Guru’s Induction Acceptance Speech Entering the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame

Reader Note – from best memory since did several audibles off the copy l brought with me.

 

Marilyn Stephens at end of intro: You got two minutes Mel!

 

Mel: Gee the email said 3-5 (laughter)

 

First a note not to count on my time: Michael Horsey, l’m glad you’re here tonight because when I get inquiries, ‘How can we get a WNBA team in Philly?’ I send them right to you ‘cause I know you and Dawn (Staley) can get things done, especially involving the first hurdle.

 

Secondly, Ollie Johnson (Temple), I was there that night (as a manager),  when our freshman team played yours (a local junior college), and I remember right after on the way back Skippy Wilson saying, ‘We have to get that guy to come to us.’

 

I was told 3-5 minutes, and in an upset, I will try to stay near that, though when the Naismith Hall of Fame gave John Chaney their request for brevity, if you look online at his speech, you’ll notice the video minutes marker is listed at 41.2. 

 

When I got the Gowdy Media Award several years ago in Springfield (Mass) from the Naismith folks, l thought now I had the complete set – the closest previous to a grand slam was reading the menu at Denny’s. 

 

Apparently not and I am thrilled to be up here.

 

Congrats to all the other inductees here tonight, l’m exceptionally thrilled that the event feels like a homecoming with two Temple teammates from my days as a men’s basketball manager in John Baum and Clarence Brookins.

 

But I’d like to make a technological correction, all those stats you (audience) heard earlier, l’m the one who scored most of their points seated as a manager on the book at the table. (Laughter response).

 

Dawn Hoover is a former Owl I covered, and then there’s the great Cheyney women’s team under C. Vivian Stringer who I was privileged to cover the inaugural NCAA year when they advanced to the title game.

 

 Hopefully we’ll soon see this team on induction night in Springfield.

 

Getting old for me is having covered Yolanda Laney on that team and now I’m still standing, not counting the piece of metal inserted in my right hip last May, seeing her All-Star daughter Betnijah perform in the WNBA.

 

A shout-out to my guest here in national Associated Press women’s writer Doug Feinberg as well as to Mike Flynn, the Philly Belles AAU honcho here for me and several other of his past stars in the class.

 

In the ‘friend’ category you (the hall) placed me for tonight you need to think about Mike in the future as well as the great Daily News high school writer Ted Silary, responsible for so much coverage of stars you watched and sadly he passed away earlier this summer.

 

When I got into this back in 1976, l was just trying to figure it out in an era that featured the last days of typewriters, though it also included weekly calls from Coach Chaney berating me cause Viv’s team hadn’t made it yet, never mind that I was just a ballot counter of the coaches’ votes.

 

But soon thereafter, in a tournament at Queens, they crushed the Kansas squad featuring Lynette Woodard and the home team, and then got voted in the next week and stayed a long, long time.

 

If you count the total components of what has been part of my era, the players and coaches did most of the work, though I will admit one does undergo beads of sweat when games are still undecided down the stretch and the newspaper deadline is 15 minutes away. 

 

I’ll conclude leaving you with this: on several notable occasions when l have had to take the podium, especially in my role running the women’s side of the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and stay tuned on that for a big announcement in the near future involving coach Stringer, l have said there are times in one room, we are not players, coaches, referees, fans, or media.

 

We are just one big basketball family and certainly tonight is one of those nights. 

 

Thank you.

Guru Picking Up 9th Hall of Fame Honor Courtesy of the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Greetings all as we near the end of the summer.

 

First, since I haven’t written since the conclusion of the summer league, though I have been following the WNBA by remote, this is week 16 since the right hip replacement surgery on May 5 and I am pleased to report things going well.

 

I’ve been doing either one or two one-hour physical therapy sessions a week nearby, many times in tandem with my brother-in-law Perry Swartz, who lives nearby and did a knee replacement three weeks after my procedure.

 

They’re pleased with the progress and many times recently in dining out I have parked the cane, though I will take it to unknown situations at times as a safety valve in bad weather or balancing needs.

 

Off what’s going on in the collegiate world, I am not looking forward to next summer when I will have to relocate a bunch of teams in the current conference affiliate column with a lot of AP poll appearances history in the database.

 

Now, a reason to address you all at the moment is upon the conclusion of earning the Gowdy Media Award for print in 2021 from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, I figured I had the complete set of all the honors accumulate in later years.

 

Apparently not.

 

This Saturday, besides other major additional awards, the ninth in the Hall of Fame count will happen locally under the friend category from the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

The event at 4 p.m. will be held in Northeast Philly at the Emerald Room, 14002 McNulty Road, which is very near the intersection of the Roosevelt Boulevard (Route 1) and Southampton Road and Philadelphia Community College.

 

If you want to attend, tickets are $80 covering a buffet dinner with a cash bar and while the public deadline was last Saturday, if you wish to attend, contact me and I’ll pass your name on to former local and University of Maryland great Moe Howard, one of the organizers.

 

Special thanks to former Temple great Marilyn Stephens, who had a hand I believe in my nomination.

 

This class, the total names which I learned over the weekend, is posted at the bottom, and has a strong Temple presence, including two Owls teammates from my basketball managing days in Clarence Brookins and our class of ’69 NIT championship leader John Baum. 

 

Marc Jackson is also on the list, as are two former Philadelphia Belles AAU stars in Val Phillips and Jaydean Day, and former La Salle standout Doug Overton.

 

Dawn Hoover is also an inductee as is the Cheyney 1982 NCAA women’s runner-up team.

 

That is all for the moment, feel free to communicate any more needed information from me. 

My email is poll416@gmail.com.

Sebold Stays Hot at the Line as 5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2) Gains Three-Peat in Third Playoff Upset Downing 2-Seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) in Philly Women’s Summer League

By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg @womhoops.com

 

HATBORO, Pa. – In one of the more amazing outcomes in the long history of the Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League championship games, five-seed Pink (Draft Team-2) made it a three-peat completing a revenge-playoff run Tuesday night upsetting two-seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 65-56 at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

 

The game was live streamed for the second straight year on Ari Bluestein’s Sports Fan Based Network, Luke Nichols returning on the call.

 

Repeating the closing act she had done in the semifinals Thursday when she was 13-of-14 from the line in the last two minutes in the 71-60 upset shocker of top seed and previously unbeaten Team Black (D2-Jefferson), this time Chestnut Hill’22 grad Cassie Sebold by way of Archbishop Wood was 11-of-12 in the final three minutes as Pink ended what had been a nine-game win streak by the Tigers.

 

Holy Family’s sole loss was in the season-opener, falling in overtime as a winning rally was completed by Jefferson, a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Southern Division rival in the winter.

 

 Sebold finished the title game with a team high 23 points. She scored 55 points in Pink’s three playoff wins (18.3/game) with a 31-for-34 effort from the free throw line in the three contests.  

Fellow CHC alum Abbey Spratt added nine points as did USciences alum Taylor Hamm, who averaged 12 points per game in the three contests.

Sky Blue was paced by Anujin Dashdorj, who sank six three-point baskets and finished with 24 points.  Syler Searfoss added nine points in the losing effort.

The teams were tied for the ninth time in what had been a back-and-forth contest going into the final 10-minute fourth quarter, the score knotted by Kate Connelly’s (Drexel ’22) putback that evened things at 45-45.  

 

Hamm opened the fourth quarter with a free throw and Lauren Crim (Chestnut Hill ’23) added a basket to give Pink a three-point lead 48-45.  

 

Two minutes later Ava Morrow tied the score at 48-48 with a free throw at the 6:39 mark.

 

 Pink scored the next four points with Spratt making two free throws and Sebold a long jumper to lead 52-48 with 4:13 left, forcing a Sky Blue timeout.

  

Sebold’s basket was Pink’s last of the game as they proceeded to make eight trips to the free throw line over the final 2:53, starting with four straight connections from Sebold to complete an 8-0 run to take a 56-48 lead with 1:52 left.

  Dashdorj then made her fifth three of the game to cut the lead to 56-51.  

Three more Pink free throws pushed the lead back to eight before Taylor Hinkle made a spectacular shot while falling to the floor to close the lead to six 59-53 with 45 seconds remaining.

  Pink then secured the win with six more free throws, outscoring Sky Blue 6-3 over the final 45 seconds to secure the alumni team’s third consecutive championship.

Seven ties and six lead changes highlighted the first two quarters with a Searfoss basket putting Sky up 30-29 with three minutes left in the quarter. 

Pink countered with an 11-3 spurt to close off the half and take their biggest lead at the time 40-33.  A Lexie Edwards (Cabrini’21) three-point basket and a buzzer beating layup from Hamm highlighted the final run of the quarter. 

Sky Blue used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to retake the lead 45-43 after falling behind by nine.

  Jessica Riepe started the run with a pair of free throws followed by baskets from Searfoss and Morrow.

  Dashdorj then sank a three-ball to tie the game and Hinkle added a basket to put Sky Blue back on top.

  Sky Blue had outscored Pink 12-3 in the period until Connolly made the basket as time was expiring to tie the game for the ninth time as both teams headed into the final ten-minute quarter which Pink dominated as they pulled away for the win. 

Pink is one of the three draft teams in the nine-team league with a mix of players, this one dominated by graduates, though this summer, even with eight of 11 together from last year, the overall group is not the same as the past stars of the former USciences bunch that captured the previous two crowns.

 

USciences merged with D-1 Saint Joseph’s several seasons ago, the athletic program a casualty of the move.

 

Holy Family won the 2019 crown, and the league was idle the summer of 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic.

 

“It’s amazing, these women don’t pick up a basketball for 10 months and they keep coming here doing this,” said one fan with the Pink squad.

 

Pink went 4-4 on this summer’s eight-game schedule, losing to the top four seeds, though Tuesday was the first time the entire team was available opposed to nights players had other commitments.

 

The paybacks began in last Tuesday’s quarterfinals with a 63-52 triumph when Pink ousted four-seed Red (D2-Chestnut Hill).

 

 Holy Family had easily won the season’s regular meeting 67-51 against Pink on June 29^th before the league went dark the following week for the July 4^th holiday.

 

Next summer will be the 30^th-anniversary running the league by Commissioner David Kessler

 

2023 CHAMPIONS - TEAM PINK – DRAFT TEAM 2

 

4    SHANNON MAY 5’4 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/USCIENCES ‘22

5    IRISA YE 5’8 NORTH PENN/U SCIENCES ‘21

10  ERIN MORGAN 5’8 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/LaSALLE ‘22

11  LAUREN CRIM 5’5 LANSDALE CATHOLIC/CHESTNUT HILL ‘23

12  LEXIE EDWARDS 5’10 ARCHBISHOP WOOD & C.B. SOUTH/CABRINI ‘21

13  ABIGAIL SPRATT 5’7 C.B. WEST/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22

14  VANESSA AMSINGER 5’10 MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY/COLORADO COLLEGE ‘21

15  JEN KREMP 5’9 JENKINTOWN/U SCIENCES ‘22

20  KATE CONNOLLY 6’1 DREXEL U. ‘23 

21  CASSIE SEBOLD 5’5 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22

22 TAYLOR HAMM 6’ PERKIOMEN/U SCIENCES ‘22

 

Final Regular Season Standings (Thru ., Tues., July 18)

 

Team W L Pct. GB PF PA

 

XS-Black 8 0 1.000 — 470 365

F-Sky Blue 7 1 .875 1 517 412

S-Purple 6 2 .750 2 594 474

Q-Red 5 3 .625 3 451 446

C-Pink 4 4 .500 4 409 455

Q-Kelly Green 3 5 .375 5 361 374

Q-Royal Blue 2 6 .250 6 413 496

Maroon 1 7 .125 7 367 429

Q-Sun 0 8 .000 8 351 421 

 

X-Clinched top seed; Q-quarterfinalist; S-semifinalist; F-Finalist; C-champion

 

Players Scoring 20 or More Points

 

29-Cassie Murphy, Black, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 15

25-Leah Johnson, Purple, L, vs. Sky Blue, Sems, July 27

24- Anujin Dashdorj, Sky Blue, L, vs. Pink, Championship, August 1

24-Alexa Abbonizio, Purple, W, vs. Kelly Green, July 18

23-Cassie Sebold, Pink, W, vs. Sky Blue, Championship, August 1

23-Michelle Kozicki, Purple, W, vs. Maroon, June 15

22-Cassie Seybold, Pink, W, vs. Black, Sems, July 27

22-Anna McTamney, Purple, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 29

21-Taylor Hamm, Pink, W, vs. Maroon, July 18

20-Miranda Liebtag, Royal Blue, W, vs. Sun, July 18

20-Ava Morrow, Sky Blue, W, vs. Pink, June 29

20-Sam Yencha, Black, W, vs. Maroon, June 27

20-Bridie McCann, Red, W, vs. Royal Blue, June 27

20-Taylor Hamm, Pink, W, vs. Sun, June 27

20-Valerie McGriff, Purple, W, vs. Maroon, June 15

22-Haley Meinel, Black, (W-OT) vs. Sky Blue, June 13

20-Cassie Murphy, Black (W-OT), vs. Sky Blue, June 13

20-Ava Morrow, Sky Blue (L-OT), vs. Black, June 13

 

Season Running Results from Playoffs Thru June 13

 

Playoffs

 

Tuesday, August 1

 

Championship

 

 (Live Stream-Sports Fan Based Network)

 

5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2), 65, 2-Seed Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) 56 

 

Thursday, July 27

 

Semifinals

 

5-Seed Pink (Draft Team-2) 71, 1-Pink (Jefferson) 60

2-Seed Sky Blue (Holy Family) 67, 3-Seed Purple (West Chester) 51

 

Tuesday, July 25^th

 

Quarterfinals

 

1-Seed/Black (Jefferson) 60, 9-Seed/Sun (Draft Team-3) 58

2-Seed Sky Blue (Holy Family) 79, 7-Seed/Royal Blue (Cabrini) 42

3-Seed/Purple (West Chester) 59, 6-Seed/Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 53

5-Seed/Pink (Draft Team-2) 63, 4-Seed/Red (Chestnut Hill) 52

 

Thursday, July 20

 

Play-In Round

 

9-Sun (Draft Team 3) 57, 8-Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 49 ||

 

Tuesday, July 18 (Regular Season Ends)

 

Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 56, Sun (Draft Team-3) 51

Black (D2-Jefferson) 72, Red (D2-Chestnut Hill 41

Purple (D2-West Chester) 67, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 66

Pink (Draft Team-2) 72, Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 49

Bye: Sky Blue (D2-Holy Family) (7-1)

 

Thursday, July 13

 

Black (Jefferson) 58, Pink (Draft Team-2) 38 

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 62, Red (Chestnut Hill) 43

Purple (West Chester) 79, Sun (Draft Team-3) 59

Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 2, Maroon (Arcadia) 0, forfeit 

 

Tuesday, July 11

 

Red (Chestnut Hill) 51, Sun (Draft Team-3) 50

Pink (Draft Team-2) 40, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 37

Black (Jefferson) 65, Purple (West Chester) 62

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 80, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 45

 

 Bye: Maroon (Arcadia)

 

Tuesday, July 4/Thursday July 6

 

Dark (Holiday Week)

 

Thursday, June 29

Purple (West Chester) 84, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 55

Maroon (Arcadia) 58, Sun (Draft Team-3) 55

Black (Jefferson) 55, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 43

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 67, Pink (Draft Team-2) 51   

Bye: Red (4-1)

 

Tuesday, June 27

 

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 70, Purple (West Chester) 63

Black (Jefferson) 83, Maroon (Arcadia) 52

Pink (Draft Team-2) 59, Sun (Draft Team-3) 52

Red (Chestnut Hill) 61, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 47 

Bye: Kelly Green (2-2) 

 

Thursday, June 22

 

Black (Jefferson) 2, Sun (Draft Team-3) 0, forfeit 

Red (Chestnut Hill) 67, Pink (Draft Team-2) 51

Royal Blue (Cabrini) 61, Maroon (Arcadia) 48

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 50, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 41

 Bye: Purple (3-0) 

 

Tuesday, June 20

 

Purple (West Chester) 62, Red (Chestnut Hill) 52

Pink (Draft Team – 2) 49, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 42

Kelly Green (Draft Team -1) 59, Sun (Draft Team – 3) 40

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 63, Maroon (Arcadia) 54

Bye: Black (Jefferson) 

 

Thursday, June 15

 

Black (Jefferson) 64, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 61

Red (Chestnut Hill) 76, Kelly Green (Draft Team-1) 54

Sky Blue (Holy Family) 57, Sun (Draft Team-3) 44

Purple (West Chester) 94, Maroon (Arcadia) 58

Bye: Pink

 

Tuesday, June 13

 

Black (Jefferson) 71, Sky Blue 68 (Holy Family), ovt.

Kelly Green (Draft-1) 59, Royal Blue (Cabrini) 46

Purple (West Chester) 83, Pink (Draft-2) 49

Red (Chestnut Hill) 60, Maroon (Arcadia) 48

 Bye – Sun (Draft-3)

   

Season Seed Tracker 

 

Codes: BK – Black; KG – Kelly Green; MR-Maroon; PK- Pink; PU-Purple; RD-Red; RB-Royal Blue; SB-Sky Blue; SU-Sun; FW – Forfeit Win; FL-Forfeit Loss

 

*Black (D2-Jeff) 8-0: W-SB (OT); W-RB; Bye; FW-SU; vs. W-MR; vs. W-KG; vs. W-PU; vs. W-PK; vs. W-RD

 

Sky Blue (D2-Holy Fam) 7-1: L-BK (OT); W-SU; W-MR; W-KG; vs. W-PU; vs. W-PK; vs. W-RB; vs. W-RD; Bye

 

Purple (D2-West Chester) 6-2: W-PK; W-MR; W-RD; Bye; vs. L-SB; vs. W-RB; vs. L-BK; vs. SU; vs. W-KG

 

Red (D2-Chestnut Hill) 5-3: W-MR; W-KG; L-PU; W-PK; vs. W-RB; Bye; vs. W-SU; vs. L-SB; vs. L-BK

 

Pink (Draft-2) 4-4: L-PU: Bye, W-RB; L-RD; vs. W-SU; L-SB; vs. W-KG; vs. L-BK; vs. W-MR

 

Kelly Green (Draft-1) 3-5: W-RB; L-RD; W-SU; L-SB; Bye; vs. L-BK; vs. L-PK; vs. FW-MR; vs. L-PU

 

Royal Blue (D3-Cabrini) 2-6: L-KG; L-BK; L-PK; W-MR; vs. L-RD; vs. L-PU; vs. L-SB; Bye; vs. W-SU

 

Maroon (D3-Arcadia) 1-7: L-RD; L-PU; L-SB; L-RB; vs. L-BK; vs. W-SU; Bye; vs. FL-KG; vs. L-PK

 

Sun (Draft-3) 0-8: Bye; L-SB; L-KG; FL-BK; vs. L-PK; vs. L-MR; vs. L-RD; vs. L-PU; vs. L-RB

 

*-Clinched Top Seed