Archbishop Wood sets sights on securing a Catholic League boys’ basketball title: ‘It’s our turn now’
The Vikings will be led by top recruit Jalil Bethea, who's committed to Miami, and have hopes of winning a league crown, which they haven't achieved since 2021.
The last time Archbishop Wood won a Philadelphia Catholic League title was in 2021. The last time the Vikings won a PIAA Class 5A state championship goes back to 2017.
The seniors on this current Wood team were watching from the bench as that 2021 version of the Vikings celebrated the Catholic League title at the Palestra. They know what it is like to be there for a championship, though not own it.
That’s what drives Wood this season.
These Vikings want dates on championship banners they can call theirs.
Leading that quest will be the reigning Catholic League MVP, Miami-bound 6-foot-4 senior guard Jalil Bethea, among the best players in the city, along with Imhotep Charter’s Ahmad Nowell (committed to UConn) and Archbishop Ryan’s Thomas Sorber (Georgetown).
Bethea has yet to conclude a season with a Catholic League or state championship.
He enters this season with 1,047 career points. It places him in a good position to become Wood’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing 2021 Wood graduate and two-time Catholic League MVP Rahsool Diggins’ current all-time mark of 1,533. Bethea only became a varsity starter his junior year. He finished the season scoring 649 points (on 85-of-186 shooting, 45.7% from three-point range).
» READ MORE: Prized hoops recruit Jalil Bethea of Archbishop Wood picks Miami over Villanova
Another great year could give him a shot at becoming the Catholic League’s all-time leading scorer, a record currently held by former Neumann-Goretti standout Ja’Quan Newton, a four-year starter who scored 1,972 points.
For that to happen, the Vikings must win and play deep into the season.
“That’s really all I care about,” said Bethea, who averaged 23.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 7.6 rebounds last season. “My expectation for this team is to get everyone better. I put a lot of trust in my teammates. I feel I have a lot of underrated teammates. We have great players. This is a team filled with guys who I don’t think get the credit that they deserve. I was part of the team when we won the Catholic League title in 2021. This year will be different.”
Bethea will be counted on to be a leader.
“I told Jalil he has two banners ahead of him right now, with Collin (Gillespie leading Wood to the 2017 Catholic League and state championship) and Rahsool (with the 2021 Catholic League title), and he wants to prove he belongs with them and win a championship,” said coach John Mosco, who is entering his 11th season at Wood. “He has done everything else. He is a remarkable player, one of the best ever. He can lead us to the promised land.”
Joining Bethea will be Drexel-bound 6-4 senior guard Josh Reed and 6-4 junior forward Milan Dean as returning starters for a team that finished 19-9 overall and 9-4 in the Catholic League last season. They lost to Roman Catholic twice in the postseason — 66-59 in the Catholic League semifinals and 66-56 in the PIAA Class 6A state semifinals.
Then there are 6-3 senior forward Tahir Howell, 6-foot junior guard Carey Maxey, 5-10 senior guard Ihsan Beyah, 5-10 junior guard Mike Green, 6-3 sophomore guard Brady MacAdams , and 6-2 sophomore guard Brian Donahue.
» READ MORE: Archbishop Wood guard Josh Reed stays close to home with commitment to Drexel
“This is where you want your program to be. Your players have to have a mindset knowing everyone is coming after you,” Mosco said. “We saw Carroll last year win on our home court and they reacted like they won the Catholic League championship. So, we have to be able to bring it every night.”
Reed said he remembers sitting on the bench as a freshman the last time Wood won the league championship. And last year’s state semifinal loss left him feeling numb.
“It’s our turn now,” Reed added. “We were there. We know what it is like to be there. We want to leave our mark. Winning is the way we do that. We got a taste last year.
“The plan is to cut down the nets in Hershey with a picture of a big Hershey bar.”
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.