Basketball

Some of the top scorers in Southeastern Pennsylvania boys' and girls' basketball. Statistics through Tuesday. Boys Name   School   Gms.   Pts.   Avg.    Rysheed Jordan   Vaux   15   390   26.0    Brendan Casper   Methacton   16   356   22.3    Merdic Green   Truman   17   373   21.9    Jamier Cross   Carroll   16   351   21.9    Mike Sturdivant   Masterman   16   348   21.8    Matt Crider   Owen J. Roberts   17   368   21.6    Kendale Truitt   George Washington   16   344   21.5    Danil Mateo   Samuel Fels   14   299   21.4    Ben Holl   Friends Select   14   297   21.1    Tyree Bynum   Penn Wood   15   314   20.9    Mikal Bridges   Great Valley   16   335   20.9    Steve Vasturia   St.

Player             School    Class             Major Adewale Adefemi   Sciences   Sr.      Pharmaceutical mgmt. Sharif Bray         Cheyney      Sr.    Recreation and leisure Juan Fernandez   Temple      Jr.       Broadcast journalism Steve Weingarten La Salle      Sr.    History and Am. studies Mouphtaou Yarou Villanova   So.    Finance and intl. bus.

QUEENS, N.Y. - One by one, each basketball made its way out the front door of the West Philadelphia row home. The ball that was scuffed and marked from being pounded into the playground court - gone. The one that swished for his 1,000th high school point - gone. The ball that earned him the nickname, "Too Easy" - gone. More than just old basketballs, they were painful reminders of a young life that was stolen away. After the killing of his younger brother, Halim, Nurideen Lindsey couldn't look at a basketball - let alone touch one - anymore.

Alssene Saintilus is one of the most intriguing basketball players in South Jersey. He also is a lesson in the power of persistence. The 6-foot-6 senior forward for Williamstown can dunk in traffic, knock down three-pointers, block shots, and play defense on the perimeter. He's still scratching the surface of his potential, mainly because he's still learning about varsity competition. But it's not Saintilus' considerable athletic ability that's the secret to his sudden success.

Penn's basketball team received oral commitments from three players for the 2011-12 season, including a pair of international recruits. On Monday, the Quakers received a commitment from Miller Grove (Ga.) forward Henry Brooks, a source told Scout.com's Evan Daniels. Brooks, rated by ESPN as the nation's 74th best power forward, reportedly chose Penn over Minnesota, Tennessee and Missouri. Joining Brooks will be recruits Keelan Cairns of Ireland and Simeon Esprit of England, both of whom committed Sunday night after visiting Penn last week.

THE RALPH BROOKS Tot Lot is supposed to be a safe haven for kids in Point Breeze who want to get some exercise and stay out of trouble. But the bare-bones basketball court, at 20th and Tasker streets, feels anything but safe and welcoming. If you set foot on the court, your eyes either find empty lots or an imposing three-story mural nearby that bares the names of dozens of local folks who have lost their lives to violence. That gritty vision is set to soon change, thanks to an ambitious plan that's been crafted by a local nonprofit, city officials and longtime neighborhood residents.

Prep Charter will not face penalties for using two girls' basketball players with falsified addresses, said Robert Coleman, the School District of Philadelphia's executive director of athletics. Although they were academically ineligible to attend the South Philadelphia charter, Coleman said "athletically they are eligible. " Coleman is also the chairperson of PIAA District 12. According to a report by the School District's inspector general's office, Hannah Timmons and Martianna Wilson commuted to Prep Charter from Coatesville, but the school listed them with Southwest Philadelphia addresses.

Villanova and Syracuse have agreed to a home-and-home men's basketball series over the next two seasons. Syracuse will play Villanova in the Carrier Dome on Dec. 28, and the Wildcats will host the Orange at the Wells Fargo Center in 2014 at a date to be determined. Tryout for Arcidiacono. Ryan Arcidiacono, a freshman point guard at Villanova, accepted an invitation to participate in the 2013 USA Basketball men's under-19 National Team training camp. The camp will be held on June 15-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Brian Smith, a 27-year-old basketball trainer and instructor from North Philadelphia, fulfilled his mission Sunday to dribble a basketball the entire 10 miles of the Broad Street Run to raise awareness of how the sport helps young people. However, he was a little late in getting started after he was detained by police for about two hours for having a book bag with him in addition to his basketball, Smith said. Smith explained that he had planned to give the bag, which contained his cell phone and a change of shirt, to friends who would be meeting him at the finish line.

Brian Smith sincerely believes that basketball is a means for inner-city children to gain positive opportunities out in the world. And he would do just about anything he could to bring awareness to that ideal. How about dribbling a basketball 10 miles? Smith, 27, a basketball trainer and instructor from North Philadelphia, will participate in Sunday's Broad Street Run and plans to dribble a basketball for the entire 10-mile route, from Fisher Avenue to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rick Pitino became a Hall of Famer and an NCAA champion on the same day. Now the Louisville basketball coach is positioned to become a Kentucky Derby-winning owner if Goldencents wins on Saturday. Talk about the greatest four weeks ever. Despite attempts to downplay Pitino's hot streak, his appearance for Wednesday's workout at Churchill Downs showed how much people like being around a winner. He looked every bit the rock star wearing sunglasses as he walked through a throng of Cardinals and race fans who had waited patiently outside the barn.

Commissioner Mike Aresco and some staffers of the newly named American Athletic Conference were in Philadelphia on Tuesday, stopping at member school Temple, then touring the Palestra, a possible site for the postseason conference basketball tournament. "We're definitely interested," Aresco said in a phone call from 30th Street Station after seeing the Palestra. "It's a revered place in college basketball. Given our druthers, we're looking for a smaller arena, more intimate, at least in the beginning.

THE PGA TOUR dropped its doping case against Vijay Singh yesterday based on new information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which said using deer antler spray is no longer prohibited because it contains such small amounts of a growth hormone factor. "The bottom line is that given the change by WADA, we are dropping the case against Mr. Singh," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. Finchem said Singh's appeal of the sanctions was almost over when WADA, which had warned about the spray in February, told the tour Friday it no longer considers the use of deer antler spray to be prohibited except for a positive test result.

At first, Herb Magee wasn't sure. It had been more than half a century since Magee stood in this spot, between Cell Blocks 5 and 6 inside Eastern State Penitentiary on Fairmount Avenue. The sights all around him quickly began matching up to his memories. Magee could envision inmates sitting on a low-hanging roof over a cell block, watching a basketball game, a game he was playing in. "This is it," Philadelphia University's Hall of Fame coach decided. Magee had been there a couple of times to play against inmates, once in high school, once in college.