City of Basketball Love

Matt Chandik (@MattChandik)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2016-17 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed so far can be found here.)

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He’s the grizzled veteran in Penncrest’s backcourt, but Tyler Norwood can still remember one of the biggest wins in school history.

It doesn’t take much prodding for Norwood to think back to when the No. 28 Lions stunned No. 5 Penn Wood in the opening round of districts two years ago. Then a precocious freshman, Norwood stepped up in the clutch with seven points as Penncrest began an improbable run to the state tournament by beating the Patriots in the Shoebox.

Even though his performance showed otherwise, the young Norwood was a little bit unnerved during that run.

“I wasn’t so much scared as I was more nervous and making the wrong play,” Norwood recalled. “I started making some plays, which opened my eyes, and I started to feel more comfortable. Sophomore year got me a lot more comfortable, just with scoring the ball and having the ball in my hands at all times. Teams are starting to plan for me, but having the experience and knowing what they’re going to do makes me a better player.”

Now, Norwood is a junior who’s seen it all, and he’s tasked with leading the smallest team that long-time coach Mike Doyle has ever had back to postseason glory. The Lions have earned eight straight trips to the district tournament, but if they’re going to make it nine in a row, they’ll have to do it without a single starter over 6-2.

“It’s almost like we’re in 1960,” Doyle cracked. “We’re going to be really, really small. There’s not a kid in the school that can dunk a basketball. I’ve never had a team this small, but that just means that we emphasize boxing out on every possession, making sure guys are accountable and no leakouts until we secure the ball.”

Last year, the Lions went 12-10 (10-6 Central League), losing in the first round of the District 1 AAAA playoffs to Spring-Ford.

Norwood, a second-team all-Central League selection a year ago, is the headliner, but there’s a lot to like. Justin Ross is the son of former Delaware coach Monté Ross, who coached with Doyle at Saint Joseph’s. The younger Ross is a two-guard that improved a ton as a first-year starter last year, but Doyle also wants to see more leadership from him.

Penncrest’s lack of size means that the three, four and five spots are interchangeable, so you’ll find senior Mike Mallon, junior Chris Mills and senior Manny Ruffin gobbling up minutes. Mallon is probably the best scoring option of the three, while Mills and Ruffin have chemistry together from their time as quarterback and wide receiver on the Lions’ football team. Mills brings a bruising, physical style to the front court.

The trio will have its work cut out for it as it bangs on the glass, but experience is their friend.

“They’ve all been to district games, which is huge for them,” Doyle said. “For as small as we are, our goal is to keep that district streak going and hopefully try to sneak into the league playoffs. Some days, we look like can attain that, but on other days, we look like we’re a ways off.”

Don’t expect Penncrest to trot out waves of players to wear teams down. Doyle is probably looking at a seven or eight-man rotation. The first-man-off-the-bench spots are up for grabs, but it’s a pair of sophomores that look like they have the edge. Malcolm Williams and Aidan Convery are both young and improving, and Doyle thinks both can chip in some secondary scoring.

“Sometimes, we can really execute and look good when we move the ball and we can score in bunches,” Doyle said. “If we can come together and make a commitment to defense and to executing our offense, we can be pretty good.”

That ninth straight district trip is a solid goal for a team with no legitimate big man, especially with the core nucleus of guards that Doyle trots out. The Lions will have to play excellent team defense and hope for a little bit of luck when they play big-time big men. Doyle’s an excellent coach, so he’ll likely be able to squeeze out a couple extra wins out of this group. Will it be enough to make the Class 5A field?

“One of my assistants pointed out that every time we’ve been knocked out of the playoffs, it’s been by a team that’s now in 6A,” Doyle said. “Chester is still there, but it’s going to be interesting for the smaller schools.”

None smaller than Penncrest.