City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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In the days and weeks before the 2015-16 college year begins, some remaining prospects from the 2015 graduating class are still figuring out their plans for this fall.

One of the top remaining players from the Philadelphia area, Martin Luther King (Pa.) guard Sammy Foreman, debated between going to prep school and junior college, but ultimately settled on the JUCO route and Barton CC (Kan.).

He said he had "over 15" options, including a prep school in Reno (Nev.) and a JUCO in California, but couldn't turn down the opportunity at Barton, which starts classes on Wednesday.

"(It's) one of the best JUCO conferences in the country," Foreman said. "I felt like I'm needed there...very cool coach and a great program."

A member of the Kansas Junior College Athletic Association (KJCAA) and the NCAA's Region VI, Barton is coming off a 24-7 season, including a 24-4 record in the Jayhawk Conference. From that team, they sent Ahmad Walker (Stony Brook), Jalin Barnes (Sam Houston State) to the D-I ranks out of a class of five sophomores.

Head coach Craig Fletchell is entering his 11th season at Barton, where he's amassed a 229-90 (.718) record, including a 94-64 (.595) record in a tough conference that also features schools like Butler CC and Hutchinson CC, both of whom are regulars in the NJCAA Division I rankings. He's sent 23 kids onto Division I schools in that time, with at least two every season.

In the past, Fletchell's had slew of Philly-area players like Chester's Karon Burton and Gratz's Omar Johnson who have made their way out to the Great Bend, Kan. school, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.

Foreman started his high school career at the Haverford School, then transferred to Roberts Vaux as a sophomore, helping Rysheed Jordan claim the PIAA Class A title in 2012-13.

Following Vaux's closing that spring, he transferred to King, where he would lead the Cougars to a 23-9 record and PIAA Class AAAA state final berth as a senior, averaging 14.1 ppg.

A talented scoring guard with the ball on a string, he finished his HS career with over 1,500 points according to Philly high school hoops historian Ted Silary.