Jarrad Saffren projects the league champions, district qualifiers and first team all-league selections in his SOL season preview.
2017-18 Suburban One League Boys Basketball Season Preview
All three SOL leagues look strong at top
By Jarrad Saffren
Suburban One League boys’ basketball is back. The 2017-18 high school season opens this weekend with a full schedule of tournaments across the Philadelphia area. Most SOL teams open their seasons this weekend. The rest will start sometime next week.
All three SOL leagues—the National, Continental and American—enter the season with two clear title contenders, and another group of teams with cores to replace. The clear title contenders all have at least two key players back. Read about them, and others, below, as we project league champions, district playoff qualifiers and first team all-league selections.
SOL American
League champion: Plymouth Whitemarsh. The Colonials have won four straight SOL American titles and are 53-3 in league play during that span. They went 14-0 against American opponents last year, despite losing much of their 2015-16 core that won the district championship. This year, unlike last year, PW returns an experienced core. All-league guards Ahmin and Ahmad Williams are back, as is all-league center Naheem McLeod, a 7-foot-2 behemoth with rapidly improving skills. Cheltenham has turned into a worthy rival for PW in the American, and the Panthers also return three all-league players. But they went 0-2 against PW last year, and with so many players back for both teams, there is no reason to expect a different result in 2017-18.
Other district playoff qualifiers:Cheltenham, Wissahickon
First Team
Guard: Ahmad Williams, Plymouth Whitemarsh—Williams, a First Team All-SOL American selection last year, is the best returning player in the American.
Guard: Ahmin Williams, Plymouth Whitemarsh—Ahmin, a second team all-league selection last year, should form a dynamic backcourt duo with his equally fast twin brother, Ahmad, in 2017-18.
Forward: Jack Clark, Cheltenham—Clark, a La Salle commit and Philly Pride AAU standout, thrived on the Under Armour AAU circuit this summer, leading Philly Pride to the national finals.
Forward: Zach Reiner, Wissahickon—Reiner is a fourth-year varsity player, third-year starter and two-time all-league selection. The 6-foot-4 hybrid fills the stat sheet.
Center: Naheem McLeod, Plymouth Whitemarsh—The 7-foot-2 center dominated the glass, blocked a ton of shots and developed his offensive game last year. Look for him to post consistent double-doubles and backbone a suffocating Colonials defense in 2017-18.
Sixth Man: Ahmad Bickley, Cheltenham—Bickley is the point guard and engine of Cheltenham’s prolific offense. He was an all-league selection last year.
SOL National
League champion:Abington. The Galloping Ghosts have been the best SOL team in all three leagues over the past half decade, winning two district championships, two SOL Tournament titles, five straight league titles and compiling a 66-2 league record. They have developed into a consistently dominant program under eighth-year coach Charles Grasty, and this year, they return the two players most responsible for their last two league titles, and last year’s district title: Forward Eric Dixon and guard Robbie Heath, both Division I college prospects. Dixon and Heath were both First Team All-SOL National selections in 2016-17. They should be again this year. Abington also brings back third team selection Lucas Monroe, Dixon’s junior classmate, who also has two years of varsity experience under his belt. Neshaminy has Chris Arcidiacono, a DI prospect in his own right. But Neshaminy does not have enough talent around Arch to beat Abington for the league title.
Other district playoff qualifiers:Neshaminy, Bensalem
First Team
Guard: Chris Arcidiacono, Neshaminy—In 2016-17, Arcidiacono filled four statistical categories (21.4 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.2 steals) and led Neshaminy to its first district playoff appearance in six years.
Guard: Robbie Heath, Abington—Against high school guards, especially in a public school league, Heath can get to the rim against anybody.
Forward: Eric Dixon, Abington—Dixon has been the best player in this conference since the start of his freshman season in 2015.
Forward: Christian Jabbar, Council Rock South—Jabbar is the only returning rotation player from CR South’s 2016-17 district playoff team. He is capable of shutting down the other team’s best player and leading his team in scoring on the same night.
Center: Danny Bodine, Neshaminy—Bodine, a 6-foot-8 project, continues to grow and improve his skills. Neshaminy expects him to thrive in the pick-and-roll with Arcidiacono.
Sixth Man: Ward Roberts, Bensalem—With Richard Dean graduated, Roberts takes over as Bensalem’s go-to guy. He is an athletic slasher capable of averaging double-digit points per game.
SOL Continental
League champion:Central Bucks West. Despite often looking like the best, most well-coached team in the Continental, the Bucks have finished second for three straight years. But they look ready to finally claim the SOL Continental title in 2017-18. They return their three best players in all-around forward Collin MacAdams, low post bruiser Jake Reichwein and two-way guard Shane McCusker, who were named to the Continental first, second and third teams, respectively, in 2016-17. This year is shaping up a lot like 2015-16 in the Continental, when the Bucks had a deep rotation and balanced lineup, and their chief rival for the league title, Pennridge, had a dynamic inside-outside duo in Max Wagner and Dan Long. The Rams have a similar duo this year in center Jon Post and point guard Sean Yoder, both all-league selections as sophomores last year. The CB West-Pennridge rivalry should again determine the Continental title. Look for West, with more key seniors, to edge the younger Rams this time.
Other district playoff qualifiers:Pennridge, North Penn, Central Bucks South
First Team
Guard: Sean Yoder, Pennridge—Yoder, a tall point guard who can score and pass equally well, may have been the best player in the Continental last year, as a sophomore.
Guard: Shane McCusker, Central Bucks West—McCusker can complement MacAdams and Reichwein on offense and defend the other team’s best guard.
Forward: Collin MacAdams, Central Bucks West—MacAdams is the rare high school forward who can play outside and inside, facing the basket or back to the basket.
Forward: Jake Reichwein, Central Bucks West—Reichwein is also a football player, a linebacker, and he’s built like one. His bulk and strength give opposing forwards fits in the post.
Forward: Jon Post, Pennridge—Post was a Second Team All-SOL Continental selection as a sophomore in 2016-17. He needs to get more consistent for Pennridge to challenge CB West for the league title.
Sixth Man: Nate Robinson, Central Bucks South—Robinson was a third team all-league selection last year, as a junior. The point guard is an equally capable passer and scorer.
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