New era begins: League wide open
without Episcopal's Ellington, Henderson

by Ted Silary

  Wayne & Gerald don't live here anymore.
  Neither do they drain jumpers and wolf down dunks and pack gymnasiums and bring honor upon their school and families.
  Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson now play for North Carolina and Duke, respectively. Episcopal, their alma mater, is struggling and the Inter-Ac League is a far worse place.
  ... Or is it? Granted, without those first-magnitude stars and other departed headliners, the league's overall talent level is down. However, the competition level is up and there's much to be said for that.
  "The top of the league has gone down, and the bottom of the league has come up," said Penn Charter coach Jim "Flipper" Phillips.   "There was a lot of disparity. Now we have parity.
  "Last year, Episcopal was so good, they could not show up and still win games. 'Doc' [Episcopal coach Dan Dougherty] always says the league is won on Tuesday afternoon. Everybody is excited on Friday night. It's how hard you play on Tuesday afternoon that determines things. That will really be the case this season."
  Most observers seem to think the title will go to PC or Germantown Academy, or even both. (The league's postseason affair remains a "tourney" in name only. Regular-season ties are not broken.)
  PC, in Sammy Zeglinski (Virginia), and GA, in Kyle Griffin (La Salle), have star senior guards bound for Division I programs.
  The Quakers' supporting cast is a shade taller and older.
  "Though I certainly didn't expect to be 3-6 right now, we hope to reap the benefits of this tough early schedule come league play," Phillips said.
  GA suffered a setback in a nonleague game Tuesday night. Sophomore guard Ed DiRugeris, it is feared, tore the ACL in his right knee just short of 1 year after doing likewise to his left knee.
  "It's such a shame," GA coach Jim Fenerty said. "It doesn't seem fair. He had worked so hard. We're all upset about this.
  "Our status? Well, we're going to try our damndest to win this, but I look around the league and I really do see balance."
  The next tier will likely be occupied by Haverford School (star guard John Haldy) and Malvern Prep, and even Chestnut Hill is hoping to make advancement. Episcopal has just one experienced player, guard Pat Kelly, and he's much more accustomed to supporting than starring.
  "We're struggling," Dougherty said. "That's to be expected when you lose eight seniors."
  There are two new coaches, Malvern's Jim Rullo and Chestnut Hill's Mark Burke, and each is in control at his alma mater.
  The league's annual opening-day tripleheader will be played Jan. 6, at Arcadia University.

RETURNING ALL-INTER-ACS (Selected by Coaches)
FIRST TEAM
  Sammy Zeglinski, PC, G; Kyle Griffin, GA, G; John Haldy, HS, G.
SECOND TEAM
  Brian Teuber, PC, F.
HONORABLE MENTION
  Leland O'Connor, PC, G.

INTER-AC THUMBNAILS
CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY
  Coach: Mark Burke, 1st year. Education: Chestnut Hill, Moravian. Career: 0-0.
  Last year: 1-9, 6-18.
  Savvy seven: Mike Christiansen, 5-9, G; David Jennings, 6-1, G; Mark Justice, 6-foot, G; Gary Lawrence, 6-7, F; Mike Mattei, 6-3, G; Luke Pelullo, 5-8, G; Maurice Young, 5-10, G.
  Burke's comment: "Led by a strong group of seniors, we are going to compete and battle every single night."
EPISCOPAL ACADEMY
  Coach: Dan Dougherty, 7th year (also St. Pius X, 1959-61; Malvern, 1962-66; Penncrest, 1976; Episcopal, 1977-97). Education: St. Joseph's Prep, Saint Joseph's. Career: 639-260; 507-192 at Episcopal.
  Last year: 10-0, 27-4.
  Savvy seven: Pat Kelly, 5-10, G; Mike Nealis, 6-0, C; Herbert Bowen, 6-6, F; Blair Fox, 6-1, F; Dan Hilferty, 6-foot, G; Will McFee, 6-foot, G; Matt Byrne, 5-10, G.
  Dougherty's comment: "We're hoping to get things together for league play."
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
  Coach: Jim Fenerty, 18th year (also Egan, 1982-89). Education: Dougherty, La Salle. Career: 391-266; 330-128 at GA.
  Last year: 6-4, 17-12.
  Savvy seven: Kyle Griffin, 6-3, G; Joe Hill, 6-2, G; Donn Johnston, 6-4, F; Cameron Ayers, 6-2, G; Jeff Holton, 6-6, F; Steve Roma, 6-5, F; Dean Melchionni, 6-5, F.
  Fenerty's comment: "We're 12 guys in search of a team."
HAVERFORD SCHOOL
  Coach: Steve Cloran, 4th year (also Marple-Newtown, 2001-03). Education: O'Hara, St. Francis (Pa.). Career: 43-106; 26-50 at Haverford School.
  Last year: 2-8, 10-16.
  Savvy seven: John Haldy, 6-3, G; Drew Goldstein, 6-2, G; Ben Grant, 6-5, F; Matt Wunderlich, 5-10, G; Andrew Hubley, 6-2, F; Dan Stewart, 6-5, F; Tyreek Duren, 5-10, G.
  Cloran's comment: "With a quality senior group and strong mix of juniors and freshmen, we want to take advantage of our early season surge by having a fun holiday run, and hopefully start the league with some confidence."
MALVERN PREP
  Coach: Jim Rullo, 1st year. Education: Malvern, Drexel. Career: 0-0.
  Last year: 3-7, 10-18.
 Savvy seven: John Alberici, 6-7, F-C; Mike Francisco, 6-4, F; Joe Hoban, 6-foot, G; Phil Gosselin, 6-2, G; Kevin Corbett, 6-2, G; Chris Cowell, 6-4, F; Ryan Nassib, 6-2, F.
  Rullo's comment: "As a first year coach I am most pleased with the way our kids have come into the gym every day with a willingness to get better. We may not be the most talented team in the league but these kids are extremely fun to be around because of their work ethic."
PENN CHARTER
  Coach: Jim "Flipper" Phillips, 7th year. Education: Penn Charter, La Salle. Career: 100-63.
  Last year: 8-2, 18-11.
  Savvy seven: Sammy Zeglinski, 6-1, G; Leland O'Connor, 6-2, G; Brian Teuber, 6-3, F; Drew Fullen, 6-5, F; Chris Kurz, 6-7, F; Justin Renfrow, 6-5, F-C; Travis Robinson, 6-4, F.
  Phillips' comment: "I like our team and trust that our demanding early schedule will have us ready for league play."