Main Line boys’ basketball teams should be strong once again
Last winter, the Main Line high school boys’ basketball scene was led by two championship squads – undefeated Inter-Ac and PAISAA champion Haverford School (28-0) and Central League champion Lower Merion (25-4), who advanced to the PIAA state tournament for the ninth consecutive season, currently the longest streak in Class 6A. Archbishop Carroll advanced to the PIAA 4A state quarterfinals, and Malvern Prep, Shipley and Conestoga contended in their respective leagues.
This winter, the Main Line once again features a strong lineup of boys’ basketball teams. Here’s a look at the local squads as they open the 2019-2020 boys’ basketball season:
Archbishop Carroll
Head coach: Francis Bowe Jr., second year.
Last year’s record: 17-11 overall, 9-5 Catholic League.
Key returnees: 6-6 senior forward Tairi Ketner, 6-2 senior guard Amiri Stewart, 6-0 senior guard Ryan Park, 5-10 senior guard Chris Long, 6-7 junior guard John Camden, 6-8 junior forward Anquan Hill, 6-4 junior guard Caleb Carter, 6-0 junior guard Matt Evans, 6-6 sophomore forward Harold Ivery.
Others to watch: 6-1 freshman guard Dean Coleman-Newsome, 6-0 freshman guard Dayon Polk, 6-7 freshman forward Jake Warren.
Lost to graduation: guard Luke House (California University – Pa.), guard Kiyl Mack (Northern Vermont).
Strengths: “We have a lot of returning players, good size and length, and good chemistry,” said Bowe.
Outlook: Bowe said, “Our success will be based on constantly building on our chemistry, and utilizing our size, physical play and skill. Our biggest challenge will be depth – young freshmen will play a lot this year.”
Barrack Hebrew
Head coach: Ben Falk, second year.
Last year’s record: 7-7 overall, 3-3 Tri-County League (second place).
Key returnees: 6-0 senior forward Ben Bernstein, 6-0 senior forward Billy Cohen, 5-11 senior guard Abe Wachs, 6-0 senior forward Itay Goldfarb.
Others to watch: 5-9 sophomore guard Danny Cohen, 5-11 sophomore forward Yonatan Hassidim, 5-10 sophomore guard Hunter Kimmel.
Lost to graduation: center Hillel Weitzman.
Strengths: According to Falk, experience, depth, multiple players who can handle the ball and defend.
Outlook: “If we can strike the right balance between aggressiveness and smart play, we should have a successful season,” said Falk. “With a talented senior class we have a deep roster and the ingredients for success, it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”
Conestoga
Head coach: Mike Troy, 14th year.
Last year’s record: 16-11 overall, 12-4 Central League.
Key returnees: 6-3 senior guard Connor Steele, 6-5 senior forward Deacon Mayock, 6-8 junior center Andrew Fox, 6-2 junior guard Jack Liedtka, 6-2 senior guard Dom Barczak.
Others to watch: 6-8 sophomore center Mike Walz, 6-2 junior forward Jerry Miller, 6-1 junior guard Austin Fontaine, 6-1 sophomore guard Ryan Mackey, 6-4 sophomore guard Matt Mayock, 6-5 senior forward Jack Troy, 6-3 senior forward Riley DeShetler.
Lost to graduation: guard Zack Lezanic (Hill School), guard Shane Scott (Gettysburg), guard Milton Robinson (Cabrini), forward Evan Medley, guard Myles Scott, center Wes Brace, forward Brooks Rush (playing baseball at Franklin and Marshall), guard Scott Martin.
Strengths: Troy said, “We have good overall team size, so rebounding will be a strength. We have a very deep squad that will enable us to constantly put pressure on opponents. On the perimeter we have good quickness and shooters to take advantage of spacing.”
Outlook: “We graduated a terrific class of eight seniors so we lost a lot of varsity experience last spring,” said Troy. “Gaining varsity experience and growing quickly is important. Our biggest key to success is how we come together throughout the year, playing unselfish basketball, and building as the season goes forward. We have good depth in the squad and we will go as far as our defense takes us this year.”
Devon Prep
Head coach: Jason Fisher, sixth year.
Key returnees: 6-6 senior forward Scion Dorsey, 5-8 senior guard Nick Crowe, 6-3 junior forward Eamonn Walsh.
Others to watch: 6-1 junior guard Chris Patton, 6-3 senior guard Nick Perullo.
Lost to graduation: guard Fred Rullo (University of Delaware), forward James Jablonski, forward Jordyn Walker.
Strengths: Fisher said, “This year the team has a lot of experience returning, and also with a year of competing in the Catholic League under our belts.”
Outlook: “One of the biggest challenges we face will be the strength of our schedule,” said Fisher. “We play literally some of the best teams in the country and our non-league schedule was built to try to prepare us for league play. That being said, if we can compete for a full 32 minutes and build off of what we did last year and this offseason, we will be able to have success.
“Last year we made the jump to the PCL, and we were unsure of what to really expect. Now that we are a year into it, we can say, without hesitation, that the move to the PCL was the right move for the Devon Prep basketball program. The growth that our players have made over such a short period of time has been tremendous. We had an excellent off-season and we are very excited to see how we measure up during the season.”
Episcopal Academy
Head coach: Brian Shanahan, first year.
Last year’s record: 11-14 overall, 4-6 Inter-Ac.
Key returnees: 6-4 senior guard Alex Capitano (Colgate), 6-0 senior guard Colin Chambers, 6-2 senior forward Andrew Alikakos.
Others to watch: 6-1 junior forward Malcolm Folk, 6-5 senior center Tommy Dennis, 6-1 senior guard Maurcus McDaniel.
Lost to graduation: guard/forward Matt Dade (West Chester) Jack O’Reilly, Jalin Meachem, John McElwee, Luke Lesher.
Strengths: Shanahan said, “This is an extremely coachable team with strong senior leadership – can shoot the basketball and compete really hard.”
Outlook: “Building trust and chemistry with the new coaching staff will be key,” said Shanahan. “Rebounding and shooting will be what wins or loses games for us this season.”
Friends’ Central
Head coach: Jason Polykoff (2002 FCS grad), sixth year.
Last year’s record: 14-12 overall, 5-5 Friends’ Schools League.
Key returnees: 6-4 junior guard/forward Ed Holland, 6-2 senior guard Omar Nichols, 6-0 senior guard Mason Mosely, 6-1 senior guard BK Kothari, 5-10 senior guard Brandon Banadda.
Others to watch: 6-5 freshman guard/forward Shawn Simmons, 5-9 junior guard Ben Satz, 6-2 junior guard/forward TJ Lewis.
Lost to graduation: guard Bryce Spriggs (JUCO) and forward Myles Robinson (St. Thomas Moore prep).
Strengths: “We have an experienced roster with four seniors and six juniors,” said Polykoff. “We also have plenty of depth at the guard position, and should cause people trouble with our aggressive defense.”
Outlook: “If we can commit to defending and sharing the ball on offense, we should be a pretty tough team to play this year,” said Polykoff. “Our lack of size hurts us, but we should hopefully make up for that with aggressive play.”
Harriton
Head coach: Kyle Sample, third year.
Last year’s record: 9-14 overall, 7-9 Central League.
Key returnees: 6-2 senior guard Markus Bradley-Lowry, 6-5 senior forward Michael Tabasso, 6-2 senior guard/forward Khayri Ransom, 6-4 senior guard Alex Torbeck.
Others to watch: 6-5 sophomore point guard Joshua Wyche, 6-6 junior forward Nicholas Masterman.
Lost to graduation: point guard Michael Stewart (FDU).
Outlook: According to Sample, the Rams’ biggest strengths are length and versatility. “We need to play hard every practice and possession, stay together and play for each other,” said Sample.
Haverford High
Head coach: Keith Heinerichs, eighth year.
Last year’s record: 12-11 overall, 9-7 Central League.
Key returnees: 5-10 senior point guard Sean Reynolds, 6-2 junior guard John Seidman, 6-0 senior guard John Scheivert, 6-0 senior Connor Kaufmann.
Others to watch: 5-8 senior guard Tim Brown, 6-4 junior forward Hunter Kraizia, 6-3 senior forward Dwight Freeeman, 6-3 senior forward Adam Stuck.
Lost to graduation: guard Dan Roe, forward Jake Ruane, guard Luke Verzella, point guard Kevin Deprince.
Strengths: Heinerichs said, “This team moves the ball well and shares it in the open floor. We will need to improve on the defensive end to help our transition game.”
Outlook: “Our biggest key to success this season will be sharing the ball to get great shots,” said Heinerichs. “Our biggest challenge is that we lack experience for the end of the game, so we will have to figure out how to win.”
Haverford School
Head coach: Bernie Rogers, fifth year.
Last year’s record: 28-0, Inter-Ac champions, PAISAA champions.
Key returnees: sophomore guard Jameel Brown, junior guard Tyler Seward, Christian Clover, MJ Atkins, Matt McKenna.
Others to watch: Dante Perri, Jack Leary, Scott Burke, Bernie Rogers, Zach Genther, Chris Simms, Raijon Dispensa.
Lost to graduation: Christian Ray (was Inter-Ac boys’ basketball MVP, now playing basketball at LaSalle University), Jameer Nelson (was first team All-Inter-Ac, now playing basketball for George Washington University), Asim Richards (playing football for University of North Carolina), Gavin Burke (playing lacrosse for Villanova).
Outlook: Rogers said, “We have a very skilled team that likes to play together. If we defend and rebound to our ability, I think we will have a good team.”
Lower Merion
Head coach: Gregg Downer, 30th year.
Last year’s record: 25-4 overall, Central League champions, third place in District 1 6A tournament.
Key returnees: 6-4 senior wing James Simples, 6-8 sophomore center Demetrius Liley.
Others to watch: 6-0 freshman guard Sam Brown, 6-0 sophomore guard Jaylen Shippen.
Lost to graduation: Jack Forrest (Columbia University), Steve Payne (Perkiomen School), Theo Henry (Tufts), Josh Martin (Penn State Harrisburg), Matt O’Connor (Villanova football), Jaylen Goodman (Villanova football).
Outlook: Downer said, “Our team is replacing 11 seniors that graduated from a run of three straight Central League titles. Two of the seniors, Jack Forrest and Steve Payne, were 1,000 points scorers. Our team will be young and hungry to establish a new identity. This season, we will need to be good from three-point territory, and to shave our turnovers – and these are two areas we have been working hard on in pre season. Our biggest challenge is the steep learning curve, with so many inexperienced players.”
Malvern Prep
Head coach: John Harmatuk, seventh year.
Last year’s record: 19-6 overall, 8-2 Inter-Ac.
Key returnees: 6-2 senior guard Deuce Turner, 6-0 junior guard Rahdir Hicks, 5-10 senior guard Spencer Cochran, 6-7 junior post Fran Oschell.
Others to watch: 6-0 senior guard Joe McElwee, 6-3 senior guard Keith Carra, 6-4 junior guard Lonnie White, 5-10 junior guard Cooper Frankenheimer.
Lost to graduation: Tygee Leach (playing football for Lehigh University).
Strengths: According to Harmatuk, the Friars’ strengths are experience, depth, shooting and speed.
Outlook: “This should be a fun year – we have three fourth-year starters, and one third-year starter,” said Harmatuk.
Radnor
Head coach: Jamie Chadwin, fourth year.
Last year’s record: 11-12 overall.
Key returnees: 6-5 senior wing Jack d’Entremont, 6-2 senior forward Pat Bojoukos, 6-0 senior forward Josh Savadove, 6-0 junior point guard Lew Robinson, 5-9 junior guard Jahmir Dixon.
Others to watch: 5-9 freshman guard Danny Rosenblum.
Lost to graduation: Doug Campbell, Sean Mullarkey.
Outlook: According to Chadwin, the Raiders’ strengths are length, quickness and toughness. Chadwin said, “We have a tough group of upperclassmen that are hungry.”
Shipley
Head coach: Phil D’Ambrosio, eighth year.
Last year’s record: 21-6 overall, 7-1 Friends’ Schools League.
Key returnees: 6-1 senior guard Khai Champion, 6-1 senior guard Eli Smith, 5-11 senior guard Joe Gruzinski, 6-4 sophomore guard Khalil Farmer.
Others to watch: 6-6 junior center Andrew Makrides, 6-3 junior forward Luke Grayum, 6-2 junior guard Tommy Dee, 6-3 freshman forward Justin Powell.
Lost to graduation: center Ray Somerville (Cal State Bakersfield), forward Chaz Owens (attending prep school at Scotland Institute).
Strengths: “We are returning 4-5 players from last year’s team and having upperclassmen in the program, we will rely on their experience to help guide us through the season,” said D’Ambrosio.
Outlook: “With decent pieces in place and a strong senior class we will depend on their experience and leadership,” said D’Ambrosio. “If we can count on each other and use our teammates during the year we will be fine. The key will be playing the right way all of the time.”
