Halfway through a year of Philly hoops

Trenton Dave asked me, "What's next?" I pointed across the room, that guy. Since this get-together didn't hide its intentions – it's officially called the Hoop Junkies Dinner, held each fall and spring in Conshohocken – Trenton Dave wasn't surprised I was writing next about another junkie in attendance. Halfway through a Year of Philly Hoops series, I'd already written about three or four people in the room, more in the pipeline.

This project is more or less about those who have devoted themselves to hoops, playing or coaching it, observing it, analyzing it, organizing it, washing themselves in it.

The stories that seem to resonate aren't always about the pros, but about the characters, the people who can't stay away from the court even when financial incentives are minimal. The biggest dreamers who often represent us all — Philadelphia may lead the planet in them.

Maybe he was preaching to the local choir but a hoop junkie in attendance from New York said he's convinced Philly does, in fact, lead. Around this one room, there were talent evaluators, AAU coaches, the founder and editor of a web site devoted to Philly hoops, founder of a long-running all-star game, a sportswriter known nationally simply as Hoops. Drexel's coach showed up as guest speaker. Also, fans who know as much hoops as the professionals. In Philly, the twines twist around each other. Everyone (practically) knows everyone. Write a women's youth hoops story (or about a ref just breaking in), you hear from a retired NBA ref.

This Philly hoops series attempts to survey the whole scene. So far, I've written about local hoop stars now headed for college hoops powers, Joel Embiid's social media prowess and where the Morris twins stand in the game. When North Philly's own Dawn Staley's South Carolina team won the NCAA title, it was time to get in the car and head for Columbia and see Staley. Greatest reaction to a story? Probably Tyrone Garland's sojourn in Iceland. People haven't forgotten his Southwest Philly Floater and appreciated hearing about a life on a first step of the overseas hoop ladder. Or maybe they just like reading about wind. One email came from Blacksburg, Virginia, where Garland started his college life at Virginia Tech before transferring home to La Salle.

"Once a Hokie … Always a Hokie,'' the man wrote, adding, "Long live the Southwest Philly Floater."

A college class also looked at the Garland story for a class.  A sports editor in a football-crazed southern state, following the series, said his outlet will do a year of football in a similar vein.

A most recent story, about a Philadelphia process server who also hands out donated basketballs from his trunk, struck a chord. Mike Gibson heard from a former Philly hoop great, Andre McCarter, and also from a man who said he said he was Africa looking for basketballs. Send an address, Gibson told him. Gibson also has heard from national and local television outlets looking to tell his story.

Most engaging interview so far? It may have been with Kathy Auriemma, wife of Geno, just before his UConn Huskies played an NCAA tournament game. Her tales of their Philly roots hit the target again and again.

A personal favorite: The Everymen of Friends Select facing the Superheroes from Westtown. Who can't relate? Embodiment of Philly hoops? Had to write about Jim Lynam.

Some updates. Garland reached the Icelandic second-division semifinals, hitting a last-second shot to help get Ragnar, Sveinbjorn, Snorri and the rest of his teammates that far. Dionte Christmas, the former Temple star who has been all over world and spent half a season with the Phoenix Suns, ruptured his achilles playing for the Delaware 87ers in February and now is rehabbing. (A reader: "Great to read about a successful or at least enduring career … Also, encouraging to read about players and coaches supporting one another, unselfishly, from Morris Twins to [Tyronn] Lue to [LeBron] James."

Another story subject, Bill Wright, also had mid-season surgery. Wright and Tom Bachinger are the two retired men who get to a high school game or two basically every day. Between high school games and ones at the Donofrio Classic in Conshohocken, Wright got to 167 games, a personal record. (He keeps detailed notes). Pretty good considering Wright had a stent put in his heart on March 8 and missed games between then and March 16. When he got back, he was back every day.

Bachinger doesn't keep as detailed notes but both men agree he saw even more high school games. One frequent stop for both: Central Bucks West girls games. Wright's notes showed he was there for seven games, with Bachinger with him for at least six.

C.B. West freshman Maddie Burke, the subject of another piece, a 6-foot sharpshooter, already is drawing high major interest. Burke was a last cut on the USA U-16 team, while her Philadelphia Belles teammate Kylee Watson from Mainland Regional made the team that went to Argentina and won gold at the championship of the Americas. They're both hoping to get where Maggie Lucas is, although right now that means recovering from another torn ACL.

James Lewis was featured coaching Del Val Charter against his own son's Valley Forge Military Academy squad in the state quarterfinals. Dad's team won, but Del Val Charter is closing, so James Lewis is looking for a coaching job. This summer, he is coaching his son on the AAU circuit. (Another favorite: The hoop geeks who draft NCAA tournament players for a pool, been doing it since the '80s).

The goal of the series is to write about Philly hoops as it is now, with nods to the history. When Claude Gross died, he deserved more than a nod.

Two pieces that got a lot of feedback were about two of the more omnipresent underground hoop characters in Philly, were on Tom "Hockey" McKenna and on Jake "The Voice" Schwartz. After the McKenna piece, told from the viewpoint of his friend Bobby Hughes, Rosemont's coach, a slew of hoop figures wanted equal time to tell their own Hockey stories. The story on the Voice got more page views than the one on Embiid. (The one on the Trust the Process leaders also beat out Embiid).

In basketball and football, drafts have become as popular as the games themselves, so it wasn't a major surprise that the hoops series story with the most page views was on local NBA draft expert Elan Vinokurov. He was the guy I pointed at during the Hoop Junkies dinner.

Vinokurov had Markelle Fultz as his clear top choice in this draft. ("Tier to himself.") He also correctly forecast that some team would see the value in Villanova senior Josh Hart and select Hart in the first round.

Enough patting on the back? (Hey, that was the assignment). The series goes all year. We'll get to the recruiting trail in July, and outdoor hoops in August. Who's next? If you were at the Hoop Junkies dinner, you'd already know the guy. Trenton Dave knows him well.