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NEBL Notebook: Thursday, May 28

05/29/2015, 12:00pm EDT

By Ari Rosenfeld

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
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The Northeast Basketball League continued into its fourth week, with four games taking place on the courts at the Mayfair Rec Center (2990 Saint Vincent Avenue) on Thursday night.

Here’s a notebook recapping the action:

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Father Judge 60, CB East 42

CB West 43, Neshaminy 35

Cherokee 58, Pennsbury 45

Imhotep 79, Neumann-Goretti 72

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Carlyle finally ready to shine for Panthers

Despite being one of the more talented local guards in his class, Imhotep combo Jaekwon Carlyle often found himself as just the fifth or sixth scoring option last season.

But after losing three key backcourt pieces, as well as post presence DeAnte Robinson, head coach Andre Noble will look to Carlyle to take on an enhanced load, and he appears more than ready to do so.

Carlyle and backcourt mate Daron Russell will be the top options for Noble this season. With the usually ball-dominant Russell on the bench early in the second half of the Panthers’ NEBL matchup with Neumann-Goretti, Carlyle got a chance to show what he could do with the ball in his hands.

He showed off his full offensive arsenal, knocking down perimeter jump shots both spotting up and off-the-dribble while also getting into the lane consistently off of pick-and-roll opportunities.

“My mindset was to take over, because my backcourt partner was in foul trouble,” Carlyle said after the game. “We don’t have the players we had last year. DeAnte, [Devin Liggeons], we don’t have them no more, so me and Daron have got to do a little bit more to compete for a championship.”

Once Russell got back into the game, Carlyle was still able to make an impact even without the ball in his hands the majority of the time, knocking down a clutch spot-up three in the waning minutes to ice the Imhotep win.

Right now, Carlyle is looking to maintain the aggressiveness he showed when Russell was on the bench even when his backcourt mate is on the floor with him. He faces the same conundrum on the AAU circuit, as Conwell-Egan guard Stevie Jordan provides most of the ball handling and backcourt scoring for Philly Pride.

“Move without the ball, and when I get open chances, take shots. Attack when I have the opportunity,” Carlyle said of how he can maintain a high level of activity even without the ball.

Aside from an increased scoring role, Carlyle will also need to be more of a leader on the floor this season, especially with Russell still being just a junior. Liggeons, who will be playing at Wagner next year, served that role perfectly as a multiyear captain for Noble, and without his presence, the soft-spoken Carlyle is looking to be more of a vocal leader, while using his play to lead by example.

However, as he admits by citing a specific point in the Neumann-Goretti matchup, it’s still a work in progress as his Imhotep team heads into the summer.

“I’ve gotta talk more, be more of a leader, be more aggressive, and make plays for my teammates,” he said. “Dev was real vocal, I’ve got to just take his position and speak up. When Daron got that technical foul, I was supposed to have said something to him, and I didn’t.”

Quick Shots

--Sitting out the night’s best matchup was Neumann-Goretti’s star 2017 guard Quade Green. Considered one of the top point guards nationally in his class, Green sustained an injury to his lower right leg during the recent New York session of the Under Armour Association, playing with his WeR1 AAU team. He was in attendance to watch his fellow Saints, however, arriving on crutches and observing from the bench. Green said he expects to be out for at least a month, and will be back at the doctor’s next week to determine the extent of the injury and exactly what part of his leg was injured.

--While the Imhotep-Neumann matchup still featured plenty of star power in the backcourt even without Green, a relative unknown ultimately stood out the most. Imhotep guard Bernard Lightsey, just a rising sophomore, took over the reigns of the Panthers’ offense when regular point guard Daron Russell was relegated to the bench by his coaches after picking up a technical foul. It was with Lightsey running the show that Imhotep took control of the game, and he showed a steady handle with a great ability to get to the rim, and knocked down an open three-pointer to boot. After scoring just three points all last season as a freshman, it looks like Lightsey is certainly prepared to step into the minutes made available by the graduations of Wagner-bound guard Devin Liggeons and backcourt mates Khalief Tinley and Cananchet Jordan.

--Father Judge was up to its usual tricks against CB East, using a methodical half-court offense to pull away late. Just like last season, the Crusaders don’t look to have much size on the roster, but the bigger dilemma is what head coach Sean Tait will do at the point guard position. After losing future Moravian guard Will Brazukas, a stalwart at the ‘1’ spot, Judge appears to be going with a point-guard-by-committee approach for the time being. Rising seniors Quincy Reed and Justin Fleming both saw time on the ball, as did rising junior Marc Rodriguez, although the offense appears to flow better with Rodriguez playing the off guard, spotting up for perimeter shots and showcasing great court sense cutting off screens.