City Basketball, 2001

Philadelphia

Scholastic Basketball, 2001

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All-City

FIRST TEAM |

*Tamal Forchion | Roman

Cantrell

Fletcher | Neumann

Jamal Nichols | Franklin

Michael Cuffee | Gratz

Mike Slattery | Gtn. Acad.

SECOND

TEAM |

Maureece Rice | Mansion

Nicholas King | Frankford

Robert Taylor | Neumann

Steve Smith | Northeast

Bobby Leach | Bartram

Brandon Brigman | Neumann

THIRD

TEAM |

Matt Walsh | Gtn. Acad.

David Bell | Olney

Kashif Payne | Carroll

Gene Willard | O'Hara

John Huggins | Roman

Public League

ROUND OF 16 Gratz 85,

Lincoln 35 Twelve Bulldogs hit the scoring column in this blowout. Michael

Cuffee managed 12 points while Brandon Millwood (10) and Micheal Blackshear

(eight) were the rebounding leaders. Garry Mills (eight) was the closest

Railsplitter to double digits. Frankford 57, Central 35 Nicholas King and Tyrone Reed scored 17 and 13 points, respectively.

King added seven rebounds. Michael Branch made three steals. Three treys helped

Khary Kenyatta (11) become the only Lancer to reach double figures. Bartram 80, Parkway 52 Bobby Leach hustled for six rebounds and seven assists, and scored 12

of his 28 points (four threes) in an 18-11 third quarter. Robert Bouknight added

15 points. Parkway's Daniel Rumph had a 24-point effort that included three

treys. Franklin 57, Eng. and Science 41 Rodney Warren showed versatility with six points, seven rebounds,

four assists and five steals as the Electrons cruised. Dwayne Shelton (17

points, 10 rebounds) and Jamal Nichols (12, 10) also starred for Franklin while

Justin Scott had 15 points for E&S. Mansion 78, Overbrook 73 Substitute Salahudin Muhammad contributed 10 points

and two assists -- all in the fourth quarter -- as the Knights claimed this

frenetic tilt. Muhammad's trey lifted Mansion into a 65-65 tie, which he then

broke with two free throws. Star sophomore Maureece Rice (26 points) followed

with one of his seven steals. For 'Brook, Sean King had 23 points and five

assists while junior Shawn Ikokwu had 17 points and 15 boards. King 77, Northeast 72 (OT) Terrell Patterson, twice unsuccessful on game-ending shots earlier in

the season, took a feed from Raheem Scott (14 points, six assists, six steals)

and hit a right-corner trey with 0:06 left in regulation. In OT, King gained

command by sandwiching the first four points -- Scott's follow and Kelvin

Smith's pull-up floater on the baseline -- around a Northeast turnover. The

bulge hit eight, Northeast stormed within three and Smith (24 points) nailed a

double bonus at 0:07 to end the suspense. Patterson finished with 19 points,

shooting 8-for-20 from the floor (2-for-8 on treys) and 1-for-5 at the line. He

also notched nine rebounds, two assists and three steals. Darron Bradley added

10 points and 16 rebounds. Northeast's Steve Smith, who literally played every

position and had an awesome throw-down dunk on a follow, collected 17 points, 12

rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Ty Teasley shot 12-for-18 en route to 27

points. Olney 48,

Dobbins 41 David "Bone" Bell totaled 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists

and five blocks. Vernon Robinson (11) and Tyree Hankerson (10) also scored in

double figures and Darryl Durant provided comfort with two free throws for a

42-38 lead. Dennis Meekins (11) topped Dobbins. Univ. City 52, Penn 46 Tasheed Carr led the Jaguars in points (16) while adding six apiece

of rebounds and assists. Penn's Mustafa Shakur drilled three treys en route to

22 points. No teammate had more than seven. QUARTERFINALS Gratz 47, King 35 The Bulldogs stormed to a 31-3 lead, then King advanced within 38-29

before fading. In a 14-1 first quarter, Gratz forced eight turnovers and blocked

three shots. Michael Cuffee had 12 points and eight boards. Micheal Blackshear

added six points, nine rebounds and five steals. Kelvin Smith (11) led King. Frankford 50, Olney 47 Nicholas King scored the Pioneers' final 14 points, including all 12

in the fourth quarter, en route to 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and

three blocks. With 0:22 left, King hit two free throws to make it 50-47. Amid

some craziness, Olney missed three shots on two possessions in the last 14

seconds. Bartram 91, Mansion 75 Three players turned in strong performances as the Braves earned a

spot in the semis for just the second time in 27 seasons (also '90). Bobby Leach

shot 13-for-19 with three treys en route to 35 points; Shawn Roberts posted a

triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists; and Robert Bouknight

managed 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. For Mansion,

5-11 guard Maureece Rice, the PL scoring champ, maneuvered for 30 points to

become the first sophomore in city history to reach 1,000 (1,023) for his

career. He shot 11-for-24 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the line. Gratz'

Brian Shorter came close with 983 through the '85 season. Franklin 49, Univ. City 47 Only about 40 people saw this one (parents, school personnel) two

days after a fan was shot in the hand outside Franklin after the round-of-16

game. Jamal Nichols posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks and he drained

two free throws with 2.8 seconds left after UC's Maurice Maxwell (16) converted

a three-point play at 0:34. Magen McNeil added 15 points. SEMIFINALS Back-to-Back Days at Saint Joseph's Univ. Gratz 69, Bartram 39 The Bulldogs posted a 9-1 spurt to end the half, raising their lead

to 36-22, with starter Micheal Blackshear and four subs (Omar Johnson, Dashay

Brown, Anthony Geiger and William McNeil) on the floor. Michael Cuffee shot

8-for-9 (one trey) and 3-for-3 for 20 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

While advancing to the final for the 12th time in 13 seasons, Gratz held Bartram

to 12-for-56 from the floor. Frankford 50, Franklin 34 Michael Branch collected 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two

blocked shots and was at his best in the third quarter as the Pioneers used a

14-2 run to seize command at 37-27. He scored twice on tough-guy follows early

in the session and then capped the outburst with an inside bucket on a pass from

Nicholas King (10 points, nine rebounds, five assists). Tyrone Reed added nine

points while Kevin "Chip" Green had eight points, four assists. Franklin's

Rodney Warren finished with 17 points, but no teammate had more than six and the

Electrons shot just 13-for-43 from the floor (3-for-17 on treys). FINAL At Temple's Liacouras Center Gratz 40, Frankford 34 This game was largely unentertaining and was often downright boring

through three quarters. But in the fourth, Gratz turned up the defensive intensity, the

rooting sections got involved and things got much more interesting. When the Bulldogs made

their winning burst, the lineup included three subs -- soph Omar Johnson, junior Augie

Woodlin and senior William McNeil -- and all made major contributions. McNeil scored eight

points in the quarter and it was his steal, 60-foot drive and not-easy dunk that put the

Bulldogs ahead for good, at 36-34. Michael Cuffee (11 points) then went 4-for-4 at the

line. Frankford shot just 9-for-30, but went 14-for-19 at the line. It also was guilty of

22 turnovers; 10 in the last quarter. Kevin "Chip" Green had 12 points, two

assists and three steals. Nicholas King added eight points, five blocks.

Standings

DIVISION A-D | |

Frankford | 16 | 0

Bartram | 14 | 2

a-Univ. City | 12 | 4

a-Northeast | 12 | 4

Olney | 12 | 4

a-Overbrook | 11 | 5

Eng. and Science | 11 | 5

Lincoln | 10 | 6

Southern | 8 | 8

Edison | 7 | 9

Bok | 5 | 11

West Phila. | 5 | 11

Fels | 4 | 12

Washington | 4 | 12

Furness | 3 | 13

Audenried | 1 | 15

GAMP | 1 | 15

DIVISION B-C | |

Gratz | 15 | 0

Franklin | 13 | 2

Straw. Mansion | 11 | 4

c-Dobbins | 9 | 6

b-King | 9 | 6

a-Penn | 9 | 6

Parkway | 9 | 6

a-Central | 8 | 7

Franklin LC | 8 | 7

Lamberton | 7 | 8

Germantown | 7 | 8

Mastbaum | 6 | 9

Roxborough | 5 | 10

Masterman | 3 | 12

Kensington | 1 | 14

Bodine | 0 | 15

Coaches' All-Public

FIRST TEAM | | | |

Jamal Nichols | Fkn | 15 | 225 | 15.0

Nicholas King | Fkd | 16 | 274 | 17.1

Maureece Rice | Mans | 14 | 363 | 25.9

Michael Cuffee | Gtz | 15 | 192 | 12.8

David Bell | Oln | 16 | 371 | 23.2

Daniel Rumph | Pky | 15 | 338 | 22.5

Bobby Leach | Bart | 16 | 274 | 17.1

Robert Bouknight | Bart | 15 | 238 | 15.9

Garry Mills | Linc | 16 | 367 | 22.9

Sean King | Ovb | 16 | 371 | 23.2

SECOND TEAM | | | |

Steve Smith | NE | 15 | 247 | 16.5

Mustafa Shakur | Penn | 15 | 282 | 18.8

Micheal Blackshear | Gtz | 13 | 135 | 10.4

Russell Walker | Lamb | 15 | 298 | 19.9

Maurice Maxwell | UC | 14 | 209 | 14.9

Sharif Bray | Cent | 15 | 247 | 16.5

Ty

Teasley | NE | 16 | 253 | 15.8

Dahliek Powell | Rox | 15 | 301 | 20.1

Michael Ezell | Mast | 15 | 288 | 19.2

Olufemi Fadeyibi | E&S. | 16 | 210 | 13.1

THIRD TEAM | | | |

Kevin "Chip" Green | Fkd | 16 | 165 | 10.3

Vernon "Juice" Robinson | Oln | 16 | 275 | 17.2

Shaun Snyder | Fels | 16 | 351 | 21.9

Shawn Roberts | Bart | 15 | 150 | 10.0

Labeeb Muhammad | Mstr | 15 | 291 | 19.4

Kenneth Faison | Edi | 16 | 180 | 11.3

Kyle Jones | Sou | 16 | 284 | 17.8

Ronald Davis | Dobb | 14 | 171 | 12.2

Andrew Davis | Gtn | 15 | 244 | 16.3

Darron Bradley | King | 15 | 167 | 11.1

Champs' Rotation

GRATZ

Coach

Bill Ellerbee

Record

15-0, 24-3

Starters

Michael Cuffee

Micheal

Blackshear

Brandon

Millwood

Anthony Abrams

Messiah Reames

Key

Subs

Omar Johnson

William McNeil

Augie Woodlin

Dashay Brown

Anthony Geiger

Tariq Wharton

Catholic League

Playoffs

Quarterfinals Back-to-back Doubleheaders at

Tom Gola Arena Ryan 63, La Salle 55 John Pellegrino (eight) helped the Raiders post 20 assists on 22 baskets,

a total higher than its rebounds (16). Andy MacDonald (15) and Chris DiStasio (14) scored

in double figures. For La Salle, Tom Mattern shot 9-for-15 overall

and 5-for-7 on threes en route to 23 points. Gabe Marabella (13 points, eight rebounds)

and Rob Sullivan (11, four assists) also played well. Dougherty 47, Judge 41 Sub Mark Seidenburg, whose season was marred by three different injuries,

scored 12 of his 14 points during a 21-2 run that began with Dougherty trailing, 31-20.

Isaac Greer had 12 points. Only Pat Burnett (12) scored in double figures for Judge, which

had fallen to lowly Conwell-Egan in its league finale in search of a 16-0 mark. Roman 74, O'Hara 61 Demoted to substitute status just one minute before gametime, Steve

Brodzinski sucked it up and contributed 11 points and five assists. Other leaders were

Tamal Forchion (19 points), Brent Welton (17, 10 rebounds, five assists), John Huggins

(17, four assists), Jim Kelly (six assists) and freshman Charron Fisher (seven points and

eight boards in 8 minutes). Neumann 43, Carroll 39 Michael Haddix, namesake of the former Eagle, totaled nine points, 12

rebounds and seven blocks against the Patriots, who'd registered a sweep during the

season. He hit a free throw to provide the final margin with 4.2 seconds left after

grabbing the rebound when Kashif Payne missed a trey. Neumann star Cantrell

"Man-Man" Fletcher suffered a serious knee injury. Semifinals Doubleheader at Temple's Liacouras Center Neumann 61, Ryan 39 Robert "Beattie" Taylor, asked to increase his profile with

Cantrell "Man-Man" Fletcher unavailable, posted 25 points, six rebounds, five

steals, four blocks and three assists. He was the only Pirate in double figures. Ryan shot

3-for-20 from the floor in a 20-10 first half. Roman 84, Dougherty 53 John Huggins scrambled for 20 points, six rebounds and two assists as the

Cahillites frolicked. Tamal Forchion scored 23 points. While falling behind, 26-4,

Dougherty shot 1-for-17 and committed seven turnovers. The bulge reached 36-6 before the

Cardinals (Isaac Greer 15) finally had some enjoyable moments. 2001 At Temple's Apollo Neumann 60, Roman 59 With others on both teams looking tight and shaky, freshman point

guard Richard "Tabby" Cunningham was calm and confident while leading the

Pirates to the title. He shot 6-for-9 (one trey) and 6-for-7 for 19 points and had four

assists in a route-going performance, and received guidance/encouragement from his injured

mentor Cantrell "Man-Man" Fletcher (torn ACL in his right knee). Brandon

Brigman, playing with a re-broken left (non-shooting) hand, went 1-for-11 from the floor,

but toughed out five rebounds and notched seven blocks. Robert "Beattie" Taylor,

Cunningham's second cousin, had 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

For Roman, Tamal Forchion had 16 points, 11 boards and three steals while Brent Welton

mixed 16 points, seven rebounds. Jim Kelly hit two incredible treys in the final moments.

On Roman's final possession, sub Scott Paxson made an on-target three-quarter-court pass

that was caught by Forchion. Kelly was right nearby, set up for a trey, but in the tangle

of bodies, Forchion kept possession while his momentum carried him forward and his good

basket was correctly ruled a two.

Standings

NORTH | |

Judge | 13 | 1

Ryan | 11 | 3

La Salle | 9 | 5

Dougherty | 8 | 6

Wood | 5 | 9

McDevitt | 4 | 10

North | 3 | 11

Conwell-Egan | 3 | 11

SOUTH | |

Roman | 12 | 2

Neumann | 11 | 3

Carroll | 9 | 5

O'Hara | 8 | 6

SJ Prep | 6 | 8

West | 6 | 8

Bonner | 4 | 10

Kennedy-Kenrick | 0 | 14

Coaches' All-Catholic

NORTHERN

DIVISION | | | |

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

John Capella | Ryan | 14 | 245 | 17.5

Mike Spadafora | Wood | 14 | 261 | 18.6

Gabe Marabella | La S | 12 | 146 | 12.2

Rich Schmidt | Judge | 14 | 194 | 13.9

Brian Mooney | Judge | 14 | 152 | 10.9

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Tim Smink | Dough | 14 | 200 | 14.3

Tom Mattern | La S | 14 | 210 | 15.0

Andrew Holland | C-E | 14 | 245 | 17.5

Kevin Wolf | Judge | 14 | 143 | 10.2

Chris DiStasio | Ryan | 14 | 164 | 11.7

THIRD

TEAM | | | |

Isaac Greer | Dough | 14 | 190 | 13.6

Mike Cram | North | 14 | 210 | 15.0

Rob Sullivan | La S | 14 | 138 | 9.9

Mike Morak | McD | 14 | 195 | 13.9

John Pellegrino | Ryan | 13 | 94 | 7.2

*Walt Pinkas | C-E | 3 | 43 | 14.3

*-honorary

selection. | | | |

SOUTHERN

DIVISION | | | |

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Tamal Forchion | Roman | 13 | 241 | 18.5

Cantrell

Fletcher | Neum | 14 | 234 | 16.7

Kashif Payne | Carr | 13 | 200 | 15.4

Gene Willard | O'H | 14 | 236 | 16.9

John Huggins | Roman | 14 | 242 | 17.3

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Brandon Brigman | Neum | 8 | 114 | 14.3

Robert Taylor | Neum | 14 | 199 | 14.2

Nate Lewis | West | 14 | 229 | 16.4

Brent Welton | Roman | 14 | 188 | 13.4

Jordan Ingram | Carr | 14 | 155 | 11.1

THIRD

TEAM | | | |

Mike Barker | Prep | 14 | 204 | 14.6

Chris Grandieri | O'H | 14 | 194 | 13.9

Matt Kearney | Bonn | 14 | 174 | 12.4

Ali Gaye | K-K | 12 | 160 | 13.3

Dave Hoopes | Carr | 14 | 177 | 12.6

Champs' Rotation

NEUMANN

Coach

Carl Arrigale

Record

11-3, 23-8

Starters

*Cantrell "Man-Man" Fletcher

Brandon Brigman

Robt. "Beattie" Taylor

Michael Haddix

Chris Del Brocco

Key Subs

Rich. "Tabby" Cunningham

Ramer Jones

Jeff Thomas

*missed semis/final with injury;

Cunningham started

Inter-Ac League

Gtn. Academy (10-0) The Patriots clinched in Game No. 9, building a 25-point lead en route to

70-54 triumph over visiting Haverford School. The game was GA's fourth in five days. Mike

Slattery, the team's most promiment senior, had seven points and seven assists. Matt Walsh

shot 9-for-15 en route to 22 points. Lee Melchionni added 18 points, seven boards. GA went

to 10-0 in the finale, and extended its league winning streak to 21 games, by besting host

Penn Charter, 70-46. Walsh (18) and Melchionni (13) led the way.

Standings

Gtn. Academy | 10 | 0

Episcopal | 7 | 3

Malvern | 7 | 3

Chestnut Hill | 3 | 7

Penn Charter | 2 | 8

Haverford Sch. | 1 | 9

Coaches' All-Inter-Ac

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Mike Slattery | GA | 10 | 106 | 10.6

Terrence Mack | EA | 10 | 209 | 20.9

Dave Glaser | MP | 10 | 186 | 18.6

Matt Walsh | GA | 10 | 191 | 19.1

Lee Melchionni

… | GA | 9 | 124 | 13.8

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Matt Gosselin | MP | 10 | 120 | 12.0

Mike McGarvey | PC | 10 | 158 | 15.8

Ted Skuchas | GA | 7 | 54 | 7.7

Cameron

Youngblood | HS | 10 | 96 | 9.6

Pat Cannon | HS | 10 | 117 | 11.7

Champs' Rotation

GTN.

ACADEMY

Coach

Jim Fenerty

Record

10-0, 27-3

Starters

Mike Slattery

Matt Walsh

Lee Melchionni

Ted Skuchas

Troy Holiday

Key

Subs

Jeff Curtin

Brendan Kelly

Rob Kurz