After summer scare, Howard starring for Shipley

Nine years ago, Ashley Howard, a product of Monsignor Bonner, had his basketball career cut short after two seasons at Drexel because of a cardiac abnormality.

Because of his brother's condition, Ky Howard said he and his family experienced serious concerns last summer after the Shipley guard "passed out due to dehydration" while participating in a Hoop Group Elite Team Camp at Albright College in Reading.

"It was about 120 degrees in the gym, and I had played the whole game," Ky Howard said. "I was dizzy and woozy afterward, and then all of a sudden I fell and hit my head against a wall. It was scary."

He said that because Ashley had cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle or a change in the heart muscle structure, "I feared that I might have the same condition. I thought I might be done with basketball."

Howard, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior combination guard, was examined by cardiac specialists at Christiana Hospital in Delaware. "They said that my heart was fine, and that there were no problems," the 17-year-old said. "It was a big relief."

Ashley Howard, a two-time all-Catholic League selection, is in his third year as an assistant at Drexel.

For Shipley, Ky Howard, a strong penetrator and finisher, is averaging 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals. The Gators are 9-7 overall and, after Tuesday's 59-46 loss at Friends' Central, 1-2 in the talent-rich Friends Schools League.

Against Friends' Central, Howard left in the fourth quarter, with 31/2 minutes remaining, with a hyperextended left knee.

"The trainers said it's just a bruise," he said. "I tried to suck it up and go back in, but I couldn't put any pressure on the leg."

Howard's father, Maurice, starred at St. Joseph's Prep and Maryland. As a second-round pick in the NBA's 1976 draft, he played briefly with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Jazz, alongside "Pistol" Pete Maravich.

Ky Howard, who transferred to Shipley after spending one year at Ridley, is hearing from Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Hartford, Creighton, Yale, and Columbia. With a 3.5 grade point average, the Swarthmore resident plans to major in business management.

Looking ahead. The 12th annual Kobe Bryant/Philly.Com/Rally Classic is set for this weekend, with 12 games on tap. The action will begin Saturday at Malvern Prep, with Chester County neighbors Westtown and Phelps squaring off at noon, and moves on Sunday to Philadelphia University.

Sunday's slate is highlighted by two afternoon contests. In an all-Public League affair, No. 2-ranked Imhotep Charter faces Division C rival Freire Charter at 3:30. That will be followed, at about 5:15, by a clash between No. 1 Friends' Central and No. 7 Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or by going to playbyplayclassics.com.

Here is the schedule:

Saturday at Malvern Prep: Westtown vs. Phelps, noon; Reading vs. Conestoga, 1:45 p.m.; Malvern Prep vs. No. 9 Neshaminy, 3:30; South Kent (Conn.) vs. No. 4 Academy of the New Church, 5:15; Lower Merion vs. Simon Gratz, 7; Communications Tech vs. Pocono Mountain East, 8:30.

Sunday at Philadelphia University: Sanford (Del.) vs. Germantown Academy, noon; Eastern York vs. No. 8 Archbishop Carroll, 1:45 p.m.; No. 2 Imhotep Charter vs. Freire Charter, 3:30; No. 1 Friends' Central vs. No. 7 Plymouth Whitemarsh, 5:15; Hodgson Vo-Tech (Del.) vs. Holy Ghost Prep, 7; Malcolm X Shabazz (N.J.) vs. Dobbins, 8:30.

Tip-ins. Academy of the New Church's Rakeem Christmas, a 6-9 senior forward bound for Syracuse, was one of 10 players picked for the USA Junior National Select Team. The squad will face the World Select Team in the Nike Hoops Summit on April 9 in Portland, Ore. . . . Phoenixville's leading scorers are Marcus Howell (13.5 ppg.) and Jake Lynch (12.8). . . . For Owen J. Roberts, Mark Henry averages 15 points and 11 boards. . . . Perkiomen Valley's Andrew Kenney (16.3 ppg.) has hit 26 three-pointers. . . . Methacton's offensive catalysts are Evan Galloway (11.6 ppg.) and Mike Handley (9.5). . . . Upper Perkiomen has double-digit scorers in J.D. Ricapito (11.8 ppg., 8 rpg.) and Justin Minder (10 ppg., 8 rpg.).