City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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The conversation was a little bit different this time of year than it usually is between Carl Arrigale and Paul Blackburn. Arrigale, Neumann-Goretti’s legendary coach, has known Hershey head coach Blackburn since 1999, when Arrigale was in his first week as the Saints’ coach and Blackburn was Lebanon’s head coach at the time hosting a tip-off tournament.

On Monday, the two spoke for over 40 minutes. They usually help each other out scouting what they see from teams in their areas. This year, they did not. Blackburn playfully reminded his pal that his Lebanon team beat the Saints the only time he ever faced Arrigale. He kidded the Neumann-Goretti coach that he’s looking to remain undefeated this Friday.

That’s because Blackburn’s Hershey team will be facing Arrigale’s Neumann-Goretti squad for the PIAA Class 5A state championship at Hershey’s Giant Center on Friday at 8 p.m.

Over a month ago, Arrigale was beside himself, not knowing where his team would be. He stood there on the crowded Father Judge court, trying to contain himself. He wiped his brow and proceeded to lament about how his Saints play no defense, after giving up 91 points to the eventual Catholic League champions in a league quarterfinal round loss in mid-February.   

It served as the grist he needed to put a blunt message to his team: “If you guys are thinking about winning a state championship, play like that again, and we may not even qualify.”

The message hit home.

Arrigale and Neumann-Goretti, winners of nine PIAA state basketball championships (six Class 3A state titles in the 4A system; three at 4A in the Class 6A system implemented in 2016-17 sports season), is back again in the state finals.

The Saints (18-11) will be playing for their 10th PIAA state championship since 2010, and first Class 5A state title, after winning eight PIAA Class 3A state championships in a nine-year span, from 2010 to 2018, and one Class 4A in 2022 (it should be noted Neumann-Goretti did not compete in the 2020 or 2021 state playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Arrigale in 9-1 in state title games, with his one state title loss coming in the Saints’ most recent trip to the state finals, losing in 2023 to District 7 champion Lincoln Park in the Class 4A championship.

“Paul and I actually talked on Monday and I’m really happy for him, he’s a class act, he does a great job,” said Arrigale, who did an amazing job himself getting this team to the state finals. “This is not going to be easy. We’re playing five minutes away from their school. They’re going to have everyone who lives in Hershey in there (laughs). We pride ourselves on playing aggressive defense and that’s what we’re going to have to do. We didn’t until recently. We got out knocked out of the Catholic League playoffs, and I sold my guys on winning the district (12 Class 5A) title. It was a matter of effort and mentality defensively. We have five Catholic League playing for a state championship. That’s a tough schedule.

“Everyone was able to beat everyone. That’s what I think prepared us for this (state title run). I reminded these guys when they were talking about states that we might not even qualify if we didn’t change some things around here.”

In the eastern state Class 5A bracket, Neumann-Goretti beat a Marple Newtown that was having one of its best seasons, then went on to beat a Pottsgrove team that was having one of its best seasons, and reached the states by beating an Upper Moreland team that never won a state playoff game before this season.

The Saints will rely on 5-foot-11 junior guard Stephon ‘Munchie’ Ashley-Wright, 5-10 junior guard DeShawn Yates, who scored 34 points in the Saints’ overtime win over Penncrest in the quarterfinals, 6-3 senior wing Keon Long-Mtume, 6-5 junior forward Alassan N’Diaye, and 5-9 freshman guard EJ Stanton.

Neumann-Goretti will be facing another wave of history.

This has been a monumental season for Hershey. This is the Trojans’ first-ever trip to the state finals, winning the District 3 championship for the first time in 51 years. Before this season, Hershey was 0-7 in the second round of the state playoffs in over 100 years of basketball. Hershey’s 26-3 record is the program’s best in almost a century, since 1927.

The Trojans are led by 5-10 senior point guard Aidan Miller, 6-6 senior forward James Campbell IV, 6-2 junior guard Drew Grana, 6-5 senior forward Roman Panko, and 6-3 junior guard Cam Sweeney, the Trojans’ leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points a game. Off the bench, the Trojans’ depth comes from 6-foot junior forward Jack Zakovitz, 6-foot junior guard Grant Later and 6-3 senior forward Jaiden Waynes.

“Carl and I go way back with each other, back to the tip-off tournament I hosted when I was at Lebanon, and we beat him, which I reminded him about on Monday,” said Blackburn, who is in his 16th year at Hershey, laughing. “Carl is a great guy, and he obviously is a great coach. I invite anyone I know to our gym up here when they’re around and Carl has been (to Hershey High School) to shoot around, work out, and whatever you need. That’s how we struck up a relationship. 

"Carl can say what he wants, but when you win nine state titles and they name the court after you, come on. That’s special. That’s legendary. He told me his kids are hungry to be good, we’re hungry to be good. It should be a great game.”

Hershey will need to handle Neumann-Goretti’s ball pressure, and the Saints’ offense, which features four double-figure scorers. The Trojans are a connected team, whose nucleus goes back to grade school playing together.

Blackburn, who has been coaching 34 years, 27 years as a head coach, has done an amazing job with this Hershey team. In all that time, he never thought he would reach a state title game.

“I don’t set goals for the team, the kids do,” he said. “We set outcome and process goals. This year’s group set out goal to win the district title, after losing in the districts last year. I remember writing that on the board, saying, ‘That’s a good goal.’ Someone raised their hand and said, ‘I think we should win a state title this year.’ I kind of chuckled and thought, ‘Why not put it up there.’ It was their goal. We know the difference between Philadelphia-area basketball, and the rest of the state. Now, here we are, playing for a state title. I would be lying to say that I expected this, but this is a special group that continues to break barriers.”

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CoBL-Area PIAA Championship Previews

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CoBL-Area PIAA Championship Previews

Boys 1A: Thursday, 2:00 PM
Sankofa Freedom (12-1) vs. Neighborhood Academy (7-1) 

Boys 4A: Thursday, 8:00 PM
Devon Prep (12-1) vs. Berks Catholic (3-1)

Girls 6A: Friday, 6:00 PM
Perkiomen Valley (1-1) vs. Upper St. Clair (7-1)

Boys 5A: Friday, 8:00 PM
Neumann-Goretti (12-1) vs. Hershey (3-1) 

Girls 4A: Saturday, 12:00 PM
Neumann-Goretti (12-2) vs. Lansdale Catholic (12-3)

Boys 3A: Saturday, 2:00 PM
West Catholic (12-1) vs. South Allegheny (7-1)

Girls 5A: Saturday, 6:00 PM
Archbishop Wood (12-1) vs. South Fayette (7-2)

Boys 6A: Thursday, 8:00 PM
Father Judge (12-2) vs. Roman Catholic (12-3)

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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on BlueSky here.