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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Last year was uncharted territory for Neumann-Goretti, one of the most accomplished and heralded high school programs locally and nationally since Carl Arrigale took over in 1999.

The Saints have won 12 Philadelphia Catholic League and nine PIAA state titles under the legendary head coach and last season he became only the fourth coach ever to win 300 league games. He also secured his 600th career win and to top it off, the court at the South Philadelphia high school now bears his name. He led his team to the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals at the Palestra, which is a place few have found more success, then saw the season come to an end in the PIAA Class 4A Tournament quarterfinals at the hands of Scranton Prep.

The loss to Archbishop Ryan in the league semis then the state quarterfinal defeat marked the second consecutive season in which Neumann-Goretti (24-4, 11-2 Philadelphia Catholic League) did not secure either title. The Saints did bring home the District 12 4A crown but failing to raise a major trophy is something Arrigale and the program aren’t accustomed to.

“Last year we had all those injuries, but we had some depth and were able to hang in there and win some games,” Arrigale said. “My goal is to be a team that’s hard to play against where people go, ‘Uh oh, we got Neumann tonight and it’s going to be a dog fight.’ We have to get our guys into that mindset.”

Arrigale’s premier teams struck fear into the opposition before the ball was even tipped. It was only two years ago that Robert Wright III (Baylor) and Khaafiq Myers (St. Joe’s) propelled Neumann-Goretti to the league title followed by a 25-point victory over Adou Thiero (Arkansas) and Quaker Valley in the state final in Hershey. Names like Ja’Quan Newton, Quade Green, Tyreek Duren, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Hakim Byrd, and Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble established an aura that made Neumann-Goretti one of the most dominant programs and created longevity that may never be seen in the Philadelphia Catholic League again.

A year go, Myers suffered a torn ACL in the middle of the season then Amir Williams (Hofstra) missed significant time toward the end of the season, leaving Larenzo Jerkins (West Chester), Torrey Brooks, Keon Long-Mtume, DeShawn Yates and Stephon Ashley-Wright to pick up the slack. With so much movement the last few seasons, Arrigale has been forced to find new ways to mesh holdovers with newer guys and navigate an ever-changing landscape.

“We never had many transfers, and we never had many guys leaving,” Arrigale said. “The college situation trickles down to the high school game with NIL, the transfer portal and all the movement. It’s harder to do this at the high school level with eligibility. I’ve coached long enough to always figure out what we have and try to do the best with the people that we have then put it all together.”

Even after Wright transferred to Montverde Academy (Fla.) and Myers and Williams missed time, Arrigale and the Saints did what they’ve always done and that’s win games then return to the Palestra. This new group has the same mission with the head coach who holds the record for the most league titles all-time leading the way. Yates and Ashley-Wright give Neumann-Goretti one of the most skilled backcourts in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Yates, the 5-10 junior guard, burst onto the scene as a sophomore where he averaged 10 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.4 spg while shooting 57.9% from the field and hitting 28 three-pointers.

Ashley-Wright, the younger brother of Robert, has been a member of the rotation for two seasons and is looking to build off a strong sophomore campaign that saw him avg. 11.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.3 apg on 44% shooting. The 6-1 junior guard with offers from St. Joe’s and Bryant had his best game of the season against Berks Catholic in the second round of the state playoffs with 28 points on 11-21 from the floor.

The Saints success this season rests with Yates and Ashley-Wright carrying much of the scoring and leadership load for a revamped and inexperienced group.

“They’re the guys that have been around and know me the best,” Arrigale said. “DeShawn has stepped up as a leader and does all the right things in the building. Munchie has played in the big games and always seemed to play better in those games. I’m hoping he takes the next step. They need to take the next step for us to accomplish our goals.”

Long-Mtume, the 6-3 senior wing, avg. 9.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 24 games last season then was ruled ineligible for the district title game and state tournament following his transfer from Martin Luther King prior to last season. He should be in store for a huge rise in minutes and production with the graduation of Jerkins and loss of Brooks, who transferred to Camden (N.J.).

One of a few additions to the Saints roster will play alongside Long-Mtume and that’s 6-5 junior forward Alassan N’Diaye, who comes over from St. Mark’s (Del.). N’Diaye averaged 11.9 ppg & 6.1 rpg while making 15 three-pointers last season. “He played AAU with DeShawn, so he had some familiarity. He has fit in nicely. He has some versatility, an inside-outside guy,” according to Arrigale.

Cassius Laws, a 6-1 sophomore guard who transferred in from Cardinal O’Hara, should see minutes this season but the addition Arrigale is very excited about is 5-11 junior guard Kody Colson.

Colson is the son of Philadelphia native and former Franklin Learning Center star Sean Colson. He comes over after being part of back-to-back Public League and PIAA 5A titles at Imhotep Charter under Andre Noble, who passed Arrigale for the most PIAA state titles all-time last season. Arriglae noted that “Kody has been a good addition to this group” and “they all have familiarity with each other, and it seems like they’ve all played with or against each other.”

The interior will be keyed by the addition of St. Frances Academy (Md.) transfer Cain Van Norden, who just wrapped up his first season with the football program. The 6-7, 250-pound sophomore forward has a big frame and possesses athleticism other bigs in the league cannot match. Arrigale stated it will take some time to get him into the rotation and up to speed with the system, but he’s played basketball for much of his life. He could be a difference maker inside.

Jahden Williams, a 6-foot junior guard who Arrigale said has “really come on,” will get his first true shot at playing this season. Arrigale is excited about this new crop of freshmen, particularly Ernest “EJ” Stanton Jr. The 5-9 guard is “going to be battling to get some minutes. He’s a future point guard. He can hold his own as an on-ball defender and makes open shots.”

Neumann-Goretti opens the season on Nov. 30 against Nazareth (N.Y.) in the All-City Classic at School of the Future. The Saints will also play Plymouth Whitemarsh, Council Rock South, Kingsway (N.J.), and Central York along with two games in the Governors Challenge in nonleague play. The league portion of the schedule begins with La Salle on Jan. 3 and the marquee matchup with reigning champion Roman Catholic will be played at Drexel University on Jan. 17.

While the last two seasons didn’t yield a championship or live up to the standard that Arrigale has established during his tenure, the Saints are expected to be in the thick of the league race yet again then put together a deep run in the state tournament in March. The roster may have been more depleted in recent years for a variety of reasons but now Arrigale is energized by the depth of the program at all levels.

“The program is in better shape at the bottom than it has been as we’ve been really top heavy the last few years,” Arrigale said. “The middle is still a little soft and we’re learning whether we have to go to the bench right now.”