Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Justin Allen (@jallen_town)
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The various high-academic private schools that make up the Inter-Ac and Friends Schools League are home to quite a few very talented ballplayers, with future Division I and small-college stars to be found all around the region.
As non-PIAA members, many of the teams in these leagues will find themselves in the Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association (PAISAA) tournament in late February, putting us right at the midway point between the first games of the year and the last.
Here are two takeaways from each league as they’re midway through their seasons, with MVP predictions for each down below:
1. Haverford trio making their mark
Just a week into Inter-Ac play, The Haverford School has emerged as the early favorites. Combining an undefeated effort of their own with an Episcopal win over Germantown Academy, the Fords find themselves in the driver’s seat going forward.
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Freshman sensation Cameron Reddish (above) is averaging 14 ppg in his first year as a starter after seeing minutes as an eighth grader last year. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
The Fords opened their Inter-Ac schedule with an impressive 57-46 victory over Episcopal Academy, during which all 57 points came from senior Levan “Shawn” Alston, junior Lamar Stevens, and freshman Cameron Reddish. The same trio then paced the Fords during a lopsided 74-45 victory over Spingside Chestnut Hill, combining for 44 points. During their most recent contest with Malvern Prep, the three scored an impressive 64 points, on their way to a 79-65 final.
Through three games Stevens, a 6-foot-7 four star recruit, is leading the way with an impressive 24 points per game. Add in Temple commit Alston (17.3 PPG) and Reddish (14 PPG), and you would be hard pressed to find a better trio in the entire city. Fords coach Henry Fairfax has to be excited with the way his three stars are producing, but combining their offensive efforts with the hustle and defense of Micah Sims and the newly healthy Derek Mountain, gives the Fords that much more hope going forward.
Haverford still has two more matchups with Germantown Academy, with the first coming Friday, as well as a rematch with Episcopal. If the Fords can survive such tests, they will certainly find themselves in prime position for their first league title since 1999. –Justin Allen
2. Westtown will be scary next year
Seth Berger has put a fairly young group of Moose through the ringer this season, playing against Cheick Diallo and Our Savior New American (N.Y.), Mike Watkins and Phelps School, defending PAISAA champions Hill School and others during the non-league portion of the schedule. And they’ve handled it well enough, with a 10-7 overall record, including one easy league win over the George School. But this is a group whose long-term ceiling is sky-high because of three players who should return next year to make them one of the best teams around.
The two best prospects on the team are a pair of sophomores, 6-5 shooting guard Najja Hunter and lanky 6-10 forward Mo Bamba. Both already have high-major offers, with schools like Seton Hall and Rutgers after Hunter, a North Jersey native and St. Peter’s Prep transfer, while Temple and others have offered Bamba. And then there’s junior point guard Jair Bolden, a D-I prospect in his own right with offers from La Salle, Boston University, Rice and more.
That’s not to say that Westtown won’t challenge for both the Friends’ League and PAISAA titles this year, too. Senior wing Edvinas Rupkus and forward Jonathan Kasibabu are both very good pieces, with Rupkus, a 6-3 guard, getting D-II scholarship offers and Kasibabu, powerful 6-8 forward, with D-I looks. And Bolden is leading the team and is second in the FSL at 19.1 ppg, while Bamba has proven to be a shot-blocking force in the middle. Next year, however, when Bamba, Hunter and Bolden have a year together under their belts…look out. –Josh Verlin
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The play of Nick Alikakos (above, with ball) has been a big reason Episocpal sits at second place in the Inter-Ac. (Photo: Josh Verlin)
3. Episcopal on the rise
Many had the Inter-Ac pegged as a three-horse race heading into the 2014-15 season. While that theory may still be holding true, the order in which those horses currently stand may take some by surprise. While Haverford (3-0) sits atop the standings, Episcopal (2-1) currently sits ahead of defending champion Germantown (2-1), thanks to a head-to-head victory this past Friday.
After falling in overtime to Germantown Academy twice last season, the Churchmen got their vengeance in the form of a come from behind 52-48 victory, due in large part to the low post play of sophomore forward Nick Alikakos. Alikakos, who was a second team All-Inter-Ac selection as a freshman, has made great strides of improvement from an impressive showing a season ago. Combine what Alikakos has been able to do with the shiftiness of four-year starter Mike Jolaoso and you have yourself quite the one-two punch. Stepping up, as of late, has been junior swingman Matt Woods, whose sharpshooting can keep Episcopal in nearly any game. Meanwhile, senior Mike Hinckley is also averaging nearly nine points per contest during Inter-Ac play.
Episcopal has not finished higher than third in the Inter-Ac since the graduations of future NBA talents Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson, Jr. in 2006. Given their current spot in the standings, the Churchmen very well could find themselves in the thick of things at the conclusion of the season. –Justin Allen
4. Germantown Friends still an unknown commodity
Last season, Germantown Friends went just 10-12 overall, with a 4-4 league record, in head coach Shawn Werdt‘s first season on the job after several years as an assistant coach at Philly U. A season-opening 71-45 loss to Penn Charter signified how the year would go for Werdt and the Tigers, who would lose five games by 20 points or more. Then, the team’s best player, 2016 G Austin Harriot, decided to leave for the Hun School (N.J.) in the offseason, leaving Werdt with a very undersized roster in 2014-15.
So perhaps this year’s season-opening 59-39 win over Penn Charter was a sign that things might not be as bad as they seemed for GFS this season. That was the first of 11 straight wins for the Tigers to open the year, as they took down Cardinal O’Hara, Abington Friends, Bishop McDevitt and quite a few others to help run their record out to 14-1 (2-0 FSL).
The offensive leader of the Tigers, as expected, has been senior guard Ray Leon (18.5 ppg), one of the better small-college scoring prospects around. At just a shade under six feet but with a solid body, Leon is a streak shooter who can splash numerous shots from 3-point range when he’s on his game; he’s also crafty at getting into the lane and utilizing a number of different shots when he gets within 10 feet of the rim. Fellow seniors Andrew Aldridge (15.2 ppg) has also taken a big step forward on the offensive end, while twins Jamil and Jalil Pines-Elliott can both handle the ball and make open shots.
Germantown Friends still has yet to play the top teams in the Friends’ League, however, with games against Westtown (Jan. 16), Academy New Church (Jan. 23) and Friends’ Central (Feb. 3) all still on the slate. It’s going to be tough to compete with the D-I talent those squads bring to the table, but it’s already a big step forward for Werdt in his second year. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of young talent GFS can bring in now that he’s shown he can win some games. –Josh Verlin
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Inter-Ac MVP
1. Lamar Stevens, SF, Haverford School
Muscular, 6-6 junior wing is off to quite a start in Inter-Ac play, dropping 24 and 14 rebounds on Episcopal and topping that with a 31-point, 21-rebound, six-block effort against Malvern Prep. Villanova, Indiana and others have offered.
2. Nick Alikakos, SF, Episcopal
If Episcopal is going to win the Inter-Ac title it’ll be with this 6-6 sophomore doing a little bit of everything. Dropped 28 points against Malvern Prep, then led EA with 17 in a big win over GA on Friday.
3. Levan Alston, SG, Haverford School
Temple-bound combo guard is right there with Stevens, averaging just over 19 ppg on the year. Playing more off-the-ball thanks to the emergence of Reddish, he can show off his natural scorer’s touch.
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Friends’ League MVP
1. De’Andre Hunter, SF, Friends’ Central
It’s almost impossible to tell that the 6-7 wing missed his entire sophomore season with a broken leg. Leading the league in scoring (20.7 ppg), he’s dangerous from inside and out, and does a great job of getting to the line.
2. Jair Bolden, G, Westtown School
This Moose has busted loose to the tune of 19.1 ppg, the second-highest mark in the league behind Hunter. An athletic combo guard, Bolden runs point for Westtown but is equally comfortable off the ball, using screens to knock down plenty of treys.
3. Ray Leon, SG, Germantown Friends
Leon, a 5-11 sharpshooter, has been the main reason behind GFS’s 14-1 start, averaging 18.5 ppg and shooting over 83 percent from the foul line. Deceivingly quick for his frame and has shooting range from all over the court.