Philly Got Game
contributed by Omar Richburg The game of basketball used to be a game played on the concrete playgrounds of urban America. College coaches would always fill their rosters with players from the East Coast. Since the emergence of travel basketball…
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Continue Readingcontributed by Omar Richburg
The game of basketball used to be a game played on the concrete playgrounds of urban America. College coaches would always fill their rosters with players from the East Coast. Since the emergence of travel basketball the game has spread out to the suburban areas where there are some very talented players and urban hoopers have moved to better schools outside their district. Division I, II and II coaches now can cast a wider recruiting net to find talent. There is however one secret area on the East Coast that is making so much noise college coaches are flooding the area to get talent: Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. The area has always been historic for producing “Ballers”. But lately has resurfaced as a hotbed for recruiting.
With a unique mixture of its city, suburban and catholic leagues. Add in area summer travel teams that play on the Under Armour, EYBL and Adidas circuits. Blend in some top flight coaches. And BOOM. Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania basketball is on the rise.
Philadelphia Public League programs Imhotep and Constitution, Philadelphia Catholic League powers Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood and Suburban League teams like Chester, Lower Merion have produced multiple PIAA State Championships in various classifications. Penn Wood, Cheltenham, Abington, Archbishop Carroll and Math Civics & Sciences have made their presence know. There are also a number of schools that don’t get as much exposure that are successful and produce solid players like Mastery North, Penncrest and McDevitt.
Not only are the teams having huge success, the players are stepping it up, working hard and getting exposure to draw interest from colleges at all levels. Not only have I seen the level of passion for the game increase, more and more players have become students of the game on and off the court improving their basketball IQ and academic portfolio. The area boasts some the States’ top players in the class of 2021 and 2022 so the future looks bright for Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Summer travel teams Philly Pride, K Low Elite and WeR1 have done an excellent job assembling their teams with the area’s top players to play a national schedule and give the student athletes exposure to coaches outside of the region. With top coaches like Kevin Funston (Bonner-Prendergrast), Isaiah Thomas (Sankofa) and Jim Donofrio (Plymouth-Whitemarsh) the players are sure to be ready for the next level.
This upcoming season should be exciting. With the talent level of the players in the regions leagues, each game should be exciting and will feature some great match ups between future college stars. Hopefully we can get back to some sort of normalcy so these young athletes can get back on the court to display their talents. Colleges coaches:, it’s not a secret anymore, Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania basketball got game. Don’t miss out!
Here are a few Class of 2021 ballers that embody the Philly tough characteristic:
John Flood, Roman Catholic: As a junior John was able to play valuable minutes (15 mpg) for a Roman squad that was loaded with college prospects. This 6’1” forward will do all the little things to help the team win, including outworking his opponent. He can guard multiple positions and puts up stats in hustle plays like diving for loose ball and taking charges. John does a lot of things on the court really well and will be an excellent asset to a Division III program.
Mike McClain, Cheltenham: Standing at 6’4” Mike is a big, athletic and versatile wing player. He has worked extremely hard this summer improving his jump shot to add to his attacking the rim style of play. With his quick hands and high basketball IQ he is effectively able to guard quicker point guard and bigger shooting guards. Playing for Philly Pride (UAA) this summer he was able to compete against nationally ranked player where he is starting to receive interest from Division II schools.
Muneer Newton Muneer Newton 6'5" | PF Archbishop Wood | 2021 State PA , Archbishop Wood: Playing with four Division I players is difficult for many players. Not Muneer. His teammates look to him to guard the opposing teams’ best player. With his long and athletic 6’5” frame, he was able to grab over 6 rebounds and average nearly 4 blocks per game last season. He constantly makes winning plays. Coming just over 9 points per game and with his best basketball ahead of him, look for him to start gaining interest from low Division I/High Division II colleges this summer while playing for K-Low Elite.
Mike Anderson III, TBA: This ultra-quick 5’11” point guard is a coaches’ dream. And if he’s not on your team he could be a nightmare. Mike can score on all three levels with ease. He is always in attack mode and his playmaking abilities set his teammates up for easy buckets. Prototypical Philadelphia guard: handles, crafty and not afraid to complete against anyone. This floor general should attract interest from colleges at all levels.