By Colin Schofield and Jacob Moreno
The month of August usually means basketball is in hibernation as the fireworks of the NBA offseason have died down. In Philadelphia, it marks the beginning of a special weekend: The return of the Danny Rumph Classic.
This year is the 20th rendition of the tournament in honor of Danny Rumph. Thursday night started the festivities with four games as fans packed Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, and it was only right that the Rumph Center kicked off the action.
Game One
Rumph Center got the weekend started against TBB and game one remained close — until it wasn’t.
TBB entered halftime with a 10-point lead, but just 10 minutes into the second half, it was a completely different game. Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin slammed home an alley-oop for the first basket of the second half to send TBB off and running.
Seemingly every shot TBB threw up went in, and it was a 40-point lead in the blink of an eye. TBB went into cruise control for the final 10 minutes to a 92-58 win and let the rest of the field know they mean business.
TBB came out of the gates on fire behind Justin “somebody’s boss” Jaworski. The former Lehigh guard showed why he earned his nickname, becoming everybody’s boss in the first 10 minutes with a trio of threes to give TBB an early double-digit lead.
Rumph Center was not going to go down in the first half without a fight with former UMass guard Rahsool Diggins making sure of that.
Diggins connected on back-to-back threes to lift Rumph Center within single digits. The teams traded baskets in the middle stages of the first half before Jaworski and Martin retook command.
TBB entered halftime with a 10-point lead behind 17 points from Jaworksi and 13 from Martin. A competitive second half looked to be in store, but TBB had other ideas.
TBB continued its surge, and the lead grew with Rumph Center unable to stop it. Guard Erik Timko splashed back-to-back threes during the run, becoming known as “somebody’s lawyer” to in-game host Ghee Funny.
The Rumph Center defense was invisible to TBB as its offense could not find the bottom of the basket. Diggins and Sammie Givens tried to keep Rumph Center competitive, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Martin continued to have his way in the second half, and the competitiveness of the environment came out between him and Nick Jourdain. The two jawed back and forth as Martin continued to make the case for being the best player on the court with two straight buckets on Jourdain. Martin finished with a game-high 29 points and 14 rebounds.
Timko got back in the action near the end of the game with two more three of his own. He finished with four second-half threes and 18 points. Jaworski put a bowtie on the blowout win with one final three-pointer to wow the crowd. Somebody’s boss finished with 25 points and seven made threes.
TBB (1-0) will play a fellow undefeated team Friday night, while Rumph Center (0-1) will look to bounce back and avoid being sent packing early in an elimination game.
Game Two
After taking a one-year hiatus from the Rumph, 2023 Danny Rumph co-MVPs Lamar Stevens and Tone Carr ran it back with L.O.E. in an anticipated return, running it back with L.O.E. It took just 10 minutes for the men to make their introductions, as Stevens delivered a thunderous slam, which gave L.O.E. its first double-digit lead of the game.
But Rex6, who boasts Rumph legends of its own in Wali Hepburn, remained within arm’s reach as L.O.E. couldn’t create separation. Sometimes basketball is as simple as giving the ball to your best player, and that’s exactly what L.O.E. did. Stevens threw down a ferocious jam and signaled to the fans what everyone already thought— that it was the dagger in L.O.E.’s 63-54 win.
Rex6 sprinted out of the gate, scoring five unanswered points before Stevens made his imprint on the contest. L.O.E faced constant pressure, but Stevens found cracks within the defense with ease. He converted six of his first seven attempts from the field, turning Drexel’s gym into his playground.
However, L.O.E. held just a nine-point advantage nearly seven minutes into the first half. While neither team was in much of a rhythm early on, many of Rex6’s miscues were self-inflicted.
Nonetheless, Rex6 was able to establish momentum in the closing minutes of the first half behind Quade Green. Green kept his side afloat with his slashing, scoring 11 of the team’s 37 points in the first 20 minutes. L.O.E.’s offense sputtered, which allowed Rex6 to slowly chip away and cut the deficit to eight points.
L.O.E. quickly regained a double-digit lead as the team returned to its form from the opening stages. Jon Harrar was a calming presence on both ends of the floor, keeping the ball moving and locking down the interior. Still, Rex6 refused to go away. Desi Washington started dicing up L.O.E.’s defense with a barrage of pull-up jumpers off screens and phenomenal court vision.
That was until Stevens showed why he’s a five-year NBA veteran.
Just as Rex6 was gaining steam, he came up with a block in transition. Stevens revitalized L.O.E. with a collection of shots from various spots on the floor in crunch time. He finished with 19 points and five rebounds, which was enough to put Rex6 away.
L.O.E. (1-0) will take on TBB (1-0) in tomorrow’s winners’ bracket, while Rex6 (0-1) will play Rumph Center (0-1) in the losers’ bracket.
Game Three
Following the neck-and-neck game between L.O.E. and Rex6, Coach Tone Runs and F.O.E. looked to follow up the matchup with a barn burner of their own. Instead, Million Dollaz Worth of Game took the lead and never looked back, surging to a wire-to-wire 66 to 56 victory.
Coach Tone Runs of Game grabbed an early nine-point advantage, quickly thrusting F.O.E. into a corner. Donta Scott gave his squad some momentum with five easy points, but the offense quickly dried up.
F.O.E. found relief in Jax Clark and Jamal Cannadt, who accounted for 14 of their 23 first-half points. Still, Million Dollarz Worth of Game kept their foot on the gas defensively. However, they were unable to crack the game open as they started to settle for three-pointers.
However, Coach Tone Runs of Game’s perimeter-oriented strategy began to connect. Stanley Davis began to find his rhythm to send F.O.E. into halftime with an 11-point lead. While Coach Tone Runs had a mostly balanced attack, Richard Granberry was the first player to crack double digits with 10 points through the first 20 minutes.
Coach Tone Runs continued their unselfish ways as Austin Tillman created open looks for his teammates. However, their offense cooled off once again as the threes continued to fall off the mark.
After being held at arm’s length for most of the game, F.O.E. cut the deficit to eight points with less than 12 minutes remaining in the second half. They found success running their offense through Markus Kennedy in the post, but Million Dollaz Worth of Game offense woke up to put the game away.
Stanley Davis and Rahlir Hollis Jefferson gave their squads a lift with a combined 41 points. In the blink of an eye, Coach Tone Runs was back up by 16 points entering the final stages of the game. While F.O.E. received bursts of timely buckets, they weren’t able to sustain it.
Coach Tone Runs (1-0) will play a fellow undefeated team Friday night, while F.O.E. (0-1) will aim to seek redemption and avoid an early exit in an elimination game.
Game Four
The nightcap at the DAC featured Blue Magic and Develop Now for the opportunity to take on Coach Tone Runs. After the first three games were all decided by double digits, Blue Magic and Develop Now struggled to take control of the game in a back-and-forth first half that ended with a three-point Blue Magic lead.
That was until Jordan Hall put on a cape and turned into Superman. The former St. Joseph’s guard put on an absolute show for the remaining crowd, pouring in 40 second-half points to lead Blue Magic to a 92-77 win.
Mir Wilson got the party started for Develop Now with a plethora of made shots and shifty ball handling in the opening minutes. His efforts couldn’t give Develop Now a comfortable lead as Hall and Wayne Marshall traded baskets to keep Blue Magic within reach.
Develop Now remained close behind Jazere Noel’s back-to-back threes, and then Noel gave his team the lead back with a mid-range jumper. The teams continued to trade punches as the first half came to a close.
Hall delivered a perfect behind-the-back pass to Tyrone Williams for an easy layup with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Wilson continued his strong first half and drilled a deep three just before the buzzer sounded to cut Develop Now’s deficit to three at halftime.
Hall entered halftime leading the Blue Magic with 12 points, but once the second half got underway, the former St. Joseph’s guard took his play to another level.
He connected on three straight threes as the second half opened to extend Blue Magic’s lead to double digits. There continued to be no answer for Hall as the second half wore on, as he made shot after shot despite Develop Now’s best efforts.
Wilson continued to try and match Hall with a bucket of his own, but no one could go shot for shot with Hall in the DAC. Develop Now kept single coverage on Hall, and he made them pay over and over.
Hall was hitting everything, from threes to mid-range jumpers and fadeaways, while also getting to the rim and displaying his ability to finish in the paint.
As the clock wound down, Hall was nearing a 50-piece and made sure he reached the milestone. Hall went away from the three-ball and took his defender to the rim, where he hit a reverse layup to give him 50 points.
Hall put the icing on the cake for his performance with a windmill dunk to give him 52 points, with 40 coming in the second half. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out four assists.
Wilson did everything he could to give Develop Now a chance at a win, pouring in 34 points with eight made threes, but in the end, Hall’s hot hand was too much to handle.
Blue Magic (1-0) will take on Coach Tone Runs in a battle of undefeated teams tomorrow, while Develop Now (0-1) will do battle with F.O.E. to try and avoid elimination.