City of Basketball Love

Mike Zingrone (@mjzingrone)
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Tamir Green and Maurice Waters had planned this night for a while.

With Green one point and Waters four points away from 1,000, the two Constitution High School seniors headed into Wednesday night’s Public League second-round playoff matchup against Masterman High School at Ben Franklin High School eying the huge milestone.

A 52-point outing last game for Green pushed him to 999, but fate saved the occasion for this night.

“We said we’ll let (Maurice) get his 1,000 (tonight), I needed more points to get it at the start of the season,” Green said. “But I saved the 1,000 for tonight. I wanted to save it so we can get it on the same night.”

Both Green and Waters were able to get their 1,000th point early, then lead the Generals the rest of the way to a 79-61 victory over Masterman.

Green, a shifty 5-foot-9 point guard, helped Waters reach 1,000 points assisting the lengthy 6-6 forward on back-to-back possessions to reach the milestone and pause the game for celebration at the 5:01 mark in the first quarter.

Just 47 seconds later, Green drove in the lane and put away a tough layup to give the crowd another reason to erupt. Constitution head coach Rob Moore called timeouts as each of the two milestones were completed to allow the fans to give an ovation and wave 1,000 point posters for each player.

“We only have four 1,000 points scorers so far in school history.” Moore said. “So to add two more within one minute was really special because they both could have gotten it in the last couple of games and they kind of wanted to save it so they can do it together. So that really says a lot about them.”

The Generals came into their matchup against Masterman ready to celebrate Green and Water’s milestone before the game began. During warm-ups they sported shirts saying “Speed Limit 1,000 points” with the hashtag #ThatsAll.

“(#ThatsAll) is our little team slogan.” Green added. “And the speed limit reference is to represent how we want to play our game with speed.”

“Someone in Tamir’s family made the shirts. They also made special t-shirts the fans are wearing with the school logo.” Moore said. “Just to get those guys out there and to commemorate what they did was awesome."

Waters produced 21 points, shooting 9-for-13, and 11 rebounds in Constitution’s win over Masterman. Green chipped in 19 points along with nine assists (with four assists on baskets by Waters) and 5 steals.

Masterman was only trailing 34-23 at halftime and kept the game close deep until the third quarter until the Generals gained control after a 13-2 run in the last two minutes of the quarter. Masterman senior Jesse Turkson, a Haverford College commit, led the effort for the Blue Dragons with 28 points and six rebounds.

This night was a perfect night for the friendship of Green and Waters. With this being their final high school year they are cherishing every moment they can.

Both player showed obvious chemistry on the court, constantly trying alley-oop attempts and always sharing a smile when they collaborate on a big play.

“We met about two seasons ago and we knew that we we’re going to have a lot of fun together,” Waters said. “So whether it’s catching lobs or dunking on a fast break, it’s just us going out there and having fun.”

But off the court Waters and Green share a tight bond.

“I’ll say it like this: it’s a love-hate friendship” Green said. “Sometimes we hate each other. But at the end of the day no matter what we will always be family through it all.”

After getting the 1,000-point achievements, Constitution pushed that to the side and is now determined for more success. The Generals are looking forward to a rivalry matchup against Math, Civics, and Sciences in the next round of the Public League playoffs, with a spot in the six-team “quarterfinals” awaiting the winner.

No matter what, they’ll both be playing in the PIAA Class AA tournament next month.

“Now it's all business now the 1,000th point thing is out the way and now we have to win a championship.” Green said. “We are trying to win a Public League championship and a state championship so we need to be all business.”

“We have to play MCS our next game and obviously it’s huge for us. It’s a district championship game for us. And it’s our rival and it is an opportunity to get in the quarter final.” Moore said. “We are trying to get these kids to play the most game they can this season, and it all starts with our effort next game.”