Phil Anastasia: Camden tops Pennsauken with glimmer of glory years

There was a sign on the door outside the famous old gymnasium: "Camden High Basketball - Worth The Price Of Admission."

Finally, truth in advertising.

Camden might not be a South Jersey power anymore, although the Panthers are moving back in that direction in a serious hurry. They might not be threats to win the program's 12th state title this March and force maintenance to repaint that center circle on the floor of Clarence Turner Gymnasium.

But something is happening with this proud, old program. There was a little magic in the air Saturday, and not just because sophomore guard Tavaris Headen made a half-court shot at the end of the third quarter.

"Saw it all the way," Headen said after Camden beat Pennsauken, 62-54, in an Olympic Conference interdivision battle.

If you were a high school basketball fan, there was no better place to be on a Saturday afternoon in the winter than Camden's gymnasium. It wasn't just a game when the Panthers took the court. It was an event.

It's not like that anymore, but at least it's not like the last few seasons, either, when the Panthers struggled for victories and lost relevance in the South Jersey basketball scene.

"Brick by brick, we're rebuilding this thing," Camden first-year coach Cetshwayo Byrd said.

Byrd is a Camden graduate who was walking the halls when Louis Banks and Vic Carstarphen and Denny Brown were leading the Panthers to state titles in 1986 and 1987. Camden was a national power in those days.

The coach knows this current team is a long way from that level. And the reality is that Camden might never fully recapture its old glory - unless another Dajuan Wagner walks through those doors.

But there's a buzz around the Panthers for the first time in several seasons. The victory over Pennsauken was Camden's third in a row after a 2-5 start, including impressive triumphs over perennial powers Shawnee (by 75-44) and Camden Catholic (60-44).

"We just fought," Byrd said of his team's performance against Pennsauken.

Headen scored 16, including that three-pointer from the middle of that painted circle that stabbed the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded.

"Can't beat that one," Byrd said.

Camden also received strong games from senior forwards Thomas Harper (20 points, seven blocks) and Ajwan "Scooter" Leaming (14 points, 15 rebounds).

"We're bringing it back," Headen said.

Camden starts two sophomores and a junior, and the Panthers are expected to get a major lift on Feb. 4 with the eligibility of 6-foot-4 junior Amir Maddred, a transfer from Trenton Catholic, and 6-0 freshman Rasool Hinson, a transfer from Camden Academy Charter who was one of the top eighth graders in the city last year.

This team will be hardened by play in the Olympic National Division. If Byrd and his assistants, including former Camden great Arthur Barclay, can define roles and mesh the team's new talent with its existing core, the Panthers could emerge as a strong contender in the wide-open South Jersey Group 3 race in March.

The best thing about Saturday was that the old gymnasium was more than three-quarters full with folks who braved the January cold to see some good basketball. They yelled at the referees and celebrated some magic moments, like Headen's half-court heave and Harper's step-back three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter.

It wasn't the old days. But there was an echo of those times in the air.

Pennsauken 10 9 17 18 – 54

Camden 11 14 19 18 – 62

P: Anwedy Saldana 24, Manny Cortez 4, Julian Diaz 7, Isiah Ingram 8, Raheem Thomas 6, Kyle Johnston 5.

C: Tavaris Headen 16, Ajwan Leaming 14, Thomas Harper 20, Joshua Devine 6, Khadir Walker 6.

VIDEO

Senior forward Thomas Harper talks about the Camden win. www.philly.com/rallyvideos

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