This is the fifth part of a seven part series looking at the top 50 Baltimore Catholic League teams of all-time. This edition looks at teams ranked #11-15, as seen by Willie Sean Coughlan, BSL’s high school analyst.

11 ‘09 St Frances Panthers (33-5) Coach Mark Karcher > #2 in the Sun, BCL and MIAA undefeated regular season and tournament champions, Alhambra runner-up 2-1

Players

Terrell Vinson 6’7 SR; All-Met 1st,  All-BCL 1st, BCL Tournament MVP, All-Alhambra 1st, 22.8p/8.1r (UMass)

Dante Holmes 6’3 JR; All-Met 2nd, All-BCL 2nd, All-BCL Tournament, All-Alhambra 1st, 15.3p/6.2r (Florida Gulf Coast / North Carolina Central)

RJ Williams 5’9 SO; All-Met 2nd, All-BCL Tournament, 8.9p/6.0a (Loyola)

Wayne Sparrow 6’3 JR; All-BCL 2nd, 13.2 ppg (Richmond / UMBC) 

Gregory Lewis 6’8 SO; 10.8p/7.8r (Rutgers)

For twenty-eight years, Coach William Wells guided the St Frances program, from its infancy as a Catholic Youth Organization program, to its entrance to the Baltimore Catholic League, into what became a six-time league tournament champion, and one time Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament champion, becoming just one of three Baltimore schools to ever win the event in its first 48 years. 

The Panthers and Wells went 3-17 in their first season competing in the BCL in the ‘88-89 season, but won its first league title the very next year, behind the exploits of star Devin Gray. 

It would be another five years until the Panthers would win their second tournament title, behind a 6’5 super sophomore named Mark Karcher, who would lead them to three straight BCL regular season and tournament titles. Wells would pick up his fifth tournament crown in ‘05, and his record sixth in his final season with star guard Sean Mosley in ‘08. Coach Wells was the only coach St Frances had ever had. 

Now, a new era ushered in, with one of Wells’ protégés stepping into his huge shoes. Karcher, the four-time All-Met and three-time BCL Player of the Year, was taking the reigns. While the Panthers lost the four year star Mosley to graduation, Karcher was blessed with a talented roster, with the defending champs boasting more than a handful of D1 prospects. 

Terrell Vinson, a 6’7 senior transfer from Montrose Christian headlined the group, which also featured 6’3 junior guard Dante Holmes, and sophomore point guard RJ Williams, who earned an all-league honorable mention selection as a freshman. Wayne Sparrow, a junior, was a 6’3 scorer. Greg Lewis, a 6’8 sophomore, would compliment Vinson in the middle. 

While Mt St Joe lost Henry Sims to graduation, the Gaels did return arguably the best player in the league in guard Eric Atkins, one of the top 20-25 ranked point guards in the country in his class. Junior Ryley Beaumont would compliment Atkins for the Gaels. Calvert Hall figured to be there at the top with talented juniors Jonathan Graham and Damion Lee. Graham was selected to the All-BCL first team as a sophomore. Matt Rum, an All-BCL first team selection as a junior, would lead Loyola, and senior Devin Spencer would lead Towson Catholic.

The Panthers schedule would be loaded, playing against five teams that were ranked among the nation’s top 25, not including a four game trip to Florida to play against some of Miami and Fort Lauderdale’s best in the JR Orange Bowl Classic, or their 14 game slate in the Baltimore Catholic League, one of the top leagues in the nation. 

The Panthers opened with Friendship Collegiate, who was coming off of a 33-5 season, including a win over 26-2 Lake Clifton. The Panthers pasted the Knights, 87-63, in the opener, but Bishop McNamara gave the Panthers a reality check in the second game of the season, as the Mustangs handed the Panthers a 55-37 loss. 

After wins over McDonogh and St Johns Catholic Prep, the Panthers hosted Calvert Hall and John Carroll in back-to-back games, giving the Panthers, Cardinals, and Patriots, an opportunity to make an early season statement. 

The Panthers used a strong second half to edge the Cardinals, 66-61, in their first meeting, with Vinson scoring 13 of his game-high 20 points after intermission. Holmes added 14 points, while Sparrow added 12 points. The Panthers trounced the Patriots three days later, 62-44, after building a 34-17 halftime lead. Vinson scored a game-high 24 points, while Holmes added 18 points. 

Following wins over Gilman and Goretti, the Panthers traveled to the ‘Sunshine State’ to compete in the JR Orange Bowl Classic. The Panthers won the tournament championship, sweeping four games in Florida. After routing Jackson FL by 40 points on day one, the Panthers topped 9-2 Everglades, 58-43, on day two. In the final, Panthers put away Fort Lauderdale power Dillard, 66-48. 

The Panthers headed into the new year with an 10-1 record, and a nine game winning streak. 

After a 49-40 victory over Mt St Joe to begin the new year, the Panthers suffered their second setback of the season to Gonzaga in the Coaches Against Cancer Classic the following night, 69-57. The Panthers rebounded from the loss to the Eagles to win six straight games to move to 17-2, before their showdown with undefeated Lake Clifton. 

In the matchup of the two best teams in the city, the Panthers held an eight point halftime lead, before the #1 Lakers made a 12-2 run, and the two tussled for the lead for the majority of the third and fourth quarters. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Lakers went on a 9-2 run that led to a 63-54 win. Vinson led the Panthers with 16 points, who fell to 17-3.

The Panthers bounced back from that loss with an 83-76 double-overtime win over Mt St Joe, with Vinson scoring a game-high 34 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. The following week, the Panthers visited the 21-2 Cardinals of Calvert Hall, who were riding a 15 game win streak. 

The second ranked Panthers and third ranked Cardinals put on an ‘instant classic’, with the Panthers coming back from ten points down with three minutes left in regulation and force overtime, before pulling out a 90-84 triple-overtime thriller. Dante Holmes hit a corner ‘three’ at the buzzer in regulation to send the game to the first overtime. Vinson scored six straight points for the Panthers in the third overtime to give the guests the win. Vinson scored a team-high 26 points, and Holmes added 21 points. 

The Panthers would roll through league play undefeated in both the BCL and MIAA, a first in its program’s history. The Panthers hadn’t accomplished the feat in any of Karcher’s three championship seasons as a player, or Mosley’s two championship seasons. In fact, the Panthers became just the third team in the last 25 seasons to go unbeaten in BCL play, joining ‘06 Mt St Joe, and ‘07 Towson Catholic. 

The Panthers swept 29 win Calvert Hall in their home and home series, and stomped 25 win John Carroll by 18 and 19 points in their two league meetings. Together, including the post-season, the Panthers went 11-0 versus Calvert Hall, John Carroll, Mt St Joe, and Loyola, four teams that averaged 23.5 wins between them.

The Panthers post-season began with a 51-43 win over Loyola in the MIAA A semifinals, to set up a third matchup with Calvert Hall in the finals. The Dons slowed down the tempo to no avail, as the Panthers took a 21-11 halftime lead. The Dons never got closer than five points in the second half. Holmes scored a team-high 14 points, while Sparrow scored all of his 11 points in the first half. 

After a tight 66-61 win over Calvert Hall in December, and a wild 90-84 triple-overtime victory over the Cardinals to close January, the Panthers left no doubt in game three, routing the #3 Cards, 56-38, in the championship game. The Panthers defense was smothering, and was the difference in the game, limiting the Cards to 28% shooting from the field, and blocking ten shots. Vinson led the Panthers with 19 points and nine rebounds, as they captured their very first MIAA A tournament title. 

Next up was defending their BCL title. The Panthers smashed St Maria Goretti, 74-49, in the quarterfinals, with Vinson leading four double-digit scorers for the Panthers with 18 points. The Panthers had to survive a late Mt St Joe rally in the semifinals, before pulling out a 68-66 overtime victory over the Gaels. 

The Panthers saw a nine point fourth quarter lead evaporate, before needing an extra session to secure the victory over the Gaels. Vinson scored the game-winner off the glass with four seconds to play in overtime. Vinson totaled 15 points and 12 rebounds, while the sophomore Williams scored a team-high 18 points and provided five assists. 

The Panthers would face Loyola in the BCL final, after the Dons upset Calvert Hall in the semifinals. After 51 point and 39 point wins over Loyola in the regular season, the Panthers didn’t secure their seventh BCL tournament title until the final buzzer sounded versus the Dons, holding on to a 44-41 victory. Vinson blocked two shots and made three free throws in the final two minutes, and finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Holmes added 14 points. 

Vinson was named the BCL tournament MVP, while both Holmes and Williams joined their teammate on the all-tournament team. 

The Panthers got past O’Connell

VA, 58-38, in the first round of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational tournament, setting up a showdown with DeMatha in the semifinals. The Panthers took control in the contest early, and held off the Stags, 64-58, advancing to the tournament final for the first time in 13 years – Karcher’s junior season, when the Panthers won it all. The Panthers built a 13 point halftime lead over the Stags, much of it behind Holmes, who finished with a career-high 34 points and nine rebounds. Vinson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

Against Gonzaga in the final, the Panthers missed nine of their first ten shots, but recovered to take a one point lead midway through the second quarter. That would be their last lead of the game, as the Eagles took their second victory of the season over the Panthers in a 66-56 win. Holmes scored 18 points, while sophomore Gregory Lewis added 14 points, and Vinson added 13 points. Both Holmes and Vinson were selected to the all-tournament first team. 

The Panthers lost in the ESPN Rise National High School Inviational televised quarterfinals to St Benedict’s NJ, the #10 team in the country, 75-64, to close the season with a 33-5 record. 

Vinson was named to the Sun’s All-Met first team, as well as to the Alhambra All-Tournament first team, adding those honors with his BCL Tournament MVP award. Vinson averaged 22.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Holmes and Williams were both named to the All-Met second team, while Holmes joined Vinson on the All-Alhambra first team. Holmes averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Williams averaged a league-best 6.0 assists per game.  Sparrow averaged 13.2 points per game, while Lewis added 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. 

Karcher led the Panthers to their first sweep of the BCL and MIAA tournament titles in the same season, and a program record 33 wins, surpassing the 32 victories his team won in his senior season in ‘97. 

In addition to winning both the MIAA and BCL regular season crowns, and the MIAA tournament championship, the Panthers notched 15 wins over opponents that finished with 20 wins or more, and nine victories over teams that won 25 or more games. 

Notes; 

  • Vinson played four years at Massachusetts for coach Derek Kellogg, starting in 127 of the 132 games he played for the Minuteman. Vinson scored 1,276 points and grabbed 620 rebounds in his four seasons with the Minuteman. Vinson averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a junior. Vinson was third on the Minuteman in scoring in his senior season, averaging 12.3 points per game. Vinson has played professionally overseas for eight seasons. 
  • Holmes went to play at Florida Gulf Coast, or what would be known the following year as ‘Dunk City’, but lasted just one year with coach Andy Enfield and the Eagles. Holmes had an impact as a freshman, averaging 8.4 points per game. After sitting out a year, Holmes played his final three years at North Carolina Central, where he led those Eagles in scoring in his senior season, at 15.5 per game. Over his four seasons, Holmes scored 1,105 points in his college career, and grabbed 399 rebounds.
  • Williams played three years at Loyola, his first two for Jimmy Patsos. In his freshman season, Williams was the starting point guard for a Greyhounds team that advanced to the NCAA tournament, and finished 24-9. Williams led the Greyhounds in assists in each of his three seasons at Loyola.
  • Lewis played four years at Rutgers, starting at center his last two seasons, the first two seasons in the Big 10 for the Scarlet Knights. Lewis was third in rebounding for the Scarlet Knights in his junior season, and tied for second in rebounding in his senior season.
  • Sparrow played his first three seasons at Richmond, before transferring to UMBC in his senior year and leading the Retrievers in scoring, at 13.8 points per game. Sparrow also was third in rebounding, at 4.7 per game, and second in assists, at 2.2 per game. 
  • The ‘09 DeMatha team (32-4) the Panthers toppled in the Alhambra tournament produced five future NBA players – Victor Oladipo, Quinn Cook, Jerian Grant, Jerami Grant, and Josh Selby. The ‘09 Stags also featured James Robinson (Pittsburgh), Mikael Hopkins (Georgetown), and Naji Hibbert (Texas A&M).

12 ‘79 Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (27-5) Coach Ray Mullis > #2 in the Sun, BCL undefeated regular season and tournament champions, Alhambra 3rd 2-1

Players

Quintin Dailey 6’4 SR; Parade All-American 2nd, Sun POY, BCL MVP, BCL All-Tournament, All-Alhambra, 33.2p/11.0r/54% (San Francisco, NBA)

Rod Barber 6’2 SR; All-Met 3rd, All-BCL 1st, 14.7 ppg 

Todd McClendon 6’4 JR; All-BCL 2nd

Dwayne Purnell 5’8 SR; All-BCL 2nd

Richard Pickett 6’0 SR

After four years of a Loyola Dons BCL tournament reign, the ‘78-79 season looked to be Cardinal Gibbons year, with the Dons graduating Pete Budko to North Carolina and Tony Guy to Kansas in successive years, and the Crusaders returning one of the two best prospects to ever play in the Baltimore area. 

Quintin Dailey was that player, a player whose talents far outweighed those of any other high school player this area had ever seen outside Dunbar’s Skip ‘Honey Dip’ Wise, the 6’4 guard who put the Poets and the Baltimore area on the national high school basketball landscape with a shocking win over DeMatha and their star Adrian Dantley just more than five years prior during his junior season. 

Dailey, who averaged 33.8 points per game as a junior, was on that level. Crusaders coach Ray Mullis had been blessed with talented players before, but never anyone with the talents like Dailey. 

Coach Mullis’ Crusaders program was the second most successful program in the Baltimore Catholic League since its inception in the ‘71-72 season, second only to the five-time champion Dons. The Crusaders won the BCL title in ‘74, and lost to the Dons in the ‘75 and ‘78 finals. 

The Crusaders were coming off a season where they captured their first regular season crown, and posted 20 wins or more for the fourth time in five seasons. Dailey was drawing interest from many of the top programs in the country, after averaging 20 points per game as a sophomore, and scoring an astonishing 1,148 points in his junior season. 

With 1,783 career points entering his senior season, Dailey was poised to top the former DeMatha star Dantley as the state’s all-time leading scorer. Howard Garfinkel, considered the nation’s high school basketball ‘guru’, named Dailey one of the ten best high school players in the country. Dailey and the Crusaders were complimented with senior 6’2 Rod Barber, and a talented 6’4 junior forward in Todd McClendon. 

Dailey became the fifth Baltimore area player in six seasons to attract the national attention of college coaches from across the country, following Wise, who went to Clemson, after stamping the ‘Charm City’ area on the national high school basketball map. 

Larry Harrison, Towson Catholic’s 6’10 center, followed Wise to the ACC when he committed to Wake Forest the following year. Two years later, Dean Smith won Loyola star Pete Budko’s services in Chapel Hill, and then, the following year, Budko’s former teammate, Tony Guy, headed to play for another one of the ‘blue blood’ programs of college basketball in Lawrence, Kansas. 

Dailey garnered more attention than any one of his predecessors, bringing in coaches from as far away as the West Coast, from the University of San Francisco to Oregon, while receiving personal visits from Digger Phelps of Notre Dame and Norm Sloan of NC State. 

While the Crusaders were shocked by Curley in the BCL semifinals in ‘78, they were the clear BCL favorites in the ‘78-79 season, with Dailey and Barber. 

Though the defending tournament champion Dons lost their star Guy to graduation, they boasted the two best sophomores in the league, and arguably, two of the best players in the league in Bob Selby and Kenny Johnson. Mt St Joe, who finished tied for third place with Curley in the ‘78 standings, returned 6’8 senior Chris Nieberlein, another of Gaels coach Gene Nieberlein’s sons, who averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds per game as a junior. The Gaels also boasted 6’6 sophomore Frank ‘Spoon’ James. Curley, coming off of a 17-10 season, would be led by seniors Carl Fornoff and Joe Stallings. 

Coach Mullis put forth a formidable schedule for the Crusaders, with a pair of contests in Philadelphia against two of that city’s best, a trip to Richmond to compete in the high powered Benedictine Capital City Classic, and a handful of regular season showdowns with some of DC’s best. 

With a league championship, the Crusaders would also garner a bid to the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament. The Crusaders were ranked #2 in the area in the pre-season rankings, behind Dunbar, while Loyola came in at #4, Curley at #5, and Mt St Joe at #7. 

The Crusaders opened the season with a very impressive 87-57 win over St Johns DC , with Dailey pouring in 39 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, and Barber adding 16 points. The Crusaders came up short in Philly, losing to national top 10 Roman Catholic, 88-77, then losing to Cardinal O’Hara in overtime, 79-76. 

Dailey scored 34 points versus Roman Catholic, and 42 points versus O’Hara. The Crusaders and Roman Catholic were tied at 57 through three quarters. Barber added 21 points in the loss to the Callihites. 

The Crusaders rebounded from the pair of losses in Philly with a 76-66 win over St Anthony’s DC. Dailey scored 38 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and surpassed the 2,000 career point mark in the win. Dailey scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Crusaders mounted a 27-11 lead.

At the Benedictine Capital City Classic in Richmond, the Crusaders sailed by the Grand Bahamas in the quarterfinals, 104-74, with Dailey scorching the nets for a tournament record 43 points, on 19-24 shooting from the floor. Dailey added 14 rebounds and seven assists. McClendon added 15 points and eight rebounds. Up next was nationally acclaimed Dunbar of DC. 

The Crusaders did the unthinkable, overcoming a 17 point fourth quarter deficit to shock the Crimson Tide, 79-78. Dailey scored 34 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, while McClendon and Barber provided 19 and 18 points, respectively. Dailey also grabbed a team-high ten rebounds. The Crusaders used a 21-3 run in the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the game, at 75-74, on McClendon’s tip-in with 1:27 remaining. Dailey scored 15 points in the final stanza, while McClendon added 10 in the Crusaders 33 point quarter. 

The Crusaders found revenge with Roman Catholic PA in the Cap City final, with a 72-71 victory in the tournament championship game. Dailey, who shot 6-6 from the floor in the fourth quarter, blocked a last-second short jumper to preserve the victory. The point margin never was larger than four points in the second half of this high-intensity game, with the Crusaders carrying a two point lead at both halftime and through three quarters. Dailey, who poured in 38 points in the final, and set a tournament record with 115 points over three games. 

The Crusaders went unbeaten in league play, and added several quality out-of-conference wins to bolster their standing. The Crusaders posted a pair of ten point wins over four-time defending tournament champion Loyola, including a 60-50 victory in the first meeting, when Dailey scored a team-high but season-low 20 points, and a 73-63 victory in the second meeting, when Dailey registered 36 points. 

The Crusaders topped #2 Mt St Joe, 78-74, in their first meeting, hitting 24 of 28 shots at the free throw line. Dailey scored a team-high 34 points in that win. The Crusaders topped the then #3 Gaels 75-64 in their second meeting, with Dailey scoring 32 points. Dailey scored a season-high 46 points in a 87-78 win over Calvert Hall. Barber surpassed the 1,000 career point total in the win over the Cards.

The Crusaders also recorded wins over a pair of Washington Catholic teams in Archbishop Carroll and Bishop McNamara, along with another over MSA contender Carver, while suffering their only area loss to Annapolis. Dailey poured in 34 points, while Barber added 24 points, in the 82-72 win over Archbishop Carroll. 

The Crusaders topped Bishop McNamara by the same margin, 82-72, as Dailey scorched the nets for 41 points, adding 11 rebounds and four steals. Dailey scored 39 points in the 84-78 win over Carver, where the Crusaders had built an 18 point lead after three quarters. 

The Crusaders headed into the league tournament with a 22-4 record, before putting away Curley, 66-60, in the semifinal. The Crusaders led by 11 points at halftime, and 11 points after three quarters, before Curley cut the lead to four points three times in the final minutes, but never could get closer. Dailey led the Crusaders with a below-average 22 points. 

The Crusaders would face the four-time defending champion Dons in the final, who were making their seventh championship game appearance in eight years. 

The Crusaders snapped the Dons four year reign with a 63-60 victory in the final, with Dailey leading the way again, with 27 points. The Dons led by five points with 5:46 remaining in regulation time, before Dailey and Barber led the Crusaders on a 10-0 run to put them up to for good, with both combining for all ten points. 

Before traveling to Cumberland for the Alhambra tournament, the Crusaders faced national power West Philadelphia at the Capital Centre, before putting away the Speedboys, 73-62, before more than 8,000-plus in attendance. Dailey put on a show, scoring 36 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Dailey scored 22 points in the first half, as the Crusaders took a 40-28 lead. 

West Philadelphia was the only team to beat Philly rival and national #1 Overbrook in the ‘78-79 season. Overbrook edged DeMatha, 52-51, in the nightcap of the doubleheader at the Capital Centre. 

Then, it was off to Western Maryland. The Crusaders stomped host Bishop Walsh, 71-43, in the quarterfinals of the Alhambra, setting up a showdown with DeMatha in the semifinals. The Crusaders suffered a 67-65 loss to the Stags, after scratching back from a 14 point halftime deficit. Dailey scored six straight points to cut the deficit to four, then Barber’s two free throws cut the deficit to two points with 17 seconds to go. Dailey missed a desperate potential game-tying heave from halfcourt at the buzzer. Dailey led all scorers with 28 points. 

The Crusaders beat O’Connell, 72-65, to take third place in the tournament. Dailey was named to the all-tournament team.

Dailey was named to the Parade All-American second team, the second area player to be selected to one of the two publication’s top teams, joining Wise. Dailey was named the Sun’s Player of the Year and finished as Maryland’s all-time leading scorer among the scholastic ranks, finishing with 2,844 career points, adding 1,208 career rebounds. 

Dailey eclipsed 1,000 points in a season for a second year in a row, averaging 33.2 points and 11 rebounds per game, shooting 54% from the field. Barber was named to the All-Met third team, averaging 14.7 points per game. McClendon and Purnell were both named to the All-BCL second team. 

Mullis led the Crusaders to their third regular season crown, their second tournament title, and was named the BCL Coach of the Year by the Sun. The Crusaders went unbeaten versus league opponents, and notched wins versus Roman Catholic, Dunbar of DC, West Philadelphia, and St Johns, among others. 

Notes; 

  • Dailey became a consensus first team All-American at San Francisco, known as one of the best scorers in the college ranks. In his freshman season, Dailey averaged 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Dons. His sophomore season, Dailey was named the WCAC Player of the Year, averaging 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. In his senior season, Dailey averaged 25.2 points,5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Over three seasons, in 90 games, Dailey scored 1,841 points for the Dons, adding 434 rebounds, 274 assists, and 131 steals. As of the completion of the ‘21-22 season, Dailey ranks second all-time on the Dons scoring list, and holds the single-season record for points scored, with 755 in the ‘81-82 season. Dailey was chosen as the seventh pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Dailey was selected to the NBA All-Rookie team in ‘82-83, averaging 15.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. Dailey was the Bulls second leading scorer in his second season in the league, averaging 18.2 points per game, despite coming off of the bench in 40 of his 82 games. Dailey averaged better than 16 points per game for another two seasons, before drug violations and injuries stunted his progress. Nonetheless, Dailey spent (parts of) ten seasons in the NBA, finishing with 7,470 career points. 
  • Mullis coached for 31 seasons at Cardinal Gibbons, from the program’s first season in ‘64-65, until his death in December of 1994. Mullis was the first coach to win six BCL tournament titles, and the first to capture eight BCL regular season conference crowns. As of ‘22, only Mt St Joe’s Pat Clatchey has won more BCL regular season and tournament championships in BCL history, while former St Frances legend William Wells also won six tourney titles with the Panthers. In his 31 seasons on Wilkens Avenue, Mullis held a 620-346 career record, and was the first Baltimore area coach to win 600 games. Mullis led twelve of his teams to 25 wins or more, all in his last 21 seasons at Cardinal Gibbons. At the time of his death, his Crusaders were 8-1, and the defending BCL regular season and tournament champions. Each one of Mullis’ last 19 Crusaders teams finished with a winning record. 

13 ‘17 Mt St Joseph Gaels (36-4) Coach Pat Clatchey > #3 in the Sun, BCL and MIAA tournament champions, JR Orange Bowl Classic tournament champions, Alhambra runner-up 2-1

Players

Darryl Morsell 6’5 SR; All-Met 1st, All-BCL 1st, BCL Tournament MVP, All-Alhambra 1st, 15.2p/7.9r/4.8a (Maryland / Marquette) 

Jalen ‘Stix’ Smith 6’10 JR; All-Met 1st, BCL POY & DPOY, BCL All-Tournament, All-Alhambra 1st, 17.0p/9.4r/3.2b (Maryland, NBA)

James Bishop 6’2 SO; All-BCL HM, BCL All-Tournament (LSU / GWU)

Jaden Robinson 6’3 JR; (Georgetown)

Kendall McMillian 6’1 JR; (New Haven)

Entering his 25th season at Mt St Joe in the ‘16-17 season, Coach Pat Clatchey had established his Gaels program as the winningest and most consistent over the last 14 seasons in the Baltimore Catholic League, dating back to their first BCL tournament title in 2003. 

Over that time, the Gaels won six tournament titles, played in four other championship games, and ranked among the top four teams in the area in 11 of the last 14 seasons. 

Clatchey had possessed supremely talented rosters, from the’03 and ‘04 teams with Will Thomas, to the 38-1 ‘06 team, with Louis Birdsong, Dino Gregory, and a young Henry Sims, to the ‘08 team featuring Sims, Justin McCoy, and a young Eric Atkins, to the ‘13 team, headlined by Kam Williams and Phil Booth, and the ‘14 team, led by Booth, but this ‘16-17 roster would rank up there with all of them, with 6’4 senior Darryl Morsell and 6’10 junior Jalen Smith headlining the marquee. 

Morsell, along with John Carroll sophomore Immanuel Quickley, was just one of the two underclassmen named to the All-BCL first team in the ‘15-16 season. Morsell committed to Maryland and Coach Mark Turgeon in early November. Maryland was also pursuing Smith, a rising top prospect in the ‘18 class. Clatchey’s Gaels also had a pair of talented juniors in Jaden Robinson and Kendall McMillian, and a sharp-shooting sophomore in 6’2 James Bishop.

The Gaels were slight favorites in the BCL, while St Maria Goretti, John Carroll, and Mount Carmel, looked to be viable contenders for the league title. St Maria Goretti returned seniors Elijah Clarance and Jake Kuhn, and Mount Carmel returned senior Terry Nolan Jr, who was selected to the All-BCL second team as a junior. The Patriots of John Carroll were particularly intriguing, as the defending tournament champions returned the BCL Co-POY in Quickley, and welcomed 6’3 junior transfer Montez Mathis, who was part of a 2016 Oak Hill national championship team that finished 45-1. 

Though the Gaels had produced so much success for more than a decade, they were denied a fourth straight tournament title in 2015, and were shocked in the 2016 final by the six seed Patriots, 51-50, after having won 32 of 35 games. That defeat came a week after a loss to St Frances in the MIAA A final. While Goretti, John Carroll, and Mount Carmel, looked to be contenders in the BCL, McDonogh looked to be another formidable foe in the MIAA Conference.

After starting 3-0, the Gaels topped nationally renown St Benedict’s of New Jersey, 65-59, in the Shirts and Skins Classic, a day after the Gray Bees toppled St Frances, 63-56. The Gaels pushed a one point lead after one quarter into a 16 point halftime lead over the Gray Bees with a 23-8 advantage in the second quarter. Smith scored a game-high 24 points, on 10-13 shooting, and added 10 rebounds. Morsell added 10 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while the sophomore Bishop added 13 points, hitting two of three ‘threes’, and going 3-3 from the line. 

A week later, the Gaels faced #3 Glenelg Country and #2 Poly in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. The visiting Gaels held off the Dragons, 70-65, as Bishop led four Gaels double-digit scorers with 16 points. Next was the inaugural William Wells Classic at UMBC’s RAC Arena, and a date with the Engineers. 

The #1 Gaels prevailed over the #2 Engineers in overtime, 66-60. Bishop, who shared team-high scoring honors with Smith with 17 points, scored on a four point play and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter to ignite a comeback rally to force overtime. The Gaels scored the first seven points in the extra session to seal the win. 

The Gaels traveled to Florida over the holidays to participate in the highly competitive JR Orange Bowl Classic. The Gaels pounced on 8-4 Coral Gables FL on day one, and grabbed a 73-49 victory. The Gaels then routed 10-2 Palmetto FL, 60-39, a day after the Panthers knocked off Chicago Catholic League power St Rita. 

The Gaels continued their success in the championship game, as the Gaels topped undefeated South Miami, 69-57, and left the ‘Sunshine State’ with three victories and a championship trophy. In the final, the Gaels built a double-digit first half lead and sailed, as Smith scored 19 points, Morsell scored 18 points, and Bishop added 17 points. 

The Gaels began the new calendar year with a 48 point win over Dulaney, an annual 4A state contender, before suffering their first loss of the season in Hagerstown at St Maria Goretti, 63-62, snapping the Gaels 15 game win streak to begin the season. The Gaels first loss came when Goretti’s Elijah Clarence rebounded a missed free throw and raced up court and nailed a buzzer-beating, game-winning three pointer for the Gaels of Hagerstown. 

The Gaels of Irvington went on to win eight straight games over the next three weeks, including a pair of victories over John Carroll, another over Mount Carmel, and another over McDonogh. The Gaels sat at 23-1, before getting humbled by Calvert Hall, 79-67, taking their second league loss. 

The Gaels closed the regular season winning six of seven games, including notching a second win over Mt Carmel, and a get-back victory over Goretti. 

The Gaels suffered a two point loss at St Frances in their BCL regular season finale, forcing the Gaels to share the BCL regular season crown with the Gaels of St Maria Goretti. 

Amidst all of their success over the last decade-plus, the Gaels had won just one MIAA A tournament title in ten seasons, and were hungry for another. 

The Gaels started by extinguishing Pallotti in the quarterfinals, 54-44, with Smith scoring a team-high 16 points, then followed that with a 54-46 win over McDonogh in the semifinals, their third victory over the 20 win Eagles. 

The Gaels trailed by 11 points at halftime, as the Eagles drained seven three-pointers before intermission. The Gaels locked down on defense in the second half, limiting the Eagles to just four field goals after intermission. After a Bishop three-pointer gave the Gaels their first lead since the first quarter, McMillian scored six straight points to push their lead to seven points. Smith scored a team-high 15 points, while Morsell added 13 points. 

The Gaels and Clatchey captured their fifth MIAA A tournament title with a 65-54 win over Mt Carmel in the final. The Gaels held the Cougars scoreless in the first five minutes-plus of the fourth quarter, and cruised in the final stanza. Smith scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked three shots. Morsell added 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Smith scored 11 straight points in the third quarter, then began the fourth with a put-back and dunk to give the Gaels a five point lead, a lead they’d extend. 

The Gaels routed Loyola, 68-47, in the BCL quarterfinals, with Bishop scoring a team-high 18 points. The Gaels held off St Frances, 54-51, in the semifinals, after watching the Panthers come back from an 11 point third quarter deficit to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Smith scored a game-high 20 points. 

The Gaels faced Mt Carmel again in the championship game, and used a strong third quarter, much of it without Smith, to coast to a 54-44 victory and capture their seventh BCL tournament title in 14 years. With Smith sent to the bench with his third foul with 5:26 to play in the third quarter, the Gaels preceded to go on a 13-1 run to take a 41-26 lead, then coasted to victory. 

Morsell, who directed the third quarter blitz, was named the BCL Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Smith and Bishop joined Morsell on the all-tournament team. 

The Gaels took on St Johns in the opening round of the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, and handled the Cadets from the outset, building a 19 point halftime lead, settling with a 72-54 win. The Gaels had lost each of their last three first round games at Alhambra by a single point. Smith was dominant, scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Morsell added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bishop added 14 points. 

Another matchup with Mt Carmel awaited in the semifinals, the fifth matchup of the season with the Cougars, with the Gaels winning the previous four, including the MIAA and BCL title games. 

Still, the Cougars came in with 28 wins, earning their way to both title games, as well as the Alhambra semifinals. After trailing 18-11 after the first quarter, the Gaels took a double-digit halftime lead after outscoring the Cougars 25-8 in the second quarter. The Cougars wouldn’t go away, chipping the lead down to one point three times in the fourth quarter, but the Gaels answered every time and hit their free throws down the stretch to take a 63-59 win into the championship game, their first title game appearance since 2006. 

Next up in the Alhambra final was WCAC champion Gonzaga, as the Gaels looked to become just the fourth Baltimore area team to ever win the Alhambra championship in the tournament’s 57th year. The Gaels trailed the Eagles by seven points after one quarter, but cut the deficit to two points at intermission. With several stops at the defensive end, the Gaels took a 54-51 lead into the fourth quarter. 

Then, Chris Lykes, the Eagles diminutive sized, incredibly talented guard took over, and the Eagles outscored the Gaels 31-16 in the final stanza to take a 82-70 decision. Smith and Morsell each scored 16 points, while Bishop added 12, and Robinson added 11. Both Smith and Morsell were selected to the all-tournament team. 

The Gaels finished with a 37-4 record, second only in wins to the ‘06 Gaels team that went 38-1, and who also lost in the Alhambra championship game. Of the Gaels 37 victories, 19 were against teams that won 17 games or more, including 16 versus teams that won 20 or more games. 

Smith was chosen as the BCL’s Most Valuable Player and its Defensive Player of the Year, and added a All-Met first team selection to his junior season accolades, averaging 17 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game. Morsell joined Smith on the All-Met first team, with the Terrapins commit averaging 15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Bishop, the sophomore, was named to the all-league honorable mention team. 

For Clatchey, it was a magical 25th season in Irvington, winning his fifth MIAA A tournament title, and his seventh BCL tournament title with the Gaels. The Gaels won 30 games or more for the eighth time in 13 years, and 20 games or more for the 17th time in 18 years. 

Notes; 

  • Morsell played four seasons at Maryland, and granted another year because of the pandemic, played a fifth year at Marquette. Morsell played in 126 games at Maryland, starting in 108. Morsell was named B1G Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. Morsell was extremely consistent, averaging between 8.5 and 9 points per game in all four seasons in College Park, and averaging between 4 and 4.7 rebounds per game in three of his four seasons. Morsell started in all 31 games he played at Marquette in ‘21-22, averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Overall, Morsell scored 1,505 points in his college career, adding 622 rebounds, 353 assists, and 128 steals, in 157 games.
  • Smith played two years at Maryland for coach Mark Turgeon, both with Morsell. Smith was named to the All-B1G Freshman team, after averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Smith hit 8 of 9 shots and scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in their NCAA tournament opening round win over Belmont. In his sophomore season, Smith averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocked shots per game for the B1G regular season champion Terrapins. Smith was named to the All-B1G 1st team, as well as the All-B1G Defensive team. Smith was also named a third team All-American. Smith declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season, and was chosen 10th overall in the first round by the Phoenix Suns. As of the completion of the ‘21-22 season, Smith played two seasons in the NBA, after getting traded to Indians midway through his second season. After getting traded to the Pacers, Smith averaged 13.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over 22 games, shooting 53.1% from the floor.
  • Bishop played one year at LSU, before transferring to George Washington. In his first season in Foggy Bottom, Bishop averaged a team-high 19.1 points per game, adding 5.1 rebounds per contest. Bishop again led the Colonials in scoring his junior season, averaging 16.7 per clip.
  • As of April 2022, Robinson has played in 12 games for Georgetown over two seasons. 

14 ‘84 Calvert Hall Cardinals (29-4) Coach Charlie Reif > #1 in the Sun,  BCL undefeated regular season and tournament  champions, Norfolk Invitational tournament champions, Alhambra 5th 2-1

Players

Duane Farrell 6’7 SR; 4-time All-Met, BCL MVP, BCL Tournament MVP, All-ACIT 1st, 22.2p/12.3r (Georgia Tech, NBA)

Eddie Oliver 6’2 SR; All-Met 1st, All-BCL 1st, 17.1/4.9r/4.7a (San Jacinto CC / W Texas State)

Kelly Williamson 6’4 JR; 9.2p/10.8r (Xavier / Towson)

Vernon Hill 6’4 SR; (Loyola)

Kirk Lee 6’1 JR; (Western Kentucky / Towson, NBA)

Bobby Graves N/A JR; All-BCL Tournament 

A season after winning the mythical national championship, the Calvert Hall Cardinals were in a relative tailspin, after losing 13 times in 34 games the following season. Coach Charlie Reif had a tough act to follow in Mark Armatucci, the young coach that built the program at the private school in Towson into a household name. 

Armatucci left for Loyola University following that ‘82 championship season, and Reif and third year starter Farrell struggled through a 21-13 campaign, a huge step back from their magical 34-0 season.

The Cardinals certainly lost a lot, in addition to Armatucci, with the graduation of a trio of three year starters in Mark Wilson, Paul Edwards, and ‘Pop’ Tubman, from those ‘80, ‘81,  and ‘82 teams. The three led the Cardinals to a 91-5 record from ‘79-80 through ‘81-82. Aside from following such a great act in the coaching chair, and aside from the graduation of three Cardinals legends, what was missing most in the ‘82-83 season was the chemistry Wilson, the Edwards brothers, Tubman, and Farrell shared. 

The talent was there, with three highly skilled juniors in Farrell, Vernon Hill, and Eddie Oliver. Farrell was one of the top players in his class in the country, and both Hill and Oliver were the first two or three off the bench for the national championship team. Reif would not only be blessed with those three talented seniors in ‘83-84, but he’d welcome 6’3 junior transfer Kelly Williamson, a talented forward coming over from Towson Catholic. The backcourt would be bolstered by juniors Kirk Lee and Bobby Graves. 

Though defending champion Cardinal Gibbons lost the BCL Player of the Year, Marty Johnson, to graduation, the Crusaders would be the Cards top contender in ‘83-84, with 6’9 junior Rodney Walker in the middle, surrounded by seniors Erick Bronner and Steven Dorsey, and junior Ron Harper. Loyola would be led by senior Lou Winston. 

The Cardinals would play an ambitious schedule, with three out-of-state tournaments in December, in addition to a number of quality out-of-conference games. After that, the brutal league slate, then the BCL playoffs, and possible berths in both the Metro Classic and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament. The opportunity to produce a special season was there for the taking.

The Cardinals first of three tournaments in December was at the Beltway Classic at Towson Center, featuring such programs as Dunbar, DeMatha, Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop Carroll, and Tolentine, from the Bronx. The Cards handled Archbishop Carroll, the inaugural Beltway Classic’s runner-up in ‘83, in the first of three rounds, 73-60, with Hill leading all scorers with 17 points. The Cardinals used a 10-0 run to break open a tie at 54, then prevailed. 

That set up a showdown with the Dunbar Poets, ranked #10 nationally, in the semifinals, the first meeting between the two since the Cards thrilling 94-91 triple-overtime win over the Poets in March of ‘81. 

The Cardinals shocked the Poets again, walking back an early 21-9 deficit to a one point halftime deficit, then running away from the defending national champions in a 72-62 win before 3,647 at Towson Center. The Cardinals reeled off a 14-4 run out of intermission to mount a 44-35 lead. Farrell scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Oliver shared scoring honors with Farrell, with 22 points. Hill added 14 points, and Lee added 11 points. 

The Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season to nationally ranked DeMatha in the final, 73-68, as the Stags found separation in the second half after the two were tied at 35 at halftime. The Stags used a 19-12 third quarter to build a cushion on the Cards, one ‘the Hall’ couldn’t overcome. The Stags hit 23 of 31 free throw attempts, while the Cardinals converted 12 of 15. Oliver scored a team-high 18 points in the loss. 

Next, the Cardinals were off to Scranton to play in the WARM Invitational, and the Cardinals drew DC power Mackin in the semifinals, before putting away the Trojans, 66-59, with Farrell scoring 23 points and notching 11 rebounds. The Cardinals won the title game over Bishop Hoban PA, 66-44, with Farrell scoring 22 points and hauling in 16 rebounds. 

Then, it was down to the ‘Bluegrass State’, and the Cardinals trounced hometown Tates Creek, 66-45, before 11,000 at University of Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. The Cardinals surged in the second half, outscoring the Commodores 25-6 in the third quarter. Farrell led the way, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. 

Over the holidays, the Cardinals took a trip to Norfolk, to compete in the Norfolk Invitational, where the Cardinals turned away Great Bridge VA, 77-58, on day one, with Farrell and Lee sharing scoring honors with 22 points apiece. The Cardinals dismissed the host, Norfolk Catholic, 70-60, in a semifinal game in which they controlled throughout. Oliver scored a team-high 20 points, while Farrell supplied 14 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Cards used another strong third quarter to put away TC Williams in the final, 77-63, to win their second tournament in two weeks. Farrell scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win, while Oliver and Hill each added 16 points. 

The Cardinals faced Cardinal Gibbons at UMBC to begin the league slate in the new year. The Cardinals romped the Crusaders, 60-43, before 1,600, with Hill scoring a team-high 18 points. The Cards used a 10-3 run to begin the fourth quarter to push a six point lead into a 13 point lead, one the Crusaders could not overcome. 

The Cardinals suffered their second loss of the season in a 75-71 double overtime loss to another ‘District’ power, St Anthony’s, beating themselves by missing 22 free throws, hitting just 13 of 35 from the charity stripe. Farrell and Williamson shared scoring honors in the loss, each scoring 19 points. 

The Cardinals rebounded with a 69-42 rout of Loyola, then followed that win with a sound 80-67 victory over Towson Catholic, with Oliver scoring 21 points, and Farrell scoring 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. 

The Cardinals then put away #7 Annapolis, 88-81, with Farrell pouring in 31 points. The Cards beat Gibbons a second time, 74-67, using an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to push a five point lead into a insurmountable 13 point lead. Farrell dominated, scoring 27 points and hauling in 17 rebounds. 

The Cardinals capped off an undefeated season in league play with a 106-65 win over Mt St Joe, with Lee scoring a team-high 21 points, and Williamson adding 20. The Cardinals were without Farrell, who missed the final three regular season games due to an ankle injury. 

The Cardinals began their quest for their fourth BCL tournament title in five years by dismantling Mt St Joe, 74-48, in the semifinals. The Cardinals took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and cruised. Oliver scored 21 points, and Farrell added 19 points and 10 rebounds. 

That set up a third meeting with Cardinal Gibbons and the defending champion Crusaders. The two teams had combined to win the last five BCL tournament titles, with the Cards winning three straight from ‘80 through ‘82, and the Crusaders sandwiching the three-peat with titles in ‘79 and ‘83. 

This would be the tightest of the three matchups with the #3 Crusaders, with the lead changing hands several times in the final minutes of the final stanza. The Crusaders Bernard Royster’s baseline jumper gave the defending champs a 59-58 lead with 2:59 to play, but that would be the Crusaders last lead, as the Cards went on a 8-2 run and held on to a 69-66 victory. Farrell, in just his second game back from injury, scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds. 

Farrell was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Graves joined Farrell on the all-tournament team. Before traveling to the Alhambra, the Cards had a much anticipated rematch with Dunbar in the Metro Classic. 

While the Cards were ranked #1, and the Poets #2, local papers ranked the Poets as the slight favorites. The papers were right, except for the slight part. The Poets victory was never in doubt, with Farrell sitting out 13 minutes of the 16 minute first half with foul trouble, ending in a Poets 69-44 rout. Farrell only took five shots, and scored just two points. 

Still, the Cards were 27-3, with a win over Dunbar, three over Cardinal Gibbons, two over Mackin, one over Annapolis, one over TC Williams, and one over Lexington Kentucky’s finest – Tates Creek. Their three losses were to DeMatha and Dunbar, and a double-overtime game where the Cards missed 22 free throws. 

Another three games remained at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, with a first round matchup with Archbishop Carroll. This, a rematch of their first round matchup in the Beltway Classic in December, a Cardinals 83-60 victory. 

This time, the Lions flipped the script, handing the Cards a 68-56 loss, extinguishing hopes of a second Alhambra title in three years. The Cardinals dominated host Bishop Walsh in the consolation semifinal, 93-62, with Oliver and Farrell scoring 23 and 21 points, respectively. 

Finally, day three brought a fourth matchup with the Crusaders, in the consolation bracket championship. The Cardinals took command early in this one and never surrendered, building a ten point lead after one quarter, and a 16 point lead at intermission, leading to a Cardinals 80-65 victory. Oliver scored a team-high 21 points, Graves scored a season-high 18 points, and Farrell added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Farrell was named to the all-tournament team. 

Farrell was named the BCL Most Valuable Player, and named to the Sun’s All-Met team for a record fourth time. Farrell, who had already committed to Georgia Tech, averaged 22.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, surpassing 2,400 career points and 1,300 career rebounds. Farrell started in 107 victories (27.5 per season) over his four years with the Cardinals. 

Oliver joined Farrell on the All-Met first team, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Oliver and Hill were a part of 84 wins (28 per) over their three years with the Cards. Williamson averaged 10.8 rebounds per game. 

Reif won his 50th game in his second season in the Cardinals day three win at ‘the Alhambra’, the first coach to hit that mark in their first two years in BCL history. 

Notes; 

  • Farrell played four years at Georgia Tech for Bobby Cremins. Farrell was chosen as ACC Rookie of the Year in 1985, then averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for the ‘Ramblin’ Wreck’ in his sophomore season. In his junior year, Farrell was selected to the All-ACC 2nd team, averaging a team-high 17.9 points per game, adding 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Farrell averaged 18.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, and was again selected to the All-ACC 2nd team. The Yellowjackets finished ranked #6 in the country in both of Farrell’s freshman and sophomore seasons. Farrell played alongside seven other future NBA players over his time at Tech, including Mark Price, John Salley, Dennis Scott, Tom Hammonds, Craig Neal, Brian Oliver, and Yvon Joseph. Farrell went undrafted in the 1988 NBA Draft, but was signed by the Atlanta Hawks as an undrafted free agent months after graduating. Farrell spent six seasons in Atlanta, with his fourth season being his best in the ‘Peach State’, after averaging 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Farrell played three seasons in Indians, and wound up his 11 year NBA career spending two seasons in Golden State. Farrell scored 3,704 points and grabbed 1,132 rebounds over his NBA career.
  • Hill played two years at Loyola for former Calvert Hall coach, Mark Armatucci. Hill played two years with former Cardinals teammate ‘Pop’ Tubman on the Greyhounds. Hill averaged 4.3 points per game in his freshman season, and 6.6 points per game in his sophomore season, which ranked fifth on the team in scoring. 

15 ‘99 Spalding Cavaliers (33-5) Coach Tony Martin > #2 in the Sun, BCL tournament champions, regular season runner-up, Latrobe Invitational champions, King Cotton Classic runner-up, Alhambra 5th 2-1

Players

Derrick Snowden 6’0 JR; BCL POY, All-Met 1st, BCL Tournament MVP, All-ACIT 1st, 10.2p/6.2a/3.4r/2.6s,(Villanova)

Tremaine Robinson 6’3 JR; All-Met 1st, All-BCL 1st, All-BCL Tournament 1st, 12.1p/4.5r/2.0a (Delaware State)

Alex Pavlovic 6’8 SR; All-BCL HM, All-BCL Tournament 1st, All-ACIT 2nd (LaSalle)

Derrick Goode 7’0 SR; All-BCL 3rd (Towson)

Isaac Brooks 5’10 JR; All-BCL 3rd (UMBC)

Chris Masters 6’3 SR; (Washington College)

James Bowen 6’0’SR

Darren Johnson 6’3 JR

In the spring of 1996, Tony Martin, a young thirty year old coach, took over the boys basketball program at Spalding, inheriting a team that suffered through a 3-17 season in ‘95-96, competing in the MIAA Conference ‘C’ league, two divisions below the highly regarded ‘A’ league. 

The young coach went out on the recruiting trail, determined to turn a nondescript program into one that would be competing against nationally renown programs within 18 months, and earn MIAA ‘A’ status and become a Baltimore Catholic League contender. 

Within 36 months of taking over the program, not only would Martin and his first freshman recruiting class core of four players earn contender status, but they’d be crowned Baltimore Catholic League (BCL) tournament champions. To describe the program’s ascent as a meteoric rise would be an understatement. 

Martin’s freshman quartet was headlined by Derrick Snowden, a talented all-around guard, and also featured 6’0 Trumaine Robinson, point guard Isaac Brooks, and 6’1 Darren Johnson. Martin and the young Cavs started their jolting progression right off the bat, increasing their victory total by 18 in one season, going from three wins (3-17) to 21 wins (21-8), taking the MIAA ‘C’ title, and subsequently catapulting to the MIAA ‘A’ division the following year and earning a slot in the Baltimore Catholic League for the ‘97-98 season. 

The Cavs were on their way. Martin and the Cavs took on a rigorous schedule their first season in the top league, adding several regional and nationally revered programs to their schedule, in addition to tackling their first BCL league slate. Martin also added a pair of talented junior transfers to his talented sophomore class in 6’10 Derek Goode, from City College, and guard Chris Masters, from Mt St Joe. 

Martin, the two transfers, and the ‘super sophs’, finished with an overall 17-17 record in ‘98, and the middle of the pack in the BCL in their inaugural season, going 6-8 and tied for fifth, a game behind 23 win Mt St Joe, and two games behind third place St Maria Goretti. Notably, the Cavs finished a couple of games ahead of Cardinal Gibbons, and several ahead of Calvert Hall, both league ‘blue bloods’ and both BCL members since its first season in the ‘71-72 season. 

Martin was ready to take the Cavs to the next level with this group, with Snowden, Robinson, and Brooks, in the backcourt, and the now 7’0 Goode in the middle. Martin found a gem in the transfer portal in 6’8 senior Alex Pavlovic, a talented forward from Serbia. Martin and the Cavs had a lot of pieces. 

They’d need them, with defending champion Towson Catholic featuring one of the best juniors in the area in Keith Jenifer, and Calvert Hall boasting one of the best seniors in the area in Reggie Bryant. To say nothing of the reigning four-time BCL regular season champions – St Frances, or St Maria Goretti and Mt St Joe, teams that were coming off 23 win and 20 win seasons, respectively. Add in talent-heavy tournaments in Pennsylvania and Arkansas, and the Cavaliers had very respectable challenges ahead. 

After winning their opener, the Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the season to Bishop McNamara, 67-63, in their second game, as the quartet of three year juniors learned to mesh with the trio of senior transfers. 

The Cavaliers then put together a six game win streak before heading to the Latrobe Invitational in Pennsylvania, including a 90-55 rout of defending state finalist Long Reach, after the Cavaliers ran out to a 51-26 halftime lead. Goode led all scorers with 20 points. Following the win over the Lightning, the Cavaliers registered an impressive 94-67 win over Riverdale Baptist, after staking a 46-27 halftime lead. Goode scored a team-high 18 points, while Pavlovic added 17 points. 

The Cavaliers made it eight straight, with wins over Mercersburg Academy PA 65-54, in the semifinal, and Williamsport PA, 93-81, in the final. Snowden led the Cavs in the semifinal win with 15 points, while Robinson added 13 points, and Goode added 12. In the final, Snowden scored a team-high 21 points, with Pavlovic and Robinson each added 16 points. The Cavaliers hit 31 of 43 free throws in the final. 

Over the holidays, the Cavs travelled to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to compete in the King Cotton Classic, and against its stable of talented rosters. The Cavs held off Peoria IL, 57-55, in the quarterfinal, then knocked off 17-1 Elkins WV, 77-69, in the semifinals. The Cavs were dealt their second loss of the season in the final by nationally ranked #7 White County TN (14-0), 64-61. Still, the Cavaliers headed into the new year with a 11-2 record and the #1 ranking in the Sun. 

Then came 14-1 Goretti, and the Cavs handed the Gaels their second loss of the season in a 75-71 win. Up 61-59, Robinson added an ‘And 1’, and the Cavs held the lead for good. Senior James Bowen led the Cavaliers with 20 points, while Goode provided 15 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Robinson added 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists. 

The Cavs then edged defending league champion Towson Catholic, 71-68, in overtime, to take sole possession of first place in league play. The Cavaliers led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but needed a Johnson layup to force overtime. The overtime session featured seven lead changes, the last on Snowden’s put-back with 29 seconds left in the extra session. Pavlovic led the Cavs with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots. Goode sat out for disciplinary reasons. 

The Cavaliers followed that victory by putting away #5 Calvert Hall, 70-54, turning six Cardinals third quarter turnovers into 13 of their 20 points in the quarter. Pavlovic scored 11 of his team-high 20 points in the decisive third quarter. The Cavaliers continued to roll with a 79-42 blowout victory over Mt St Joe, outscoring the Gaels by 23 points in the third quarter, with Robinson and Goode sharing team scoring honors with 21 points apiece. 

The Cavs added a second victory over St Frances,  and another over 21-3 St Maria Goretti, 71-60, with Snowden leading the way with 22 points. The Cavaliers used a 15-4 run to begin the third quarter to propel them to victory. 

Towson Catholic saw payback in their second league matchup with the Cavs, 63-60, and stripped Spalding of the area’s #1 ranking. The loss snapped the Cavs 11 game win streak. Down 56-49, with less than four minutes to play, the Cavaliers fought back to take a 60-59 lead with 1:03 to play, but didn’t score again. The Owls win evened their 9-1 league record with the Cavs. 

The Cavs followed that defeat with another loss, this one to Calvert Hall, where they committed 20 first half turnovers. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 26-4 record, and a game back of the Owls in the league standings.

Still, the Cavaliers #1 goal remained ahead of them – a BCL tournament title in season two. 

The Cavaliers handled Loyola, 62-44, in the BCL quarterfinal, with Robinson scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds, and Pavlovic adding 16 points. The Cavaliers jumped to a 21-10 lead after one quarter, and maintained a double-digit lead through halftime and heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Cavaliers handed 31 game winner St Maria Goretti their third loss over three games between the two, 62-42, in the semifinal. The Cavs were led by Robinson, who scored 16 points on 7-7 shooting, which included three highlight reel dunks. The Cavaliers as a whole shot 53% from the field, and converted six of seven three-pointers. 

That set up a final matchup with St Frances, who upset top seeded Towson Catholic in the semifinal. 

While Spalding was making its first tournament final appearance, the Panthers boasted a 4-1 record in the championship game. The Cavs would reach the league pinnacle, upending the four-time league champions, 57-49, closing on a 7-0 run, just as they did in early December to the Panthers. The Cavaliers connected on seven of ten foul shots in the final minute, while keeping the Panthers scoreless. The Cavs led throughout the second half, but the Panthers had cut it to one, 50-49, with 1:02 to play. 

In just their second season in the league, the Cavs captured their first league tournament title. Pavlovic led the Cavaliers with 18 points and seven rebounds. Snowden was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Robinson and Pavlovic joined their teammate on the all-tournament team. 

It was off to the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament with a 29-4 record and a date with DeMatha. The Cavaliers fell apart in the third quarter against the Stags, when Robinson left the game after getting elbowed in the head, and Martin getting ejected after receiving two technical fouls for arguing the foul on Robinson. The Stags won, 70-59. Snowden led the Cavs with 15 points and seven assists. 

The Cavaliers easily handled Cathedral (Toronto) on day two, 64-46, before beating 26 game winner Towson Catholic a second time in three meetings in a rout on day three, 69-46. Pavlovic scored 22 points in the win over the Owls, while Snowden added 14 points and six rebounds, and Brooks added 14 points and five assists. The two wins gave the Cavs their 30th and 31st victories on the season, a program record. 

Martin was named the Baltimore Sun’s Coach of the Year, leading the Cavaliers to their first BCL title, 31 wins, and a .861 win percentage – both program records. 

The Cavaliers recorded three wins over 31 win Mt St Goretti, three wins over four-time champ St Frances, and two over 26 win defending champion Towson Catholic. To add, the Cavs won a tournament championship in Pennsylvania, and posted a runner-up finish at the prestigious King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, with their only loss a three-point defeat to the #7 team in the country. 

Both Snowden and Robinson were selected to the Sun’s All-Met first team, with Snowden also garnering the BCL Tournament MVP award, and selections to the All-Latrobe and All-King Cotton Classic tournament teams. Snowden averaged 10.2 points, 6.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 steals per game, while shooting better than 55% from the field, and better than 40% from beyond the arc. Robinson also joined Snowden on the All-BCL first team, after averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two assists per game, shooting 57% from the field. 

Together with the 6’8 Pavlovic, the ‘7’0 Goode, and their two classmates Brooks and Johnson, Snowden and Robinson led the Cavaliers to their best season in their program’s history. 

Notes; 

  • Snowden played four years at Villanova, after being recruited by and playing for Steve Lappas his freshman season, then for Jay Wright in his last three seasons in Philadelphia. Snowden came in with Calvert Hall standout Reggie Bryant in the Wildcats ‘00 recruiting class. In his sophomore season, Snowden averaged 10.4 points per game, tied for third on the ‘Cats in scoring, and a team-best 3.9 assists per game, and a team-best 1.6 steals per game. Snowden again led the Wildcats in assists in his junior season, averaging 3.5 per game. Snowden came off of the bench in his senior season, playing behind eventual NBA guards, Allan Ray and Randy Foye, both sophomores on the ‘04 team.
  • Goode played four years in a backup role at center at Towson, finishing with 388 points, 274 rebounds, and 78 blocked shots in his four years at Towson.
  • The Cavaliers jumped from the MIAA C division to the top MIAA A division the same season they joined the BCL in the ‘97-98 season. The Cavaliers were MIAA C champions in ‘96-97, and finished 21-8.
  • In their very first game as a BCL member, Martin had his Cavaliers playing the #1 team in the country, St John Prospect Hall, losing 59-40, with the Vikings Jason Capel scoring a game-high 20 points. The Vikes, coached by Stu Vetter, finished the ‘97-98 season ranked as the #1 team in the country, with a 25-0 record. Vetter coached six years at the Frederick private school, whose basketball program was turned into a national powerhouse under Vetter. Under Vetter, the Vikings ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams in all six seasons under the former Flint Hill and Harker Prep coach; 1992-93: 23-2, No. 8 by USA Today, 1993-94: 20-3, No. 17 by USA Today, 1994-95: 22-1, No. 2 by USA Today, 1995-96: 21-3, No. 7 by USA Today, 1996-97: 25-1, No. 3 by USA Today, 1997-98: 25-0, No. 1 by USA Today. Vetter, his assistant Kevin Sutton, and the school’s headmaster, all departed the school following the national championship season, due to differences between the school and Vetter on the direction of the program. 
Willie Sean Coughlan
Willie Sean Coughlan

HS Sports Analyst

Willie, a native of Chicago, and now a resident of Columbia for 40 years, is an educator at Homewood Center in Howard County, after spending 12 years as a real estate agent, following 10 years of running a small men’s retail company. Willie has contributed to Max Preps, Digital Sports, and Varsity Sports Network. Willie has produced MPSSAA top 25 rankings for both football and basketball for 15 years, across various platforms. From a large ‘sports family’, Willie’s brother Mike led Reservoir High to the 3A basketball state title game in 2018, while his nephew Anthony serves as the Indianapolis Colts College Scouting Coordinator.

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