Off The Boards
By Jack Scheuer
January 15, 2020
Since we’ll soon be approaching the midway mark of the season, here is one man’s selections for the All City 6 team, knowing there could possibly be some changes in the weeks ahead: Saddiq Bey, Villanova’s 6-6 soph forward, who is the best player on the best team. He leads the Cats’ in scoring, hits 44.6% of his 3’s, and is 81.8% from the foul line. And, he is a solid defensive player; Ryan Daly, the Delaware transfer is leading the city in scoring at 19.4 points per game (ppg), despite being double-teamed frequently, and is the only St. Joe’s player in double figures. The junior also tops his team in rebounds, assists, and steals; Collin Gillespie, Nova’s junior point guard, who is second in scoring, and leads the team in assists and floor burns. He also makes 82.5% of his free throws; A.J. Brodeur, Penn’s 6-8 hard-working senior center who battles much bigger defenders, but still scores inside. He is the Quaker leader in points, assists, and rebounds; Quinton Rose, Temple’s 6-8 senior forward,who leads the Owls in scoring, assists, and hits on 81% of his foul shots. Finally, we have Drexel’s talented sophomore point guard, Camren Wynter, the team leader in points, assists and minutes played.
So, there they are, the first half All City 6 team. Will it hold up ? Disagreements are welcomed.
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The leading rebounder in the city continues to be Drexel’s James Butler, the 6-8 junior who pulls down 11.8 caroms a game. Top rebounder in the Big 5 is Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, with 9.5 per contest. And how good is this 6-9 Villanova freshman going to be?
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Trivia Time : Temple’s all-time leading scorer is Mark Macon with 2,609 points. Who is second? Answer at the end of the column.
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Someone asked me that outside of the city, who were my favorite coaches? Here are the top five: Virginia’s Tony Bennett; Mark Few, from Gonzaga; Anthony Grant, Dayton; Chris Holtmann, head-man at Ohio State; and Purdue’s Matt Painter. You’ll notice they all have two things in common: No over-coaching, no constant complaining with the officials. Note: I’ll be adding John Beilein’s name to this list when he realizes he made a mistake by going to Cleveland, and comes back to being a college coach.
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This and That: Some things are hard to explain: In its loss to Wisconsin, Penn State went scoreless right through the first two media timeouts, shooting 0-for 12. Then there is Purdue’s 6-9 soph forward Trevion Williams, with a previous career high of 18, putting up 36 against Michigan, and boosting his average to 11 ppg. …. Lots of guys give all they’ve got, but the two hardest workers I’ve seen this season are Iowa’s Luka Garza and Brodeur….I know Villanova does well playing at the Wells, but it might be a good idea to turn down the sound level a little, or give out ear plugs….Even though St. Joe’s lost to Davidson in overtime, Ryan Daly’s miraculous shot tying the game at the end of regulation was an all-timer…. Nico Mannion, a five star freshman guard at Arizona, and the son of former NBA player Pace, is averaging 14 ppg, and making 85.7% of his free throws. His backcourt mate is Max Hazzard, grandson of Overbrook’s own Walt, the UCLA All-American and Laker stalwart….I hope having the Bricklayers Union as a game sponsor doesn’t reflect on La Salle’s shooting….Upcoming: Tonight, Temple hosts tough Wichita, and Saint Joseph’s hosts Rhode Island, while tomorrow it’s Elon at Drexel; On Saturday all City Six teams are on the court. Temple travels to SMU, both William and Mary visit Drexel, Nova meets UConn at the Wells, La Salle is at Rhode Island, and Penn and the Hawks battle at the Palestra.
Answer to Trivia Time: Lynn Greer, with 2,099 points.
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