Why Philly boys' teams dominate in PIAA hoops

Southeastern Pennsylvania has become a force in PIAA boys' basketball in the last dozen years, and it's no accident.

Teams from District 1 or District 12, which represent Southeastern Pennsylvania, have won nine of the last 11 4A state titles, eight straight 3A titles, and four of seven 2A championships.

About 10 years ago, shoe companies Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour started sponsoring AAU teams and tournaments across the country, creating a year-round schedule for the area's best players. The Philly region went from two AAU programs to seven.

Also, District 12 teams started joining the PIAA in 2004. The Philadelphia Public League joined in 2004, and the Philadelphia Catholic League followed in 2008, bringing many power programs into the state tournament picture.

Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby said 75 percent of his players also play for AAU programs. Other coaches cited the same number. The coaches let their players play for AAU programs because it benefits them during the high school season.

"In AAU you may have seven, eight guys going D-I on one team," said Plymouth Whitemarsh and Team Philly star Xzavier Malone. "In high school games, you may not even have one D-I guy."

Coaches said basketball is king in the Philly region, which is the state's largest metropolitan area. The talent pool here dwarfs other areas.

"Kids start playing when they are 5," said Imhotep Charter coach Andre Noble.

"And by 8 or 9, everybody wants to play AAU," Chester coach Larry Yarbray said.

Players who join AAU programs in elementary school often decide to attend the same private or charter school in District 12. Essentially, the best college prospects, much like the best NBA free agents, form super teams.

Roman Catholic won the 4A title in 2015 and is playing for its second straight championship Saturday. Roman stars Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick played for the Team Final AAU program in middle school and picked Roman together.

Neumann-Goretti played for its sixth 3A state title in seven years Friday night. Current stars Vaughn Covington and Quade Green played for Team Final in middle school and chose Neumann together. They followed recent Team Final and Neumann standouts Ja'Quan Newton and Lamarr Kimble.

"We've had guys follow each other to numerous Catholic League schools," Team Final director Rob Brown said.

Another Catholic League team, Conwell-Egan, won the 2A title in 2015 led by two players, Stevie Jordan and LaPri McCray-Pace, who played for the Philly Pride AAU program.

The Public League, with fewer super teams, also has done well. Imhotep Charter won 2A titles in 2009 and 2011 and a 3A title in 2013. Constitution won 1A titles in 2012 and 2015 and a 2A title in 2014.

Between 2005 and 2014, four District 1 teams - Chester (four), Lower Merion (two), Penn Wood (one), and PW (one) - won eight of 10 state crowns. Their dominance is fading with the rise of Roman Catholic. But District 1 programs can still compete for state titles if their players go against Division I prospects in the offseason.

"Being close to the city is a huge advantage," Central Bucks West guard Cal Reichwein said.

"A lot of the best programs, no matter when their season ends, the doors are open the next day," said PW coach Jim Donofrio. "We may not be in the gym two days out of the year."

Donofrio's Colonials lost to Roman Catholic in the state semifinals. They reached the state quarterfinals in 2015.

C.B. West had eight players who played AAU ball this season. The Bucks reached the second round of states.

"That gave us an advantage over teams in our league, over kids who don't play AAU," Reichwein said.