The Big 5 College Basketball Thread

cutz

I may see him play next weekend.

https://twitter.com/HHHardwood/status/1402723973981409283

cutz

I was only able to see the 2nd-Half. I kept Stats and Simpson had 24 points.

I was talking with a friend of mine, who's a scout, and he thinks he's better then St. Joes & Rider, who also has offered. 

And, after this weekend I read he was offered by Bowling Green and Delaware. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten higher offers yet. Maybe he will, eventually?

https://twitter.com/HHHardwood/status/1406393161107259395

cutz

https://twitter.com/Miller_Report/status/1407126262561263619

cutz

https://twitter.com/RP3natural/status/1406971666140434434

cutz

Jordan Hall goes full circle, will return to Saint Joe’s

The transfer portal taketh away, the transfer portal giveth.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Wednesday that Atlantic 10 all-rookie guard Jordan Hall intends to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Saint Joseph’s for his sophomore season nearly two months after he announced his transfer to Texas A&M . The Athletic confirmed Rothstein’s report with Hall and Neumann-Goretti coach John Brennan. The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft and maintain college eligibility is July 7.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on,” Hall told The Athletic. “Right now, I don’t have a lot of answers for you. Based on the feedback I got and how this whole (NBA Draft combine) process went, I’m just going to go back to Saint Joe’s. Home is where the love is, so that’s where I’m going to go.”

https://twitter.com/jordanhall31/status/1410348601683943427

Last season on Hawk Hill, Hall emerged as one of the better freshmen in the A-10, averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. He finished first in the nation among freshmen in assists and second in the conference in assists per game. In an overtime thriller against La Salle on Feb. 20, Hall recorded the fourth triple-double in program history. He appeared in all 20 games for the Hawks with 18 starts.

Hall’s departure from Saint Joe’s in late April was seen as a significant blow for the program that finished the 2020-21 season at 5-15 and in 13th place in the A-10. The team also lost its leading scorer in Ryan Daly this offseason, along with junior Myles Douglas and senior Anthony Longpré.

When The Athletic spoke with Hall at the time of his announcement, the 6-foot-8 freshman said his decision to transfer stemmed from personal family reasons — not bad blood with teammates, coaches or the program. Those close to Hall painted a picture of a star player in need of a change of scenery for reasons bigger than basketball.

“I think he just needs to find somewhere to grow, others around him to push him a little bit more,” Neumann-Goretti assistant Andrew Bowman said in April. “Getting away from Philly and the area will let him focus more on those things.”

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Hall said he received “valuable feedback” from NBA teams. And after sitting down with family and discussing that feedback, he felt that it was in his best interest to return to Saint Joe’s. According to multiple reports, Hall impressed in workouts during his time in Chicago. There were even some reputable reporters projecting him to be a first-round pick in the 2022 draft.

Perhaps the idea is that Hall can be “The Man” on Hawk Hill next season and become a more attractive prospect competing against A-10 competition, rather than being just another guy in the SEC, a conference littered with NBA talent and extremely athletic perimeter players.

“Jordan Hall will be a first-rounder on my 2022 NBA mock draft,” wrote USA Today NBA reporter Bryan Kalbrosky. “He is the only underclassman on record 6-foot-7 or taller with an assist rate above 35.0 percent. He projects well as both a (ballhandler) and shot creator at the next level.”

This obviously changes everything for Billy Lange and the Hawks, who were expected to enter next season without a true primary ballhandler. Junior Taylor Funk, last season’s second-leading scorer, will be back, along with sophomores Cameron Brown, Jack Forrest, Rahmir Moore and Dahmir Bishop and freshman Jadrian Tracey.

The Hawks this offseason also added Vanderbilt transfer Ejike Obinna, East Carolina transfer Charles Coleman and wing Kacper Klaczek from Poland. Those three newcomers will help address the team’s size and toughness issues on the interior. And now the team has a true point guard in addition to its point guard of the future, freshman Erik Reynolds, waiting in the wings.

It almost goes without saying that Saint Joe’s outlook next season now appears a lot more promising. And Hall is eager to return to the mix.

“I am most looking forward to reconnecting with my teammates and building upon the success we had late last season,” Hall told ESPN. “On a personal level, I am looking forward to improving my entire game and developing leadership qualities.”

pjhawks

Don't often feel bad for Nova guys but Bryan Antoine is hurt again.  Feel bad for that kid.  3 straight years hurt.  He can't catch a break.

Looking forward to college hoops again.  Can't wait to get back into Hagan for games this year.  

cutz

^^^^Man, that does suck.^^^^^

I saw him play quiet a few games his SR year in HS and he hurt his shoulder then. There were games where he'd have to come out of the game and pop his shoulder in so he could play. Looking back, he probably should've had it  taken care of but he was trying to win a State Championship and the TOC.

cutz

I haven't seen him, but I'd have to think my friend has(I'll ask him)

And according to the article Nova only offered 3 players and all 3 have committed. 

https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1446190949609230336

The Juggler

LET'S
GO
CATS

cutz

Here's what my friend has to say about Cam Whitmore (saw him play since his Frosh year)

Skilled, strong, versatile wing forward with athleticism and toughness. Young for his age. Powerful downhill driver with muscular, explosive moves to the basket off a good first step. Can also post and power up to score. 3-ball off the catch is much improved and makes him an elite recruit.  Eruptive lift to slam lobs, rebound and block shots. Good FT %. Always good for one or two “Wow!” plays a game

pjhawks

cutz said:

Here's what my friend has to say about Cam Whitmore (saw him play since his Frosh year)

Skilled, strong, versatile wing forward with athleticism and toughness. Young for his age. Powerful downhill driver with muscular, explosive moves to the basket off a good first step. Can also post and power up to score. 3-ball off the catch is much improved and makes him an elite recruit.  Eruptive lift to slam lobs, rebound and block shots. Good FT %. Always good for one or two “Wow!” plays a game

Didn't think Jay would take 5-star guys figuring they wouldn't stay around.

and is Jermaine Samuels the first 30 year old to play in the Big 5?  seems like he has been there for 9 years.

pjhawks

Down goes Nova…again and again and again.  Dumb asses

https://twitter.com/ramseyboltin/status/1454893531974311936?s=21

Johnny Abruzzo

I'm currently in a stand-off with Temple U Athletic Dept about their idiotic refusal to require vax for attendance at hoops games.

pjhawks

Johnny Abruzzo said:

I'm currently in a stand-off with Temple U Athletic Dept about their idiotic refusal to require vax for attendance at hoops games.

St. Joe's is not requiring it either but are requiring masks for attendance.  Will see how much people actually wear in the arena though.  Flyers and Sixers and require it too but doesn't seem like many people are wearing it.  Went to a show at Keswick a few weeks ago and they basically didn't enforce it in the performance area but wanted it worn in lobby.   

Johnny Abruzzo

Keswick requires vax card right?

pjhawks

Johnny Abruzzo said:

Keswick requires vax card right?

Yes Keswick checked vax card and IDs at door and required mask inside but in the performance area didn't enforce it. Was as smooth as Sea Hear Now in checking. no issues at all.

eeriepadave

Good matchup between UCLA and Nova. I hate west coast games though. Go Nova!

eeriepadave

eeriepadave said:

Good matchup between UCLA and Nova. I hate west coast games though. Go Nova!

well someone was bound to lose.

The Juggler

West coast game. Shmest coast game. There's no reason to start that at 11:30 our time last night. Absolutely ridiculous. 

I really like this Nova squad this year. Was impressed with Dixon in the first half last night. Go Cats

eeriepadave

The Juggler said:

West coast game. Shmest coast game. There's no reason to start that at 11:30 our time last night. Absolutely ridiculous. 

I really like this Nova squad this year. Was impressed with Dixon in the first half last night. Go Cats

the game ended at like 1:45 AM.

pjhawks

eeriepadave said:

The Juggler said:

West coast game. Shmest coast game. There's no reason to start that at 11:30 our time last night. Absolutely ridiculous. 

I really like this Nova squad this year. Was impressed with Dixon in the first half last night. Go Cats

the game ended at like 1:45 AM.

great game and not because nova lost.  Juzang might be my favorite player in the country. love his game.

just realized the regionals are at the Wells Fargo Center this year. Which means the NCAA will once again let nova play home games if/when they make the sweet16.

Johnny Abruzzo

Saw the Owls vs. USC Saturday - we were getting crushed and made a nice run to make it a game. Basically a feel-good loss.

cutz

Some sad news to pass along.

It's sad how he passed as his Doctors are mystified. He was told by Staff that he'll be getting out there, though it was going to be a long term stay. (He e-mailed me from the Hospital, and I got the same e-mails mentioned in the article.)

He was a GREAT friend to me and many others. Not only did we go to LOTS of HS Hoop games, but quite a few concerts over the years(Dead, Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam, just to name a few.)

When I would Post about a incoming recruit that my Friend told me about, who was a Scout, and I would then  pass along to you guys. 

This is the man: RIP my Friend

Norm Eavenson, 74, a huge figure in the Philadelphia basketball community | Mike Jensen

Eavenson, who died Sunday, was omnipresent on the local hoops scene as a high school talent evaluator. His other interests included music and political campaign buttons.

by Mike JensenPublished 3 hours ago

You knew Norm Eavenson was going through it, by his own words. He was an exact writer, precision so firmly embedded in this man’s DNA. Double-vaccinated, Eavenson had been scheduled to get a COVID booster, but COVID got to him first, mystifying even his doctors. He emailed a bunch of people a couple of weeks ago from the hospital, his message titled, “I am still here.” A few words were misspelled. He was going through it for sure, but matter-of-fact in explaining details, his oxygen level dropped.

The full swath of Philadelphia basketball was paying attention to all of it. Eavenson wasn’t just a hoops junkie but a foundational figure within the Philly hoops orbit. The retired social studies and history teacher from West Chester had 65 Division I schools subscribing to his Middle Atlantic Recruiting Service, built up from his years evaluating boys’ high school basketball talent.

So the full swath of Philly hoops plus many others are now in mourning. A phone call came Sunday night. Norm Eavenson, 74, had passed away at 4:50 p.m.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had a keen eye for raw talent

“Norm was the brother I never had,” said Larry Otter, who had been at the hospital. An attorney who had met Eavenson in graduate school at Villanova five decades ago, Otter stayed close, had Eavenson over every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, had children who called Eavenson “Uncle Norm,” and also had bonded over a hobby that had nothing to do with basketball.

Norm collected political campaign buttons, and figured he had “ballpark, maybe 25,000″ buttons.

“I think the oldest item I have, I have a ribbon for Henry Clay in 1844,” Eavenson told me in 2017, noting he has buttons from every presidential campaign from 1896 on up.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had buttons from every Presidential campaign from 1896 on

Norm and I talked on the phone maybe one morning a month, starting usually with a basic hoops question, where the obvious route to an answer was CALL NORM. (“Yo, what’s up?” he’d answer with a half chuckle, always ready to engage.) Conversations typically strayed around the sport, pleasantly. His phone number, the same one he’d had since childhood, stays seared in my brain from the days before cellphone contact lists. (Norm never had a cell, although rumor had it that he had a burner in recent years.)

“I gave him that burner for Christmas I guess two years ago,” said Bill Hopton, Norm’s friend since kindergarten in 1952. “The funny part, he said to me, ‘I’m really glad you gave me that phone.’ … ‘You making a lot of calls on it?’ … ‘No, I’m downloading my concert tickets on it.’ "

Music was another Norm thing. He saw the Rolling Stones for the first time in 1965 and never missed a Stones tour since. The Grateful Dead were his true love. Norm had tickets for Woodstock, just planning to get up for the Sunday show because that’s when The Band was to appear. Even before they got to the New York border, police in New Jersey told Norm and Bill they weren’t getting in. Sure enough.

Those two went to Palestra doubleheaders together on Saturday nights, had Flyers season tickets for years. Norm, a Gettysburg College graduate, had convinced Bill to get his teaching certificate, both going to Immaculata for certification classes. Norm taught middle school social studies in Kennett Square while Bill taught it in Chichester. They’d also see each other frequently in high school gyms since Bill was a referee.

Norm was such a welcome presence at any basketball gathering, often sitting in his $15 blue folding chair, comfortably away from the bleachers. He never lost his way, never got caught up in his own importance. He was important, though. Irreplaceable now on the local scene. When he heard Eavenson was in the hospital, La Salle coach Ashley Howard mentioned how the whole Explorers basketball staff would go out to lunch with Norm once a year just to pick his brain.

Norm was the guy everyone gravitated toward, not away from.

“There was a complete person here,” Hopton said. “There weren’t any holes.”

Norm Eavenson inside West Catholic's gym.Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer

Norm emailed his own basketball thoughts frequently, and joined Twitter to express them publicly, with 5,023 followers. We had sat together in probably 50 gyms over the years, and made a point of getting lunch once or twice a year. All this had been true for most of the last 33 years. My oldest continuous professional relationship, I realized this weekend.

Norm was the kind of guy you could email late on a Saturday afternoon last December, asking if he had the roster of the team LeBron James had played on during the fabled ABCD camp.

“It would be the camp for what year?” Norm emailed that night after getting back from a game. “Pretty sure I have it.”

Told it was 2001, Norm immediately sent back a screen shot of his own handwritten roster and a box score.

Norm Eavenson's roster notes from ABCD Camp in 2001Courtesy of Norm Eavenson

I’d asked him recently about a player who had just committed to a Big 5 school. He told me, then emailed later that day, the email titled “cleaned up comments.” He had a sentence about this player being “young for his age.” Did he mean young for his grade, or that he was immature? I didn’t write about this player yet, told myself I’d get back to Norm to clarify that.

This month, Norm’s great friends and hoop evaluators Allen Rubin and Steve Keller got whatever medical updates they could from the hospital and passed them on. After Norm was put on a ventilator last week, Keller visited, heard “Concerto in D Minor or something like that” being piped in the room, asked the nurse if it was possible to switch it to the Grateful Dead. Yes, each room gets its own music, Keller was told. He went home and downloaded 10 Dead albums.

The end came too soon to make the change, and the word passed quickly, around Philly hoops and beyond. An out-of-town Division I head coach reached last night said he’d already heard from a Big 5 head coach.

That email from Norm on Nov. 1 went out to a bunch of friends. Not a threat, Norm said, “but if I pass,” to please play Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead “to know how I felt about you.”

pjhawks

cutz said:

Some sad news to pass along.

It's sad how he passed as his Doctors are mystified. He was told by Staff that he'll be getting out there, though it was going to be a long term stay. (He e-mailed me from the Hospital, and I got the same e-mails mentioned in the article.)

He was a GREAT friend to me and many others. Not only did we go to LOTS of HS Hoop games, but quite a few concerts over the years(Dead, Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam, just to name a few.)

When I would Post about a incoming recruit that my Friend told me about, who was a Scout, and I would then  pass along to you guys. 

This is the man: RIP my Friend

Norm Eavenson, 74, a huge figure in the Philadelphia basketball community | Mike Jensen

Eavenson, who died Sunday, was omnipresent on the local hoops scene as a high school talent evaluator. His other interests included music and political campaign buttons.

by Mike JensenPublished 3 hours ago

You knew Norm Eavenson was going through it, by his own words. He was an exact writer, precision so firmly embedded in this man’s DNA. Double-vaccinated, Eavenson had been scheduled to get a COVID booster, but COVID got to him first, mystifying even his doctors. He emailed a bunch of people a couple of weeks ago from the hospital, his message titled, “I am still here.” A few words were misspelled. He was going through it for sure, but matter-of-fact in explaining details, his oxygen level dropped.

The full swath of Philadelphia basketball was paying attention to all of it. Eavenson wasn’t just a hoops junkie but a foundational figure within the Philly hoops orbit. The retired social studies and history teacher from West Chester had 65 Division I schools subscribing to his Middle Atlantic Recruiting Service, built up from his years evaluating boys’ high school basketball talent.

So the full swath of Philly hoops plus many others are now in mourning. A phone call came Sunday night. Norm Eavenson, 74, had passed away at 4:50 p.m.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had a keen eye for raw talent

“Norm was the brother I never had,” said Larry Otter, who had been at the hospital. An attorney who had met Eavenson in graduate school at Villanova five decades ago, Otter stayed close, had Eavenson over every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, had children who called Eavenson “Uncle Norm,” and also had bonded over a hobby that had nothing to do with basketball.

Norm collected political campaign buttons, and figured he had “ballpark, maybe 25,000″ buttons.

“I think the oldest item I have, I have a ribbon for Henry Clay in 1844,” Eavenson told me in 2017, noting he has buttons from every presidential campaign from 1896 on up.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had buttons from every Presidential campaign from 1896 on

Norm and I talked on the phone maybe one morning a month, starting usually with a basic hoops question, where the obvious route to an answer was CALL NORM. (“Yo, what’s up?” he’d answer with a half chuckle, always ready to engage.) Conversations typically strayed around the sport, pleasantly. His phone number, the same one he’d had since childhood, stays seared in my brain from the days before cellphone contact lists. (Norm never had a cell, although rumor had it that he had a burner in recent years.)

“I gave him that burner for Christmas I guess two years ago,” said Bill Hopton, Norm’s friend since kindergarten in 1952. “The funny part, he said to me, ‘I’m really glad you gave me that phone.’ … ‘You making a lot of calls on it?’ … ‘No, I’m downloading my concert tickets on it.’ "

Music was another Norm thing. He saw the Rolling Stones for the first time in 1965 and never missed a Stones tour since. The Grateful Dead were his true love. Norm had tickets for Woodstock, just planning to get up for the Sunday show because that’s when The Band was to appear. Even before they got to the New York border, police in New Jersey told Norm and Bill they weren’t getting in. Sure enough.

Those two went to Palestra doubleheaders together on Saturday nights, had Flyers season tickets for years. Norm, a Gettysburg College graduate, had convinced Bill to get his teaching certificate, both going to Immaculata for certification classes. Norm taught middle school social studies in Kennett Square while Bill taught it in Chichester. They’d also see each other frequently in high school gyms since Bill was a referee.

Norm was such a welcome presence at any basketball gathering, often sitting in his $15 blue folding chair, comfortably away from the bleachers. He never lost his way, never got caught up in his own importance. He was important, though. Irreplaceable now on the local scene. When he heard Eavenson was in the hospital, La Salle coach Ashley Howard mentioned how the whole Explorers basketball staff would go out to lunch with Norm once a year just to pick his brain.

Norm was the guy everyone gravitated toward, not away from.

“There was a complete person here,” Hopton said. “There weren’t any holes.”

Norm Eavenson inside West Catholic's gym.Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer

Norm emailed his own basketball thoughts frequently, and joined Twitter to express them publicly, with 5,023 followers. We had sat together in probably 50 gyms over the years, and made a point of getting lunch once or twice a year. All this had been true for most of the last 33 years. My oldest continuous professional relationship, I realized this weekend.

Norm was the kind of guy you could email late on a Saturday afternoon last December, asking if he had the roster of the team LeBron James had played on during the fabled ABCD camp.

“It would be the camp for what year?” Norm emailed that night after getting back from a game. “Pretty sure I have it.”

Told it was 2001, Norm immediately sent back a screen shot of his own handwritten roster and a box score.

Norm Eavenson's roster notes from ABCD Camp in 2001Courtesy of Norm Eavenson

I’d asked him recently about a player who had just committed to a Big 5 school. He told me, then emailed later that day, the email titled “cleaned up comments.” He had a sentence about this player being “young for his age.” Did he mean young for his grade, or that he was immature? I didn’t write about this player yet, told myself I’d get back to Norm to clarify that.

This month, Norm’s great friends and hoop evaluators Allen Rubin and Steve Keller got whatever medical updates they could from the hospital and passed them on. After Norm was put on a ventilator last week, Keller visited, heard “Concerto in D Minor or something like that” being piped in the room, asked the nurse if it was possible to switch it to the Grateful Dead. Yes, each room gets its own music, Keller was told. He went home and downloaded 10 Dead albums.

The end came too soon to make the change, and the word passed quickly, around Philly hoops and beyond. An out-of-town Division I head coach reached last night said he’d already heard from a Big 5 head coach.

That email from Norm on Nov. 1 went out to a bunch of friends. Not a threat, Norm said, “but if I pass,” to please play Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead “to know how I felt about you.”

So sorry for your loss Cutz.  I've heard a lot about him over the years.  How did you get to know him?  Sounds like a great guy.  How can you go wrong with hoops and the Grateful Dead?

cutz

pjhawks said:

cutz said:

Some sad news to pass along.

It's sad how he passed as his Doctors are mystified. He was told by Staff that he'll be getting out there, though it was going to be a long term stay. (He e-mailed me from the Hospital, and I got the same e-mails mentioned in the article.)

He was a GREAT friend to me and many others. Not only did we go to LOTS of HS Hoop games, but quite a few concerts over the years(Dead, Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam, just to name a few.)

When I would Post about a incoming recruit that my Friend told me about, who was a Scout, and I would then  pass along to you guys. 

This is the man: RIP my Friend

Norm Eavenson, 74, a huge figure in the Philadelphia basketball community | Mike Jensen

Eavenson, who died Sunday, was omnipresent on the local hoops scene as a high school talent evaluator. His other interests included music and political campaign buttons.

by Mike JensenPublished 3 hours ago

You knew Norm Eavenson was going through it, by his own words. He was an exact writer, precision so firmly embedded in this man’s DNA. Double-vaccinated, Eavenson had been scheduled to get a COVID booster, but COVID got to him first, mystifying even his doctors. He emailed a bunch of people a couple of weeks ago from the hospital, his message titled, “I am still here.” A few words were misspelled. He was going through it for sure, but matter-of-fact in explaining details, his oxygen level dropped.

The full swath of Philadelphia basketball was paying attention to all of it. Eavenson wasn’t just a hoops junkie but a foundational figure within the Philly hoops orbit. The retired social studies and history teacher from West Chester had 65 Division I schools subscribing to his Middle Atlantic Recruiting Service, built up from his years evaluating boys’ high school basketball talent.

So the full swath of Philly hoops plus many others are now in mourning. A phone call came Sunday night. Norm Eavenson, 74, had passed away at 4:50 p.m.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had a keen eye for raw talent

“Norm was the brother I never had,” said Larry Otter, who had been at the hospital. An attorney who had met Eavenson in graduate school at Villanova five decades ago, Otter stayed close, had Eavenson over every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, had children who called Eavenson “Uncle Norm,” and also had bonded over a hobby that had nothing to do with basketball.

Norm collected political campaign buttons, and figured he had “ballpark, maybe 25,000″ buttons.

“I think the oldest item I have, I have a ribbon for Henry Clay in 1844,” Eavenson told me in 2017, noting he has buttons from every presidential campaign from 1896 on up.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had buttons from every Presidential campaign from 1896 on

Norm and I talked on the phone maybe one morning a month, starting usually with a basic hoops question, where the obvious route to an answer was CALL NORM. (“Yo, what’s up?” he’d answer with a half chuckle, always ready to engage.) Conversations typically strayed around the sport, pleasantly. His phone number, the same one he’d had since childhood, stays seared in my brain from the days before cellphone contact lists. (Norm never had a cell, although rumor had it that he had a burner in recent years.)

“I gave him that burner for Christmas I guess two years ago,” said Bill Hopton, Norm’s friend since kindergarten in 1952. “The funny part, he said to me, ‘I’m really glad you gave me that phone.’ … ‘You making a lot of calls on it?’ … ‘No, I’m downloading my concert tickets on it.’ "

Music was another Norm thing. He saw the Rolling Stones for the first time in 1965 and never missed a Stones tour since. The Grateful Dead were his true love. Norm had tickets for Woodstock, just planning to get up for the Sunday show because that’s when The Band was to appear. Even before they got to the New York border, police in New Jersey told Norm and Bill they weren’t getting in. Sure enough.

Those two went to Palestra doubleheaders together on Saturday nights, had Flyers season tickets for years. Norm, a Gettysburg College graduate, had convinced Bill to get his teaching certificate, both going to Immaculata for certification classes. Norm taught middle school social studies in Kennett Square while Bill taught it in Chichester. They’d also see each other frequently in high school gyms since Bill was a referee.

Norm was such a welcome presence at any basketball gathering, often sitting in his $15 blue folding chair, comfortably away from the bleachers. He never lost his way, never got caught up in his own importance. He was important, though. Irreplaceable now on the local scene. When he heard Eavenson was in the hospital, La Salle coach Ashley Howard mentioned how the whole Explorers basketball staff would go out to lunch with Norm once a year just to pick his brain.

Norm was the guy everyone gravitated toward, not away from.

“There was a complete person here,” Hopton said. “There weren’t any holes.”

Norm Eavenson inside West Catholic's gym.Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer

Norm emailed his own basketball thoughts frequently, and joined Twitter to express them publicly, with 5,023 followers. We had sat together in probably 50 gyms over the years, and made a point of getting lunch once or twice a year. All this had been true for most of the last 33 years. My oldest continuous professional relationship, I realized this weekend.

Norm was the kind of guy you could email late on a Saturday afternoon last December, asking if he had the roster of the team LeBron James had played on during the fabled ABCD camp.

“It would be the camp for what year?” Norm emailed that night after getting back from a game. “Pretty sure I have it.”

Told it was 2001, Norm immediately sent back a screen shot of his own handwritten roster and a box score.

Norm Eavenson's roster notes from ABCD Camp in 2001Courtesy of Norm Eavenson

I’d asked him recently about a player who had just committed to a Big 5 school. He told me, then emailed later that day, the email titled “cleaned up comments.” He had a sentence about this player being “young for his age.” Did he mean young for his grade, or that he was immature? I didn’t write about this player yet, told myself I’d get back to Norm to clarify that.

This month, Norm’s great friends and hoop evaluators Allen Rubin and Steve Keller got whatever medical updates they could from the hospital and passed them on. After Norm was put on a ventilator last week, Keller visited, heard “Concerto in D Minor or something like that” being piped in the room, asked the nurse if it was possible to switch it to the Grateful Dead. Yes, each room gets its own music, Keller was told. He went home and downloaded 10 Dead albums.

The end came too soon to make the change, and the word passed quickly, around Philly hoops and beyond. An out-of-town Division I head coach reached last night said he’d already heard from a Big 5 head coach.

That email from Norm on Nov. 1 went out to a bunch of friends. Not a threat, Norm said, “but if I pass,” to please play Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead “to know how I felt about you.”

So sorry for your loss Cutz.  I've heard a lot about him over the years.  How did you get to know him?  Sounds like a great guy.  How can you go wrong with hoops and the Grateful Dead? Thanks, pjhawks

I got to know Norm by going to A LOT of HS Hoop Events in the 90's, where we would run into each other often. 

He was a GREAT guy who I don't think had an enemy, and that can be difficult when you're a HS Basketball Scout. He helped A LOT of young people , by not only scouting, but as a school teacher.

Yeah man, Hoops, The Dead and Pearl Jam too(he went to a few shows with me and was going to another show on Tour that is postponed)

PENN tribute( from practice today)

https://twitter.com/natgraham42/status/1460360374369329152

Johnny Abruzzo

Sorry for your loss. :(

pjhawks

cutz said:

pjhawks said:

cutz said:

Some sad news to pass along.

It's sad how he passed as his Doctors are mystified. He was told by Staff that he'll be getting out there, though it was going to be a long term stay. (He e-mailed me from the Hospital, and I got the same e-mails mentioned in the article.)

He was a GREAT friend to me and many others. Not only did we go to LOTS of HS Hoop games, but quite a few concerts over the years(Dead, Rolling Stones and Pearl Jam, just to name a few.)

When I would Post about a incoming recruit that my Friend told me about, who was a Scout, and I would then  pass along to you guys. 

This is the man: RIP my Friend

Norm Eavenson, 74, a huge figure in the Philadelphia basketball community | Mike Jensen

Eavenson, who died Sunday, was omnipresent on the local hoops scene as a high school talent evaluator. His other interests included music and political campaign buttons.

by Mike JensenPublished 3 hours ago

You knew Norm Eavenson was going through it, by his own words. He was an exact writer, precision so firmly embedded in this man’s DNA. Double-vaccinated, Eavenson had been scheduled to get a COVID booster, but COVID got to him first, mystifying even his doctors. He emailed a bunch of people a couple of weeks ago from the hospital, his message titled, “I am still here.” A few words were misspelled. He was going through it for sure, but matter-of-fact in explaining details, his oxygen level dropped.

The full swath of Philadelphia basketball was paying attention to all of it. Eavenson wasn’t just a hoops junkie but a foundational figure within the Philly hoops orbit. The retired social studies and history teacher from West Chester had 65 Division I schools subscribing to his Middle Atlantic Recruiting Service, built up from his years evaluating boys’ high school basketball talent.

So the full swath of Philly hoops plus many others are now in mourning. A phone call came Sunday night. Norm Eavenson, 74, had passed away at 4:50 p.m.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had a keen eye for raw talent

“Norm was the brother I never had,” said Larry Otter, who had been at the hospital. An attorney who had met Eavenson in graduate school at Villanova five decades ago, Otter stayed close, had Eavenson over every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, had children who called Eavenson “Uncle Norm,” and also had bonded over a hobby that had nothing to do with basketball.

Norm collected political campaign buttons, and figured he had “ballpark, maybe 25,000″ buttons.

“I think the oldest item I have, I have a ribbon for Henry Clay in 1844,” Eavenson told me in 2017, noting he has buttons from every presidential campaign from 1896 on up.

» READ MORE: Eavenson had buttons from every Presidential campaign from 1896 on

Norm and I talked on the phone maybe one morning a month, starting usually with a basic hoops question, where the obvious route to an answer was CALL NORM. (“Yo, what’s up?” he’d answer with a half chuckle, always ready to engage.) Conversations typically strayed around the sport, pleasantly. His phone number, the same one he’d had since childhood, stays seared in my brain from the days before cellphone contact lists. (Norm never had a cell, although rumor had it that he had a burner in recent years.)

“I gave him that burner for Christmas I guess two years ago,” said Bill Hopton, Norm’s friend since kindergarten in 1952. “The funny part, he said to me, ‘I’m really glad you gave me that phone.’ … ‘You making a lot of calls on it?’ … ‘No, I’m downloading my concert tickets on it.’ "

Music was another Norm thing. He saw the Rolling Stones for the first time in 1965 and never missed a Stones tour since. The Grateful Dead were his true love. Norm had tickets for Woodstock, just planning to get up for the Sunday show because that’s when The Band was to appear. Even before they got to the New York border, police in New Jersey told Norm and Bill they weren’t getting in. Sure enough.

Those two went to Palestra doubleheaders together on Saturday nights, had Flyers season tickets for years. Norm, a Gettysburg College graduate, had convinced Bill to get his teaching certificate, both going to Immaculata for certification classes. Norm taught middle school social studies in Kennett Square while Bill taught it in Chichester. They’d also see each other frequently in high school gyms since Bill was a referee.

Norm was such a welcome presence at any basketball gathering, often sitting in his $15 blue folding chair, comfortably away from the bleachers. He never lost his way, never got caught up in his own importance. He was important, though. Irreplaceable now on the local scene. When he heard Eavenson was in the hospital, La Salle coach Ashley Howard mentioned how the whole Explorers basketball staff would go out to lunch with Norm once a year just to pick his brain.

Norm was the guy everyone gravitated toward, not away from.

“There was a complete person here,” Hopton said. “There weren’t any holes.”

Norm Eavenson inside West Catholic's gym.Steven M. Falk/Staff Photographer

Norm emailed his own basketball thoughts frequently, and joined Twitter to express them publicly, with 5,023 followers. We had sat together in probably 50 gyms over the years, and made a point of getting lunch once or twice a year. All this had been true for most of the last 33 years. My oldest continuous professional relationship, I realized this weekend.

Norm was the kind of guy you could email late on a Saturday afternoon last December, asking if he had the roster of the team LeBron James had played on during the fabled ABCD camp.

“It would be the camp for what year?” Norm emailed that night after getting back from a game. “Pretty sure I have it.”

Told it was 2001, Norm immediately sent back a screen shot of his own handwritten roster and a box score.

Norm Eavenson's roster notes from ABCD Camp in 2001Courtesy of Norm Eavenson

I’d asked him recently about a player who had just committed to a Big 5 school. He told me, then emailed later that day, the email titled “cleaned up comments.” He had a sentence about this player being “young for his age.” Did he mean young for his grade, or that he was immature? I didn’t write about this player yet, told myself I’d get back to Norm to clarify that.

This month, Norm’s great friends and hoop evaluators Allen Rubin and Steve Keller got whatever medical updates they could from the hospital and passed them on. After Norm was put on a ventilator last week, Keller visited, heard “Concerto in D Minor or something like that” being piped in the room, asked the nurse if it was possible to switch it to the Grateful Dead. Yes, each room gets its own music, Keller was told. He went home and downloaded 10 Dead albums.

The end came too soon to make the change, and the word passed quickly, around Philly hoops and beyond. An out-of-town Division I head coach reached last night said he’d already heard from a Big 5 head coach.

That email from Norm on Nov. 1 went out to a bunch of friends. Not a threat, Norm said, “but if I pass,” to please play Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead “to know how I felt about you.”

So sorry for your loss Cutz.  I've heard a lot about him over the years.  How did you get to know him?  Sounds like a great guy.  How can you go wrong with hoops and the Grateful Dead? Thanks, pjhawks

I got to know Norm by going to A LOT of HS Hoop Events in the 90's, where we would run into each other often. 

He was a GREAT guy who I don't think had an enemy, and that can be difficult when you're a HS Basketball Scout. He helped A LOT of young people , by not only scouting, but as a school teacher.

Yeah man, Hoops, The Dead and Pearl Jam too(he went to a few shows with me and was going to another show on Tour that is postponed)

PENN tribute( from practice today)

https://twitter.com/natgraham42/status/1460360374369329152

Saw lots of tributes to him on Twitter.  That Penn one is great.  Everyone spoke glowingly about him.  I'm sure it's gonna be very emotional that concert you go that he was supposed to go with you to.  Scary that COVID was the cause even with double vax.   

cutz

^^^Yes, I've talked to other friends and agree that the PENN Tweet is a GREAT one. ^^^ I did see a lot of those Tributes on Twitter too. 

Yeah, the next show(and we got an update today) without him is going to be a tough one.

Also it is scary that he was double-vaxxed and still passed. I already talked to some other HS Hoop Junkie friends and we are wondering if we should go out this Season. I admit that I was already concerned before this happened. I'm double-vaxxed and got Booster last week. I'm no expert but I kind of think it's going to be a bad Flu-Season also. Frustrating of course, but A LOT of us were looking forward getting out this season. I'll play it by ear as of right now, but I was planning on going down to DC Area for an Event at DeMatha first weekend of December. 

cutz

Johnny Abruzzo said:

Sorry for your loss. :(

Thanks, Johnny

eeriepadave

nice win against The Vols today