City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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DeAndre Hunter was a freshman the last time Friends’ Central was in the Friends’ Schools League championship.

As a senior, the Virginia commit just about got the Phoenix back there by himself--but he needed the help of another promising freshman to get his team over the top.

Hunter had 34 points and rookie Myles Robinson added 15 as the Phoenix fought off Shipley to get back to the FSL championship for the first time in three years with a 68-58 win.

Robinson, at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, is what FCS head coach Ryan Tozer called his “center” though the 6-7, 200-pound Hunter is the team’s top rim protector. What the freshman brings is good athleticism and a high motor to the Phoenix frontcourt, and he does his job very well.

“The kid is just fearless,” Tozer said. “He gets his hand on every ball, he finishes around the basket, plays scrappy defense against guys. For a freshman he’s not playing like a freshman, he’s one of the toughest guys on the team and he probably plays with the most energy of anybody on the team.”

Without forcing anything, Robinson was 7-of-8 from the floor in the win, getting many of his buckets on dump-offs from either Hunter or junior point guard Antone Walker (eight points, four assists).

But his most aggressive play was his most important, a 3-point play during a crucial fourth-quarter push that got Friends’ Central over the top and into the league final on Friday against Westtown. With the teams on the see-saw and five minutes remaining, Robinson got a feed from Walker and took one dribble, absorbing contact from a Gator defender and putting the ball up and in; the foul shot made it a four-point advantage, and Shipley didn’t take the lead from that point onwards.

On a night where the Phoenix’s other Division I prospect--Loyola-bound guard Chuck Champion--was held to only five points, Robinson’s addition to the scoring lineup was crucial.

“It was very big,” Hunter said of Robinson’s contribution. “He was hustling all over the place, diving for loose balls, that was the energy we needed.”

Hunter sealed the win by going 7-of-10 from the line in the fourth quarter alone, including four in a row following a technical foul on Shipley head coach Phil D’Ambrosio with 2:45 remaining; that made it an eight-point game, and ended Shipley’s last threat.

Shipley was led by 20-point outings from both senior wing Arvelle Jones and sophomore guard Sam Sessoms. Sessoms led the Gators to a strong start with nine points in a first quarter that saw them lead 19-13 after eight minutes, while it was Jones’ 12 in the third quarter that kept Shipley in it after FCS rallied to take a 32-27 halftime advantage.

Robinson’s outing was his second strong performance against Shipley; he had 17 the last time the two teams met, a 67-59 FCS win on Jan. 26.

“I know I’m new here, but I feel like the rivalry is greater than me,” he said. “I feel like whenever I play them--I’ve got some energy that’s there some games, but with Shipley that energy’s always there."

It’s his motor that forced Tozer to insert Robinson into the starting lineup a month back, and his presence there has paid off as the Phoenix have won 10 of 11 heading into Friday’s league championship.

The Philadelphia native, who’s in his first year at a private school that begins in kindergarten, said he came out to the City Avenue institution for its academic reputation first and foremost: “being a student-athlete, I feel like my books come first and then I worry about the court,” he said.

Of course, as a promising young basketball player, it doesn’t hurt to spend a year learning from a pair of players who will be playing at the highest level next season.

“I learned a lot from DeAndre,” Robinson said. “He’s one of the best in the city, he’s one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever played with.”

When Hunter and Champion are at their respective schools in the fall, Robinson will become of the team’s go-to players as a sophomore, along with classmate Bryce Spriggs and Walker, who’s already in his second year as a starter.

“He’s going to be a focal point, for sure,” Tozer said. “Myles is so coachable and our guys love him, because he’s a great kid. He’s genuine, he’s actually excited for his teammates, and that’s uncommon for a kid in high school, he’s one of the most unselfish kids we have. He’s certainly not treated like a freshman.”

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Westtown tops Academy New Church
In the league’s other semifinal, Westtown didn’t have much trouble with Academy of New Church in a 77-47 win.

Sophomore Cameron Reddish paced four Moose in double figures with 19 points; juniors Brandon Randolph (16), Mohamed Bamba (13) and Najja Hunter (11) joined in.

That sets up a rematch of one of the best games in the region this year, a 72-69 Friends’ Central victory on Westtown’s home court. Jan. 29. They’ll meet again on the court at Haverford College at 8:30 PM on Friday.

“Last year, in the round of eight, we beat them in OT, this year in the regular season, they beat us in OT,” Westtown coach Seth Berger said. “I see no reason why this shouldn’t be a great game for the fans and a great game for the players and coaches.”