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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Sean Tait was the head coach at Father Judge the last time Conwell-Egan reached the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs.

It was the 2016-17 season and Eagles fell in the first round to Bonner-Prendergast while Tait and the Crusaders lost in the quarterfinals to rival Archbishop Ryan. Tait found a lot of success at his alma mater, making the postseason in nine of his 12 seasons on Solly Avenue and accruing a 132-133 record in the process.

After stepping down from the program in 2021, Tait worked as an assistant at Delaware Valley University, and when the CED administration parted ways with Tyrone Lewis after two seasons, the decision was made that it was time for a return to prominence.

It turned to Tait who hasn’t looked back since accepting the position in the spring.

“I took over in May and we’ve been going ever since,” Tait said. “Getting them into summer league then Philly Live for two sessions and right into the fall.”

Tait’s track record speaks for itself when looking at his success at Archbishop Wood then Father Judge and now Conwell-Egan, his third Philadelphia Catholic League head coaching gig. He has been tasked with resurrecting a program that hasn’t been to the postseason since that 2016-17 season and has accrued a 44-120 overall record with only 14 league victories since Frank Sciolla departed after winning the 2015 PIAA Class 2A title. Coaches like Eric Kindler, Bryan Caver, Adam Bowen and Lewis came in and couldn’t right the ship in a league that is constantly bringing in and developing elite talent and is looked at as perhaps the premier league in Pa.

Tait wanted to get back into the league and when he heard what the administration was doing with athletics across the board, he was sold.

“The other sports are having some great success and there have been massive upgrades at the school,” Tait said. “There’s a lot of kids in Lower Bucks County who want to be part of the culture at Conwell-Egan, and it’s become a little easier to get kids to want to come here.”

“Obviously, I just got the job in May and was able to get a few kids to take a look at the school then they decided to make the move. It’s a good place in the area if you’re serious about playing high school basketball and the Catholic League is the top league in the state. That’s an easy sell.”

Tait will rely heavily on veteran guard Antwone George in his first season at the helm. The 6-3 senior averaged 14.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.1 apg and 2.2 spg on 46.2% shooting last season and is one of the more underrated guards in the area. While Tait noted that “I’m Antwone’s third coach in four years, our battle cry this year is to get that 23rd game for our senior class. They have not experienced a playoff game and being a coach in this league, I’ve had an extra one in many of them.”

George can really fill it up as evidenced by his four 20-point games a season ago, including a season-high 27 points against Bonner-Prendergast. Tait is excited to have a player who mirrors that of Charles, Marc Rodriguez and Nahseer Johnson, all of whom flourished under him at Father Judge.

“He had a great year last year and has been a starter since his sophomore year,” Tait said. “His leadership on and off the court has been great.”

His backcourt mate, Jared Velez, also returns and the 5-9 sophomore floor general is coming off a freshman season that saw him start 21 out of 22 games. Tait noted that “his role might change as Antwone takes over the starting point guard role” but “Jared is going to continue to be part of the rotation this year.”

Justin Bobb has a chance to truly emerge, as the 6-7 versatile junior forward should see opportunities both on the outside and in the post. He averaged 5.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg in his first year with the program after transferring in from the Academy of the New Church and performances like his 16-point game against West Catholic should be seen with more regularity. “He has inside-out perimeter skills” and “has intriguing size and athleticism that we’re going to need a big year from him if we’re going to be serious contenders in our league,” according to Tait.

Tyler Johnson, a 6-1 junior guard, and Isaiah Johnson, a 6-3 senior forward who Tait states is a “big body and physical kid who can help us on the interior,” are holdovers from the previous regime and are in line for minutes this season. Also look for 6-6 junior forward Tristan Ganges, another holdover who “has some nice face-the-basket skills and athleticism,” as Tait described, to be in the mix.

Conwell-Egan (6-16, 2-11 Philadelphia Catholic League) lost Morris Ivery to graduation and Sebastian Khan, who averaged 11.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 4.6 apg in 22 starts last season, decided to transfer out. 

Tait has restocked the roster with new additions in the 2027 class. Cole Zalewski, a 6-2 sophomore guard who transferred in from the Academy of the New Church, should be a major contributor for the Eagles. He averaged 3.0 ppg as a freshman on a team that won the Friends Schools League title and advanced to the PAISAA Tournament semifinals. Tait has “had Cole since fourth grade and coached him in AAU all the way up” and said Zalewski’s best attribute is “his ability to make shots from the perimeter.”

Two more additions in West Catholic transfer Myles Moore and Upper Moreland transfer Brayden Martin give Conwell-Egan two promising prospects for this season and beyond. Moore is a 6-3 sophomore wing who saw action in his first varsity season and showed flashes, including his 22-point outburst against Bergen Catholic (N.J.). Tait said “he has a lot of upside and pound for pound talent-wise, he can do a bit of everything. If he puts it all together, his sky’s the limit.” Martin burst onto the scene in his first varsity campaign as the 6-3 sophomore wing was named Suburban One League All-League Freedom Division Honorable Mention.

Tait and the Eagles will open the season on Dec. 6 against Girard College then they will also have non-league matchups with Boys’ Latin (Md.), Penn Wood, Norristown, Abraham Lincoln, Northeast, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Conwell-Egan opens Philadelphia Catholic League play against Lansdale Catholic on Jan. 3.

It’s a new Philadelphia Catholic League since the last time Tait graced the sideline but for someone who was the 1995 Northern Division MVP then the 2017 Coach of the Year, the goal remains the same in this new era and landscape. This move reminds him of his transition to head coach at Father Judge and the results there speak for themselves.

“It’s a little similar to when I took over at Judge compared to when I took over at Wood,” Tait said. “At Wood, I was able to take over a group [...] which I had been able to coach in JV and those guys were familiar with me. When I took over at Judge, that was completely fresh with new guys like Reggie, Seamus, and Nick Sullivan. Those guys didn’t know me and it took a little bit for them to click and play the way I wanted to play. There was a growth period there. 

“Coming into a program like Egan and trying to get these guys to play a certain way and together, we’ve had some ups and downs so far. The one thing is, they’re all willing to listen and learn and taste success.”