City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Most of Philadelphia is bunkering down for the Pope's arrival--but that doesn't mean we can't still talk some basketball! The third episode of this year's season of the Podcast of Basketball Love features just yours truly in the studio, joined by a trio of call-in guests.

First up is Lehigh head coach Brett Reed, who's entering his ninth season as head coach of the Mountain Hawks with very high expectations. Coming off a 16-14 season, Lehigh features two of the best players in the Patriot League in junior big man Tim Kempton and sophomore point guard Kahron Ross, with a very talented group around them. But things aren't perfect up in Bethlehem, as Reed reveals that one expected key contributor will miss the 2015-16 season with a knee injury.

Then things turn to the high school realm, with Pennridge (Pa.) head coach Dean Behrens making his first PoBL appearance. The Rams are coming off arguably the best season in the program's history, making a PIAA Class AAAA state tournament appearance for the first time and knocking off Reading for their first state tournament win ever. Though they graduate a quartet of talented seniors, Monmouth baseball commit Danny Long leads a hungry group that features more size than it did a year ago.

Finally, Downingtown West (Pa.) senior Josh Warren calls in to talk about his college plans and upcoming season. The 6-foot-9 forward is the most recent of the more than 20 area high schoolers who have already committed Division I, as he picked Cornell earlier this week; he'll join his high school teammate Ryan Betley (Penn) in the Ivy League next year. The two D-I prospects lead a talented group of Whippets that also includes 6-6 senior forward Dom Guerrera and 6-7 junior George Gordon, and they have their sights set on a District title and state run.