City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)
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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 2025-26 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Constitution coaching legend Rob Moore carries a refreshing no-frills approach. When it comes to talking about his team, he tears away the cellophane wrap, does not gloss over anything in clever euphemistic “coachspeak” and believes in being transparent and direct.

So, Moore came right out and said what he thinks his team will do when evaluating their chances this season.

“I actually think we can win a state championship this year,” he said. “I think this is as good a defensive team as I have had in the last five or six years. Winning these state playoff games against these suburban teams is they pack it in and they force us to hit shots.

“They don’t necessarily play zone. They will pack in a man defense and I try to explain to my guys, in the years we have won state championships, we create a ton of points off turnovers and getting fastbreaks when teams cannot get set up. If every team has that same philosophy for five games, we will need to hit shots for games in a row, which is not always an easy thing to do.”

Last season, the Generals finished 18-11 overall and 5-5 in the Philadelphia Public League A Division, losing to eventual Public League finalist Samuel Fels in the league quarterfinal round. Constitution was then knocked out in the second round of the PIAA Class 2A state playoffs by eventual Class 2A state champion Linville Hill Christian (66-52).

Constitution has won four PIAA state championships (2012 1A championship and 2014 2A championship and 2015 1A championship under the Class 4A system, and 2018 2A championship under the 6A system). In two of the last three years, the Generals have been knocked out in the second round, which is the earliest they have ever lost in the state playoffs.

Moore returns in 6-foot-3 senior guard Nick Young, 6-5 senior forward Chaz Hannah, and 5-10 senior guard Ibrahim Mahmoud, who will be joining 5-7 junior guard Rahleem Brown, 6-2 senior guard Jacob Mitchell, a transfer from Mastery North - Pickett, 5-8 senior guard Dahkenah Wilkins, 6-3 junior guard Johnny Lowman and 5-10 junior guard Ronald Rogers and 6-3 senior guard Jason Babilonia.

Moore likes his quick guards who can apply a lot of pressure on the ball. That used to be Moore’s signature for a decade. The Generals would press, trap, and pressure. The last few years, Constitution got away from that in shifting its focus on more offense. In Mitchell and Young, the Generals have two versatile players who create matchup problems for opposing teams.

“Our focus this year will be on the defensive end, and we will run our offense through Mitchell and Young,” Moore said. “I don’t really have that many concerns with this team. The way these guys have blended in with one another, it may be rebounding. We are still on the small end. I explain to my guys how possessions are important. That comes with rebounding and we will have to gang rebound a little.”

Constitution will play big teams like Imhotep Charter and Fels. Moore feels the group approach will have to work against them. Hannah is more like a stretch forward, who can block shots and rebound. He will be the Generals’ rim protector, and Mitchell is an all-around player who Moore calls one of the better scorers Constitution has had in the last few years.

The Generals will try and get the ball to Young on the elbow as much as possible and let him go. Moore says he does not feel anyone can match up with Young or Mitchell, because they are faster and quicker than most high school bigs, and too strong and large for high school guards to stay with.

Young knows the expectations. The Generals’ two-year starter is well aware the last time Constitution won a state championship was back in 2018, when these seniors were 12.

“It feels fun playing with this group, because you always have a brother trying to help you up,” Young said. “I’ll come straight out with it, we do expect to win a state championship. We have the sense that no one wants to lose anymore. We know the history. I’m tired of falling short, and everyone else is, too.

“We want to accomplish something that has been passed on to us, and that we can pass along to everyone that comes behind us. We want to be that winning team, we are a bunch of scrappy dogs who will come after you. It’s been 2018 since we last won a state title, and I was 12 and didn’t even know about Constitution basketball. We have to end this streak.

“We have a lot of fire under us. We feel we have a lot to prove.”

Mitchell says he was welcomed with open arms when he transferred in. He says he is ready for his role as a scorer and one of the team leaders.

“No one will put any more pressure on us than we will put on ourselves, and I think we can handle that,” Mitchell said. “I think we are underrated, because people look at our size. We’re not very big. I’m coming into a winning environment. I expect to win. We’ll pressure the ball and make teams turn it over.”

Constitution will have to wait for the District 12 committee to determine at some point during the season Mitchell and Wilkins’ postseason eligibility.

In preparation for what the Generals may see in the state playoffs, Moore purposely scheduled nonleague games against Springfield (Delco), Spring-Ford, Devon Prep and a few other Catholic League teams.

“We need to see teams like that to prepare us,” Moore said. “I want to challenge my guys when facing teams like that. Brown is the catalyst of our defense. He gets under people. He is a pest who sets the tone. He is a real leader. I can’t say enough what he brings to us. When we are playing well, it will start with him defensively.”

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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.