READING, PA–On Friday, GMC Hoops took the long two hundred mile round trip to Albright College and back to see the 2010 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp. There was only one team from the Greater Middlesex Conference that participated among the 64 teams in two divisions. Each division: American and National, had a 32 team tournament that last over two days, Friday and Saturday with games on the campus of Albright as well as nearby Reading High School.
GMC Hoops saw games at both Albright and RHS. The site took a long walk up the road to Reading High School, and found some fascinating things. One thing was the fact that you could find an Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and college all on the same street in Reading. Another interesting fact was the rich basketball history and tradition at Reading High School. The Red Knights are one of the dominant teams in Berks County as well as District III and Central Pennsylvania with titles dating back to 1917. In addition, Donyell Marshall, a standout at both Connecticut and in the NBA, played at the school, and has his number retired. His jersey hangs in a corner of the gym.
Getting back to the games, GMC Hoops arrived about ten minutes before St. Joseph’s took on Theodore Roosevelt of Washington D.C. in the American Division’s Winners Bracket opening round matchup. St. Joe’s wound up losing the game by a score of 46-42. Theodore Roosevelt had a tough time with the Falcons though. Despite having a size advantage, and limiting the Falcons to just 15 of 59 from the floor, TRHS didn’t have a lead bigger than nine points, and that didn’t come until midway through the second half. St. Joe’s also managed to cut into that deficit, and was within striking distance at the end. In the second game, the Falcons had some struggles against Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania in a contest from the consolation bracket, but they were able to pull things out with a 57-51 victory.
St. Joseph’s shot 24 of 49 from the floor, and scored 15 points off of Cumberland Valley turnovers. Quenton DeCosey, who was really bothered by the taller and longer players from Theodore Roosevelt, and only went 3 of 27 in the four point loss, was much better as he made six field goals and three of five from the line for 15 points along with 10 rebounds for a double-double. DeCosey actually had a double-double in both games covered by GMC Hoops on Friday despite shooting a combined 9 of 43 from the field. He averaged 13 points and 11.5 rebounds per game over the two contests. Kevin Mayce had a much bigger impact in the second game with a 7 of 10 shooting performance for 14 points along with 6 rebounds in the victory over Cumberland Valley. One thing that has been noticed so far this summer with St. Joe’s is when Mayce does well, the team does well.
Jimbo Long was more aggressive on offense in the two games at the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp. Along with DeCosey and Mayce, he had a positive impact in the victory over Cumberland Valley with a 5 of 10 shooting performance including a one of three showing from beyond the arc along with 3 of 6 from the foul line for 14 points. He also collected 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Over the two games, Long went 8 of 20 from the floor including 3 of 9 from three for an average of 11.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game, and 2 steals per game. St. Joseph’s limited their opponents to a combined 40 of 104 from the floor in the two contests while forcing 28 turnovers. The Falcons scored 26 points off of those turnovers. Other teams from New Jersey that participated in this event included St. Patrick’s, Union, Scotch Plains, Point Pleasant Beach, and Pope John among others.
Union won its first round game over Philadephia Electric, which took place at RHS while Scotch Plains rallied to defeat Trinidad in a consolation bracket game. The Raiders held a 34-31 lead with about eight minutes to play when Trinidad went on a 10-0 run to take a 41-34 lead with a little more than four minutes left. Scotch Plains pulled out the win though with the final nine points for a 43-41 win. The Raiders advanced to play Bullis of Maryland, which actually defeated Reading on their home court in another consolation game. In other action, Shipley of Pennsylvania defeated Cedar Cliff of PA (61-56), Potomac Pride edged Hershey of Pennsylvania (59-52), and Philly Electric soundly defeated Pope John (85-41). GMC Hoops always enjoys the long trip out to Reading. It is an interesting drive that takes the site through a rural section of Eastern Pennsylvania including the Amish Country. This was the second year in a row the site traveled to Reading, and this year was much more enjoyable than last.
A more detailed article on the two games involving St. Joseph’s will be forthcoming in the blog.