City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADrobinson3)
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KING OF PRUSSIA – Name recognition goes a long way.

In just their second year as a PIAA program, the Lions of The City School are doing a lot to put their name out there. For the second straight year, The City School captured the District 12 Class A title and qualified for the state playoffs.

For the second straight year, thanks to a robust 60-36 win over District 11 runner-up Bethlehem Christian School, the Lions moved on in the state playoffs.

“We started out alright, we hit a little bump but then we all started to trust each other,” sophomore point guard Jasin Custus said. “We put a good bond together and it’s all been coming together.”

Friday’s win over Bethlehem Christian, which was making its own debut in the state playoffs, ran The City School’s record for the season to 24-3. The City School, a Pre-K to Grade 12 Christian school with three campuses in the heart of the city, had always had a strong academic tradition but as a non-PIAA school, not much of an athletic history at the high school level.

So, when Barry DeVine took over the basketball program, his first ask of the school’s athletic department was a direct one. If the school wanted to stop losing its best athletes coming up from middle school to other schools around the city, including the Philadelphia Catholic League, it needed to get into the PIAA.

“We really are a year ahead of schedule,” DeVine said. “We didn’t anticipate doing anything last year and we won our first state game. That only made us more hungry for this year with all our young guys. We’re just excited about our possibilities, but we’re also staying humble.”

DeVine summed up his team, which features a good mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen contributors with the words Family, Fight and Grit.

Family is the team’s theme for the season, seniors aiding sophomores, sophomores aiding seniors and so on. DeVine pointed to a stretch this season where the Lions didn’t have two key seniors and the team pulled through it with a 4-2 record as a sign of the team’s growth.

Adding four letters did a whole lot for the program.

“It said we’re serious,” DeVine said. “It said we’re a serious program from a basketball standpoint, coupled with how we’d always been serious from an academic standpoint.

“We’re doing it the right way and we’re excited about it.”

Custus and Albert Davis have been starters all season long as sophomores. Even with a sizable contingent of Bethlehem Christian fans having made the trip down, they led the way as The City School jumped out to a 21-1 lead after eight minutes.

Custus did a bit of everything, scoring 10 points with five rebounds, five assists and five steals that included a few acrobatic layups. Davis had six points and sophomore Jaden Johnson was solid off the bench, only scoring two points but dishing four assists and ripping four steals for an aggressive Lions defense.

Senior forward Jamil DeSouza said even with a couple new players in the program this year, one area has been consistently strong for the back-to-back District 12 champions

“Defense,” DeSouza said. “That’s what the main focus of our team is.”

This group has an interesting balance of present and future. DeSouza and senior guard Jasir Johnson are playing their last few games but have aspirations to keep winning while the underclassmen like junior Shawn Murphy - who scored eight of his 16 in the fourth quarter - will have more opportunities to keep building on these first two years in the PIAA.

It’s already starting to have an effect, DeVine noting there are a couple promising eighth graders on the middle school team that plan to stay and move up to the high school program.

“We went pretty far last year,” DeSouza said. “I think that drew attention to some new players.”

“Our team chemistry, our bond, our defense, people want to be a part of something good especially when they see we’re winning,” Custus added. “It’s helping us build and get that name for ourselves. We want to build a strong program for the school.”

Last year, The City School’s state run ended in the second round. The Lions won’t know their next opponent until sometime Saturday — Linville Hill Christian and North Penn-Liberty’s first round tilt was postponed a day due to weather around the state — but they’re still thinking much bigger than one-and-done.

“We felt like we had to bounce back and play better this year,” DeSouza said.

“We’re looking to Hershey,” Custus said. “We’re trying to get there and play for a state championship.”

DeVine is pleased with how much growth the program has shown in just two years and regardless how many more games the Lions play this winter, they’re on strong footing moving forward. Having name recognition goes a long way and that’s something The City School’s put a lot into in a short amount of time.

“I think our best days are ahead of us,” DeVine said. “They stick together. They play for each other and help each other out and they really, genuinely want to see each other succeed.”

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By Quarter
City School:  21  |   9   |  13  |  17  ||  60
Beth. Christ:  1   |  19  |   5   |  11  ||  36

Scoring
TCS: Shawn Murphy 16, Jasir Johnson 15, Jasin Custus 10, Jamil DeSouza 7, Albert Davis 6, Marcus Banks 4, Jaden Johnson 2

BCS: Harris 10, Williams 9, Arzuaga 7, Transue 5, Rex 3, Long 2