City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33) & Ari Glazier (@AriGlazier)

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When watching Alan Glover warm up, it’s difficult to recognize that only a year ago at this time he was rehabbing.

He suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee in Plymouth Whitemarsh’s season opener, causing him to miss the remainder of the year. On a team that featured twin brothers Ahmin and Ahmad Williams, 7-2 junior center Naheem McLeod as well as guards Cheo Houston and Ish Horn, losing Glover was still a major blow. Having to sit and watch as the Colonials advanced to the District 1 Class 6A semifinals as well as the state quarterfinals was a tough but it only fueled Glover’s drive to get back.

All but Houston are back from last year’s group and adding Glover to that rotation has benefited the Colonials early on this season.

Glover had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals to propel Plymouth Whitemarsh to a 66-53 win over Archbishop Carroll in the second game of the Diane Mosco Foundation Shootout held at Archbishop Wood. The 6-4 senior forward got things started by scoring eight points in the opening quarter including two three-pointers. For Glover, playing in a starting lineup with so much depth and experience allows him to do what he does best: control the glass and make hustle plays.

“I’m not worried about scoring because we have four other guys who can do that,” Glover said. “I’m focused on boxing out and being the hustle guy. I want to be the hardest working guy on the team.”

Having Glover paired with McLeod in the front court has given head coach Jim Donofrio a new facet at both ends of the floor. After Justin Anderson and Derrell Jones hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut Plymouth Whitemarsh’s lead to eight late in the third quarter, Glover corralled an offensive rebound and finished a putback. On the Colonials (3-0) next possession, McLeod hit a left hook off the glass to push the lead to 49-37. McLeod finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. The two are becoming more comfortable and learning to complement one another, and Donofrio feels they feed off of each other.

“While Naheem is developing, [Alan] has to be the glue guy,” Donofrio said. “It started in the second quarter. Naheem and Alan are the two perfect big guys to be on the court at the same time. Alan is the turbo boost. Because Naheem is such a magnet, Alan can do some stuff such as cleaning up. He has a lot of skill.”

Donofrio was referring to a point early in the second when Glover was pushed from behind while boxing out on a free throw and complained to one of the referees about the call. The veteran head coach called his disgruntled forward over, they “talked about it and realized he could play a lot harder. He was getting beaten.” From there, Glover refocused and helped his team in the long run. He converted 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the game to seal the victory.

Archbishop Carroll (3-1) kept things close early as Anderson (14 points) scored the first two baskets followed by a trey from Luke House to cut the Colonials lead to 9-7. After Glover’s second three, Keyon Butler finished inside then Ny’Mire Little added a layup and two foul shots to put the Patriots within one at 14-13. The Colonials’ lead dipped to 20-18 in the second quarter after Anderson hit 1-2 from the line but it was all Plymouth Whitemarsh from there.

Ahmin Williams scored five of his 15 points in that quarter to spur a 13-4 run to end the quarter as Colonials took a 33-22 advantage into halftime. Glover, McLeod and Ahmin Williams were all in double figures while Ahmad added nine and Danny Cooper scored eight off the bench. Donofrio felt his team showed what it is truly capable of with this win.

“What I’m looking for them to be is this poised team with all of this experience and we weren’t always that last year,” Donofrio said. “What we were trying to do against Carroll was beginning to think about what we can be. I thought we looked like a good basketball team.”

Brickus spurs Coatesville’s win over Pennsbury

Jhamir Brickus has really been coming into his own over the last two games. After scoring 16 points in a loss to Reading on Wednesday, he continued his momentum by tallying 21 in a 52-42 victory over Pennsbury on Saturday afternoon.

The 5-11 sophomore scored seven of the Red Raiders (2-2) final nine points including going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The reigning Ches-Mont Player of the Year had two of Coatesville’s 11 steals and felt getting out in transition was the best way to slow down the Falcons.

“It started on the defensive end with getting fastbreaks and finishing at the rim,” Brickus said.

After Collin Connor (18 points) hit a three-pointer for Pennsbury (1-3) to tie the game at 40 with 3:57 left to play, Haasan Young answered with one of his own then Brickus hit two of those five foul shots to put his team in front for good. Coatesville head coach Chuck Moore knew the game was going to come down to Brickus making a play or two.

“We go as he goes. He’s our best player and leading scorer,” Moore said. “We just need him to be more aggressive at certain points in the game. He’s starting to understand that.”