City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)

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(Ed. Note: This story is part of 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 2023-24 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Devin Coleman was part of the last Friends’ Central team to win the Friends Schools League title.

He starred alongside Amile Jefferson and Malique Killing in leading the Phoenix to two consecutive FSL titles along with three straight Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association crowns in a dominant era for a program that has produced its share of stars, like former Pittsburgh guard Mike Cook, who Coleman has succeeded as Friends’ Central head coach. 

Coleman culminated his high school career with 1,528 points, 602 rebounds and 128 3-pointers, then spent time at both Clemson and Temple. Jefferson won a national championship at Duke and is now an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, and Killing became Muhlenberg College’s all-time leading scorer with exactly 1,900 points.

After finishing his collegiate career, Coleman attempted to play overseas professionally but injuries mounted, including a torn labrum that required two surgeries with a rehab that lasted more than two years. He returned home to his alma mater and joined the program as an assistant coach under both Jason Polykoff — his former head coach who won four PAISAA titles in his time at FCS — and Cook.

Coleman’s ambition behind taking the head coaching job at Friends’ Central is to return the program to its former glory. He was an integral player during an illustrious run and sees the program’s potential in a budding FSL with high hopes in Year 1.

“That’s the entire motivation, to restore some prominence back on City Ave.,” said Coleman, who has been reinvigorated since taking the helm.

“This one in particular with having played at the school and I’m actually a lifer having gone there starting with pre-K through high school graduation. It’s a special place to me, and it was definitely the goal.”

He knows the roster and what different players need to learn to take on more expansive roles with Collin Bowman and Joe Green having graduated and Isaac and Gabe Moore having transferred to Life Center Academy (N.J.). Coleman wants the Phoenix to play fast, and things will begin and end with Fazl Oshodi and Muhsin Muhammad. 

Oshodi is in his third season with Friends’ Central, and the 6-foot-3 senior guard averaged 11.5 points per game as a junior. He was almost the difference maker in dethroning Westtown in the FSL quarterfinals, scoring 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Muhammad averaged 10.1 points in his first season with the Phoenix after transferring from Germantown Friends, and the 6-4 senior guard enters his final season with 998 career points.

Coleman loves what each brings to the table and sees the high-scoring duo as an emulation of himself out on the court.

“They work and ask a lot of questions, showing they want to be good leaders for the young guys,” Coleman said. “It’s beneficial having had them in the program for the last few years and they’ve been around me for quite some time. We’ve put work in together in the offseason. They have a good idea what to expect from me, and they can disseminate that message to the rest of the team.”

The X-factor for Coleman will be 6-foot senior guard Reid Belcher, who led the team with 12.4 ppg. He can get hot in a hurry, and Coleman is counting on performances like his 23-point game against The Phelps School and 20-point outing versus The Pennington School (N.J.) will become more of a regularity this season. 

Evan Boyer, a 5-10 junior guard who averaged 4.5 ppg last season, should see extended minutes.

“He really loves the game and works extremely hard. Right now, he’s more of a defensive presence for us,” Coleman said.

Nigel Pierman will be one of the bigger and stronger forwards in the FSL this season and provide a presence the Phoenix haven’t had for quite some time. The 6-7, 220-pound junior came on late in the season with five double-digit scoring outings in his final 11 games, including a 13-point performance against league champion George School in January. Pierman is a prototypical big who uses his body well to corral rebounds and finish through contact, and that’s exactly what Coleman wants him to do.

“It’s been great seeing him mature,’ Coleman said. “A lot of it was basketball knowledge, becoming a smarter player by knowing when and how to do certain things. He’s showing a lot of promise. I’m very happy that he has this year and another year so we can work with him and hone those skills.”

Friends’ Central also welcomes two impact transfers in Su’Meer Alleyne and Patrese Feamster. Alleyne arrives by way of Archbishop Carroll, and the 6-4 guard, who reclassified to the class of 2025, averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while making 11 3-pointers in 24 games (20 starts) last season.

“I love his versatility,” Coleman said. “He has good size and can rebound and push the ball. He makes some great passes and makes shots from the outside. He’s going to be asked to do a lot for us this year, and we believe he will be capable of that.”

Feamster has reclassified to the class of 2027 after the 6-3 guard, who holds an offer from East Tennessee State, averaged 7.5 ppg and made 25 treys in 19 games for Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in his first varsity season before injuring his left thumb and missing the rest of the year.

With robust options on the perimeter and a talented front court with Alleyne and Pierman, Coleman has high expectations for his first season and wants his players to dream big, especially when looking around the gym and seeing their new head coach’s name on the list of all-time leading scorers that includes Jefferson, Cook and De’Andre Hunter.

“We should be there in the thick of it in the top three or four spots,” Coleman said. “We got some older guys returning with some youth. Those older guys will lead them, and I really like our energy. We’re very positive and playing for each other. We have a chance to be up there, but it’s up to us to go out there and execute to pull that off. I definitely believe in the team and that we have a chance to be there.”

The FSL does not run through Westtown any longer. George School won the title a season ago and returns a large contingent of talent, but the Moose have reloaded and will be back in the mix. Friends Select lost Christian Kirkland (Youngstown State) but has ample options remaining on a deep roster, and Academy of the New Church will be in contention yet again. It will take more than talent to return Friends’ Central to the height of its dominance from the early 2010s, but Coleman has been preaching one piece of advice that has remained with him since his days on City Ave.

“Stay consistent in your work ethic,” Coleman said. “They will tell you my favorite work is consistency because we know anyone can go out there and do it once. They might be able to do something once, but can they do it five times? That’s how you get better, and I’ve been preaching that to these guys.”