By Ted Silary
Daily News Staff Writer
IMHOTEP CHARTER vs. ROBERTS VAUX
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
Where: Temple's Liacouras Center
Records: Imhotep is 22-4 with an eight-game winning streak. Vaux is 19-7 with a six-game winning streak.
Coaches: Andre Noble, Imhotep, ninth season, 209-50. Jamie Ross, Vaux, third season, 53-26.
Previous meeting: On Jan. 22, Imhotep laid its biggest egg of the season, on its home court, no less, as Vaux stormed to a 73-51 win, with Rysheed Jordan (24) leading the way. Brandon Austin had 20 for Imhotep.
Background: Imhotep, a charter school located at 21st and Godfrey, is in its ninth PL season. It won titles in 2009, '10 and '11. Vaux, a school district member located at 23rd and Master streets, is in its seventh PL season. It's slated to close in June. This is its first time beyond the quarterfinals.
Imhotep personnel: Brandon Austin (Providence), tall and slinky, is a point guard first, but fills many roles . . . Basil Thompson is savvy on the wings/baseline . . . Deryl Bagwell hits jumpers, even from distance . . . Jakwan Jones uses quick feet to penetrate/dish . . . Dymir Logan is a space-eater. Off the bench: Abraham Massaley adds distribution talents, and Jalil Myers is a poor man's Austin.
Vaux personnel: Rysheed Jordan is a classic do-it-all guy. Plays in relentless fashion . . . Sammy Foreman is primarily a point guard, but has learned to complement Jordan as a scorer . . . Amir Butler lies low, then makes important inside contributions . . . Daron Johnson hits wing shots . . . Karon Snead is the defensive pest. Off the bench: Lester Mattox hits treys, while Trayvond Massenburg and Keith Fletcher look for tip-ins/blocked shots.
What Imhotep must do: Prevent Jordan from going berserk, especially since his great moments get the Vaux supporters fully charged. Constantly run two to three defenders at him . . . Convince Austin he must play with authority from the get-go . . . Make sure to involve its big guys, who are better than Vaux'.
What Vaux must do: Avoid overconfidence . . . Box out! . . . Get it and go. Sensibly, of course. The Cougars do well in transition.
What can be expected: The first meeting was a fluke. A repeat would be the all-time shocker. Though it seems as if Jordan has been sprinkled with stardust and is flat-out destined to win a championship, Imhotep has recently sucked the life out of games with lock-down defense. Unless Jordan is ultra-spectacular, I'm thinking 'Tep.
THE MAIN MEN
IMHOTEP CHARTER
Projected Starters
Brandon Austin 6-6, Sr., 232 points
Basil Thompson 6-5, Jr., 141 points
Deryl Bagwell 6-0, Sr., 97 points
Jakwan Jones 5-9, Jr., 72 points
Dymir Logan 6-4, So., 48 points
Key Substitutes
Abraham Massaley 5-10, Sr., 90 points
Jalil Myers 6-5, Sr., 68 points
Deion Evans 6-5, Jr., 51 points
Nigel Grant 6-5, Sr., 41 points
ROBERTS VAUX
Projected Starters
Rysheed Jordan 6-4, Sr., 332 points
Sammy Foreman 6-0, So., 163 points
Amir Butler 6-3, Sr., 154 points
Daron Johnson 6-0, Sr., 102 points
Karon Snead 5-4, Jr., 59 points
Key Substitutes
Lester Mattox 6-2, Sr., 87 points
Keith Fletcher 6-6, Sr., 55 points
Khalief Tinley 6-0, So., 52 points
Trayvond Massenburg 6-7, Jr., 40 points
Note: Point totals for 15 league games, including four playoffs.
