City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

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The opening weekend of the PIAA high school basketball season is chock-full of four-team tournaments scattered around the Delaware Valley region and beyond, as well as a few bigger events.

Scholastic Play-By-Play’s first events of the 2017-18 season come on the second day of the schedule, and there’s a good three-team event at West Chester the day following; between the two, no fewer than 10 teams with state championship aspirations play their first game or two of the year.

Here’s a look at those three events this weekend:

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Scholastic PBP Tip-Off Classic
Saturday, Dec. 9, Archbishop Carroll

Archbishop Wood vs. South Shore (NY), 1:00 PM
Head coach John Mosco and the reigning PIAA 5A state champions Archbishop Wood Vikings kick off their 2017-18 campaign against on Saturday against South Shore. The Vikings boast three Division I signees; Tyree Pickron (Quinnipiac), Andrew Funk (Bucknell), and Karrington Wallace (Central Connecticut State). Also look for 7-foot senior Seth Pinkney, who’s got mid-major programs after him. For South Shore, 6-9 junior Isaiah Richards and 5-10 sophomore point guard Kareem May are the stars.

Bethlehem Catholic vs. Martin Luther King, 2:45 PM
Ryan Young, a 6-9 senior and Northwestern recruit and BeCaHi travel down from Allentown to square off against MLK. Young’s one of the best passers from the post in the region, and he’ll team up with his brother, 6-8 junior Kyle Young. Junior point guard Justin Paz has a tight handle and is a lockdown defender. MLK boasts seniors Denelle Holly (6-2) and Will McNair (6-9), both of whom look to win the Public League’s ‘A’ division.

Pennsbury vs. West Catholic, 4:30 PM
Pennsbury will play its first game without Mark Flagg, a 2017 graduate and freshman at St. Francis (PA). Senior Raylil Winton is a quick guard with a quick trigger from deep, and junior forward Gary Francis is an energy player who can provide a spark. West Catholic’s got some of the tallest players in the region. Junior point guard Imere Harris has a tight handle and freshman forward Jerome Brewer is looking like a name to remember the next few years.

Neumann-Goretti vs. Shipley, 6:15 PM
Even with stars Quade Green and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree graduated, Neumann-Goretti still figures to be one of the premier teams in the area. The Catholic League powerhouse will be lead this year by 6-1 junior point guard Chris Ings. The bouncy playmaker will be joined in the backcourt by sophomore Ahmad Fair. Senior Marcus Littles, a big body and George Washington commit will have the tall task of guarding Shipley’s big man, 6-10 junior Ray Somerville. Keep an eye on Sam Sessoms, Shipley’s flashy point guard and Binghamton recruit.

Malvern vs. Archbishop Carroll, 8:00 PM
Led by a young backcourt of sophomores Deuce Turner and Spencer Cochran, Malvern Prep has some of the best young talent in the area. What the Friars lack in height, they make up for in guard play. Junior TyGee Leach and reclassified freshman Rahdir Hicks should also contribute. As the for host Archbishop Carroll, sophomore point guard A.J. Hoggard is looking like a promising young talent and junior wing Luke House has made improvements to his game.

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4th annual Fred Pickett Classic
Saturday, Dec. 9, Chester HS

Simon Gratz vs. Grady (N.Y.) (6:15 PM)
Run by Lynard Stewart, a ‘94 Gratz grad and former Temple Owl now in his third year back at his alma mater, Gratz has already made plenty of noise with a run to the state quarterfinals in 2016. Last year, Gratz’s season was ended by Martin Luther King in the Public League 6A playoffs. This year they’ll be a mixture of young and old, with a quartet of impressive sophomores -- Yassir Stover, James Ramsey, Micha Hallaway and Nymier Brooks -- joining seniors Malik Green, Jaron Flowers and Quadri Blount and William Moore who all return from the varsity roster. Last year, Grady -- which is in Brooklyn -- won 20 games and advanced to the PSAL A semifinals. They're led by three seniors, all of whom are getting interest to play at the next level, 6-4 Dequan Walker, 6-3 Elijah Franklin and 5-11 Jordan Montrose.

Chester vs. Lower Merion (8:00 PM)
The matchup of Clippers and Aces is an historic one in District 1, dating back to the days of Kobe Bryant and well beyond that. Chester, under the direction of former Chester assistant and first-year head coach Keith Taylor, is led by junior point guard Michael Smith, a 5-11 stocky floor general with a smooth stroke. Brain Randolph III is a 6-4 bouncy forward who plays high above the rim. Lower Merion’s junior class will do most of the scoring this year; 6-5 Jack Forrest and 6-2 Steve Payne are both playmakers on the offensive end. They’re part of a group of eight juniors on the varsity roster, and longtime head coach Gregg Downer will use all of them.

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Performance Refinement WCU Showcase
Sunday, Dec. 10, West Chester

Archbishop Ryan vs. Harriton (2:00 PM)
The young Raiders squad is recovering from a 2017 graduating class which took Ryan to two consecutive PCL final-fours. Juniors Amin Bryant and JaQuill Stone will take a big step up in terms of production this year. Kyle Sample is in his first year at the helm for Harriton, senior guards Nick Bugbee and Charlie Veasey are the main offensive contributors.

Bonner-Prendergast vs. Malvern Prep (4:00 PM)
Bonner-Prendergast added star juniors Isaiah Wong (6-3) and Tariq Ingraham (6-8) over the summer, to complement 6-9 senior Ajiri Johnson, a Rider commit. Bonner-Prendie will have a huge size advantage in this one, but sophomore guards Tyrese Watson and Donovan Rodriguez will need to play well to disrupt the guard play of Malvern Prep.

Archbishop Carroll vs. Coatesville (6:00 PM
The depth of the Red Raiders of Coatesville could prove the difference in this one. Sophomore point guards Jhamir “Jig” Brickus and DaPree Bryant make up the backcourt, and senior big man Tyrel Bladen is a high-flying Eastern Kentucky commit. Carroll’s frontcourt will include seniors Keyon Butler and Devon Ferrero, two 6-5 athletic big men who can step out and hit the three. But the Patriots' train is driven by sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard, a 6-2 Division I prospect with a terrific floor game. Hoggard and Brickus will be a great matchup to watch.

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