City of Basketball Love

Varun Kumar (@VRKumar8) &
Rich Flanagan (@RichFlanagan33)
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Here’s Part Two of a notebook from the second day of Temple’s Team Camp, which began Friday; Part One can be found here:

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Chester starting to put pieces together for next year’s run
It seems like every year is lately is a potential rebuilding year for Chester, but come each winter, they always find themselves at the top of the Delaware Valley League standings.

The Clippers certainly stand to lose a lot once again, including guards Marquis Collins and Khaleeq Campbell, as well as big man Maurice Henry, from a team that finished 22-8 and advanced to the quarterfinals in the PIAA Class AAAA tournament.

The returning players have carried the feeling of disappointment they experienced after the season-ending loss to Reading in the quarterfinals -- coincidentally just next door at Temple’s Liacouras Center -- into the offseason. Chester head coach Larry Yarbray noticed a change in the approach his team has taken compared to previous seasons.

“I think my guys are hungry,” Yarbray said of his team’s progress. “Everybody’s been working hard together, been in the gym three or four days a week doing strength and conditioning. They’re just having fun just seeing what our team will look like for next year.”

What they will look like is a team that will be heavily reliant on its upperclassmen, specifically forwards Jamar Sudan, Jordan Camper, Shaqquan Francis and guard Arod Carter. Some of Chester’s best offensive sets ran through Sudan, a talented senior wing 6-foot-5 wing.

At Temple, Clippers played more of a slow tempo and mixed in a great deal of zone defense, since they had played multiple games the previous two days. In addition, they were thin in terms of personnel, most notably missing the 6-7 Camper.

Despite the fatigue and lack of depth, they were still able to play impressive defense, particularly against Constitution in the afternoon.

“We kept it tight and forced them to make shots they weren’t hitting, so we were able to limit them to one shot. Once we got on offense, we took our time, we were patient and got into our motion offense,” Yarbray said after a win over the Generals.

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Moore, Constitution relishing opportunity to compete
Compared to years past, Constitution did not have the season it was expecting.

Generals head coach Rob Moore always expects the year to end on a high note, especially considering his team has won three state crowns in the last five years. But whether it was falling to Del-Val Charter in the Public League title game or suffering a heartbreaking loss to Math, Civics & Sciences in the PIAA Class A semifinals, the team didn’t accomplish that task this past season.

Moore hasn’t been focusing on last year as a disappointment but rather pushing forward in preparation for the next year.

“It’s a year-round job,” Moore said. “Making sure kids’ grades are right, doing well during the school year, making sure they’re working out in the summer, making sure they’re getting better…and playing on the right AAU team. There’s so much that goes into it to get back here every year.”

The Generals bring back a number of key pieces of last year’s team including starting point guard Tamir Green and forward Maurice Waters, who brought down the rim on a two-handed dunk against Baltimore Poly (Md.).

Moore is expecting a lot from Green and Waters but he’s also hoping players like Jamal Brown, Hakeem Hudson, LeeRon Wills-Worthy and Youssef Diabate can become more integral parts of the team next season.

The Generals played an array of teams on Saturday including Chester, one of the area’s traditional powerhouses. Moore said two things his team needs to work on are “taking care of the basketball” and getting “good shots against zone defenses.”

Moore relishes camps where his team gets to play elite talent and grow as a team before they head off on the AAU circuit in July.

“Guys can either earns minutes or lose minutes,” Moore said. “In two weeks I lose them because in July they’re almost all playing AAU. I don’t see them for four or five weeks until August so this is the last opportunity where we get to see what we really have and where we’re at right now.”

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Stewart returns to Temple as Simon Gratz coach
For Simon Gratz head coach Lynard Stewart, this weekend was not just business as usual, but rather a walk down memory lane.

“It’s nostalgic,” he said after watching his Bulldogs team to a 3-1 weekend at his alma mater’s team camp. “In McGonigle I actually ran out there at halftime of our game and got a couple of shots up because this is where I played. All my games was there my first three years here.”

Former Gratz stars Mardy Collins, Mark Tyndale, Levan Alston, and current Temple assistant Aaron McKie were among the numerous former Owls on hand watching Stewart pace the sideline as Gratz coach.

Gratz is, of course, coming off one of its best seasons in quite some time, advancing to the Class AAAA state quarterfinals with a record of 17-10, before falling to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 52-43.

While some members from last year’s team, like starting point guard Tariq Meredith, have graduated, the Bulldogs bring back several players looking to prove last season wasn’t a fluke.

“I can see three or four guys have gotten a lot better individually, and their decision making and maturing on the court [has improved],” Stewart said.

He was pleased with his team’s rebounding effort at the camp, something he’s been continuously preaching since they lack size on the inside. The tallest player is 6-5 senior Rashon Johnson, who Stewart has slowly been transitioning towards the perimeter in order to prepare him for the college game.

The second year Gratz head coach praised Johnson, as well as guards Gbago Washington and Jahmaris Johnson, for the improvements they have made to their games since the season ended. In addition, he was happy with how all three have emerged as leaders and said he expects the trio to set the tone right away when school resumes in the fall.

Stewart also noted that playing in a competitive setting at the team camp against other schools for the first time since the season ended was especially helpful to his younger players, sensing something clicked in them over the weekend.

“It’s hard to emulate playing against another team, game situations and referees. It’s easier now to explain things to the kids the reason why we do stuff,” he said. “We’re a little further along actually than I thought we were.”

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Quick Notes
-- Harrisburg’s CD East had an impressive double-overtime win over Abington on Saturday. The Panthers were led by forward Terry Danner and 6-9 big man Brennan Jackson. Both forwards are upperclassmen and may be able to play college basketball, though Danner also has a bright future on the football field. CD East also got a clutch and-1 from senior guard Evan Chandler which forced overtime.

-- Rising senior forward Maurice Waters (Constitution) continued to be a vital part of his team. Waters was great around the basket and is capable of ripping down a rebound on one end and handling the ball to the other end of the floor. Waters plays a lot in the point forward role, which is very valuable in today’s game. Waters is going to be looked on upon to be one of the go-to guys for his team next season. Waters is the one of the vocal leaders on his ball club and was a presence on both ends against Chester on Saturday.

-- Episcopal Academy guard Conner Delaney was brilliant in splitting defense against Pennsbury HS on Saturday. Delaney scored nearly every time he got within eight feet of the basket, though he did have some struggles when trying to go with his off hand. On Pennsbury’s side, forward Mark Flagg and guard Addison Howard carried the scoring load. Flagg drew several fouls, but failed to convert on nearly half of his free throws. Howard sunk four 3-pointers in the first half, but then cooled off offensively.

-- Hatboro-Horsham big man Clifton Moore’s strong summer continued this past weekend, parlaying his play into an offer from the Owls shortly after the camp ended. The Hatboro-Horsham big man showcased his touch around the rim, while also being able to put the ball on the deck. Moore was playing on a team with various regional players including Archbishop Wood guard Ty Pickron. Despite playing non-sneaker affiliated AAU ball, Moore is no longer a well-kept secret. He holds other offers from La Salle, Lafayette, Princeton, Binghamton, George Mason and Loyola (MD), among others, and has received interest from Georgetown, Kansas State, and St. Joe’s. He took an unofficial visit to Princeton on Saturday and will visit Rider on Sunday.