Neumann Goretti using last season’s Catholic League and state final losses as motivation
This year's group will look different compared to previous seasons. Coach Carl Arrigale says, “We are going to have to play like we want it a little more than everyone else.”
As practice started in the Neumann Goretti gym, legendary boys’ basketball coach Carl Arrigale had to make a point to the team: “We’re Neumann Goretti, so the standard is the standard. No matter who is here, the standard is the standard.”
For the first time in more than a decade, Neumann Goretti is not one of the teams to beat in the rigorous Philadelphia Catholic League. That weight this season belongs to Archbishop Ryan and Georgetown-bound Thomas Sorber, and Archbishop Wood and Miami-bound Jalil Bethea.
But the Saints are right where Arrigale, who enters his 27th season at the helm with 577 career victories, likes to be, hanging on the periphery just beyond the target.
Neumann Goretti enters the season looking to avenge the loss to Roman Catholic in last season’s Catholic League championship, when the Saints blew a seven-point lead with 35 seconds left in regulation to lose in overtime, 57-52, at the Palestra.
That was followed by its first-ever loss in the state final to District 7 champion Lincoln Park in the PIAA Class 4A championship.
Senior Khaafiq Myers is motivated by the Catholic League championship loss. He battled an ankle injury last season and missed 14 games combined during his sophomore and junior seasons, but he said he’s the healthiest he has been and has added five pounds.
“This is a big step for me this year. My expectations are to lead the young guys and get back and win the Catholic League championship,” Myers said. “I remember walking off the Palestra last year. That was a sad loss at the Palestra. I’m not going out sad this year. Wood and Ryan will be good. We’ll be good, too. My message to this team is, ‘Win every day.’ We will do that by pushing each other.”
Stephon “Munchie” Ashley-Wright, the younger brother of Baylor recruit Robert Wright III, was thrust into a significant role as a freshman and held his own. He still carries the Roman loss at the Palestra with him, too.
“It humbled me, seeing my brother lose like that, and I wanted to do anything to change it,” he said. “I think the last time I cried after a basketball game came when I was a young kid. I cried twice last year, after the Roman loss and in the state championship. I don’t want to leave a court like that again. I need to do more. It’s why this whole team is hungry.”
But the nine-time PIAA state champions also enter this season without their leader for the last two seasons: Robert Wright, who is playing his senior year at Montverde Academy.
Neumann Goretti Hall of Famer Aaron Abbott has rejoined Arrigale’s coaching staff after longtime assistant John Brennan Jr. left for Rowan to join his brother, Eric Brennan, the Profs’ interim head coach.
“This will be a different year,” Arrigale said. “We have to overcome some major losses, and we have a hungry, young group that is a year older and a year wiser. I wish we had a little more size, but I like this team and they like each other. There will be some growing pains. As long as we compete, we play hard and play to the Neumann Goretti standard, I think we’ll be fine.”
The Saints do return two starters in St. Joseph’s-bound, 5-foot-10 point guard Myers and Hofstra-bound, 6-6 senior forward Amir Williams. Joining them will be highly motivated 6-6 senior forward Larenzo Jerkins, who was forced to sit out last season after transferring from Chester; Ashley-Wright, a 6-foot sophomore guard; and 6-4 senior forward Matt Guokas.
» READ MORE: Neumann Goretti’s Amir Williams commits to Hofstra as the versatile wing continues to develop
“We have some secret weapons here, players like Larenzo, who bring a lot of energy and talent,” Ashley-Wright said. “I’m a lot more confident and can share the knowledge I gained. If we play together and play hard, we can definitely win everything this year.”
Arrigale said this year’s group will be “one of the smaller teams” that he’s had.
“We need to play a certain way, and we’re going to have to be scrappy, defend, play fast, and be a hungry group,” Arrigale said. “We are going to have to play like we want it a little more than everyone else.”
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.