City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Andy Backstrom (@FineAnd_dAndy)
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Here’s a report from the JTBL action on Tuesday, May 10; for the league homepage, with standings, schedule and more, click here:

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Game Results

Math Civics & Sciences 68, Holy Ghost Prep 50
Abington 58, Council Rock South 51
Father Judge 44, Cristo Rey 27
Neumann-Goretti 65, Central Bucks East 25

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Abington’s Monroe impresses at point
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Lucas Monroe admits he hated basketball.

Despite being the son of a basketball player and younger brother of another, the 6-foot-4 Abington freshman originally found a love for a game where one gets penalized for using one’s hands--soccer.

It wasn’t until he began watching his older brother, Jordan, go through his basketball career at Abington HS that Lucas began to change how he felt about the hardcourt game.

“I think from watching my brother, my dad used to bring me along and I used to sit on the side and watch my brother do drills,” he said. “Growing up I always wanted to be like (Jordan), I put on his clothes and everything.”

As an eight-year-old, Lucas finally began to play basketball by himself, inspired by Jordan’s success at as a Galloping Ghost. Around two years later, he started participating in organized basketball, joining up with Sam Rines’ Team Phenom program for his middle school years.

It’s a good thing that Monroe came around to basketball, because he looks like he’s got a bright future in the sport. A 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard, the left-hander can play any perimeter position, a talent he displayed on Tuesday night.

With usual point guard Robbie Heath absent on this particular evening, Monroe got to play point for the majority of Abington’s win over Council Rock South, scoring a game-high 20 points to go along with several nifty assists.

While he won’t need to be the primary point for the Ghosts for another year or two at least, it’s a position he’s clearly comfortable handling.

“I guess I’m playing like a point-forward kind of position,” he said. “I’ll be guarding the 3s on defense but then when Robbie’s out of the game and when Rob Young’s not playing, I’ll probably bring the ball up the court. I’m comfortable on the ball or off the ball, it doesn’t really matter at this point.”

On the summer circuit, Monroe is playing with the Under Armour-backed Philly Pride organization’s 15U squad, alongside quite a few other Division I prospects like Imhotep’s Donta Scott, Jamil Riggins and Chareef Knox and Roman Catholic’s Seth Lundy.

That’s been another eye-opening experience for the lanky 15-year-old, who got to play at Under Armour events in Indianapolis and Brooklyn during the April live recruiting periods with many of the nation’s best Division I coaches in the building.

“It’s pretty cool, seeing [North Carolina’s] Roy Williams and all these cool scouts, that’s pretty awesome, knowing they’re watching you,” he said. “It puts a lot of pressure on you actually but it’s pretty exciting, knowing that any day you could get yourself seen by the best coaches in the country.”

So far, Monroe’s own Division I recruitment is only in its infant stages, which is typical for most in the 2019 high school class, even those who could be playing high-major ball in a few years. Virginia and Villanova have sent some early letters, but expect plenty of schools to start pursuing him more seriously in the coming months and years.

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Quick Thoughts

-- Similar to last week’s lopsided victory over Cristo Rey, Neumann-Goretti was able to control the court in their 65-25 win against Central Bucks East on Tuesday. Led by Villanova commit Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (15 points), top-50 2017 guard Quade Green (16), and fellow rising senior Mike Millsip (11 points), Goretti featured a relaxed playing style that fed off of their increasing lead. Cosby-Roundtree maintained a significant presence in the paint, often putting back missed shots. Green showed his exquisite ball handling while penetrating the defense. And Millsip exhibited a will to fight against contact, getting to the free throw line, and converting an “and-one” in the second half.

-- While Monroe impressed plenty for Charles Grasty’s Galloping Ghosts, rising senior big man Joe O’Brien was just as important in the win with 18 points and a likely double-double in rebounds as well. O’Brien has always had a solid frame at 6-7 and 220 pounds and has now started to become a more consistent producer with rising sophomore sensation Eric Dixon (6-6, 240) sidelined with a foot injury. Dixon’s scheduled to return in the next few weeks, and if he and O’Brien can work together up front for Abington, the Ghosts should have one of the best frontcourts around in 2016-17.

-- Math Civics & Sciences yielded an aggressive mentality on the defensive side of the ball, forcing quite a few Holy Ghost Prep turnovers in their 68-50 win. Rising senior Malik Archer had a team-high 15 points, and 6-foot-6 sophomore Ed Croswell chipped in 13 points. Croswell showed speed on both sides of the ball, picking off a few Holy Ghost passes, and driving into the lane. Meanwhile for Holy Ghost, rising senior guard Mike McFadden proved to be a lethal threat from the perimeter, finishing with 22 points.