City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This story is the latest in 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 2021-22 season preview coverage. As we publish more, the complete list of schools previewed will be found here.)

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The class of 2021 changed the course of Haverford High School boys basketball. Now it’s up to their successors to keep it all going.

Behind the likes of John Seidman, Hunter Kraiza and Will Higson, the Fords — not typically known as a hoops powerhouse — captured the 2020 Central League championship, the program’s first in 50 years. They followed up with a solid 8-5 league record during the COVID-shortened 2021 season, four of those losses coming by six points or less.

That was a long climb from a 1-21 season in 2016-17, but now most of the major pieces from that championship win are off to their respective colleges: Seidman on the hoops roster at Franklin & Marshall, Higson on F&M’s football team, and Krazia at Cabrini.

“Obviously in years past, Haverford wasn’t known to have a great basketball team, and they really brought the program up and really got it to where it is now,” senior Nick Colucci said. “Really thankful that I got to play with those guys.”

Colucci, certainly a significant piece of Haverford’s success the last few years, is back for his last go-around in a Fords’ uniform. The 6-foot-2 senior guard has been a 3-point specialist for a couple seasons, but he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot more this time around. 

“I’m just trying to continue being an all-around scorer, being able to score from all three levels, being more confident with my shot,” he said.

“Nick definitely has, since the time he’s been on varsity with me his sophomore year, has always looked to improve his game, and he’s improved as well this offseason,” 10th-year head Keith Heinerichs said. “He’s improved in his shooting, in his off the bounce, definitely improved in those two areas.”

The biggest change for the Fords this year will be playing without Seidman. The 6-3 wing was a super-versatile piece for Haverford, counted on to do everything from initiate offense, lead the team in scoring, knock down shots and score inside, and often draw a tough defensive assignment to boot. There’s a reason why he’s a freshman starter in college averaging a dozen points per game for the Diplomats, with a bright future ahead in the Centennial League.

But Seidman isn’t the most fleet of foot, and the Fords played a half-court game that benefitted his abilities, working down defenses to get the best possible shot.

“We’re not playing Wisconsin basketball this year,” Heinerichs said. “We’re hoping to get up and down, move the ball, attack the basket, make the most of our opportunities, especially in the open floor.”

That’s good news for not only the athletic Colucci but senior guard J.R. Newman, in his second year with the Fords after moving into the area from just outside Orlando. At Oviedo (Fl.), which plays in the 7A classification — the second-largest in the Sunshine State’s system — Newman was used to playing in a more up-and-down style, something that benefits his attacking style as well.

“It’ll be a lot more guard play, handoffs, switching the ball, playing scrappy on defense, because we don’t have a true big,” Newman said. “It’ll be more fast-paced, more pushing the ball on offense.

“I think that’s a fun way to play,” he added. “I think we’ll be able to get the shots that we want to see, it’ll be really fun to be around, push the ball and make plays.”

Last year was a difficult transition for Newman, who moved during the COVID pandemic back to the area he was born in, though he’d been in Florida since he was in kindergarten. Put into a situation where he didn’t know any of his teammates, without the ability to see them in classes or out in public, and then with only two weeks of practice, it wasn’t easy to adjust.

Haverford High senior guard J.R. Newman is in his second year with the Fords after moving from Florida. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

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This offseason, the Fords have played in multiple offseason leagues, both weekends of the Philly Live event at St. Joe’s Prep in June, and various other shootouts, including CoBL’s in September.

“That was something last year where I think we struggled all-around [with] chemistry, which translated on the floor,” Colucci said. “This year, that’s not going to be a problem at all.”

This year’s roster isn’t entirely devoid of Seidman. John’s younger brother, Alex ‘Googie’ Seidman, has been a varsity contributor since his freshman year, when he was a baby-faced 5-5 guard with a reliable 3-point shot. Now looking like a high school basketball player at 5-10, the younger Seidman is going to also have to shoulder a good deal more responsibility on both ends of the floor.

Seniors Colin Reynolds and Tom Carusso (seniors) plus junior shooting guard Brian Wiener and classmates Tommy Wright and Kevin Gannon will fill out much of the rest of the rotation.

“I think we have the luxury of various guys with the ball in their hands,” Heinerichs said, “and that’ll make us a different type of team than you’ve seen in the past few years.”

With a number of players coming to the varsity roster off fall sports deep in postseason runs, the Fords won’t have a ton of time to prepare for the season, especially considering the 18-game Central League slate starts Dec. 14 with a home game against Conestoga. Haverford needs to pile on some wins early, as a stretch of five road games in six contests followed by a home game against league favorite Lower Merion (Feb. 8) closes out the regular season.

It’s an improved Central League, with Radnor, Springfield, Strath Haven and others expected to be improved to compete with the likes of Lower Merion, Conestoga and defending champs Garnet Valley. If the Fords want to be in the mix, the 2021 class won’t be able to help them.

“There’s a little bit of pressure, but we’re really confident with the guys we have in the building,” Colucci said. “We think we’re going to be fine without them.”