Academy of the New Church boys expect to claim a league championship with returning talent

The fluid chemistry wasn’t supposed to arrive as quickly as it did last season. Academy of the New Church was filled with a bunch of new players who would need time to find cohesion. However, longtime ANC coach Kevin Givens knows how put a jigsaw puzzle together. He also knows how to put up a good veneer.

For a team that was developing, Givens found which players to plug in and where they fit. For the fourth straight year, ANC reached the Friends Schools League championship — there was no championship in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic — this time losing to George School after falling to league powerhouse Westtown three straight times.

Things are quite different this season for the Lions, who finished 18-6 overall and 8-1 in the league. They could find themselves a team that will be in the crosshairs of their Friends Schools opponents as a favorite to win the league this year.

ANC has not won the championship since 2009. The Lions have a streak to break this season, after losing in their last seven championship appearances in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023.

“The kids are mindful of that, and they are going into this season with a purpose — that’s good,” said Givens, who will be entering his 30th year as head coach of the Lions. “We have to break through and win one of these years. These guys expect to win the league and they are exactly on point. They feel that this is our year.

“My expectations are the same as always. We want to win the league championship. That’s our goal.”

That begins with the return of 6-foot-5 senior wing Bahsil Laster, who has proved to be a huge force for the Lions, scoring 15 points in last year’s 64-61 championship loss to George School. There is one shot that plagues Laster that he would like to have back, as he missed an off-balance heave from beyond NBA three-point range that could have tied the score in the final seconds.

“I knew what kind of team we had last year, and I thought we could have done even better,” said Laster, who has received offers from Rhode Island, Lafayette, Drexel, and NJIT. “Maybe people from the outside looking in didn’t expect us to do what we did, but I knew it. Last year there was a lot of pressure internally on the guys based on what the previous team did, with a bunch of seniors that reached the league championship. This year, we’ll be dealing with more pressure, because now, we’re expected to win.

“We bought into what Coach Givens was telling us. We’re unselfish, and Coach Kevin and his staff allow us to be comfortable within ourselves and allow us to do what we’re capable of doing. We’re also put in uncomfortable positions, which forces us to work on our weaknesses, and we have grown from that. That has made us better.”

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Laster returns with two other starters, 6-1 senior guard Nolan Waldon and 6-4 sophomore forward Dior Carter.

Givens will select his other starters from 6-1 senior guard Ogana Obayi; 6-6 junior forward Caleb Alston-Nelson, a Springside Chestnut Hill Academy transfer; and a pair of La Salle transfers, 6-7 sophomore forward Cameron Smith and 6-6 sophomore forward Ryan Warren. Six-foot sophomore guard Tobe Nwobu (Camden Catholic) and 5-11 sophomore guard Jason Custus (City School) will also play vital roles for the Lions this year.

“We all came at the same time last year, and we all spoke to each other and made sure we clicked,” said Waldon, who started his high school career at Father Judge. “I loved playing with these guys. We know everyone in the league is looking at us. We are ready for it. I say that because of the pieces that we have. We expect to win the championship this year.”

Added Givens: “Getting to the championship four straight years, we are bound to break through one of these years.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.