City of Basketball Love

John Leuzzi (@ByJohnLeuzzi)
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WEST PHILADELPHIA — It’s a backcourt that is going to keep opposing coaches up at night as they scout for Constitution. 

“It’s dangerous for everybody else. Not dangerous for me,” head coach Rob Moore said jokingly. 

The 1-2 punch of Perry Fields and Kyree Latimer was on full display Tuesday afternoon against Philadelphia Public League foe West Philly as the senior guard duo accounted for almost half the Generals’ points in an 82-66 win over the Speedyboys. 

“He takes a lot off of my back,” said Fields, who finished with 18 points, playing alongside Latimer. “I don’t have to force myself to score buckets because I have Kyree. Now if they are doubling him, I can go. They double up me, he can go.” 

Latimer said one of the reasons why the two are equally hard to guard and defend is because both of their styles of play “complement each other.” 

“We take pressure off each other because he comes from scoring at a high level and I’m scoring at a high level,” said Latimer, who finished with a game-high 29 points Tuesday. “So when it’s both of us (together), they can’t key in on either one of us.” 

It’s also a backcourt that is molded by the same want: winning. 

It’s what excited Fields about the Constitution basketball program when he transferred to 7th and Market this summer after three years at Boys’ Latin. 

“They needed another scorer and defensive player,” Fields said. “They all want to win the championship like me."

On top of his three-level scoring abilities, Moore said Fields brings an “old school” and “calm” approach to the Generals (2-1, 1-0 PPL) that pairs well with senior forward Amir Speights and Latimer.

“He’s the perfect blend between Speights and Latimer,” Moore said. “It's like he kind of picks one up and settles one down. He kind of plays like those old guys that play in the YMCA, everything is really basic but good. And if he continues to play like that, I think we can be really good this year.”

That three-level scoring was showcased Tuesday against West Philly (1-4, 0-2 PPL). It took until the fourth quarter for Fields to miss a shot from the field. He also came up with some key blocks defensively.

As for Latimer, who averaged 14.3 points per game last season, Moore said he’s seen a level of maturity in the 6-foot-4 guard’s play to begin the season. 

“It’s still a work in progress, but he’s understanding the flow of the game, when to be aggressive and when to pick his spot,” Moore said. “(Today) he had some mismatches and went out there and exploited them.” 

Latimer, who put on 15 pounds of muscle over the summer, said the 2021-22 season — in which he had to sit out as he transferred after the deadline, was a learning moment along with last year’s. 

“Last year (really) was my first year (playing varsity basketball), so I got out what I needed to get out of my game and just studied from the mistakes that I made and do them correctly this year,” Latimer said.

He said he’s gotten smarter, knows how to close games out better and is committing less turnovers.

West Philly had trouble all day attempting to stop Latimer, who shot 10-for-19 from the field on the day with three 3-pointers. He had 18 points in the first half alone. 

“I just felt like tonight (was) going to be the night in the layup line (before the game),” Latimer said. “Played with that chip on my shoulder (knowing) they kicked us out of the final four last year. This game was personal.” 

Constitution also had success from the 3-point line as it shot 47% compared to West Philly’s 29%. Of the eight 3-pointers made by the Generals, Speights had four as he tallied 14 points. 

Latimer and Fields have high expectations heading into the heart of league play. And if Tuesday’s win was any indication, the Generals once again are a strong contender to hoist the District 12 crown at The Liacouras Center come February and PIAA state title in Hershey. 

“Last year I don’t think we were mentally all locked in when we should have,” Latimer said. “But I feel like we got that season out of the way and are now taking the right steps into what we need to be doing.”

By Quarter

Constitution:  20  |  20  |  20 |  22  ||  82

West Philadelphia:  19  |  10  |  17  |   20   ||  66

Shooting

Constitution: 26-56 FG (8-17 3PT), 22-32 FT

West Philadelphia: 24-67 FG (7-24 3PT), 11-14 FT

Scoring

Constitution: Kyree Latimer 29, Perry Fields 18, Amir Speights 14, Kory Jones 7, Naamir Flowers 8, Khaleek Johnson 2

West Philadelphia: Abrahaman Coulibaly 20, Makel Butts 10, Xavier Howard 10, Teddy McAllister 7, Jayden McKie 7, Umar Sabree 5, Jamar Boyd 3, Tamir Taylor-Blackson 2, Joshua Gibbs 2

This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at byjohnleuzzi@gmail.com or on Twitter/X @ByJohnLeuzzi