Team Workout Series: Sidwell is Well Situated

Ron Bailey, Publisher

The Quakers are poised to make noise.

November 3, 2010 – Known for challenging academics, a laid-back approach demanding accountability and the organizational culture well versed in accommodating the children of high profile individuals – President Barack Obama’s daughters attend – Sidwell Friends is highly regarded not only in the District-Maryland-Virginia area but nationally. As such, the institution with a tuition of around $30,000 per year has no shortage of applicants.

But that high profile has not consistiently been seen by Sidwell’s boys basketball team in years; generally there are maybe 3 college scholarship-level players on the squad, none destined for Division I. The last widely recruited baller to grace the Wisconsin Avenue institution was likely its present coach, Eric Singletary, who starred for the Quakers from 1989 to 1993, before moving on to Rice University.

Jamal Lewis puts up a shot.

Well, that’s changed now. Enter Jamal Lewis.

“He’s poised to break all my records” said a surprisingly energetic Singletary of Lewis’ prowess after a 6:15a, unsupervised workout this week. That includes scoring, assists and steals, though the first, putting up numbers, may be a stretch, since “We have better people around him then I did”.

Sophomore guard Matt Hillman has expanded his game.

Who are those guys?

A trio of young players will join Lewis in the backcourt, making the Quaker’s attack extremely dangerous. This includes sophomores Matt Hillman, Phil McGoin and Josh Hart. Hillman (6’, 175 lbs) is a good shooting guard that has improved his ball handling and passing, while Hart, a 6’4”, 185 lb swingman, is athletic, strong, and has a nose for the ball, leading him to tenaciously rebound, score and strap up (defend). McGloin, standing 5’8” and weighing 140 lbs is a scrappy playmaker that seems to do whatever is necessary.

That threesome is joined by frontcourt guys Aidan Meinhein, a 6’6”, 185 pound sophomore transfer from Georgetown Day who Singletary indicated “runs the foor, can hit the 15-17 foot jumper and is a good rebounder”, and 6’6”, 175” pound junior forward Justin Hilton, a guy whose coach shared “Runs the floor, rebounds and slashes”. One can’t forget senior center Gave Singer, who at 6’5” and 205 lbs rebounds, defends, and “is the heart and soul of the team”.

Phill McGloin, a soph, makes plays.

Surely this influx of size – not many Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference foes can match it – is an advantage. “It will help” said Singletary of his frontline, “as far as games we got pounded on the glass we didn’t do well (last year)”.

Not only will last year’s MAC regular season co-champions, who lost at the buzzer during post season tourney play, need size during the regular season, but it will be demanded during out-of-conference action as well, given a challenging slate including opening up with Landon, November 29th, playing local schools Georgetown Prep, St. Albans, and The Heights, while also hosting a tip-off classic boasting Chavez, Takoma Academy, Wilson, Dunbar and others. The Quakers are headed to Ft. Lauderdale for a Christmas tourney to boot.

But ultimately, the team will be carried by Lewis, a 6’1”, 170 lb junior guard that has been offered a scholarship by the likes of George Washington, VCU, Boston College and Penn, with others being interested (for that complete list, see Twitter.com/ronbailey19). Having become stronger and more fully developed his jumper, Jamal is poised for a heckuva year, one in which he’s simply the straw that stirs Sidwell’s drink: Look for him to score, find people, defend and lead. That last quality, leadership, is very impressive, as Lewis has matured not only on the hardwood, but off it (he led the rooster-wakeup workout). Lewis is developing before everyone’s eyes.

A transfer from Montgomery County, MD, sophomore Josh Hart has a high motor and upside.

If the Quakers are capable of exceeding last year’s 18-11 record while meeting Singletary’s stated goals of “Winning the conference championship, win all our home games”, do well in non-conference play and meet a “top 20-25 (DMV)” mark, which is being brandied about inside his program, the team will surely have its new Sidwell Friends Athletic Center rocking; A state of the art facility recently completed on campus and costing 10’s of millions of dollars, the SFAC, according to Singletary, could provide the general advantage of “giving kids and hopefully alumni and all supporters something to rally around” in addition to functioning as a home court advantage.

The stakes are high for this year’s Quaker group. It would seem they are built for them, well situated for it.