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Roman Catholic’s Kabe Goss still relishing moment in the spotlight from PCL final

The senior guard was unable to compete in the state playoffs due to PIAA transfer rules. But Goss isn’t done playing hoops in the area as he firms up his college plans.

Roman Catholic senior guard Kabe Goss dribbles up the floor for K-Low Elite last week during the Donofrio Classic at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken.
Roman Catholic senior guard Kabe Goss dribbles up the floor for K-Low Elite last week during the Donofrio Classic at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken.Read moreJosh Verlin/CoBL

Roman Catholic’s Kabe Goss got back to his car after winning the Catholic League championship over Archbishop Ryan on Feb. 26 and began to realize the enormity of the shot he made.

The senior guard picked up his phone and had more than 2,000 notifications as video of his game-winning bucket went viral across social media platforms and appeared on the midnight edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter as the “Best Thing I Saw Today.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Goss said at the Donofrio Classic last week. “You grow up thinking about stuff like that, seeing your name everywhere, everybody talking about it. It was a dream, for real, I’m just waking up from it.

“I had three people call me at 12 o’clock at night, and then called me early in the morning, like ‘Yo, you’re on SportsCenter. I didn’t believe it, I was like, ‘You’ve got to record it and show it to me.’ It was a dream, you don’t believe stuff like that until you see it with your own eyes.”

The shot was the last one of Goss’ high school career. Goss, who joined Roman this year from Trenton High, was ineligible to compete in the state tournament due to PIAA transfer rules. He had to watch from the sideline as the Cahillites fell to Parkland in the Class 6A boys’ quarterfinals.

Despite suffering two meniscus injuries in the months heading into his senior year, Goss played in 13 games for the Cahillites, averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 assists.

But the 5-foot-5 guard isn’t done playing hoops in the Philadelphia area. He suited up in the Donofrio Classic last week at the Fellowship House, scoring 13 points in an opening-round loss for K-Low Elite.

Goss said he’ll continue playing on the 17U circuit for Jersey Force this spring as he firms up his college plans.

With Force, he’ll play in multiple weekend-long regional tournaments in April and May. A couple of games are open to Division I coaches, while all are open to Division II and Division III coaches.

Goss said he’s been hearing from Division III programs like Montclair State and Gwynedd Mercy, along with Division II programs in Bloomfield (N.J.), Georgian Court (Lakewood, N.J.), and Holy Family. None of the Division II programs has offered a scholarship, he said, but they’re encouraging him to apply.

» READ MORE: Kabe Goss, who plays like an ‘energetic bulldog,’ isn’t a typical point guard for Roman Catholic

So far he’s visited Montclair State and had a positive impression of coach Justin Potts’ program.

Future plans are still up in the air, but he feels good about having options before he gets back on the floor to compete in front of more college coaches next month.

“It feels amazing, knowing you can go to school for hopefully free, just knowing people want you, it feels good to be wanted,” he said. “I’m not really looking for a level. It’s just the best fit.”

The undersized senior is a tough, physical point guard who said he’s trying to show that his size doesn’t matter and that he can compete on the biggest stage with anybody.

“Hopefully they can see that I’m a winner,” he added.

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.