City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
—

The Inter-Academic League hasn’t had a solo boys champion in four years. 

The COVID pandemic kept anybody from truly earning the crown in 2021, and then Malvern Prep and Penn Charter split it each of the last two seasons. So will this be the year that one program emerges above the other five? Maybe, maybe not — the Inter-Ac is the deepest it’s been in some time, with the teams at the top staying strong and the teams at the bottom all getting better in the offseason.

Here’s how we see it all breaking down:

~~~

Favorites
After an offseason full of change, Penn Charter (23-4, 8-2) emerges with the most talent-laden roster in the league, at least when it comes to future Division I prospects. New head coach Brandon Williams brought in 6-11 junior Matt Gilhool and 6-2 junior Jake West to join returning 6-5 junior Kai Shinholster as a trio of mid-to-high-major recruits; Jamal Hicks, a 6-2 junior guard who arrived from Bonner, is a quality addition as well. There’s more depth, too: senior Kevin Cotton (6-4), junior T.J. Bryson (6-3) and eighth grader Carter Smith (6-2) will all contribute, as will a few multi-sport athletes. 

The co-champs each of the last two years, Malvern Prep (18-9, 8-2) has quite a bit to replace, including high-scoring wing Andrew Phillilps (Lafayette) plus forward Charlie Oschell (Virginia baseball), wing Hayden Pegg (UConn football) and point guard Rowan Miller, who transferred to Conestoga for his sophomore year. They do have senior guard Ryan Williams, a Northeastern commit, to lead the way, plus 6-4 forward Tague Davis; a pair of freshmen, Nick Harken and Marvin Reed, will make an instant impact in the backcourt. 

~~~

Dark Horses
Episcopal Academy (8-14, 1-9) finished at the bottom of the league last year, but the Churchmen don’t have the look of a basement-dweller (though we acknowledge someone in this group will finish in last). The continued development of 6-7 sophomore Timmy Dennis automatically should help them out, plus they have senior guard Kevin McCarthy (Army) and new arrival Matt McCarthy, a junior transfer from Archmere Academy (Del.), in the backcourt. Senior guard Tyler Beaulieu also returns from the starting lineup, and 6-5 senior forward Calvin Szoradi will pair with Dennis to give them a nice 1-2 punch up front.

Germantown Academy (8-15, 3-7) will be led by a pair of Bryce’s: junior guard Bryce Rollerson (5-11) and sophomore wing Bryce Presley (6-4), who will shoulder a lot of the offensive load for head coach Matt Dolan’s Patriots. A large junior class will back them up, including 6-4 wing Tyler Nolan, a starter a year ago, as well as Ellis Johnson, Flinn Brooks, Anthony Hall and AJ Towsen. With only one senior on the roster, this could be the setup year for the Patriots with bigger things ahead. 

Haverford School (12-13, 4-6) is still pretty young, starting sophomore Manny Butts (6-7) and freshman Silas Graham (6-4) along with junior KJ Carson (6-2) and senior Billy Rayer (5-10). Twins Jacob and Leo Becker, both 6-5, are nice additions as they moved down to the Philly area from New York. Junior guard Duke Cloran (6-2), who would have been one of their top players this season, will unfortunately miss the year due to an offseason ACL tear. 

SCH Academy (16-9, 6-4) doesn’t have the 6-9 Alassane Amadou (Marquette) and 6-4 Jaren Morton (VMI) anymore, the two former Bishop McDevitt standouts making the most of their couple years at SCH following McDevitt’s closing. But the Blue Devils have looked good this offseason with a five-guard lineup, led by seniors Camden Burns, Ron Brown III and Ryan Kull plus junior Keni ‘Bird’ Williams, who all can handle, shoot and attack the rim. Kam Waters, a 6-3 junior, and Owen Kelly, a 6-4 sophomore, give them scoring pop on the wings and will also have to play down low.

~~~

Players to Watch

Penn Charter’s backcourt features juniors Jake West and Kai Shinholster. West is a crafty point guard who has a good feel in the open floor. As a two-guard, Shinholster is money in the mid-range, but he can step-back for three as well. They'll orbit around Matt Gilhool, a stretch forward who can put the ball on the deck, shoot, and protect the rim on defense. Malvern Prep senior guard Ryan Williams remains the most prolific scorer in the league. He's very skilled at getting to his spots anywhere in the halfcourt. Also a senior guard, Episcopal Academy's Kevin McCarthy is a marksman from deep. He can use his footwork coming off screens to rise and fire or slice his way to the rim. Sophomore forward Timmy Dennis can knock down open threes if defenders help off him. For Germantown Academy, junior guard Bryce Rollerson is talented enough as an all-around scorer to put the team on his back for stretches at a time. He'll be flanked by Bryce Presley, a sophomore wing with the potential to be a two-way impact player. Haverford School’s Manny Butts is a skilled sophomore big man who can dribble, pass, and shoot inside the arc. Their backcourt combo of junior KJ Carson and 2nd-year freshman Silas Graham can create advantages in a variety of ways. And the guard-heavy Blue Devils from SCH will be led by senior Camden Burns, senior Ron Brown III, and junior Keni Williams. Burns is their tough shot-maker, Brown III is their do-it-all two-way guard, and Williams sets everyone else up as their primary ball-handler.