City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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CHESTER, Pa. --  When Jamir Reed sat in the stands at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in November, he realized what he could be.

Reed and the rest of the Mastery North players looked out on the court and saw their former teammate, Daeqwon Plowden, playing a key role for Bowling Green against Drexel in his first college game.

More than just a homecoming for Plowden, the game was as chance for Reed to see where his game can possibly take him.

“It made me want to go to that level,” Reed said.

Mastery North now plays in the Public League’s ‘A’ Division, but formerly played in one of the lower levels of the Public League. The Pumas haven’t had consistent Division I talent come through their program as frequently as some of the other dominant teams in the city.

By earning a Division I scholarship, Plowden, a 6-foot-5 wing, has made the goal of playing at a high level after high school seem more realistic for the team’s current group.

“It’s definitely a motivational tool,” Mastery North coach Terrence Cook said. “Daekwon was a big brother to a lot of the players that we have now and they look at him as a positive example. It’s just something to see, hard work, this is what happens when you work hard. A lot of them are following suit.”

Cook said Reed has the potential to be the next Puma to make it to the Division I level. The 6-foot-3 guard started drawing some college interest this summer. Reed scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Mastery North’s 69-50 win against St. Thomas More (Del.) in the first of four games at Friday’s Rondae Jefferson Classic.

He has taken a step forward in Plowden’s absence this season.

“I’ve seen him take a big step,” said junior guard Alvin Williams Jr., who has known Reed since they were young. “Everything improved. His shooting, communication on defense, hustling. All that.”

Reed said during this summer he was in the gym all the time. He would start his workout at 11 a.m. and go until 7 p.m. He’d later return to work out with Cook at for another hour or two.

Most of the day was spent on conditioning. Reed said he was slow last year, and improving his fitness was one of his main goals this summer. He needs to be extremely conditioned keep up with his fast-moving teammates.

“If I get the ball and push it, we get a lot of open layups,” he said. “Last year, I was a little slow, so they were able to catch up to me and stop me.”

Reed also said he grew two inches from last season, and bulked up a little bit. Cook has noticed the how the summer workouts and the added size are helping his junior guard.

“He’s finishing a lot stronger now due to working on his body all summer, getting ready, getting right,” Cook said.

Along with Plowden’s production on the floor, Reed has also tried to replace the leadership he brought to last year’s team.

Last season, The Pumas went 22-0 before falling to Martin Luther King in the Class 5A Public League title game and losing to Archbishop Carroll in the state play-in game.

Reed has taken reins of the team and has Mastery North off to a 5-0 start after Friday’s win.

“He’s been a leader,” Cook said. “He’s taking control of practice. He’s bringing the team together when we fall apart.”

Reed and Plowden still keep in touch. After the Drexel game, Reed said he got to talk to him quickly. Plowden told him to “keep working.”

Before Friday’s game, Reed got a call from Plowden, who is back in Philly for the holidays. He wanted to know when the two could meet up to work out.

Plowden is a constant reminder for Reed and his teammates that their goals are within reach.

“We figured he’s D-I, we’ve got time to go D-I too,” he said.
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Friends’ Central outlasts Salesianum

Josh Friday has not found it hard to fit in at Friends’ Central atfter transferring from Lawrenceville Prep. The senior 6-foot-5 forward has the type of game that fits anywhere.

Friday is one of those guys who does the little things throughout the game, offensive rebounding, putbacks, playing good defense. Eventually, it usually turns into a productive outing.

He had such an outing in Friends’ Central’s 46-44 win against Salesianum (Del.) in the second game of the day at Chester High.

Junior guard Bryce Spriggs led the Phoenix with 14 points and sophomore guard Mason Mosley hit the game-winning three with seconds left, but when it was time to decide the game’s Most Valuable Player, Friday was given the honor for his contribution.

Friday scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while also manning the paint on the defensive end.

“I’m defense first, but on offense, if I need to get it done, I can get it done,” Friday said.

Friday said he wasn’t getting a lot of college interest heading into this summer. However, a coach from Oberlin College saw him play at a camp at Columbia University. Friday is now set to play at the Division III program in Ohio next season after he committed in November.

While he doesn’t consider himself a primary option, Friday should see his scoring production continue to rise this season as he polishes his offensive game for the next level.

“I’ve always kind of had long arms and been working on my defense,” Friday said. “I realized if I want to do my best there, I need to work on all the aspects of my game and offense is where I need to improve most right now.”