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Rumph Classic Notebook: Friday, August 7th

08/08/2015, 1:15am EDT
By Ari Rosenfeld and Josh Verlin

The Sixers' Robert Covington (above) was one of a few NBA pros participating in this year's Rumph Classic. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Ari Rosenfeld
(@realA_rosenfeld)
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The 10th annual Danny Rumph Classic entered its second session of play on Friday night, with all eight teams still in action in the double-elimination charity tournament.

Here are four short features on players taking place in the event:

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Robert Covington adjusting to Philly life
With the Rumph Classic once again being sanctioned by the NBA this year after a one-year hiatus from such status, there were sure to be a handful of players from the Association playing at Community College of Philadelphia this week.

A bit more surprising was an appearance made by a core player of the city’s professional team, the 76ers.

With no other connection to Philadelphia other than his year spent with the Sixers last season, forward Robert Covington got word of the Rumph Classic from Temple alum Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and immediately saw it as a great opportunity.

“My homeboy Rahlir invited me to play, and then I got [tournament director] Mike [Morak], and he asked me if I was going to play, so I said why not?,” Covington said. “They broke it down, it’s a good thing, they said it’s 10 years that they’ve done this, so it’s a good thing.”

There’s no time like the present for Covington to start ingratiating himself in the Philadelphia community, as his contract with the Sixers represents his first long-term deal in the NBA after going undrafted out of Tennessee State and having brief stints with the Houston Rockets and in the D-League.

Covington burst onto the scene last season, averaging 13.5 points per game and showing his value as a 6-foot-9 forward who could knock down three-pointers at nearly a 40 percent clip. He’s signed with the Sixers through the 2017-18 season, and is finally allowing himself to get comfortable now that his home for the next few years is set in stone.

“Everybody’s passionate about [basketball] because it’s a big city as far as the sports here, and I’m enjoying it,” he said. “It’s definitely a good feeling, because you know that you’re going to be able to come in and work and the core that we have is very, very important.

“We’ve got a couple key pieces this year and that’s something to look forward to.”

While Covington is adjusting to life in Philadelphia, playing in events like the Rumph Classic and trying to get more involved in giving back to the community, he’s still got a long way to go; as hard as it may be to believe, Covington has still yet to try his first cheesesteak.

“I actually haven’t had one yet,” he divulged. “I’ve been trying to stay away from food like that. I said that one day I’m going to get myself one.” --Ari Rosenfeld

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D.J. Newbill excited for PSU Philly pipeline
In the next few years, Penn State’s roster is going to be dominated by Philadelphia talent.

Shep Garner, who averaged 9.7 ppg last season, is a Roman Catholic grad and only a rising sophomore. He and redshirt sophomore forward Julian Moore are the only two Philly natives returning, but they’re getting plenty of company.

Incoming freshman Mike Watkins, a Phelps School product, played at Math, Civics & Sciences for two years prior to that. The 6-foot-9 forward, a top-level shot-blocking presence, should anchor the Nittany Lions’ defense for years.

They’ll all be joined next fall by two more Roman products, point guard Tony Carr and wing Nazeer Bostick, who figure to make more than a small imprint upon the program while they’re there.

Another Philadelphia product, Newbill--who just finished up an impressive three-year run at the school in which he scored more than 1800 points and established himself as one of the best Nittany Lions of the last 25 years--can’t wait to see

“I just want to see those kids go up there, get the same experience I got,” he said. “I know those guys can learn a lot from the coaches up there, and they’re going to take care of them. It’s a great place to be.”

Though he won’t be around to have a huge impact on all the Philly natives as they’ll move up and adjust to State College over the next year, Newbill can at least take pride in knowing that he helped get them up there.

PSU head coach Pat Chambers and his staff, knowing that Newbill kept a close eye on his hometown’s hoops scene and the top players around, would get his opinion on certain players.

“They asked if I know guys, asked people in my circle did they see guys play, stuff like that,” he said. “Sometimes they just go off what they hear and they come down and see them.”

After playing with the Los Angeles Clippers during the NBA’s Orlando Summer League, Newbill is now looking at starting off his professional career overseas, unless he can get a D-League opportunity in the next few months.

Newbill mentioned France and Turkey as two potential landing spots, but is still waiting to see what presents itself as the best opportunity before he makes a decision.

He’s been helped by players like Mark Tyndale, Maalik Wayns, Aaron Owens and others who have been on the path he’s taking of carving out a professional career no matter where they have to play.

“Philly’s the City of Brotherly Love,” he said, “so they all come talk to me, give me advice, what to expect, what to do, what not to do when I get over there, things like that.”

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Samme Givens (above) is entering his fourth year as a professional after a stellar four-year career at Drexel. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Tyshawn Taylor continuing to chase NBA dream
To say that Tyshawn Taylor has had a busy summer would be a massive understatement.

After taking part in the NBA’s Orlando Summer League with the Brooklyn Nets’ squad, it was off to Atlanta to participate in The Basketball Tournament. With the free time provided by his team’s first-round loss, Taylor trekked to Los Angeles for the finals of the Ball Up Million Dollar Summer Challenge, at which his Sean Bell All-Stars squad won the title.

In fact, Taylor just got back from the West Coast today in order to play in the Rumph Classic for Team F.O.E., alongside former Kansas teammates Marcus and Markieff Morris and Mario Little.

The former KU star spent almost two full seasons with the Nets after being a second-round pick in 2012 draft, but has spent most of the last two years bouncing around the D-League and professional leagues overseas. Throughout it all, his goal remains clear: make it back to the NBA.

“It’s been up and down, just trying to find my way, trying to stick somewhere,” Taylor said. “I went to the Nets for a year and a half but it didn’t work out for a couple of reasons. I’m gonna just try to find my niche, I’m gonna keep playing.

“My turn [with the Nets] never came before my contract was up. That’s kind of how I look it at. Hopefully I get another shot at it. If not, I’ll keep finding my way.”

Even after his summer of barnstorming, Taylor has yet to receive an opportunity to play in the Association for the 2015-16 season, and is preparing for another year overseas. Despite consistent success during stops in Puerto Rico and Russia, however, he’s clear that playing internationally is just a springboard to his ultimate goal of making it back to the U.S.

Taylor is currently exploring opportunities in top leagues in France and Turkey, with hopes of a strong season prompting NBA teams to come calling next summer.

“It’s tough, especially when you go straight to the NBA and then you have to drop down. To travel around a little bit, it’s a little bit frustrating, it’s a little tough,” he admitted. “I’m hoping if I go overseas and have a pretty good season like I’m expecting to, I think that it’ll be good.”

Despite his recent struggles, Taylor’s confidence in his abilities has yet to subside. He feels he’s earned another opportunity, and is giving himself every chance he can to prove himself before an NBA front office comes to agree with him.

“I’m just gonna keep at it,” he said. “I think that’s the hardest part about it, is just scratching and clawing and trying to fight for what you think you deserve. As far as me being in the NBA, I feel like I should be there. I think that’s the motivation for me, is to try to get back to where I think I belong.” --Ari Rosenfeld

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Givens now a seasoned European pro
Samme Givens
 can’t believe he’s already entering his fourth year as a professional basketball player.

It does seem like just a year or two ago that the Philadelphia native and Academy New Church alum was patrolling the paint at Drexel, but all of his former college teammates have graduated and moved on.

“Yeah, it’s going by fast, it’s going quick--it also means I’m getting a little older, too,” the 6-foot-5 forward said with a laugh. “That’s the process and that’s the way things go. I’m gradually trying to get better at my craft, which is basketball, and try to get and reach my peak.”

At Drexel, Givens was known for his relentless energy and efforts around the glass, which helped him accumulate the 20th-most points (1,226) and third-most rebounds (1,059) in DU history.

He still has that impressive physique that keeps him a force to be reckoned with on the glass, but he’s clearly improved quite a ways in terms of his ability to handle the basketball and shoot with ease from beyond the arc.

This past season, Givens played for s.Oliver Baskets in Wurzburg, Germany, where he helped the club come in second place in the country’s ProA (second division) league, good enough to earn promotion back up to the top-level Bundesliga.  

Though he averaged 8.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg in only 16.5 mpg, Givens doesn’t seem like he’s expecting to return to the club, which would provide him the chance to play against former Drexel teammate Frantz Massenat, who also plays in Germany’s top league with MBC.

“I might be going to a whole different team, I haven’t signed it yet, trying to figure out where’s the best opportunity for me,” Givens said. “Maybe South America, we’ll see.”

One of the big benefits of playing professional basketball abroad is the ability to see parts of the world that many people don’t often get to see at 25 years of age, and Givens has certainly taken advantage of those opportunities.

Having played his first three seasons in Holland, France and then Germany, he’s been able to get to a good portion of the continent, even taking his mother and brother to Paris.

“My favorite subject was history, so when I go to these towns I look at what is there to do, what are the touristy things, do they have anything that’s influential or historic,” he said, specifically mentioning the beaches at Normandy as one place in particular that stood out.

“That’s a great experience, to see all the people that fought for our freedoms and things like that...you get to experience a little bit of what they went through.” --Josh Verlin

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