City of Basketball Love

Will Slover (@WillSlover31)
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Quade Green is no stranger to the big stage.

Having appeared in three state title games and four Philadelphia Catholic League championship games in his four years at Neumann-Goretti, the 6-foot floor general has become used to taking the floor with more than just a win or loss on the line.

His experience in the bright lights showed on Tuesday night as the Kentucky-bound point guard was calm, cool and collected from tipoff to the final buzzer in his squad’s PIAA Class 3A semifinal matchup with Delaware Valley Charter. 

The five-star recruit paced Neumann-Goretti with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists on his way to propelling his Saints to a 76-47 triumph at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.

Green made it known from the get-go that he wasn’t going to leave the arena on Tuesday night without making it a perfect four-for-four in his career with appearances in the state title game. He scored six quick points in the opening frame that saw his team take an early lead and never look back.

The McDonald’s All-America knew that if he came in with the will to score, that his teammates would follow. 

“I had to come in and kill right away and get everybody on board right away. If I start scoring, then everyone will start scoring with me,” Green said. “Watching them feed off my energy is a great thing. If I’m out working, they’re going to go to work with me. If they see me hustling, they’re going to come out and hustle.”

Green’s teammates responded to his energy just as he expected, as four other Neumann-Goretti players scored at least nine points in the win. 

“You don’t have five guys just starting Number One (Green),” Neumann-Goretti head coach Carl Arrigale said. “We had it moving around tonight. We had a lot of open looks and open shots usually go in. It seems to be coming together at the right time for us.”

Of the group of Green’s teammates that turned in solid performances, the most noteworthy was the outing shown by sophomore guard Christian Ings. 

Ings, who plays the role of sixth man for Neumann-Goretti, scored 14 points off the bench in the win while also adding in three assists and rebound ands a steal.

Along with providing another reliable scoring option off the bench, the 5-foot-10 Ings provides an unmatched energy as he showed on two fast break dunks in the second half that helped in putting the nail in Del-Val’s coffin. 

“That’s the only reason he’s coming off of the bench to be honest with you. He changes the pace for us. He’s good enough to start. He’s good enough to start for most teams. This is a role I wanted him in and he’s been good with it,” Arrigale said. “When he comes alive, it gives us a legit third guy and the other guys fill in.”

The other three Saints that turned in solid outings were juniors Dhymir Montague and Marcus Littles, who each chipped in 10 points and their classmate, Noah Warren, tallied nine.

The performance from Littles, which also included seven rebounds and a block, couldn’t have come at a better time for the Saints as usual interior presence Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree spent much of the game sidelined due to foul trouble.

The positive showings from the four underclassmen are a showing of the maturity that Neumann-Goretti’s role players have gained this season, which is the first that any have had in the varsity rotation at the school.

“Before, they (underclassmen) were looking to them (Green and Cosby-Roundtree) to bail them out. Now, they’re being part of it and that’s big for us when that happens,” Arrigale said. “Now that we’re getting those contributions from the other guys, it’s a lot better. It’s a whole different game. It opens everything up for Quade and he can do his thing.”

On the losing side, Del-Val was led by a balanced scoring effort that saw all but four of their points come from Antwuan Butler (12 points), Nazir Thomas (11 points), Mahki Morris (10 points) and Dion Harris (10 points). 

Up next for Neumann-Goretti, is a chance to win its fourth PIAA 3A state title in a row, as the Saints will take on District 7’s Lincoln Park on Thursday night at the Giant Center in Hershey. 

The possibility to win a fourth championship in a row is a milestone that will mean that Green and Cosby-Roundtree, along with their classmates Mike Milsip, Emil Moody, and Dante Vannicola, will have won a state championship in every year at their school.

This achievement is one that Green is very excited about having the opportunity to accomplish.

“I don’t think anyone has done that (four titles in four years) before so I think that will be a special thing,” Green said. “WInning a championship is always a special thing but having four championships could be a really special thing.”

The Saints’ road to four in a row will not be an easy one though, as Lincoln Park boasts a talented roster of its own, which is led by Bowling Green commit Renell Cummings. 

Even though there is just one day to prepare between the semifinal win and the state title game, Arrigale is confident that his Saints can do what it takes to be victorious in Hershey yet again. 

“We have some information, we have some film. They have a really dynamic player in Cummings so we’re going to have to try to slow him down,” Arrigale said. “If we do a good job with that, then I think we’ll be okay.”