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HomeScience Discipline Engineering
Explorer Historical Highlights Eppo Oomkens and the Discovery of Groningen Gas
Explorer Emphasis Article OCS: Potential Doesn't Always Ensure Success
Explorer Article Apache Announces Huge Discovery in Permian
Explorer Emphasis Article Permian Has Productive, Colorful Past
Explorer Article UK Pushes Offshore Potential
Workshop Geothermal – CCS – Hydrogen – Hydrocarbon Cross Over Workshop Enroll Now
Technical Interest Group Deep Learning/Machine Learning Technical Interest Group (TIG) Join a TIG
Technical Interest Group Geoscience Technicians and GIS Practitioners Technical Interest Group (TIG) Join a TIG
Student Chapter AAPG Student Chapter Alexandria University Join a Student Chapter
Student Chapter AAPG Student Chapter AGH University of Science and Technology Join a Student Chapter
Technical Interest Group Unconventional Research Technical Interest Group (TIG) Join a TIG
Section/Region Meeting GCAGS GeoGulf2023 Find Out More
Section/Region Meeting 2023 RMS AAPG Annual Meeting Find Out More
ICE ICE 2023 Madrid Find Out More
OTC Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) Brasil 2023 Find Out More
Playmaker Video Richard Stoneburner - The Evolution of the American Shale Plays: Where We Are and How We Got There Playmaker Video
Book Electron Microscopy of Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Buy Now
DL Video Tao Sun - Integrated Reservoir Characterization and Modeling with Computational Stratigraphy DL Video
Playmaker Video Sarah Rittenhouse, Joanna Fritz - Generation of a Regional 3-D Pore Pressure Model for the Wolfcamp Formation in the Delaware Basin, New Mexico and Texas Playmaker Video
Playmaker Video Troy Tittlemier - Exploring the Southern Extent of the Alpine High Playmaker Video
Explorer Emphasis Article By Brian Ervin
Hi-Tech Spotlight: What's New in Downhole Geology
What's new in downhole geology, you ask? According to the advertising and press releases that are sent throughout the media, there's a lot that's new – more, in fact, than we could ever cover. But since this is our annual Downhole Geology issue, we thought we'd take a look at some of the latest advancements in drilling, well-logging and other downhole innovations rolled out in recent months by a few industry heavy-hitters.
Combined Approach Used to Tackle Fracture Monitoring
After many months of harnessing mind-bending ideas, a Houston-based team of engineers, geologists and geophysicists has developed technology to monitor hydraulic fractures from the surface and wellbore simultaneously. Adding multiple dimensions to the monitoring process, they say, allows operators to more clearly understand drainage patterns of hydrocarbons in shale reservoirs and, more importantly, know with greater certainty where to drill the next well, how to optimize completions and maximize asset value.
The Best of This + The Best of That = Eureka!
Pumps & Pipes brings together the newest technologies from the oil and gas, medical and aerospace professions in Houston to talk about something they all have in common: Problems. More specifically, members talk about problems because someone else in the room – from a completely different discipline and expertise – may already have found an effective solution.
Explorer Policy Watch By Edith Allison
A Case for Reauthorizing the Data Preservation Act
In the age of 3-D seismic and digitized well logs, the value of cores and other rock samples may not be obvious. But benefits like those noted by the AAPG in 1948 and described in a 2002 National Research Council report and a recent congressional hearing continue to demonstrate the value of properly archived subsurface samples and data.
URTeC Call for Papers Open
The call for abstracts has been issued for the next Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, which will be held July 20-22 in San Antonio.
Distinguished Lecture Tours Set for November
Three speakers from the AAPG-AAPG Foundation's Global Distinguished Lecture Program will be on tour in November, making stops in the western parts of North America and throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.
Explorer Emphasis Article By Barry Friedman
Flying Robots Manage Human Risk, Impact
Technically, this falls under the topic of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Oil and Gas Sector. You'll want to call them drones. Don't. Or, if you must, think of these "vehicles" as softer, kinder drones, for while they have their origin in military applications, the technology has since made its way to the oil and gas industry, specifically in terms of pipeline inspection and assorted applications.
Mississippi Lime: Good Things On The Horizon
At first glance it seems there's not much overtly new about drilling in the Mississippi Lime – or overtly new about the Mississippi Lime play, either, for that matter – a play that oozes from northern Oklahoma through southern Kansas (and some say, perhaps, to Nebraska).
Explorer Emphasis Article By Kristi Eaton
Oklahoma Center is Part of GE's Global R&D Push
Construction continues for the new GE Global Research's Oil & Gas Technology Center in Oklahoma City – part of the company's three-year effort to triple R&D investment in the oil and gas industry. The $125 million facility "will be an incubator for new innovative technologies that will enable safe, efficient and reliable exploration, production, delivery and use of unconventional oil and gas."
Aquatic Drones for Seismic Acquisition?
Enter the AMV, or Wave Glider, which is being developed by Liquid Robotics and being considered as the technology to potentially acquire seismic data where other equipment is limited.
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Tuesday, 28 February 2023, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Basics of CCUS IPTC
This course is for geologists, environmental scientists, and geological regulators, policy makers and investors who are interested in carbon capture and storage. The course will cover: the role of CCS within decarbonisation as an aspect of earth system science; why CCS is necessary; how CO₂ is captured in industrial processes and how it can be used industrially; the factors affecting geological storage; how CO₂ stores are monitored for leakage; how CCS will be regulated; how CCS will pay for itself; and the social licence for CCS. The course will be delivered in simple non-technical language suitable for non-specialists.
Tuesday, 21 February – Wednesday, 22 February 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
AAPG Orphan, Idle, and Leaking Wells: Best Practices, Data Access, Funding Sources, and Business Opportunities
This workshop will be held Feb 21-22 in Oklahoma City, and will bring together industry practitioners, government and state agencies, nonprofit and academic institutions in a first of its kind event that will spark new ideas, motivate interdisciplinary and multi institutional collaboration and support the establishment of best practices for cleaning up and repurposing wells across the nation.
Monday, 2 October – Tuesday, 3 October 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
AAPG/EAGE New Discoveries in Mature Basins
AAPG and EAGE have teamed up to deliver the upcoming New Discoveries in Mature Basins workshop to be held from 2-3 October 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Save the date! Registration to open soon.
Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Monday, 27 November – Wednesday, 29 November 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
5th Edition: Siliciclastic Reservoirs of the Middle East
Mark your calendars and save the date to attend the 5th edition of the AAPG Siliciclastic Reservoirs of the Middle East GTW which will be held for the first time in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia from 27-29 November 2023. We look forward to having you on board for the new edition of these popular series.
3rd Edition: Structural Styles of the Middle East
Exciting announcement for all geoscientists interested in structural styles. The 3rd edition of the AAPG Structural Styles of the Middle East is coming back to Oman from 13-15 November 2023. Come join us to learn all the latest developments on the topic!
Monday, 9 October – Wednesday, 11 October 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
4th Edition: Stratigraphic Traps of the Middle East
Join us for the 4th Edition of: "Stratigraphic Traps of the Middle East" workshop. The workshop will be hosted by AAPG in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia 9-11 October 2023.
Monday, 8 May – Wednesday, 10 May 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Low Resistivity Reservoirs: Path to Explore, Discover and Develop
"Wait! There is a short cut. Turn right from here". That's probably the sound of an electric current bypassing the resistive hydrocarbons, in a maze or network of porous media, when traveling from transmitter to receiver. This workshop will serve the participants need with the up to date advancements in describing and characterizing low resistivity and low contrast pay, and eventually, maximize resources.
Bridgetown, Barbados
Wednesday, 1 March – Thursday, 2 March 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Deepwater Sedimentary Systems
This 2-day, in-person course describes the range and variability in deepwater sedimentary systems and equips participants to build predictive models of subsurface geology for more successful exploration and development. A primary goal of this course is to enable subsurface teams to more effectively characterize and rank deepwater/offshore projects on a regional and global scale.
Added on 07 September, 2022
Thursday, 21 September – Friday, 22 September 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Basin Evolution and Prospectivity in Flexural and Rift Basins
Join us for a workshop where experts will explore the Carpathian foreland and the Dnieper-Donetsk rift basins with a focus not only on hydrocarbons, but the utilization of geothermal resources, hydrogen exploration and CCUS.
Field Seminar
Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Late Jurassic Deep Water Depositional Systems from the Late Jurassic of the Lusitanian Basin
Come along on this 1-day field seminar and tour outcrops in the Serra de Montejunto, just north of Lisbon and on the coast from Porto Novo to Paimogo. Instructors: Ricardo Pereira, PARTEX Oil and Gas & Instituto Dom Luiz Gil Machado, ChronSurveys Lda & Instituto Dom Luiz Fees: To be determined Limit: 20 Participants Includes: Hotel Ground Transportation Snacks and Refreshments Lunch and Dinner Guidebook Departure Time/Location 20 June 2023 8:30am SANA Metropolitan Hotel Note:Transportation to start point is not included in the costs of this trip. Please bring clothing for hot day time temperatures (sun hat/ sun glasses/ sun cream etc.). Participants must wear suitable and comfortable light trekking shoes. Aims To gain or increase an understanding of the tectono-sedimentary processes of continental extension and rifting supported by outcrop observations, with focus on deep-depositional marine systems. Discuss implications for prospective petroleum systems. Promote debate and nourish new insights between attendants. About the Field Trip The Lusitanian Basin records the proximal events of syn- to post rift evolution of the hyper-extended West Iberian Margin, showing some outstanding examples of the combined tectono-stratigraphic depositional systems. Here, the Late Jurassic reveals diverse aspects of mixed marine depositional systems including not only submarine fans and turbidites, but also the build-up of carbonate reefs and shoreface to fluvial clastic sequences. Throughout the field trip the different depositional aspects can be observed in detail to demonstrate how such depositional systems can vary in time and space. Observation of these outcrops allows a better understanding on how deep-water depositional systems can change within a sub-basin and help improving the understanding of reservoir properties.
Added on 06 February, 2020
Wednesday, 21 June – Thursday, 22 June 2023, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Mixed/Hybrid Systems (Turbidite, MTDs and Contourites) on Continental Margins
This 3-day conference brings together diverse experts working on modern and ancient turbidite, MTDs, contourite and hybrid/mixed systems in order to improve the present-day knowledge, models and predictive power.


Let's start off by giving a HUGE thank to Susan Hanks Photography!! This wonderful photographer travels to us every year to take beautiful pictures of our dancers and we love her!
Another thank you to all the parents for bringing your children to class in their costumes and looking fabulous! We know this time of year gets crazy and we appreciate all of your hard work!
Lay out everything your dancer will be wearing or bringing to class the night before. This way you won't forget anything.
Practice doing your dancer's hair. Buns can be tricky and hair does't always cooperate. Don't wait till the last minute to figure out what you need to do to keep your dancer's hair in place.
Pack extra tights! Runs do not look good in photos.
Make sure straps are sewn on, embellishments tacked down and hairpieces have the necessary attachments.
USE HAIRSPRAY! (This goes for the recital too, but we'll get to that later.) Dance hairstyles don't always look great up close. What matters is that they look neat from far away and that they stay throughout all the dancing (and wiggling) that children do. Use more hairspray than you ever thought you'd need to use to smooth away whispies and lock buns in place.
Have your picture order form filled out before class. The longer it takes for the photographer to organize all the orders, the longer the picture taking process will last. Bored kids don't like taking photos.
Get your child SUPER excited! Talk about how excited you are for them to wear their costumes and to see the recital. Practice smiling and posing with pointed toes. Show them pictures of dancers online so they have an idea of what they'll be doing. Here's a great place to look.
Make up is optional for pictures. All of our dancers are beautiful and we do not believe that they should be required to wear make up in your photos. However, we do ask that they wear make up for recitals as the lights can wash out their faces.
Susan is a very experienced photographer and she knows exactly what she's doing. Trust her. She will take great photos of your children.
Please no personal photos using Susan's backdrop. If you'd like to take your own photos on picture day, please do so in the lobby or outside.
Wishing you a fantastic recital season!


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Stephen Amell Wants 'Arrow' Season 7 Written as If There Might Not Be a Season 8
By Jenna Anderson - June 18, 2018 01:43 am EDT
Arrow has been gracing television screens for over half a decade now, but it sounds like the The CW series could have a new approach going into Season 7.
Stephen Amell, who stars as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on the series, recently spoke about the new season in an interview with The Music Australia. As Amell explained, Arrow's recent change of showrunners has prompted a new sort of "write like there's no tomorrow" outlook in the writers' room.
"We have a new showrunner this year, Beth Schwartz, who's been with the show since season one." Amell explained. "[The writers] have a very clear vision of what they want season seven to be, and what I asked them to do – and it's not up to me – but what I asked of them is to not just assume that we have an eighth season. I wanted them to write like, 'If you have a good idea, and you have something you've always wanted to do or see on the show, then just do it! Do it right now!'"
"I think that's one of the things I'm getting out of what they've planned for season seven – we're not writing like we're guaranteed something beyond this, because we're not; nobody is." Amell continued. "I want them to really push forward and take the fact we have a certain license and a certain respect from the fans to take some chances."
And according to Amell, that desire to take some chances could have some interesting positive or negative responses from the show's fanbase, something that he welcomes to an extent.
"Obviously, you want to lean into things that you think fans would want, right?" Amell suggested. "Concurrently, I'm all for things that make fans mad, because mad is no different than happy. The only thing that I don't want is indifference. I always joke with fans about my alter-ego, Evil Story Steve. If you were to tell me, you know, that four people died in the season premiere of Arrow in season seven, I'd be very sad … but my alter-ego, Evil Story Steve, would be like, 'Oh – that's very exciting; why'd that happen?'"
"So, I think that making fans happy, clearly, is what you wanna do when you're on a show in general because you want people to keep watching, as long as you're not afraid to lean into things that may make them go, 'But why would you do that? I hate that. That's awful,' because that's not actually what they mean. If someone screams out on Twitter, 'I'm gonna stop watching the show!' they're probably not gonna stop watching the show, you know what I mean?"
Are you excited to see what's in store for Arrow's seventh season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Arrow's seventh season will debut Mondays this fall at 9/8c, following brand new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow.
10 Big Questions About the Arrowverse After Crisis on Infinite Earths
Titans Season 3 Reportedly Adding Barbara Gordon as Oracle
Shazam! 2: Zachary Levi Teases More of the Superhero Shazamily in Sequel
Batwoman: An Un-Birthday Present Photos Released
Black Lightning: Book of Markovia: Chapter Two Photos Released
The Batman Set Photos Offer New Look at Colin Farrell's Penguin
DC Teases Batman: Joker War
Batman Actor Robert Pattinson and Aquaman Star Willem Dafoe Explain Why They Joined Superhero Franchises

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Send FCM message to specific Google user without need to install an app? I'm doing a tiny personal project involving an Arduino and a PHP backend. I want to send a push notification from the PHP backend to my Android phone using Firebase Cloud Messaging. This question is specifically about FCM - I don't want to use any other services like Blynk, etc. I also do not want to send the notification directly from the Arduino, but rather from the PHP backend.
Can I send a FCM notification to my phone without having to create an app to receive it? I'm logged in with a Google/Gmail account on the phone, and I have no need to target any other users than myself.

A:
Can I send a FCM notification to my phone without having to create an app to receive it?

No, this is not possible. It would open users up to some pretty hefty abuse.
In order to receive your notifications, the user must have your app installed.
Mind you, this can be a pretty minimal app, since the default implementation of FCM already displays notifications to the user if the app is not active. So really all you have to do is create an empty app that includes the Firebase Cloud Messaging SDK.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I am an athlete. My sport is soccer. Oh sure, I played every other sport too; volleyball, basketball, a high-jumper on the track team, rec softball, but soccer…that's where it's at for me. I have loved it since I first saw it played when I was 9 years old. My family traveled out of state to visit family. We went to watch my cousin's soccer game where he was the goal keeper. Afterward, I told my parents, "I want to play that." About the end of my first year playing, I began to have pain in my knees. I went to doctors who gave me anti-inflammatories and knee braces, with physical therapy thrown in for good measure. They all chalked it up to how fast I was growing. At one point a doctor diagnosed a genetic disorder causing most of the pain. Apparently bad knees run in the family. He actually told me if I didn't stop playing sports I would be in a wheelchair by the time I was 18. Wow! What a decision for a kid to have to make. For me, it didn't take any time at all to make that decision. I would rather go out doing what I love than to sit on the sidelines for the rest of my life. When I began playing college soccer, that decision came back and hit me in the face. That is when I had my first of two surgeries on my left knee. The first one got me 10 years, and my second one a few years shy. I didn't stop though; I went from college soccer to adult rec soccer. Finally, in 2009 I put soccer on the back burner. I always dreamed I would get back to it, but the pain in my knee was getting to be too much. Now added on top of the genetic factors, the doctor found bone spurs and osteoarthritis. Things had gotten so bad that I had 50% less muscle mass in my left leg than I did in my right. I went to physical therapy for a couple rounds of treatment, but in the end I would hit a wall that seemed insurmountable. Until Memorial Day 2014.
I am an athlete. My sport is soccer. Did I mention my ankle? While coaching high school JV girls' soccer, during practice, while playing defense, I rolled my ankle. How bad was it? Torn ligaments and damaged cartilage. After a year of treatment, the decision was made to go in and repair it, so surgery was scheduled for December 18, 2013. After surgery I was two weeks in a cast, then two weeks in a boot, all the while on crutches. Another week in a boot without crutches. Three months in an ASO brace for all activities. Another month in an ASO brace for activities outside the house. A month wearing an ASO brace for physical activities, with no lateral movement allowed. And finally, an ASO brace for competitive physical activities. By late spring, I was released to full activity even though it was weak and still swelling whenever I was on it for too long at a time. Until Memorial Day 2014.
As you can imagine, while my family was cajoling me to go to crossfit in the park with them, anxiety and fear welled up inside me. The idea of running or squatting or burpees or whatever this crazy thing was all about, made me cringe. I had trouble standing up from a chair and climbing stairs, how in the world could I even entertain crossfit?! They each reassured me that everything would be fine, because the coaches were awesome and could scale any movement for me that I wasn't able to perform. Reluctantly, and with much trepidation, I went with them the following Saturday. I don't like to complain, and I don't want to be seen as wimpy or a whiner, so it was hard having to tell these people, who I didn't know, about my limitations. I am an athlete. I was sucking air during the warm up, thinking I was going to die, and asking myself how I got so out of shape. Like I said, I am an athlete. We got to the point in the workout that required air squats. Squats and I are not friends. Remember, bad knees. I'm not sure, but I think Catie may have seen me wince. At that moment, she gave me one bit of coaching that would change everything. "Feet shoulder width apart. Toes slightly flared out. Knees out towards your toes." My knees were still uncomfortable, but that little change in position made the movement tolerable. I wasn't sure if I would, but I survived, but to be honest, the next day I wish I hadn't. The pain in my body was so bad it hurt to roll over in bed. My precious husband's remedy….go to the park, on our own, and do tabatas. I didn't at the time, but in hindsight, I am so appreciative of that remedy. I felt awful but, Ben and Catie's coaching advice to "just keep moving", got me through. Once Ben and Catie opened their own crossfit gym, Tim and I became founding members. The workouts became different and more challenging, but not unachievable-challenging, but push-you-to-more challenging. What are some things I like most? Coming from a team sports background and always having a coach telling me what to do and how to do it, I enjoy the class structure and atmosphere; it gives it that "team" feel. I like having a coach who teaches correct form in movements, and who creates a workout so I don't have to figure out what to do. It only takes an hour out of the day. It's encouraging that the coaches continue to scale the workouts in progressions that allows me to learn, and gain strength, without putting added stress on my knees. What benefits have I received from my relationship with crossfit? My legs have nearly the same muscle mass. I can, for the most part, get out of a chair and climb stairs without pain. I have lost over 25 pounds. I continue to progress in workout movements, am getting stronger and fit, and am gaining strength and improving balance. And, for me, what's best of all…….I am back to playing soccer!
CrossFit Fireside, Coach Ben and Coach Catie, you have blessed me beyond measure. Thank you!


text:
/**
 * Test to check if the component renders correctly
 */
/* global it expect */
import 'react-native';
import React from 'react';
import renderer from 'react-test-renderer';

import Alerts from '@ui/Alerts';

it('Alerts (empty) renders correctly', () => {
  const tree = renderer.create(
    <Alerts />,
  ).toJSON();

  expect(tree).toMatchSnapshot();
});

it('Alerts (Sucess) renders correctly', () => {
  const tree = renderer.create(
    <Alerts success={'Hello Success'} />,
  ).toJSON();

  expect(tree).toMatchSnapshot();
});

it('Alerts (Error) renders correctly', () => {
  const tree = renderer.create(
    <Alerts error={'Error hey'} />,
  ).toJSON();

  expect(tree).toMatchSnapshot();
});

it('Alerts (Status) renders correctly', () => {
  const tree = renderer.create(
    <Alerts status={'Something\'s happening...'} />,
  ).toJSON();

  expect(tree).toMatchSnapshot();
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


One of the most dangerous types of vehicles to have on the road is heavy equipment vehicles. Heavy equipment vehicles are vehicles like construction equipment trucks that move under their own power. For example, a backhoe is a pretty common piece of heavy equipment that you see on the road. Although these vehicles usually move pretty slow they can still have the potential to cause major accidents. It can be difficult for operators of heavy equipment to see properly and they might not be paying attention to traffic as much as they should be due to those slow speeds. When you are in an accident with a piece of heavy equipment, either the operator or the construction company that owns the equipment may be at fault, and you might need a heavy equipment accident lawyer to represent you.
However, being involved in a collision with a piece of heavy equipment is not the only way that you can be involved in an accident or be injured by a piece of heavy equipment. In fact, you might be the operator of the equipment in question or you might be one of the workers on the ground. For both of these types of people, tipping and rollover accidents are more common than construction companies would like to admit. In fact, according to research published in the Journal of Safety Research, half of the deaths of heavy equipment operators can be attributed to rollover accidents.
Sometimes, heavy equipment may back up suddenly without the operator taking the time to look behind. This could spell disaster for anyone standing there. In addition, heavy equipment operators may suffer injuries themselves in other ways such as becoming disabled due to repetitive motion injuries that are causes by long hours of performing the same action over and over again. Hearing loss is also a pretty common disability among heavy equipment operators.
If you were involved in a collision with a piece of heavy equipment, or you are a heavy equipment operator who has suffered an injury as the result of that operation, then you might need a heavy equipment accident lawyer to represent you and make sure that you are going to get the compensation you deserve from the construction company or the heavy equipment manufacturer. An experience heavy equipment accident attorney can represent you against these companies and make sure that you are fairly compensated for your injury.


If work, school, or other activities are preventing you from keeping your home in Orange County, CA as clean as you want it, a professional house cleaning service may be the answer to your problem. At Merry Maids of Orange County, we're staffed by professionals who go through thorough screening and training before starting work, so you'll have no reason to worry when we come to your home.
Merry Maids of Santa Ana is proud to offer weekly, biweekly, and monthly recurring cleanings to individuals and families living throughout Orange County, CA. Our mission is to deliver thorough cleaning services so that you can have more time to do the things you enjoy. If you'd like to know more about our prices and our house cleaning services, please call our office today.


"Control valve market to grow at significant rate from 2018 to 2024"The control valve market is expected to grow from USD 7.48 billion in 2018 to USD 10.62 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 6.02% from 2018 to 2024. Key factors driving the growth of the control valve market include the increased need for connected networks to maintain/monitor various equipment in plants and the commissioning of new nuclear plants, along with the upscaling of existing plants. Strategies such as product launches and developments, mergers and acquisitions, expansions, agreements, collaborations, joint ventures, and partnerships adopted by market players are fueling the growth of the control valve market. However, high initial investments for control valves and the malfunctioning of control valves are restraining the growth of the control valve market.
Emerson (US), IMI PLC (US), Flowserve (US), and Weir Group (UK) are among the major players in the control valve market.
The control valve market, in this report, has been segmented by valve type, valve component, valve size, industry, and geography. The market based on valve type has been further classified into ball valves, butterfly valves, plug valves, diaphragm valves, gate valves, and piston valves. The control valve market, by valve size, has been further segmented into up to 1", 1" to 6", 6" to 25", 25" to 50", and 50" and larger. The control valve market based on industries has been segmented into oil & gas, energy & power, water & wastewater treatment, food & beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pulp & paper, and others (textiles, glass, and semiconductor manufacturing).
Illustrative segmentation, analysis, and forecast for the market, by valve type, valve component, valve size, industry, and geography have been provided to give the overall view of the control valve market.
The value chain analysis pertaining to the control valve ecosystem has been included to provide in-depth insight into the control valve market.
Major drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges for the control valve market have been provided in the research report.


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Home / National / New unique agricultural heritage sites designated
AG ABROAD ... Comments
New unique agricultural heritage sites designated
FAO's global agricultural heritage network now comprises 50 remarkable landscapes
A new GIAHS member: Rice Terraces in Southern Mountainous and Hilly Areas. (FAO)
ROME — Thirteen new landscapes were formally celebrated as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) here today, paying tribute to the ingenious ways that human needs and nature's resources have been combined to create mutually sustainable livelihoods and ecosystems.
The new sites in this landmark FAO program are in China, Egypt, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Sri Lanka. Their primary production ranges from fruits, vegetables, salt and rice to silk, meat, tea and wasabi.
These systems "reflect a profound harmony between humanity and nature," FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo said at an international forum in Rome.
Read more about all the new entries here.
To see how stunning these landscapes are, click here.
The new additions bring to 50 the total number of GIAHS worldwide. The programme highlights unique ways that rural communities have over generations forged to foster food security, viable livelihoods, resilient ecosystems and high levels of biodiversity, all while enhancing remarkable beauty.
"The sites are not about a nostalgic past but offer solutions for the present and the future," Semedo emphasized. "GIAHS is also about innovation and opportunities, including broadening access to new markets and businesses such as eco-labelling, agri-tourism, youth empowerment to add value to our agricultural patrimony."
Among the new GIAHS sites are the first members from Europe and North America: An agro-sylvo-pastoral system in Barroso, Portugal, a unique way of making salt in Salinas de Añana, Spain, a millennial way of growing muscatel grapes in Axarquía, Spain, and a set of artificially developed farmland in Mexico City (Chinampas) based on oral transmission of traditional techniques widely used during the Aztec civilization.
Today's international forum focused on exchanging lessons learned so far and included senior government officials from China, Italy, Japan, Spain, Tanzania along with authoritative experts from Algeria, Chile and France as well as from Unesco, which operates the acclaimed World Heritage programme of its own.
Cultivating cultures
Globally important agricultural heritage systems embody managed ecosystems in which water use, soil health and other ecosystem factors are intricately linked, often in ways that require bespoke social governance rules regarding tenure, resource allocation and labor.
Heritage systems bring together the economic, social, environmental and cultural pillars of sustainable development, Semedo noted. Recognizing them also underscores the leading role that smallholder famers – their creators and custodians – play in promoting biodiversity and a host of other shared goals, she added.
The idea is to draw attention to the unique and ingenious ways that sustainability has been achieved in the most basic human activity, converting natural resources into viable food systems. The goal is to foster their dynamic conservation and to enable the smallholders who helped make them and serve as custodians of their legacy to keep their heritage alive amid new challenges such as urbanization and climate change.
Evidence so far indicates that GIAHS designation as a heritage site can help conserve biodiversity and safeguard endangered crop varieties – both of which benefit food security worldwide – and revitalize local cultural activities, create employment and promote tourism.
Heritage labels can be integrated with marketing strategies to boost demand and prices for local agricultural products. Certified rice grown in a heritage system in Sado, Japan – geared to providing refuge for the crested ibis – now commands twice the price of local equivalents.
Semedo called for taking the GIAHS programme to the next strategic level to create more synergies and valuable opportunities "for the great artists who have sculpted our past, design our present and will shape our future."
FAO's criteria for selection to GIAHS includes that sites be of global importance, having value as a public good in terms of supporting food and livelihood security, biodiversity, knowledge systems and adapted technologies, culture and, and outstanding landscapes. Many of the sites provide important ecosystem services that benefit people elsewhere, which bolsters the case for providing economic incentives for their conservation.
Some countries have even set up their own national programmes, including the People's Republic of China and Japan, whose governments have been particularly strong and generous advocates of the GIAHS programme.
For more articles concerning international issues, click here.
Perdue announces new senior leaders at USDA
U.S. sorghum growers concerned with tariffs
ag abroad FAO food security international culture
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Find farm loans that fit your operation
Helping wheat, corn producers target fertilizer needs
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Bill would protect U.S. domestic food supply
Study: Global farming trends threaten food security
USDA welcomes new crop of Foreign Service officers
Bulgaria added to regions affected with bird flu


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The Black Cager
A Black Perspective on Collegiate Athletics
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Category Archives: Public League
Rysheed Jordan Debuts with the Camden Monarchs!
January 12, 2020 By delgrecowilson in Business News, Philadelphia Catholic League, Public League, Rysheed Jordan, Uncategorized	Leave a comment
It's January 2013 and across the nation there are some great scholastic basketball players performing in packed houses and with college coaches salivating all over their Nike, Adidas and Under Armour golf shirts. The athletic departments' private jets were burning an ungodly amount of fuel that winter. Some of the best known prospects at the time were Andrew Wiggins (Huntington Prep, Huntington, West Virginia), Jabari Parker (Simeon HS, Chicago, Illinois), Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian Academy, MicKinney, Texas), Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose, California) and some big kid named Joel Embid (The Rock School, Gainesville, Florida).
Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky and the other college basketball blue bloods were like sharks in the water. This was truly a great year for high school basketball and Philly was well represented. Steve Vasturia (St. Joseph's Prep), Brandon Austin (Imhotep) and JaQuan Newton (Neumann-Goretti) were skilfully plying their trade.
Rysheed Jordan, Camden Monarchs
But for the common folk, there can be no doubt, the Prince of 'Norf' Philly reigned supreme… UCLA, St. John's and Temple basketball coaches were regular visitors to neighborhood of North Philadelphia known as Sharswood. They were stalking Rysheed Jordan… Members of college basketball's royalty were frequently roaming on and about the grounds of the Norman Blumberg Apartments. Middle-aged wealthy white millionaires didn't make their way though Sharswood too often. The poverty and crime rates at Blumberg were double the rest of the city's. At the time, Blumberg was considered PHA's "most distressed" public housing complex. So much so that three years later, they hit the detonation button and blew it up, reducing it to pile of rubble.
But in 2013, Sharswood was the place to be… Especially if you were a hoophead seeking out the very best action or a high major college basketball coach looking for a player with the potential to lead you to a Final Four or even a National Championship.
Rysheed Jordan and Robert Vaux High School were vying for Philadelphia basketball supremacy. Keep in mind, Vaux had never been a factor before the Phoenix-like rise of Jordan. Indeed, Vaux was literally on it's last legs. In March, 2013, The School District of Philadelphia voted to close Vaux and 22 other district-run schools at the end of the school year.
Rasheed Jordan, unlike most of the other high profile prospects of his era, played with his childhood friends at an under-performing neighborhood public high school.
What? This just doesn't happen… The lure of "national" schedules and ESPN games typically overrides any commitment to family and friends at the neighborhood school…
But, Jordan was different… Very different!
Ranked #17 in the nation by ESPN, Jordan could have easily fled to one of the national basketball academies like Huntington Prep, IMG, Montverde or Findlay Prep… He didn't…
He could have chosen to suit up for one of the Catholic League powerhouse programs like Roman Catholic, Neumann-Goretti of Archbishop Caroll… He didn't…
He resisted the lure of prominent Charter programs like Imhotep, Math, Civics and Sciences (MCS), and Boy's Latin…
Sheed stayed 'round da way… He rose to national prominence playing for his neighborhood high school… He played basketball with the same guys he ate free lunches with in 3rd grade… He played in front of passionate and frenzied crowds with the scent of 'loud' wafting through the air…
Undying loyalty to his friends, his teammates, his coaches and his 'hood' made Sheed's journey special… The love and affection was returned 100-fold!
His friends, his teammates, his coaches and his 'hood' supported the Prince in a manner impossible to explain to people from outside of Philadelphia.
These muthafuckas rode unbelievably HARD for Sheed!
As a result, he didn't need the basketball academies… He didn't need the Catholic or Independent schools… He didn't need the Charters… He didn't need the EYBL…
Sharswood, Vaux and Philly Pride stood behind and beside Jordan as he embarked on one of the greatest scholastic careers Philadelphia has witnessed over the past 2 decades. The fact that he did it with the same dudes that he cut that hard ass government cheese with made it sooooooo special.
It's worth detailing some of the important moments for the uninitiated…
Seven years ago, in January 2013, the boys from Norf Philly went Uptown and spanked Imhotep Charter and Brandon Austin in one the toughest gyms in the State of Pennsylvania. Led by Jordan, Vaux went on a 21-2 fourth-quarter run to hand Imhotep its worst ever home loss.
Vaux and Imhotep would finish the regular season tied for second behind a loaded MCS squad. In the first round of the the playoffs, Jordan dropped 21 to lead Vaux to an easy 24 point victory over GAMP. In the round of 16, he scored 21 points to support Sammy Foreman's 24 as Vaux rolled over Sankofa by 22 points, 87-65.
Then… Shit got real interesting in the Quarterfinals… Vaux faced the #1 team in the City, regular season Division A Champions MCS. MCS entered the game with a gaudy 23-1 record. In front of a packed house, Jordan put on his cape and poured in 29 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. With 10.7 seconds remaining in the game, after a 5-minute delay to control the 'hood' that was spilling onto the court, Jordan calmly sank two free throws to tie the game 61-61. Then Jordan knocked down the second of two free throws with one-tenth of a second remaining after he was fouled attempting to finish a full court sprint with the ball that began with 4.7 on the clock.
Legendary shit… The Prince of Norf, playing against the top ranked team, for the hood school in an overfilled South Philly high school gym with everything on the line…
Next up, a rematch with mighty Imhotep and their star Brandon Austin at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University. This time, Vaux fell short… Imhotep won (67-66) their fourth Public League Championship in five years and avenged the 22-point, home-court spanking Vaux laid on them in January. However, legendary status of Jordan was cemented in the loss. Jordan exploded for 45 points, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record (40) for the most ever scored in any version of a High School Championship game.
Rysheed Jordan (center), following state championship victory
A couple weeks later, Jordan score 32 points to lead Vaux to the PIAA Class A State Championship with a 20 point 83-63 victory over Johnsonburg HS at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. Take a step back… Let's think about this… Sheed Jordan led his troubled neighborhood high school to its first and only state title about 12 weeks before the City would shut it down.
Legendary shit…
Three weeks later, the Prince of Norf would commit to Steve Lavin and St. John's University of the Big East Conference. Eschewing offers from UCLA and hometown Temple University, Sheed chose the bright lights of New York City and Madison Square Garden.
Rysheed Jordan, St. John's University
As a freshman, Jordan lived up to expectations… He averaged 10 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.0 apg and was named to the All-Rookie team in the Big East. He upped his scoring to 14.1 ppg as a sophomore while grabbing 3.7 rpg and dishing 3.1 apg.
At the conclusion of his sophomore campaign, St. John's fired Steve Lavin and hired Chris Mullin as head coach. Jordan would never play for Mullin…
The Prince of Norf had a nice 2-year run at Madison Square Garden… Then it ended abruptly…
In the first week of June 2015… the divorce was finalized.
"Playing professional basketball has always been a goal of mine," Jordan said in a statement released by St. John's. "I believe I am ready to take the next step in my basketball career and plan to work hard to achieve my dream of playing in the NBA . . . This decision was made with my family's best interests in mind."
Chris Mullin said "We support Rysheed and wish him well in his professional endeavors."
The timing of the divorce, however, was very problematic… Jordan was ineligible for the 2015 NBA draft because he missed the early-entry deadline. His college career over, Jordan could not play in the NBA until 2016 at the earliest.
This would prove to be a very costly paperwork snafu… A really, really bad fumble… Things never really got on track from there.
Rysheed Jordan, Delaware 87ers
Jordan would play in the D-League for the Delaware 87ers in 2015-16, averaging just over eight points per contest in 11 games. Eventually, he kinda just disappeared from the basketball scene altogether and retreated to his beloved 'hood.'
Then… on June 1, 2016, almost exactly one year after separating from St. John's University, Jordan was arrested and charged with multiple offenses stemming from two separate incidents over the preceding week.
Both incidents, per information provided by the Philadelphia Police Department, occurred in North Philadelphia. Jordan was charged with attempted murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy and simple assault.
Police alleged that Jordan shot a man in the arm.
According to police, the 23-year-old victim of the shooting and his companion, the witness, had gone to the area around 1400 North 26th street to purchase marijuana. They left their vehicle and approached a gold sedan, but the meet went sideways. Jordan's group got out of the car with guns, and one of them ordered, "Give us your money and your phones."
The victim and witness ran back to their vehicle, but Jordan's group allegedly fired. The victim was hit in the right arm but managed to make it in the car. The witness began to back up, and the two were able to escape despite the fact that one of the offenders tried to reach inside the car window and turn off the ignition in addition to firing several shots.
The victim and witness found a policeman at 33rd and Girard and were brought to Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where the victim underwent surgery.
Jordan was captured by Temple police early Wednesday morning after an unrelated incident. At 2:03 a.m., police tracked a green Jaguar that had run a red light. After the vehicle allegedly tried to evade police, Jordan got out and fled. He was pursued by officers on foot and threw away his gun before being captured and placed into custody. Recovered by police, the gun had five live rounds and an obliterated serial number.
A little over a month later, on June 16 defense lawyer Brad V. Shuttleworth asked Municipal Court Judge Marvin L. Williams to lower bail to $100,000, so Jordan could post the usual 10 percent (i.e., $10,000) and walk free pending trial, wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Judge Williams refused, however, saying that Jordan has proved he will run from the law and that he's a danger to the community.
Jordan would remain in custody until December 1, 2019. He a did a 3.5 year bid. He emerged remorseful and eager to make a difference in the lives of the young men finding their way through his 'hood'.
As soon as he was released, Jordan made his way to local gyms… Not to play…
It's not about me no more it's about the youth I swear I love giving back #MEADEMIDDLESCHOOL #PRESSURE
A post shared by JORDAN (@sheedjordan) on Dec 18, 2019 at 1:58pm PST
He had to share what he learned the hard way… He had to talk to young Black men about his poor choices…
It's his calling. Jordan is at peace with himself, he has paid a heavy toll for his actions. A spiritual man, he seeks to uplift those willing to listen and learn.
Fully cognizant of the heavy sway he still holds over the City of Philadelphia, especially young men on the Norf side, Jordan tells cautionary tales these days. He is man that has done everything society has asked of him.
Young enough to fully relate to what young impressionable inner-city Black males experience on a daily basis, he is able to capture their undivided attention.
His fame and status hasn't waned… He's still the Prince of Norf… Older, wiser and thankful for an opportunity to make a difference.
Jordan is repentant… He lost his beloved mother while he was away… He is determined to fulfill his responsibilities as the head of his family…
While working out with his younger brother and the team at MCS, the urge to play competitively began to slowly creep back in…
Jordan had a basketball itch he needed to scratch.
Enter the Reverend, Stan Laws and the Camden Monarchs.
Reverend Stan Laws, Camden Monarchs Head Coach
Laws is a stalwart in the Philadelphia Basketball community and long-time Norfside resident. He's also the Head Coach of the Camden Monarchs. Laws and his boss, General Manager Joseph Richmond have given Jordan an opportunity to compete at the professional level without uprooting him from his family and the supports he has in place.
Joseph Richmond (left), Camden Monarchs General Manager
The Monarchs fittingly play their home games in the Salvation Army's Kroc Center. This is the prefect location for the resurrection of Jordan's playing career. Laws and Richmond are spiritual men committed to using basketball as a tool for deliverance from sin and its consequences.
Every day, they try to live their life in accordance with the word of God. Ephesians 4:31-32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.
So on January 11, three and half years removed from the date he went away, Rasheed Jordan played basketball in front of a crowd with the lights on. Now… it wasn't the 19,738 capacity crowd he entertained at Madison Square Garden. But the 400+ people that shoehorned themselves into the Kroc Center came with one goal in mind, to lift up the Prince of Norf.
The level of competition on this night was probably somewhere between NCAA Division 2 and Division 3. Laws did not start Jordan… Upon entering the game, one could sense that Jordan just wanted to be a teammate… He wanted to play the right way… He was playing very conservatively and unselfishly…
His timing was off… He would beat his man and the floater would fall short… Way short… He would blow by the initial defender, see the help defender coming but his reflexes just aren't there yet… They were able to get their hands on the ball and prevent him from finishing…
"Just play Sheed… Just play…"
His supporters could feel him working his way into the game… He was supportive of his teammates and trying to find ways to make winning plays…
Forced to gauge him against at his very best… Jordan was about 50%… He was visibly winded at times and he was a half second slow…
He'e been away 3 and half years…
That said, Jordan at 50% finished the game with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. His team went into the locker room down at the half… Laws started Jordan in the second half… Camden ended up winning 116-82.
It's all still there… The bounce… The sweet pull-up… The handle… The will to win…
Like a musician that had to put his saxophone away for 40 months, it's gonna take a little time to get it all back… But he can still play music you want to hear.
Lewis Leonard and family
Supportive Philly hoop heads came out to see the first show… Lewis Leonard, Mookie Laws, Randy Miller, Mike Terry, Rodney Veney, Maurice Watson, Sr. and Dallas Comegys were just a few Philadelphia hoopheads that made their way across the bridge.
Rysheed Jordan, after his first game with the Camden Monarchs
There will be many more… The Prince of Norf is playing in East Camden… I'll see you at the next Camden Monarchs home game.
The Cahillites Capture South Jersey!
December 31, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Camden High, Collin Gillespie, Philadelphia Catholic League, Public League, Scholastic Basketball, South Jersey Basketball, Uncategorized	1 Comment
The sun still hasn't set on the Roman Empire…
The Cahillites traveled about 20 minutes from Center City Philadelphia to meet the upstart Camden Panthers in a contest played in the supposedly neutral Cherry Hill East Gymnasium. Camden came into the game with a HEAVY reputation. Their main piece is, Lance Ware, a versatile 6'9" senior power forward headed to play for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. Alongside Ware is the incredibly strong and determined, TaQuan Woodley, a junior 6'8" 230 lb power forward that relentlessly rebounds and protects the rim. Woodley is a high major prospect with South Carolina, Temple, Saint Joseph's and Penn State in hot pursuit. On the wing, the Panthers feature Jerome Brewer an athletic 6'7" wing with a sweet shooting stroke from 3 point range.
DJ Wagner, Camden's Freshman Guard
In the backcourt, DJ Wagner has arrived. Heir to the throne of Camden basketball, Wagner is the son of DuJaun Wagner and Grandson of Milt Wagner. He has already been anointed the messiah for the proud Camden High basketball program. Rounding out the rotation are 4 or 5 highly talented freshmen that display skill and athleticism that will one day result in college basketball scholarships at some level.
This group of uber-talented scholastic players is led by a former McDonald's All-American and 9 year NBA Veteran point guard. Rick Brunson is a disciple of Temple's legendary John Chaney and this matchup with mighty Roman Catholic was his first BIG game at the helm of the Camden High basketball program.
Rick Brunson, Camden Head Coach
In preparation for this matchup, the Panthers have been plundering and pillaging small communities in New Jersey. They had piled up 4 victories with final margins ranging from 20 to 37.
But this would be different… This was HIGH MAJOR HS basketball... Coaches from Auburn, Temple, Penn State and several other high major programs were present. Saint Joseph's brought their entire staff out to see the match up. Several former NBA players were present. Well over 2,000 spectators crammed into the hot gym designed to hold about 1,500. There were fans in every nook and cranny of the space not used for the actual contest itself. Jeremy Treatman, once again, put together a Play-by-Play Classics event that hoop heads could not resist.
Pat Chambers, Penn State Head Coach & Hansel Canon, Black Cager Sports
Roman Catholic, on the other hand, is trying to find an identity. The Cahillites suffered massive losses of key warriors… Seth Lundy and Hakim Hart have moved on the the Big 10 playing for nationally ranked Penn State and Maryland, respectively. Louis Wild a key member of Roman's last two Catholic League Championship squads is prepping at Olympus.
Throughout the summer and fall, the Cahillites have struggled to find a new way to win big games. The road has been filled with potholes. They have looked really bad in several performances against elite competition.
Not the last two games…
Facing the very best the Public League and South Jersey has to offer, Roman Catholic has found a new path to victory… They have convincingly vanquished two of the strongest teams (Imhotep Charter and Camden High) in the region.
How are they getting it done?
Of course, there's the fact that they have the most athletic, most explosive, most powerful big man in the nation. Jalen Duren's game really defies adequate description. Some shit you just have to see first hand to grasp. But… I will try…
Jalen Duren
He dunks ON you! He dunks OVER you! He dunks THROUGH you! He dunks AROUND you!
On this night he had no fewer than 9 or 10 dunks… while these plays only resulted in 2 points each on the scoreboard, everyone in the gym will attest to the fact that they were worth at least 4 points each!
His dunks are like the body shot that Bernard Hopkins landed to end his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. The contest literally STOPS for a standing 8 count after each dunk. These are not regular high school dunks… These are FUCK YOU… FUCK your family dunks…. These are FUCK YOU give me your lunch dunks…
Rysheed Jordan, PUB Legend and Stan Laws, Head Coach of Camden Monarchs
Yeah… Yeah… His offensive repertoire is limited… He continues to take ill-advised jump shots… He really hasn't developed a picture perfect turnaround jumper like former Cahillite Marc Jackson… He doesn't have a feathery touch like Roman legend Eddie Griffin… So what?
That's like complaining that a prime Mike Tyson lacked Ali's lateral movement… Right now, he don't need none of that shit. Why? Because…
But… we all knew that… and on many nights, we all know that will be enough for the Cahillites to eek out victories… But what about when they face the big boys? Will the other guys show up?
Well… For the second BIG GAME in a row Lynn Greer, III has displayed the leadership, poise, judgement and selflessness that one would expect from a HIGH MAJOR point guard prospect. His handle is beyond tight… LG3 has the ball on a string… He puts in front of defenders and yanks it back with precision… He's able to go wherever he wants with the ball… He is big enough and strong enough to challenge BIGS at the rim… He finishes through contact… Most importantly, he has become very, very good at choosing the right time to impose himself of the game.
While Jalen Duren is an NBA athlete playing high school basketball, there is no doubt that this is Lynn Greer's team. He has become an exceptional leader… Greer's play is allowing the incredibly gifted Justice Williams to show his ASS this year. Lynn sets up the offense and gets guys in position. He gives it to Williams on the wing and Williams is doing things that other 10th graders simply cannot do. He was deep in his bag tonight. His in and out moves… His crossovers… His hesitations were simply majestic.
Camden was right there… They played solid defense, and on many occasions Justice's offense was just better… If you want to know what a HIGH MAJOR wing looks like, watch the soon to be released Raw Sports video of this contest and focus on Justice Williams offensive performance tonight.
But… as noted in Isaiah 11:6 "a little child shall lead them."
When Woodley was able to wrestle, bump and push Duren away from the rim… When Brewer's and Ware's length was giving Greer problems… When the Roman offense was stalling… It was the pubescent Xzayvier Brown that made big shot after big shot. Brown is very slight in stature… One can easily envision him sitting at middle school lunch table just a few short months ago… Then… The game begins and he is ALWAYS among the calmest, coolest and most collected players on the court. This kid has BIG BALLS!
Brown never gets sped up… He has a profound understanding of floor spacing… He makes himself available to Greer and Williams for skip passes… He gives them a clear target… And, when the pass is made, he is ready to squeeze! A freshman… A FUCKIN freshman is already one of the most reliable knock-down jump shooters in the Greater Philadelphia region. If his feet are set and he catches and shoots in rhythm… Count that shit! Put three on the board for Roman.
Brown is going to be a problem for four years down at Broad and Vine.
Another key piece for Roman is Nasir Lett. Like Brown, Lett understands floor spacing and he understands his role. If he is open, "Lett it fly!" Rarely does Lett catch rim… far more often than not… splash!
Impressive… Very impressive… It took a while for these guys to identify and GROW into their respective roles. One has to credit Head Coach Matt Griffin for switching defenses at key moments and constantly instilling a high level of confidence in this version of the Cahillites.
Justice Williams, Roman Catholic, defends an inbounds pass
Yes… They have the BEST big man in the land… But they are much more than that… Greer has evolved into a maestro on the court. His tendency to play solos at inopportune moments is gone. He has clearly grasped the fact that he as to CONDUCT the orchestra. He's allowing his young virtuosos to shine at precisely the right moments. Greer is a leader…
After finishing a tough layup, Brown took an ugly and violent spill. He thought he was hurt… I thought he was hurt… Everyone in the gym thought he was hurt… Greer knew he wasn't injured! He made sure that Brown knew he wasn't injured. After sitting one series, Brown immediately returned to the lineup and the Cahillites finished off the Panthers in front of about 2,000 despondent Camden fans.
This is Lynn Greer's team… They will go as far as he takes them… The car fully loaded with all the options… The tank is full of 93 octane and the GPS is set for the Palestra…
Can they be stopped?
The Roman Empire is seeking to capture their 5th Catholic League title in 6 years and 33rd overall… The Cahillites ended Neumann-Goretti's string of six straight in 2015. Their recent run was interrupted by only Sir Colin Gillespie of Warminster's incredible romp through the Catholic League in 2017. Other than that… It's been all Roman for 5 years…
Well… I gotta go for now gotta get to work… I owe Boo Farmer another Chicken Cheesesteak from Iskabibble's!
I love this shit…
Explaining College Recruitment or the Lack Thereof…
December 30, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Catholic League Basketball, College Athletics, Public League, St. Joseph's University, Uncategorized	3 Comments
I am a trained political scientist. I try to structure my thoughts on social behavior using analytical frameworks borrowed from social science. One of the most powerful, and therefore most useful, is rational choice theory. Rational choice is a framework for understanding and often formally modeling social and economic behavior.
Here we apply the basic premises of rational choice theory to the conundrum that is local college basketball recruiting. Basically, I'm trying develop an explanatory model make sense of shit that makes no sense at all…
Let me give a quick and dirty explanation of how I apply rational choice theory in this instance. I assume that aggregate social behavior (who gets and does not get D1 offers) results from the behavior of individual D1 coaches, each of whom is making their individual decisions. Rational choice theory then assumes that D1 coaches have preferences among the available high school/JUCO and transfer prospects that allow them to state which option they prefer. These preferences are assumed to be complete (the D1 coach can always say which of two prospects they consider preferable or that neither is preferred to the other) and transitive (if player A is preferred over player B and player B is preferred over player C, then A is preferred over C). In my rational choice model, D1 coaches are assumed to take account of available information, probabilities of events, and potential costs and benefits in determining preferences, and to act consistently in choosing the self-determined best choice of action.
Basically, a rational choice model assumes D1 coaches get out and actually watch the prospects first hand, have an understanding of the options each kid has, realize what the prospect can add to his program and work in good faith to win games and improve his program.
The challenge then becomes explaining recruiting outcomes that don't make no muthafuckin sense.
In the Philadelphia region, there have been some truly befuddling recruiting outcomes in recent years. Sam Sessoms, Ryan Daly and Jhamir Brickus are examples that force me to call the explanatory power of rational choice theory into question.
Sam Sessoms, Binghamton University
Sessoms was one of the best guards to come out of Philadelphia's fiercely competitive schoolboy scene in recent years. Academics was not an issue for Sesssoms. He attended and did well at one of the elite private Main Line high schools. Moreover, he played on the prestigious Nike EYBL summer circuit. He played for the Team Final program that has consistently produced NBA players. During the winter, Sessoms absolutely scorched opponents during a dominant senior season that saw him easily eclipse the 2,000 point mark. Yet, he had exactly one (1) D1 scholarship offer from Binghamton University which plays in the low-major America East Conference.
Ryan Daly, St. Joseph's University
Ryan Daly was named the MVP in the Philadelphia Catholic League as a senior. Daly was the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER in one of the top 3-4 HS leagues in the nation. He is a fearless and fierce competitor capable of scoring in bunches from all three levels and rebounding like a power forward. Like Sessoms, his academic profile was beyond reproach. Indeed, he would have been accepted at Ivy or Patriot League schools. Then there is his DNA… his father and grandfather were Philadelphia Catholic League stalwarts and played college ball for St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia's vaunted Big 5. Yet, very late into his senior season, he was struggling find an adequate suitor for his considerable skills. Fortunately, Delaware's Martin Inglesby swooped minutes after being given his first head coaching opportunity and gave Daly an opportunity to play in the mid-major Colonial Athletic Conference.
Jhamir Brickus, Coatesville High School
Fast forward to today… Jhamir Brickus has just exceeded the 2,000 point mark with about 20 or so games left in his scholastic career. He has Rip Hamilton in his rear view mirror and will soon lap John Allen to become Coatesville's all-time leading scorer. He regularly gives highly respected opponents 40 or even 50 points in big games. See for example, the 52 piece family pack… with biscuits and extra gravy he dropped off on Chester in the PIAA playoffs last year. Brickus consistently dominates games from the backcourt with exceptional ball-handling and an uncanny knack for finishing at the rim through contact. Possessing exceptional vision, he is an elite passer. He has played a couple summers on the highly competitive Under Armour UAA circuit where he averaged double figures in points, 5 assists and less than 1 turnover per game… Please note… He averaged LESS than one turnover per game against some of the best competition available. Simply stated, Brickus is a bad, bad man… Yet, his has yet to reel in D1 offers commensurate with his exceptional abilities.
What da fuck? How do we make sense of these outcomes? In my search for answers, I'm leaning hard on the my understanding of rational choice theory… Truth be told… I'm really struggling to make this shit make sense…
The premise of rational choice theory is that the aggregate behavior (the total sum of D1 offers) reflects the sum of the choices made by individual D1 coaches. Each D1 coach, in turn, makes their choice based on their own preferences and the constraints (or choice set) they face.
The logic of the model holds that D1 coaches choose the action (or outcome) they most prefer. In the case where offers (or recruiting outcomes) can be evaluated in terms of costs and benefits, a rational coach chooses the prospect (or recruiting outcome) that provides the maximum net benefit, i.e., the maximum benefit minus cost.
The local D1 coaches (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia) would experience very little costs recruiting these kids. Some gas, a few tolls and a couple Popeye's chicken sandwiches on top of letters, phone calls, texts and DMs. Viewed in the context of their respective recruiting budgets, pursuing these guys costs nada, zilch, nothing…
The potential rewards? Daly exceeded 1000 points in two years and Sessoms may exceed 1,200 by the end of his sophomore campaign. Beyond that, these guys are Philly guards… They bring a level of toughness to programs that add a value that can't be quantified. It's apparent and easy to see now.
Indeed, if Sessoms or Daly were to enter the transfer portal today, each would likely receive 40-50 scholarship offers within a week. Think about that shit… The same D1 coaches that passed on them as high school seniors would relentlessly call, text, DM and visit them begging for their services today.
This begs the obvious question: How did they miss? Why couldn't they see this 24-36 months ago?
We have to continue to assume that D1 coaches want to win… We must assume they want to add very good players. Indeed, the fact Zane Martin (New Mexico) receive offers from coaches at high major programs like Clemson, Seton Hall, Gonzaga and New Mexico 24 months after they were completely ignored by the same guys means something is seriously askew.
These fuckin' coaches ain't behaving rationally… The model doesn't explain this shit…
Some really smart social scientists have introduced the useful concept of bounded rationality to account for situations precisely like this. Bounded rationality is the idea that rationality is limited, when individuals make decisions, by the tractability of the decision problem, the cognitive limitations of the mind, and the time available to make the decision. Decision-makers, in this view, act as satisficers, seeking a satisfactory solution rather than an optimal one.
In other words, coaches are limited by factors beyond their control. Plainly stated, some just are not that smart. In the words of my good friend, Amauro Austin, "some D1 coaches just don't know what the hell they are looking at." This was clearly the case in the recruitment of Ryan Daly. Coach after coach lamented that he was not an "explosive athlete." They openly cited his lack of foot speed and the fact that he played "below the rim" as factors explaining their lack of a scholarship offer.
I would openly question if I had contacted the right office. I had to remind these guys, I was not trying to reach the track coach. I was not arguing that Ryan should run the 100 or 200 meter dash… Nor, was I suggesting that he be recruited as a high jumper…
"Sorry, coach… my bad… I thought you were looking for good fuckin' BASKETBALL players."
Same with Sessoms… He was too small… Incredibly, some even wondered if he could play at the D1 level at all. This as he was punishing opponent after opponent, it seemed like they were all reading from the same script. He can't really shoot from distance… He's not a true point guard… blah… blah… blah…
Well… We seem to be headed down the same road with Brickus.
Here's script on Jig… He doesn't really play hard… He's more of a small shooting guard… He doesn't like to play defense… He's too cool… He doesn't play against anyone…
Once again, I find myself dealing with the "cognitive limitations" of a lot of D1 coaches.
I just want these guys to be actual rational actors… Unfortunately, more often than we care to admit, Amauro Austin's assessment is dead on…
"Some D1 coaches just don't know what the hell they are looking at."
Gratz Defeats Imhotep, 71-60
December 18, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Gratz Basketball, Public League, Temple Basketball, Uncategorized Tags: Lynard Stewart	Leave a comment
Donta Scott, Dahmir Bishop, Chereef Knox, Jamil Riggins and Faddie Wesley absolutely dominated Public League basketball the last two seasons. Before that Scott was also a key starter on teams featuring Jaekwon Carlyle, Fatts Russell and David Beatty. Indeed, over the past four seasons Imhotep Charter School's basketball team was the equivalent of Gladys Knight and the rest of the Public League were the Pips.
Imhotep was the clear headliner. They featured no fewer that 5 or 6 Division 1 prospects in the lineup at all times. When they boarded the bus and headed to Public League games, the outcome of the game was, more or less, a foregone conclusion. By the end of the night, Imhotep would have another notch on their belt.
The lone exception over a 48 month period was a playoff loss to Jason Harrigan's Del Val Charter led by then super sophomore point guard Antwaun Butler. Other than that, Imhotep whupped everybody.
Del Val Charter Public League Champions
Donta Scott, a 4-year starter for Andre Noble's Panthers NEVER lost a Public League regular season game over the course of his entire high school career.
That's some Wilt, Gene Banks, Rasheed Wallace type shit…
Well… It's a new day in the Pub…
Donta Scott is a key member of the rotation for the 7th ranked Maryland Terrapins. Dahmir Bishop plays a similar role for the Xavier in the Big East. Chereef Knox is adjusting to life in the Atlantic 10 as a member of Billy Lange's first team at St. Joseph's. Jamil Riggins is rounding into form after missing much of the early season with a nagging elbow injury at Quinnipiac. Faddie Wesley shares point guard duties with the mercurial Khalif Meares at Harcum a D1 JUCO nestled against the Villanova campus on Philly's Main Line.
The page has turned at Imhotep…
The cast of characters remains incredibly talented. There's an incredibly strong, experienced and fundamentally sound big man. Elijah Taylor is everything one would want in a student-athlete. He is a true scholar with exceptional grades and strong test scores. He fielded dozens of offers from some of the finest basketball programs and top universities in the nation before committing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Running alongside Taylor is Kamrohn Roundtree, a super-athletic 6-7 power forward. Roundtree is an exceptional leaper, rebounder and shot blocker. While his offensive skills are still rounding into shape, he able to finish in transition better than most high school players in Philadelphia. Plainly stated, Kam will bang that shit on you.
Sammy Wylie is another experienced senior. A 5-10 combo guard, Wylie has participated in games at the very highest level across the country the past few years. The southpaw is a very capable playmaker and scorer.
When combined with supremely gifted youngins like Naji Reid, Rahmir Barno and Justin Edwards, Imhotep once again fields an impressive and formidable varsity basketball team.
But… Unlike last year's version they are not invincible in the Public League.
The Black Cager entered the historic Simon Gratz gymnasium this afternoon and watched Lynard Stewart's Bulldogs soundly defeat the Panthers. Gratz was more composed, more efficient, more aggressive and, dare I say it, BETTER…
Duane Satchel matched up extremely well with Elijah Taylor. Coming in at 6'9" and tipping the scales in the 240 range, Satchel was the BIG man on the court today. He played an intelligent and fundamentally sound floor game. Stewart's experienced guards and wings consistently looked to keep Satchel involved on the offensive end. These guys actually looked like they practice post entry passes. If the pass was a little misguided, Satchel did an excellent job of catching it, regrouping and making good old fashioned low-post, back to the basket post moves. He reciprocated their generosity at the offensive end by corralling a multitude of defensive rebounds and quickly finding his guards for outlet passes to initiate an effective transition offensive attack.
When Imhotep was able to setup their vaunted full court press, the Gratz guards displayed a keen understanding of basic basketball principles. They would flash someone to the middle or throw skip passes diagonally which resulted in 3 on 2 and/or 2 on 1 situations. Led by the sharpshooting Yassir Stover (17 points), the Bulldogs played sound, smart and tough basketball.
The Bulldogs won the game 71-60, after leading by as many as 19 early in the first half. The wire to wire victory was impressive. Lynard Stewart is a DAMN GOOD coach.
With Satchel in the middle, he's able to matchup with Imhotep's athletic bigs. His senior guards were unfazed by the full court pressure. Something tells me that game film has already made its' way around to all the Division A laptops… Any coach that doesn't already have it is lunching… Big time…
Doughty is CLEARLY the Best? That's a Big Fuckin' Thumb on the Scale!
December 9, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Black Basketball Hall of Fame, College Athletics, Collin Gillespie, Fresh Kimble, Philadelphia Catholic League, Public League, Rider Basketball, Uncategorized Tags: Philly Guards	Leave a comment
Inevitably, in any conversation worth having about basketball you end up making comparisons. What I find extremely interesting is size and weight of the "thumb" that is invariably put on the scale. It's one of those things that's always there but it rarely made explicit.
In a recent social media "debate" with my good friend Charles Jones from Born Leader Family, he asserts that Samir Doughty (Auburn/R-Senior) is "easily best college guard [from] our area offensively & defensively."
Samir Doughty, Auburn/R-Senior
That's a STRONG fuckin' statement… Indeed, Jones refuses to consider alternative assessments. While I love the energy and analytical rigor he brings to the discussion, I am not ready to concede that his conclusion is accurate.
Jones did make me realize this topic warrants a more serious evaluation. We need to make some things VERY EXPLICIT so we won't continue the long-standing Philadelphia tradition of talking right past one another.
Toward that end, I want to perform a comparative analysis of some current Philly guards playing NCAA Division 1 basketball. The Below chart is a listing some Philly guards and their "per game" statistics in Division 1 competition.
We chose per game averages instead of career totals for a reason. While interesting and in some ways informative, total stats are really not useful in the present comparative analysis because of the extreme variation in the number of games played. Some have only played as few as 41 and 51 games while others have played in as many as 102 and 107. This wide variation renders a comparison of totals almost meaningless. The per game averages, however, shed some useful light.
Ryan Daly, St. Joseph's/R-Junior
An objective comparison of the actual NCAA Division 1 game performance is fairly straightforward. More points, rebounds, assists and steals per game is better than fewer. As far as scoring is concerned, Sam Sessoms is the most prolific scorer over the course of his career which is also the shortest at 43 games.
But… We all know the game is much more than simply scoring points. Other important factors have to be taken into consideration. Keep in mind the objective here is not to identify the "perfect" way of framing the argument and measuring performance. Rather. the goal is to identify "better" ways of framing the argument. We are trying to lay the foundation for future debates and discussions. Most importantly, we want to help the hundreds of new consumers of Black Cager content understand what is often left unsaid.
Sam Sessoms, Binghamton/Sophomore
We take it seriously and do it a little differently at Black Cager Sports Media.
My man Jones leaves very little unsaid… It was a heated dialogue with him that prompted this essay. He rather forcefully put forth the following assertion, "In meaningless basketball (knowing you gonna lose going into games makes it a lot easier to play. No real pressure). As a ranked team coming off a final 4 you getting teams best punch. Big differentiating factor when u expected to win at the highest level and your expected to lose at a Lower level."
Fair points… Jones has pushed the argument forward on an analytical level. You cannot just look at D1 stats and compare across the board.
Stevie Jordan, Rider/Senior
At it's core, his essential point is that when comparing player performance across conferences to determine which is "better" you have to put the "thumb" on the scale…
SEC points > American East points
SEC rebounds > American East rebounds
SEC assists > American East assists
SEC steals > American East steals
Again, fair points…
After establishing this point, Jones can argue that Doughty with NCAA Division 1 performance stats significantly lower than those of Samuel Sessoms, Ryan Daly, Stevie Jordan (Rider) and several other Philly guards is the "BEST" player. In a very straightforward manner, Jones is arguing that 18.4 ppg in the America East is not equal to nor is it a reasonable predictor for scoring in the Big East, ACC, Big 12, PAC 12, Big 10 or SEC.
Basically… He making it very clear that it's levels to this shit!
Josh Sharkey, Samford/Senior
And… If you don't put your "thumb" on the scale for the Big East/ACC/Big 12/PAC 12, Big 10/SEC player… The comparison is unfair to the high major players and more or less useless.
Jones is right..
With aforementioned data one can compare and contrast any two guards. If we limit ourselves to a "simple" compare-and-contrast analysis, in which the data is weighed equally, we make a HUGE assumption that needs to be made explicit.
Tommy Funk, Army/Senior
We assume that all D1 games are equal. That is simply not the case. In this regard, I agree with Jones.
However, the far more interesting and difficult question becomes: Exactly, how heavy should the thumb be?
Let's walk through two examples. For illustrative purposes, we can conceptualize and measure "impact" per game by simply add the average number of points, rebound, assists and steals per game. This will result is a score for each player we call the Division 1 game "impact" number.
The results are different than our earlier comparison of scoring averages alone. If one compares the resulting impact numbers, Ryan Daley overtakes Sam Sessoms as the leader and Josh Sharkey (Samford) overtakes Tommy Funk (Army). Taking overall performance into account, Daly's ability to rebound at a significantly higher rate than the others explains his jump in the rankings. Same thing with Sharkey's ability to steal the ball. Stevie Jordan's strong overall performance across categories throughout his career at Rider keeps him near the top of the list.
With this data one can compare and contrast any two guards in terms of their performance in NCAA Division 1 games. However, as noted earlier, if we limit ourselves to such a "simple" compare-and-contrast analysis, in which you weigh the data equally, we make a HUGE assumption that needs to be made explicit.
Quade Green, Washington/Junior
We assume that all D1 games are equal. I agree with Jones, that is simply not the case.As a result, the rankings of Doughty, Quade Green (Kentucky/Washington) and Collin Gillespie (Villanova) suffer.
This brings us back to the question at hand: Exactly, how heavy should the thumb be?
Here we make explicit exactly how much the "thumb" weighs in two different examples. Varying weights assigned to the "thumb" result in significant variations in the rankings. In the first example, we use following multipliers to account for the effect of playing in more competitive leagues/conferences:
We multiply the Impact score times 1 for Low Division 1 leagues.
We multiply the impact score times 1.25 for Mid-major Division 1 leagues.
We multiple the impact score times 1.50 for High-Major Division 1 leagues.
Fresh Kimble, Louisville/Graduate Student
In this way we recognize that it is tougher to be a productive player in the A10 Conference than in the America East Conference. This way of accounting for "League Competitiveness" also recognizes that the SEC Conference is tougher than the A10.
When the strength of the conferences is taken into account in this assessment, Doughty makes the biggest jump in the rankings. He goes from 8th to 3rd. Fatts Russell (Rhode Island) moves from 6th to 4th.
Fatts Russell, Rhode Island/Junior
But, this still would be insufficient for some observers. Consider this argument Jones unflinchingly adheres to, "no matter what context you put it in [Doughty] is a better player as a role player and as a primary. More efficient, better defender, better athlete, and is a center piece of winning. I been said the context matters. Meaningful basketball is different. You put it into stats I told u… That [Doughty] is better. You talked about situations and I still told u why. And if you was starting a team and u took any of them players before him you'd prolly [sic] get fired."
But how does one convincingly substantiate the position that Doughty "no matter what context you put it in [Doughty] is a better player"? You simply cannot discard performance in games.
Dave Beatty, La Salle Junior
You have to assume that Doughty has a harder row to hoe…
Statistically, what you have to do is assigned double the weight to every high major point, rebound, assist and steal while holding low to mid-major stats steady. If your rubric assumes that "high major" leagues are twice as difficult as low and mid major leagues, Doughty becomes the clear cut "best" player. See the chart below with such revised Weighted Impact scores.
High major conference impact #s have multiplier of 2. All others have a multiplier of 1. Even when such disparate weight is applied, Daly remains second in the ranking. Passed only by Doughty. Quade Green and Collin Gillespie also surpass all of the low to mid major players on the list.
I'll be the first to admit that the Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big 10, PAC 12 and SEC conferences are tougher that the low to mid-major conferences. But I'm not willing to assign a weight to the high majors that is twice that assigned to the A10, Mountain West and American.
Jones is right… "It's levels to this shit!"
However, the differences between the levels are not as large he would have us believe… Doughty may very well be the best Philly Guard in college basketball, but the discussion is definitely unsettled and ongoing.
Black Cager Sports Media thanks him for introducing some much needed nuance and subtlety into discussion usually driven by personal bias and animosity.
We will revisit this topic every few weeks or so.
Bill Zeits: Donofrio Preview, Triple Threat vs Hunting Park Markieff
April 15, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Public League, Scholastic Basketball, Uncategorized	Leave a comment
By Bill Zeits
Philadelphia, PA: Triple Threat is led by Donta Scott, Hakim Hart, Jamil Riggins and Jameer Nelson Jr. Scott is the do it on both ends of the floor franchise player from Imhotep. Hart is one of the most prolific scorers in the area and is due for a huge game. Riggins has been Triple Threats best offense player in the tournament… He hit 8 treys and grabbed 14 boards in the quarters win..
Jamil Riggins attacks the basket
Nelson Jr is a super athletic and the point guard… He dunked with different hands on 2 straight possessions in the quarters. The 5th starter is Shipley freshman, Khalil Farmer who had 10 points and a couple huge buckets in the quarters. The only sub I remember is Gettysburg commit, Shane Scott who put up 8 in the quarters
Hunting Park is the team I've called "The Pub" throughout the tournament… The Pub is led by 2 Mastery North seniors, Jamir Reed and Lakeem Mcailey and 2 MCS kids Nisine Poplar and Jihad Squid Watson. Reed is a big, physical and tough Philly guard who can score and defend on the other end of the court. McAiley is a lefty who put on a show in the first half in the quarters. He was dominant offensively.
Lakeem McAliley
Poplar is the sophomore who is getting better every game and sky is the limit the next 2 years. Watson is the veteran guard who scored big buckets in the 2nd half as Raw sports tried to rally .Watson either scored the bucket or got the assist to put the game away. The 5th starter is Dahmir Fowlkes. I dont know a lot about Fowlkes other than he showed great energy and the ability to finish on the break. He's only a sophomore like Poplar. The bench of Hunting Park has been among the best in the tournament. The headliner has been Tyrone Williams. Williams had 13 7 5 in the quarters and was all over the court. The 2 remaining players I remember were Taj Campbell and Aaron Harrison. Both players had 6 points in quarters and showed great energy on both ends of floor.
This should be a good one…
James Nelson Stewart: Did you see Jig score 52 against Chester?
March 18, 2019 By delgrecowilson in Public League, Suburban Basketball, Uncategorized	1 Comment
By James Nelson Stewart
The answer for a lot of people standing outside of Spring-Ford High School in the chilly weather is a RESOUNDING NO!!! Two of the historically great PA High School Boys Basketball programs were playing for a right to represent their school in the PA 6A Final Four. Coatesville and Chester, are two teams with not only great and historical programs, they have two of the most passionate fan bases around. Now I'm not saying that Spring-Ford is a bad place to hold a basketball game, but this school is ill-equipped to hold a game of this magnitude at their gymnasium. A police officer from the Royersford Department said the real story was outside the game. He was standing outside as people, even those that had tickets were asked to leave because the Fire Marshal said no more people were allowed inside the gym. Media credentials didn't matter either. Even worse than that, there were two Division 1 coaches that were NOT allowed inside to watch Superb Jr. Jhamir "Jig" Brickus (pictured below) put on a show that people will talk about for many years in this rivalry.
Jhamir Brickus
Another Quarterfinal game was played at the brand new Plymouth Whitemarsh gym, which was poorly constructed for a basketball game of this magnitude. One side of the stands cannot be fully extended because it will extend out onto the court. Now with two programs (Pennridge and Methacton) that are both extending their season longer than ever before in their school's history. Both teams have communities that have an excitement that was never enjoyed before this year. And over 400 fans were turned away from this gym and missed the excitement of Sean Yoder's game-winning buzzer beating step back three point shot.
Pennridge celebrates win over Methacton
So I ask the PIAA officials what can be done to rectify these types of situations and how can we utilize gyms that can hold school communities and their fan bases when they are traveling a good distance and spending their hard earned money to purchase tickets that they could not use. I was also informed that for the FIRST year ever the PIAA did not broadcast the PIAA PA State Wrestling Championships and sold the rights to flowrestling.org, which many people did not have a good viewership to enjoy the wrestling. Wrestling in PA is as big, if not more popular than basketball and again the PIAA has dropped the ball. Instead of celebrating these great events that lasts a lifetime in these student-athlete's lives and communities that share the triumphs with these young athletes, we are talking about the short coming of the entity that has the most to gain from these successful events.
Packed crowd for Coatesville/Chester playoff matchup
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE our Philadelphia Area High School Basketball Scene. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE our PA High School Basketball Scene. We are lucky to have seen Billy Owens at Carlisle High School win 4 straight State basketball titles. We were blessed to see Kobe Bryant finally get past Chester High School and win his District and State Title. I can go down the names of great players that made an impact on the High School Scene. So I want the PIAA to successfully fix some of the problems that can be easily remedied. We are the IMPASSIONED Basketball fan that want solutions because this season has BEEN incredible.
Former Clipper, Moe Nelson watches Coatesville/Chester game
Stevie Mitchell: PA Hoops Legend in the Making!
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O on It's Miller Time! Neuman…
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tjb1013 on The Cahillites Capture South…
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