PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A couple of weeks ago, Philadelphia Imhotep High School boys basketball head coach Andre Noble was in Springfield, Massachusetts, with his team playing a game at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was sitting with some of his staff up in the corner of the Hall of Fame’s arena, scouting Camden High School's boys basketball team that was also on the road playing in that part of the country.
All of a sudden…
“Some of the Camden fans see us,” Noble said, “and they just start heckling.”
The head coach laughed.
“Wait until the 28th,” someone shouted at them.
There is no question about the anticipation of the showdown Saturday at 2 p.m. between Imhotep and Camden High School at Hagan Arena on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University.
You think getting Philadelphia Eagles tickets for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field is hard? Good luck with this game.
"My phone has not stopped ringing this week," said Noble. "'Have you got any tickets?' 'No, I don't.' But it's just the passion that people have about the game."
Not only are the teams really good, but their combined rosters have three of the highest nationally-ranked boys basketball players who have all committed to play at college basketball “blue-blood” program Kentucky. All three will attend the university this fall.
Imhotep has forward Justin Edwards, while Camden has guard D.J. Wagner — son of former NBA player Dajuan Wagner — and center Aaron Bradshaw.
Camden head coach Maalik Wayns, a former Villanova star, said his own stars aren’t only naturally talented with great size for their positions, but they’re hard-working kids who are involved in the community and care about others.
“These guys are great kids,” Wayns said. “They don’t really act like big time recruits. They want to be a part of the team. These guys are at every freshman game, every JV game, helping those guys out. So it's really just been a joy. It makes it easier when you have guys like that.”
Edwards, in the meantime, did not arrive to Imhotep as a freshman with much notoriety, but Noble says he worked to move himself up the rankings with an attitude of never being satisfied.
Now that he’s at the top of the country for his recruiting class, Noble says that hasn’t changed Edwards’ attitude – remaining down-to-earth, sometimes surprising staffers at the school that he’s that big a deal. Noble credits the way Edwards’ mother, Ebony Twiggs, has raised him.
Not only that, he’s going to his dream school, Kentucky — a program with eight NCAA men’s basketball championships and 17 Men’s Final Four appearances. He, Bradshaw and Wagner will be playing for iconic college basketball coach John Calipari, who also coached Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey in Lexington.
Maxey was aware of these up-and-coming players.
"Congratulations to those guys," Maxey said. "I want them to [go into Kentucky] and be aggressive when they get there and listen, and really listen and take Coach Cal's coaching."
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Maxey said he was going to try to attend Saturday's game, but it conflicts directly with the Sixers showdown with Denver.
But those who are attending will see quite a show.
High school basketball has always been big in this area, and Edwards, Wagner and Bradshaw deliver the latest chapter in Philadelphia’s rich hoops history.