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Prepping for Preps '16-17: Catholic League Primer

12/07/2016, 10:45am EST
By Josh Verlin & Rich Flanagan

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Rich Flanagan (@RichFlanagan33)

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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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Undoubtedly the deepest and most talented all of the high school leagues in the region, the Philadelphia Catholic League is once again home to several schools with state championship aspirations in multiple classifications.

It’s a new era in the PCL, with two-time defending champion Roman Catholic in full-on rebuilding mode under new head coach Matt Griffin, following the graduation of Penn State freshmen Lamar Stevens, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick as well as big man Paul Newman. Neumann-Goretti, which had a string of six straight titles snapped by the Cahillites two years ago, is just as dangerous as ever behind the leadership of two high-major-bound seniors, while former Neumann assistant John Mosco has his strongest program yet in his four years at Archbishop Wood.

Behind them is an intriguing mix of programs, all of whom have certain question marks entering the season; whoever can answer as many of those questions as possible will be playing in the league semis and finals at the famed Palestra next February.

Here’s a look around the league:


Quade Green (above), headed to Kentucky next year, is the heart and soul of Neumann-Goretti this year. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Favorites
In his now 18 years at Neumann-Goretti, Carl Arrigale has had many high-level guards, but Quade Green might just be the most talented yet. The Kentucky signee staked his claim as the best scoring point guard in the country with an outstanding summer with the PSA Cardinals, and now he’s looking to re-establish Neumann-Goretti as PCL champions as well as lead the Saints to their fourth consecutive PIAA Class 3A championship. He’s got a terrific two-way big man to work with in Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, an athletic 6-foot-9 post player bound for Villanova next fall. Mike Millsip, a muscular 6-4 wing, and 6-5 forward Emil Moody -- both seniors -- bring more varsity experience, but they’ll have to rely on several talented youngsters to fill in the gaps.

Perhaps the team that returns the most in the league is Wood, which returns six of its top seven players from a year ago, losing point guard Tommy Funk (Army) but otherwise returning intact. Senior Collin Gillespie is a typical tough Philly guard with decent size (6-1, 175), and he’s a dead-eye shooter to boot; junior wing Tyree Pickron (6-3, 180) picked up his first two Division I offers this summer after leading the Vikings with 14.7 ppg a year ago. How good they’ll be depends the development of junior forwards Seth Pinkney (6-11) and Karrington Wallace (6-6), but they’re a very real state title contender in 5A.

Dark Horses
There are a lot of teams who could make noise in the Catholic League, with easily five or six other programs that will make a serious run at a Palestra appearance. One of last year’s semifinals, Archbishop Carroll, lost two Division I players in Ryan Daly (Delaware) and Josh Sharkey (Samford), but Paul Romanczuk has an intriguing squad, led by junior Justin Anderson, a 6-3 shooting guard and transfer from Academy New Church; he joins a group that includes senior Colin Daly, a 6-4 shooting guard and Ryan’s younger brother, plus 6-6 Jesse McPhearson, 6-5 junior Devon Ferrero and one of the top freshmen in the area, 6-3 A.J. Hoggard.


Izaiah Brockington (above) leads an Archbishop Ryan squad that made the Palestra last year. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Joe Zeglinski took over for his mentor, Bernie Rogers who moved on to the Haverford School, and put Archbishop Ryan back into Catholic League contention by advancing to the semifinals. Led by a trio of seniors in Austin Chabot (Holy Family), Austin Slawter and Freddie Killian as well NJIT commit Izaiah Brockington, the Raiders excelled in Zeglinski’s first season and should be competitive once again. Behind a core of the 6-4 Brockington, 6-8 senior forward Fred Taylor and 6-7 versatile senior forward Matiss Kulackovskis, Ryan is hoping to have success not only in the PCL but also at the state level, a feat they fell just short of accomplishing.

Just three years removed from an 0-13 season in league play, Bonner-Prendergast looks ready to return to top part of the PCL behind seniors Christian Lane, Justin Gans and Dylan Higgins as well as 6-8 junior Ajiri Johnson. The Friars defeated West Catholic twice in three days to get into the PCL playoffs then pulled off a huge upset in the opening round against Conwell-Egan as Lane hit the game-winning layup with ten seconds left. The Friars are looking to keep that momentum going this season.


Zach Crisler (above) is one of two very promising sophomores on La Salle's squad. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Many of the more inexperienced teams in the PCL will be looking to experienced backcourts including La Salle, behind seniors Jarrod Stukes (10.0 ppg) and Matt Paulus (8.8 ppg), and St. Joseph’s Prep Kyle Thompson (13.6 points per game) and Darius Kinnel (11.4 ppg). The Explorers are hoping a young roster led by 6-8 sophomore forward Zach Crisler can make big strides early on. The Hawks are banking on the development of Math, Civics and Sciences transfer Ed Croswell, a 6-6 forward, to create a formidable inside-outside threat with the potent backcourt of Thompson and Kinnel and help head coach WIlliam “Speedy” Morris return to the Palestra for the first time since 2012-13.

Four coaches will begin their first season at the helm of PCL programs: Matt Griffin (Roman), Eric Kindler (Egan), Jason Harrigan (Cardinal O'Hara) and Jason Hassan (West Catholic). Griffin may have the toughest task of the three trying to replace so many key pieces which have moved on but luckily he’ll have senior guard Dakquan Davis and junior guard Allen Betrand, a 6-4 transfer from Samuel Fels, to help ease the transition. Hasson's group of Burrs will be a threat to break into the PCL playoffs despite a lot of youth and inexperience, as the former Pope John XXIII (N.J.) head coach will have his group playing as hard as any around.


Collin Gillespie (above) is one of several Division I prospects on the Vikings. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Players to Watch
Neumann-Goretti senior Quade Green is a special talent, an ultra-confident guard with scoring ability from all three levels, plus tremendous court vision and the confidence to put the ball where he wants, when he wants to. Green has accomplished so much and still one final year left to showcase what he can do. Having already committed to Kentucky, his focus can now shift to the PCL and potentially another state crown. ...Archbishop Wood senior Collin Gillespie is kind of under the radar right now. Last year, much of the focus was on Tommy Funk (Army) and this season many are looking to see what sharpshooting junior wing Tyree Pickron can do. Gillespie averaged 13.1 ppg last season and will be the key to the Vikings success. F/C Seth Pinkney has also exploded onto the D-I radar with a big summer, and the 6-10 big man is an imposing rim protector. ...Roman Catholic should benefit greatly from the arrival of Allen Betrand, an attacking 6-4 guard who was unknown a year ago but now holds offers from St. Joe’s and La Salle. ...Archbishop Ryan senior Izaiah Brockington (NJIT) helped propel his team to the PCL semifinals for the first time since 2007-08. The 6-4 lefty, who thrives in transition but has an improving pull-up game, will be looking to do even more in his final season and is hoping to add a state playoff appearance to his list of accolades. ... A player who has gained some notoriety the last two seasons is Father Judge senior Marc Rodriguez. The 6-2 guard with a steady on-court presence has averaged double figures in scoring each of the last three seasons and is coming his best year with 14.7 ppg. ...Archbishop Carroll junior Justin Anderson is a 6-3 lefty wing with several Division I offers. A good outside shooter, he’s become a better attacker off the bounce; freshman A.J. Hoggard is a big-bodied 6-3 guard with a lot of skill, and is the best Patriots freshman since Derrick Jones debuted in 2011. ...Bonner-Prendergast junior Ajiri Johnson is a big reason the Friars are picked high up in the league, as the athletic 6-8 big man has a great frame and defensive instincts; whatever he gives them offensively will be a bonus. ...St. Joe’s Prep’s guard tandem of Kyle Thompson and Darius Kinnel work well together, with Kinnel more of a drive-and-kick guard while Thompson is a better spot-up shooter who also can get into the lane.

Predicted Top 10
1. Neumann-Goretti
2. Archbishop Wood
3. Archbishop Carroll
4. Bonner-Prendergast
5. Archbishop Ryan
6. La Salle College HS
7. Saint Joseph’s Prep
8. Roman Catholic
9. Conwell-Egan

10. Father Judge

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By PIAA Classification:
6A: Archbishop Ryan, Father Judge, La Salle, Roman Catholic, St. Joe's Prep
5A: Archbishop Carroll, Archbishop Wood, Cardinal O'Hara, Bonner-Prendergast
4A: Conwell-Egan, Lansdale Catholic,
3A: Bishop McDevitt, Neumann-Goretti, West Catholic


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Tag(s): Home  Old HS  Josh Verlin  Rich Flanagan  Boys HS  Catholic League (B)  Archbishop Carroll  Archbishop Ryan  Archbishop Wood   Bishop McDevitt  Bonner-Prendergast  Cardinal O'Hara  Conwell-Egan  Father Judge  La Salle College HS  Lansdale Catholic  Neumann-Goretti  Roman Catholic  St. Joe's Prep  West Catholic