Boys Basketball: Preseason Super 7
It’s been two weeks since I last shivered at a football game, the All-Delco teams have flowed out in our paper all this week – it must be time for hoops to start. I, for one, am ready for it this season, not always a given thanks to the unusual compression of November’s late-fall/early-winter rush. This year’s relatively timely start lets us ease into it, which is why Friday’s edition of the Delco Times is bursting at the seams with hoops content.
That’s the process side from a journalist. From the content side, it’s also an exciting time just given the talent in Delco this year. When you’ve got two players attracting high-major offers and what I reckon is easily a half-dozen surefire Division I players plus a handful more who could elevate to that level, the talent abounds across the board. Of the 18 players named on the three All-Delco teams last year, eight were underclassmen, including the top three scorers in the final statistical leaders. Add in new coaches at three of the 10 teams I’m highlighting in the preseason and things could get interesting. I canvassed Twitter Wednesday and got plenty of reaction as to the projected top team (Interboro just missed the cut despite a robust write-in campaign):
OK, first chance to get angry about boys hoops this season: Who’s the preseason No. 1 in the Delco Super 7?
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) December 6, 2017
Here’s how I see it to start out the season, in a ranking that is sure to hold serve until at least … oh, Saturday afternoon (maybe).
- Bonner & Prendergast
I’m buying into the hype, if only because three Division I players speak loud and clear. Ajiri Johnson was excellent last year; the senior Rider commit looks bigger, stronger and resolute in his leadership role, with his college choice solidified. Add in Salesianum transfer Tariq Ingraham (offers from Rutgers and Robert Morris) and Notre Dame (N.J.) transfer Isaiah Wong (offers from 13 schools including Villanova and UConn), and that’s a formidable three to build on. The Friars are tasked with replacing 80 percent of their starting five, and guard play around Wong will be a question, one that perhaps precludes them from contending for a Catholic League title. But Bonner will be one of the top teams around.
- Archbishop Carroll
A.J. Hoggard’s stock blew up this summer, the freshman All-Delco landing offers from Seton Hall and Connecticut. You could see that potential last year, with his raw physicality, nose for getting involved defensively and on the boards, and passing instincts that simply can’t be taught. He and Justin Anderson, the Abington transfer who had an up-and-down 2016-17 season but still has Division I potential, will make this team go. Carroll has complementary pieces in the lane (Keyon Butler stepped up last season), and if they can find consistent 3-point shooting (my bet is Luke House), they could be on their way to another states berth.
READ: Catholic/Other League preview capsules
- Haverford School
Cast your minds back to 2014. The Fords had four players who would play in college (Shawn Alston, Lamar Stevens, Derek Mountain and freshman Cameron Reddish, now a Duke-bound five-star Westtown senior). They’d narrowly missed a league title the year before, and with Henry Fairfax at the helm, many thought this would be the Fords’ year to end a title drought that stretched to Fairfax’s senior year at the school, 1999. The 2014-15 campaign sputtered down the stretch, undermined by less talented teams that outplayed the Fords. Three years later, the Fords again boast (arguably) the most talented roster in the Inter-Ac. Christian Ray is a Division I talent. Kharon Randolph is bound for University of the Sciences Philadelphia. Jameer Nelson Jr. can play at the next level. Asim Richards, a high Division I football prospect, and Gavin Burke, a Villanova lacrosse commit, are returning starters. Is this the Fords’ year to end a dry spell that has existed since before most of their players were born? Beware high expectations.
- Chester
The Clippers won the popular vote on Twitter, but that’s not always a determination of much these days. Keith Taylor will try to apply his stamp on the program, and his approach is perfectly tailored for this year’s group (no pun intended). The top three scorers are gone from last year, and on paper, it’s tough to project where points will come from consistently. But Taylor’s emphasis on the gritty defense that has long defined the Clippers’ mystique can generate some of that easy offense. Michael Smith is a capable point guard, and Brian Randolph and Rahmaad DeJarnette aren’t the most polished offensive players but have upside. Chester’s going to need to find ways to beat teams in transition until that halfcourt offense becomes more established.
READ: Del Val League Preview capsules
- Penncrest
The good news: The Lions return the Daily Times Player of the Year in Tyler Norwood. The bad news: The Lions return no one else who reliably showed an ability to create his own shot last year. Chris Mills is the high returnee at 4.1 points per game, and while this team has plenty of forwards to fill out the front court, none are renowned for their offensive games. Norwood excelled last year in large part because of the heavy lifting done by Justin Ross and Mike Mallon on both ends of the court. Who will be his backcourt mate this year to make things work? That answer could take time to develop.
- Episcopal Academy
The Churchmen lost so much from last year: All-Delco Nick Alikakos (taking a postgrad year at Hill School), All-Delco Conner Delaney (playing prominently at Johns Hopkins) and Kyle Virbitsky (the 2017 Daily Times Baseball Player of the Year) among other role players. But the transfer (there’s that word again!) of Alex Capitano from Great Valley provides a burst of fresh air. He and Matt Dade are a solid seed of a backcourt, while there are plenty of forwards to make the Churchmen difficult to play against.
READ: Central League Preview Capsules
- Garnet Valley
Watching Austin Laughlin develop last year was a treat, getting the Jaguars to districts. The Jags up-tempo pace with Laughlin’s steady hand at the rudder projects a shallower learning curve than most teams. Connor O’Brien’s continued growth will be important if the Jags aspire to (and I don’t think this is outlandish) a states berth in Class 6A, while establishing the high-low game with football All-Delco Cade Brennan will also add dimensions to the attack.
Honorable mention: Chichester (I’ll let you in on an insider’s tip: Clyde Jones can just flat coach. He won a state title at Penn Wood, made a state final at Girard College, and won a district title at Harriton for crying out loud. There’s little doubt that if given the chance, he’ll reverse the Eagles fortunes, and he starts with an outstanding scorer in DaQuan Granberry that Jones will surely get the best of. Ditto for the potential in Mike Davie, James Hendricks and the rest of a veteran core); Strath Haven (Dave McFadden revitalized this program in two seasons before stepping down for family reasons. Few have the kind of respect for what that improvement means like new coach Dan Spangler, who started as a ball boy, a multi-sport athlete and then an assistant. John Harrar isn’t there, so this team will have to be structured in a fundamentally different manner, and Cooper Driscoll isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Harrar. One of the returning crew of guards could use to step up as a featured scorer to make Spangler’s life easier in crafting a coherent team from an abundance of parts); Springfield (Haven this year reminds me some of the Springfield last year, with its passel of backcourt scorers and a steady but not overpowering forward. The Cougars replace a raft of contributors, including leading scorers Kyle Sullivan and Great Orjih. But with Kyle Long running the point, and Ja’Den McKenzie and Mike Webb on the wings, these Cougars will approach things differently but with a high upside.)
