangudi can be added to that list. He is certainly a name worth keeping an eye on over the coming year.