Heads of State: Pennsylvania's Greatest High School Basketball Players of the Modern Era

Contents

Introduction

150. Charles Coleman, Darby-Colwyn

148. Tristan Crawford, Steelton-Highspire Tramayne Hawthorne, Steelton-Highspire

147. Drew Schifino, Penn Hills

146. Mike Wisler, Columbia

145. Phil Hickey, Wellsboro

144. Dan Geriot, Springfield-Delco

143. Antoine Hubbard, Salisbury

142. Dustin Salisbery, Lampeter-Strasburg/Lancaster McCaskey

141. Tyrone Lewis, Harry S. Truman

140. Marques Green, Norristown

139. Barry Bekkedam, Archbishop Carroll

138. Lloyd Moore, Clairton

136. Ryan Brooks, Lower Merion Garrett Williamson, Lower Merion

135. Dalton Pepper, Pennsbury

134. Robert Jeep Kelley, Schenley

133. Mark Stevenson, Dobbins Tech/Roman Catholic

132. Jack Hurd, Warwick

131. Maalik Wayns, Roman Catholic

130. Mike Vreeswyk, Morrisville

129. Kevin Price, Duquesne

128. Sean Singletary, The Haverford School/The Perkiomen School/Penn Charter

127. Darelle Porter, Brashear/Perry Traditional Academy

126. Howard Brown, Pottstown

125. Dennis Stewart, Steelton-Highspire

124. Hubie Marshall, Coatesville

122. Rick Jackson, Neumann-Goretti Scoop Jardine, Neumann-Goretti

121. Pete Lisicky, Whitehall

120. Tom Pipkins, Valley

119. Myron Walker, Aliquippa

118. Craig Littlepage, Cheltenham

116. Faron Hand, Franklin Learning Center Tyrone Weeks, Franklin Learning Center

115. Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, Blackhawk

114. Jonathan Haynes, Roxborough/Germantown Friends

113. Hakim Warrick, University City/Friends’ Central

112. Marc Blucas, Girard

111. Darrin Govens, Village Charter/Chester

110. Donnie Carr, Roman Catholic

109. Carlin Warley, Frankford/Phil-Mont Christian

108. Tom Ingelsby, Cardinal O’Hara

107. Sam Clancy, Fifth Avenue/Brashear

106. Reggie Jackson, St. Thomas More/Roman Catholic

105. Wilbert Robinson, Laurel Highlands

104. Jim McCoy Jr., Pittsburgh Central Catholic

103. Wayne Hightower, Overbrook

102. Bob Stevenson, Elk Lake

101. Henry Williams, Norristown

100. Horace Owens, Dobbins Tech

99. Tony Chennault, Neumann-Goretti

98. Herb Pope, Montrose Christian (Md.)/Aliquippa

97. Rodney Blake, Monsignor Bonner

96. Greg Manning, Steelton-Highspire

95. Mustafa Shakur, William Penn/Friends’ Central

94. Rap Curry, Penn Wood

92. Marcus Morris, Prep Charter Markieff Morris, Prep Charter

91. Essie Hollis, Erie Strong Vincent

90. Rod Brookin, Steelton-Highspire

89. Maureece Rice, Strawberry Mansion

88. Chevon Troutman, Williamsport

87. Dan Buie, Harrisburg

86. Johnny Moore, Altoona

85. Sean Miller, Ellwood City/Blackhawk

84. Matt Walsh, Germantown Academy

83. Ricky Coleman, Schenley

82. Dallas Comegys, Roman Catholic

81. Emerson Baynard, Chester

80. Dave Twardzik, Middletown

79. Ron Krick, West Reading

77. Tony Costner, Overbrook Lonnie McFarlan, Roman Catholic

76. Wilbur Zain Shaw, Chester

75. Baron B.B. Flenory, Valley

74. Rasual Butler, Roman Catholic

73. Barry Parkhill, State College

72. Doug Overton, Dobbins Tech

71. Stu Lantz, Uniontown

70. Brian Shorter, Simon Gratz/Oak Hill Academy (Va.)

69. Pat Cummings, Johnstown

68. John Allen, Coatesville

67. Clarence Tillman, West Philadelphia

66. Billy McCaffrey, Allentown Central Catholic

65. Alvin Williams, Germantown Academy

64. Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette

63. Dave Popson, Bishop O’Reilly

62. Lynn Greer, Engineering & Science

61. Herman Harris, Chester

60. Aaron McKie, Simon Gratz

59. Dante Calabria, Blackhawk

58. Stu Jackson, Reading

57. Jim McCoy Sr., Farrell

56. Dennis Wuycik, Ambridge

54. Maurice Stokes, Westinghouse Ed Fleming, Westinghouse

53. Dave Batton, Springfield-Delco

52. Brad Davis, Monaca

50. Eric Hank Gathers, Dobbins Tech Greg Bo Kimble, Dobbins Tech

49. Horace Walker, Chester

48. Jerome Pooh Richardson, Ben Franklin

47. Wally Walker, Penn Manor

46. Billy Knight, General Braddock

45. Lewis Lloyd, Overbrook

44. Matt Carroll, Hatboro-Horsham

43. Andre McCarter, Overbrook

42. Larry Cannon, Lincoln

41. Doug West, Altoona

40. Geoff Petrie, Springfield-Delco

39. Danny Fortson, Altoona/Shaler

38. Jack Marin, Farrell

37. John Salmons, Plymouth-Whitemarsh

36. Earl Monroe, John Bartram

35. DeJuan Blair, Schenley

34. Michael Brooks, West Catholic

33. Don Hennon, Wampum

32. Bob Sura, Wilkes-Barre GAR

30. Brian Generalovich, Farrell Willie Somerset, Farrell

29. Richard Rip Hamilton, Coatesville

28. Len Chappell, Portage

27. Gerry McNamara, Bishop Hannan

26. Eddie Griffin, Roman Catholic

25. Lionel Simmons, South Philadelphia

24. Julius McCoy, Farrell

22. Wayne Ellington, Daniel Boone/Episcopal Academy Gerald Henderson, Episcopal Academy

21. Jameer Nelson, Chester

19. Walt Hazzard, Overbrook Wali Jones, Overbrook

18. Jeff Lebo, Carlisle

17. Dick DeVenzio, Springdale/Ambridge

16. Donyell Marshall, Reading

15. Guy Rodgers, Northeast Philadelphia

13. Norm Van Lier, Midland Simmie Hill, Midland

12. Tom Gola, La Salle

11. Tyreke Evans, American Christian

10. Larry Miller, Catasauqua

9. Maurice Lucas, Schenley

8. Gene Banks, West Philadelphia

7. Sam Bowie, Lebanon

6. Kenny Durrett, Schenley

5. Rasheed Wallace, Simon Gratz

4. Tom McMillen, Mansfield

3. Wilt Chamberlain, Overbrook

2. Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion

1. Billy Owens, Carlisle

Honorable Mention (Players 151-225)

Others under Consideration (Players 226-500)

References

Acknowledgments

Introduction

MUCH LIKE CALIFORNIA’S NAPA VALLEY AND ITS UNCEASING production of fine wine, Pennsylvania has manufactured some of the best basketball players the world has ever seen.

The best amateur basketball in the country is played in the Northeast Corridor [an area that encompasses Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York City], said Clark Francis, Editor and Publisher of the online scouting service The Hoop Scoop. "The South has great athletes but they lag behind in skill and are generally soft. And I hate to invoke the Hollywood stereotype, but in the case of West Coast kids, the shoe fits. They want to look good. All glitz and glamour.

The Northeast has tough, old-school kids who play all day long. Only there, and in the Midwest, do they still play outside on asphalt. Everyone else plays in air-conditioned gyms and gets tired after two games.

The Louisville-based Francis and his associates have been ranking the nation’s elite high-school players since 1984, and he counts almost every college coach in America as a subscriber to his Web site. He believes that Pennsylvania, unlike most other states, actually deserves to be in the conversation with New York in terms of national hoops supremacy.

Philly is slightly behind New York City, because the best players in the state of New York are so heavily concentrated in one area, said Francis, who also writes a column for the Basketball Times. But PA as a whole has Pittsburgh and other decent-sized cities [Harrisburg, Reading, Allentown, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, etc.] where the game is huge.

Howard Garfinkel, one of the most influential figures on the grassroots scene who turned Five-Star Basketball into a summer-camp empire and must-see destination on the recruiting trail, agrees.

Historically, Pennsylvania is definitely in the Top 5, maybe Top 3 with New York and Indiana, said Garfinkel, who founded his business in 1966. More than 400 of his orange-clad campers have played in the NBA, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade. "PA has been great to me, a key state in my career that traditionally has some of the best prospects you can find.

Philadelphia’s talent level has always spoken for itself, but there was a 20-year period in the ’60s and ’70s when Pittsburgh was one of, if not the premier area in the country.

Sonny Vaccaro, the godfather of basketball who signed Jordan to his first sneaker deal and thus forever changed the way athletes are marketed, can attest to that.

Why do you think I created the Dapper Dan [Roundball Classic in 1965]? Vaccaro, a 1957 graduate of Trafford High School, asked, referring to the game that pitted Pennsylvania’s All-Stars against the rest of the nation’s. "To flaunt the state’s talent. I believed it was the best, even better than the overhyped players in New York. For 10 years, the majority of the PA squad was from the western half of the state, and it kicked butt. I defy anyone to find any region at any time that had more talent than Pittsburgh did back then.

Look at the trajectory of the power conferences [in college], specifically the ACC and later the Big East. All of those teams had players from our area.

However, let’s put Pennsylvania’s big-picture reputation aside, and place the state and its history with the sport under our microscope.

Compiling a list of its 500 greatest high school players from 1950 to 2010 is undoubtedly an exercise in subjectivity, if not futility. The nature and complexity of this task precludes the possibility of using any scientific method for ranking players across generations, some of whom, as stated before, have proven to be the best to ever grace the hardwood.

For instance, how can one neutrally compare the feats of Wilt Chamberlain, Kenny Durrett, Sam Bowie, Billy Owens, Kobe Bryant, and Tyreke Evans, when they all represent different decades in time, starting with the 1950s and continuing through to the 21st century? Considering how much the game has evolved over the years, the answer is one cannot.

It’s like trying to argue that Tim Duncan is a better power forward than Bill Russell or vice versa. Ask 10 fans whom they believe is superior, and your answers will likely be split evenly down the middle. Furthermore, ask those same 10 people whom they would prefer to build a franchise around, and odds are almost equal votes will be cast for Kobe, LeBron, and Jordan.

Disputes of the like are certainly not limited to sports. Anytime one ranks athletes, coaches, and teams (or for that matter, United States presidents, American cities, musicians, beaches, food, the hottest women and sexiest men in the world, etc.), opinions are involved and sources must be considered. Nonetheless, this remains an acceptable practice. Why?

Because our culture, whether we like it or not, craves any opportunity to pass judgment. Moreover, everyone loves a good debate. And when I first embarked on this project, I sought to ignite the flames of discourse, not to extinguish them. Also, after countless hours of interviewing, researching, and writing, another purpose for this book became clear. Not only was I interested in creating a dialogue among fans of the sport, but I endeavored to celebrate its rich past, present, and future here in the commonwealth and the achievements of its most accomplished participants. Hopefully, this book will simultaneously function to help educate the young enthusiasts who have limited knowledge of the on-court excellence of days gone by, and serve as a nostalgic trip down memory lane for the elder ones, while perhaps enlightening their perspective on history.

Having recently turned 30, and despite my years of playing high school basketball, covering it as a journalist, coaching it, and following it as a fan, I didn’t have a large enough frame of reference if I were going to weigh the exploits of players who competed 25 years before I was born against those whom I grew up watching and admiring.

Consequently, I had much to learn.

I used two sets of criteria, one primary and the other secondary, to guide my judgments. My primary criteria for measuring a player’s worth was his individual and team success on strictly the high school level, which I quantified through statistics (points, rebounds, assists, etc.) and championships (league, district, and/or state); the strength of his competition; and how heavily colleges recruited him.

We obviously target kids whose skills we are enamored with, said former Penn and current Temple coach Fran Dunphy, a 1966 product of Malvern Prep. As coaches, we think we can turn them into winners, but most of us are kidding ourselves. Some things you can’t teach that late in a player’s development. They have to learn it in high school, and with all the basketball hotbeds throughout the state, most of them do in Pennsylvania.

What complicated this assessment process, as it related particularly to state titles, was the Philadelphia Public League’s and Catholic League’s inability to compete for such until the 2004-2005 and 2008-2009 seasons, respectively. These dates mark each league’s inaugural year as a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state’s governing body of high school sports. (Also, teams from the Inter-Academic League and Friends Schools League in Philadelphia and its suburbs are still not PIAA-affiliated.) This is a significant truth, given that, of Pennsylvania’s 26 McDonald’s All-Americans (the most prestigious label a high school player can earn), 16 could not vie for a state crown. Being selected for the McDonald’s game – which was established in 1978, one year after McDonald’s first honored a roster of All-Americans – made a player a lock for this list. Although it was difficult to appraise his exact placement on it, since many of their resumes stood bereft of championships on the more-prominent district and state level. (The survivors of the Public and Catholic League crucibles stopped squaring off for city bragging rights in 1981. The last one standing in those affairs was crowned the Philadelphia – now known as District 12 – champion.)

There had been some talk in the early ’90s, and in 1993 I was summoned to a meeting of athletic directors from the Pub schools to discuss the feasibility of them joining, said Brad Cashman, the PIAA’s Executive Director. "I figured it would be one of many gatherings, but it ended up being the only one. They liked their independence, and felt we were too restrictive. Later on, I learned they were also skeptical about finances. They didn’t know that the money generated from their playoffs would stay in their district treasury. We don’t touch any of it until states.

"We re-established contact in 2002, though, when Paul Vallas was appointed CEO [of the School District of Philadelphia]. One of the first things he asked when he arrived from Chicago: ‘How many state titles have the Philly schools won in basketball?’ Of course, the answer was none. He said, ‘That’s going to change.’ And it has.

The Catholic League then saw the immediate benefits of membership and quickly followed suit. Now, we have a tournament that allows for just about any school in Pennsylvania to contend for state-championship laurels, and it has completely altered the athletic landscape.

Additionally, the secondary criterion for my rankings was the coups a player collected beyond the scholastic ranks, either collegiately or professionally. Demonstrating NCAA prosperity or flourishing in the NBA could only enhance a player’s rating.

With that said, there are more than a few former NBA players who did not make the Top 150 – and are not profiled in more depth – for the simple fact that their careers blossomed a bit too late to be regarded as one of the elite high school players this state has generated. Jack Twyman, Armon Gilliam, Cuttino Mobley, Malik Rose, and several others fall into such a category. They enjoyed lengthy and productive NBA careers, but were never actually viewed as the cream of their schoolboy crop. (Twyman, now a Hall of Famer, was cut three times at Pittsburgh Central Catholic before finally making the team as a senior in 1951. Gilliam, The Hammer, wrestled his first two years at Bethel Park, then turned to basketball and started on J.V. as a junior in 1981. Mobley and Rose, meanwhile, never came close to scoring the volume of points at Cardinal Dougherty and Overbrook, respectively, from 1990-92 that they did in college and the pros.)

To further illustrate this concept, consider how the name of Hall of Famer Paul Arizin, whom the NBA rated as one of its Top 50 players in 1996, does not appear in this index for reasons that are twofold. First, he graduated high school prior to 1950; second, he also failed to make the team in his only tryout as a senior at La Salle High School in 1945. Of course, Pitchin’ Paul eventually made the team as a sophomore at Villanova University, before becoming a Philadelphia Warrior and retiring from the NBA in 1962 as its third-leading scorer of all time.

You will notice how the subsequent list reflects the notion, probably to the chagrin of my veteran readers, that modern basketball is played by more people, and these people are quicker, stronger, and arguably more skilled than their predecessors. However, also included in my rationale is the idea that athleticism is relative to the era in which it is displayed, and greatness can therefore transcend the boundaries of time.

To advocate for the ballers of yesteryear, one should not overlook the rules that prevented them from playing as freshmen in both high school and college, and how that adversely affected their career numbers by giving them one less season to produce. Also imperative in the discussion is the genesis of the 3-point line and its adoption by the PIAA in 1987-88. Sharpshooters who competed before that landmark season would have boasted much higher point totals had they benefited from the arc in the myriad ways that players do now.

I’m skeptical of all rule changes, because they’re too gimmicky and the people making them have no clue what they’re doing, said Herb Magee, a basketball icon who is commonly referred to as the Shot Doctor. His 907 victories and counting as coach at Division II Philadelphia University, his alma mater, guarantee his spot in the Naismith Hall of Fame, as he recently supplanted Bob Knight as the winningest coach in NCAA history. "I slowly fell in love with the 3-pointer, but it hasn’t really fulfilled its original intent, which was to clean up the roughhouse in the paint.

It’s proven to be a worthy addition to our game, though, by adding a level of excitement for the fans, said Magee, a 1959 graduate of West Catholic and 1963 draft pick of the Boston Celtics. A double-digit deficit can be erased in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, all I can do is imagine the numbers I could’ve put up if it were in place back then.

That’s what this book is here for – to give that imagination a home.

There’s something special about high school basketball that can’t be replicated on any other level. The sense of urgency. The frenzied passion of the players and coaches. The high-pitched emotion of the cheerleaders. The din of an overflow crowd in a cramped gym.

One of the reasons I got involved with the scholastic scene was because it represented sport in its purest form, said Vaccaro, who founded the ABCD Camp and has worked for Nike, Adidas, and Reebok. I may have a negative reputation, but all I’ve done is promote kids who otherwise couldn’t do so on their own. I’m just trying to give them the platform they deserve. So are you.

The demographics of the neighborhoods, towns, and cities in the Keystone State are as diverse and varied as anywhere in America. In all, there are almost 800 high schools scattered throughout the 67 counties that cover roughly 46,000 square miles of the commonwealth.

The contributions of those Pennsylvanians, who as teenagers excelled the most with a basketball in their hands, are immortalized in the following pages.

150. Charles Coleman, Darby-Colwyn (1963)

As affable as anyone you’ll ever meet, Charles Coleman harbors no trace of the killer instinct that made him almost impossible to defend and carried Darby-Colwyn so far so many years ago. A half-century, after all, can change a man’s personality.

Charles Coleman.

Charles Coleman gets to the basket against Mansfield in the 1963 PIAA Class AA Eastern final.

Our predecessors [in the program] usually made deep runs in the postseason, he said. But they always came up short. We sought revenge against the teams that beat the guys who came before us. Kutztown and Fountain Hill in particular.

During Coleman’s two years as an upperclassman, the Rams settled a number of old scores in District One and beyond en route to a 50-0 record and back-to-back PIAA Class AA titles. As a junior, the 5-11 swingman and third-team All-State selection averaged 20.2 points per outing and tallied a game-high 22 points and 20 rebounds in a 51-42 victory over Mercer in the state final at Albright College.

I didn’t have the size but I was more of a forward, said Coleman, whose nickname Pee Wee eventually became Petie. I wasn’t a great leaper, either, but I boxed-out well. Plus [6-8 center] Harold Booker drew a lot of attention inside, so I grabbed a lot of boards from the weak side.

A season later, Darby-Colwyn repeated as champion with another victory over Mercer, this one at the University of Pittsburgh Field House. Coleman, who averaged 22.8 points per outing as a first-team All-State senior with increased ball-handling responsibilities, contributed 16 points to the 61-45 win. Booker – who later competed at Cheyney State and briefly in the ABA under Hal Blitman, his high school coach – snared 28 rebounds.

We felt unbeatable, said Coleman, an All-Delaware County running back in football. Our preparation was so intense that it made the games seem easy. Coach Blitman really knew what he was doing, and we had solidarity. We all grew up together and played sports everyday from the moment we got out of bed to the moment we got back in. Guys like Earl Monroe from Philly and Emerson Baynard and Mike Marshall from Chester used to come to Darby to play pickup, and that’s where we got our competitive streak.

Coleman graduated from Darby-Colwyn – which merged with Lansdowne-Aldan and Yeadon to form Penn Wood in 1982 – with 1,444 points, and committed to Villanova.

I was all set to go to Temple, but [Villanova assistant coach] George Raveling told me to visit his campus before I made my decision. Being from Darby, I just figured that a city school would be the best fit. Then I went to the Main Line and couldn’t believe my eyes. I didn’t think a place like that existed just 30 minutes from home.

In his first year on varsity, right when Coleman entered the starting lineup as a sophomore around Christmas, he became academically ineligible.

I basically had to learn a new position, because I was used to playing near the basket but had to be a guard, he said. Wali Jones and Bill Melchionni were a great help with the transition. Then I got notice about my grades.

Coleman’s junior season with the Wildcats was also blighted by ineligibility.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t do the work, because when I buckled down, I did, he said. I just developed some bad habits. In high school, you could study for a test the night before and be fine. College wasn’t like that.

Two semesters shy of his degree in business administration, Coleman joined the military and served one year in Vietnam. When he returned, he finished his degree and got another in counseling. The Wilmington resident is now employed at Penn State-Berks where he preaches the importance of education as the Assistant Dean of Students.

I’m the head of our retention program and work with the kids who are at risk of dropping out, he said. Who better to do that than me?

148. (tie) Tristan Crawford & Tramayne Hawthorne, Steelton-Highspire (2005)

It’s a good thing Tristan Crawford is three inches taller than Tramayne Hawthorne, because if you were to differentiate one from the other using their skill set and/or statistics, you wouldn’t have much to go on.

As Steelton-Highspire’s human TNT, Crawford and Hawthorne powered the Steamrollers to a 26-4 record and the District Three Class AAA championship as juniors. A year later in 2004-05, the pair led Steel-High to the PIAA title, as it routed its nine playoff opponents by an average of 18.4 points per win, while joining the 2,000-point club. Crawford, a 6-3 wing, scored 30 points in the state final, a 70-48 thumping of Johnstown. The Associated Press Pennsylvania Class AAA Player of the Year averaged 23.0 points per outing as a senior and graduated with 2,141 points. Meanwhile, Hawthorne, a 6-0 point guard, earned first-team All-State honors for the 32-3 Rollers and registered 2,033 points in his scholastic career.

Tristan Crawford.

Tramayne Hawthorne.

Crawford signed with Cleveland State, where he sat out his first year in Northern Ohio. He suited up for the Vikings as a freshman in