Andre Noble reaches victory No. 500 in Imhotep’s state semifinal win over Archbishop Ryan

No. 500 came like the 499th did — understated, humble, and generously thinking of everyone else before himself. Those are the foundational tenets that got Imhotep Charter coaching legend Andre Noble to 500 wins on Monday, when his Panthers staved off Archbishop Ryan, 52-48, in the PIAA Class 5A state semifinals at Bensalem High School.

The Panthers (28-3) will be going for their third straight PIAA Class 5A state championship against Franklin Regional on Friday at Hershey’s Giant Center at 8 p.m.

Noble will be going for his 10th state championship. He achieved his third straight Philadelphia Public League and District 12 titles this year, and has earned an all-time Philadelphia Public League high 12 championships in the last 15 years.

And the only thing that was remotely disheveled about Noble after a taut, back-and-forth game Monday night were that his shoes were untied.

His players had no idea their coach was on the brink of his 500th win.

“I didn’t want to keep it a secret from the kids, they just didn’t know,” Noble said. “That was not my focus. My focus was to get this team to Hershey. My focus was winning the game. It has always been my focus — very simple, win the game. This has never been about me, and it will never be about me. It’s about giving young people a chance.

“I’m happy for our kids. I’m happy for our seniors. This is a young group, starting three sophomores, with a freshman coming off the bench, and I told our sophomores that they are all now juniors starting in March. The shoes become untied during the war. I always get made fun of because my shoes are always untied.”

The Panthers were tied with Ryan (20-10) at 45 with 2:16 left to play, when Imhotep’s UConn pledge Ahmad Nowell let a long three-pointer fly from about NBA range. Nowell was knocked to the court, a foul was called, and the senior proceeded to hit possibly the three most important free throws of his distinguished high school career to give Imhotep a 48-45 lead.

Ryan’s Darren Williams, who was masterful in the fourth quarter when he dropped nine of his 13 points, canned two free throws to draw within 48-47. But with 18 seconds left, Nowell once again provided the big shot, going at Ryan’s Georgetown-bound Thomas Sorber to bank a shot high off the glass for a 50-47 Imhotep lead.

Ryan’s Jaden Murray landed a free throw with 7.5 seconds remaining, and Nowell was fouled again, this time hitting a pair to set the 52-48 final score.

Nowell finished with a game-high 20 points, after starting the game 1-for-7, including scoring the final seven points for Imhotep.

“I didn’t know that, I didn’t know Coach won his 500th, that’s really big, I’m glad were able to get that done for him,” Nowell said. “Coach has been an amazing part of my life, and just to get this done for him. … It’s an amazing feeling just being a part of his accomplishment.

“I wanted the ball in my hands in the last minute. I knew I had to come along at the end of the game and seal the deal.”

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When Ryan bolted out to a 16-7 lead, it was sophomore point guard RJ Smith, in whom Noble placed a wealth of trust as a freshman, who kept the Panthers buoyant, knocking a pair of threes to close the first quarter.

“I always make timely baskets when I think we need them, and we always stick together, and in foul trouble, I kept my cool,” Smith said. “I had no idea this was coach’s 500th win. He probably yells at me the most. He trusts me to run his team, and he had confidence in me from Day 1. Sometimes it is hard playing for Coach Noble, and I understand why.

“He has made me a better player and a better person. No. 500 and our sophomore group has two more years left playing for him.”

A special group of seniors played their last game for Ryan coach Joe Zeglinski. It was a highly emotional ending to quite possibly the best team in Ryan basketball history. Sorber and the Florida Gulf Coast pledge, Williams, will go down as the top two all-time scorers in Ryan history. It is a team that reached two Catholic League championship games, reached a state final, and ran deep into the state playoffs.

Understandably, it was difficult for Zeglinski, who has done wonders building the Ryan program, to say goodbye.

“It’s been a special group and I can’t say enough about them, and I don’t think there will be anyone like those two [Sorber and Williams] again,” Zeglinski said. “Their ability to lift their teammates up is something I haven’t seen in high school kids. We’ll certainly miss them, but they have big things ahead. It is probably the most accomplished senior class in school history.

“That’s what they will be remembered for, for their winning, but more for how great of a group it was. They brought the whole community together and we didn’t want it to end.”

Williams went out strong. He erupted with nine points in the fourth quarter, and spent large portions of the game guarding Nowell.

It was not an easy goodbye.

“It was definitely a brotherhood, we all believed in each other and trusted in each other,” Williams said. “And even though we lost, all of the hard work won’t get forgotten.”

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If this was the greatest group in Ryan basketball history, Sorber will go down as possibly the greatest player in program history. At times on Monday, he was unstoppable. He got Imhotep’s Jeremiah White and Makye Taylor in foul trouble, and when the Raiders were foundering in the third quarter, it was Sorber’s eight points in the quarter that kept them close.

“I’m going to especially remember the guys, the guys always brought a smile to my face,” Sorber said. “It felt like a second family to me. This whole organization of Archbishop Ryan basketball, it felt like a family to me. I’ll remember the fun times; all the things I have been through with this team, I’ll remember. We had nine seniors on this team and not getting a championship for Coach Joe hurts. It hurts, it hurts a lot.

“We didn’t finish the job.”

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.