Star-studded Executive Education might have assembled its best team
But 3-time district champions will also play their toughest schedule
In its three-year existence, the Executive Education boys basketball program has gone 56-20 and won three consecutive District 11 championships.
Jevin Muniz, The Morning Call Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection in Class 3A, has graduated. But according to coach Ray Barbosa, the 2021-22 squad may be the best he’s ever had.
The Raptors feature two Division I players in Drexel bound-Kobe Magee and Florida State commit Jeremiah Bembry. Another player, Jalil Schenck, will most likely play at that level. In addition, there is a crop of unheralded players set to make their mark.
Magee averaged 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, and Bembry, who transferred into the school midway through the season, averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Schenck also averaged 14 points per game and made 52 3-pointers.
“I’m very excited,” Barbosa said. “We’ve got a really good group here.
“We’ve been working hard. I think we’ve got a real good shot. We’ve just got to put things together.”
Executive will try to put that together while playing arguably its toughest schedule in its four seasons.
It starts in the Cheltenham Tip-Off Tournament against Frankford and features games against Archbishop Ryan, Archbishop Carroll, Wilkes-Barre, Penn Wood, defending state champ Pottsville Nativity, Dobbins, Shamokin, Scranton, Scranton Prep, Muhlenberg Township, Imhotep, Trenton Catholic, Williamsport and two games against Archbishop Wood.
For a variety of reasons, no Lehigh Valley schools have scheduled the Raptors. A few did last year, but mostly because they were scrambling for games due to COVID-19 cancellations.
If the idea has been to punish the Executive program and force the Raptors to travel and play arguably the most challenging schedule in the state, it may be backfiring.
“The schedule is loaded this year, but this is what we want,” Barbosa said. “This is what we want for our kids.
“Playing a tough schedule during the course of the year only helps you get ready for the playoffs, and that’s our goal. We want to be ready to go once the playoffs start.”
“We all accept the challenge the schedule gives us,” Schenck said. “We understand it’s tough, but we’re up for the challenge.”
In the previous three seasons, Executive has lost PIAA playoff games in the second round. In the first two seasons, it was Constitution and Math, Civics, and Sciences from Philadelphia that eliminated the Raptors from the state tournament. Last year it was District 4’s Loyalsock that beat Executive 79-75 in a state quarterfinal.
Loyalsock went on to collect its first state title, routing Brookville 75-53 in Hershey for the Class 3A gold.
Executive would like to make a run in March but is just worried about December at the moment.
“We’re just going to take it game by game,” Barbosa said. “This is probably the best team we’ve had since we started here, but 3A is loaded with good teams.
“Some other teams in our classification may have their best teams too. We’re just going to stay focused, work hard, and good things will come.”
Schenck said it’s going to take “a lot of grit” to get over the hump.
“We’ve got to be tough, play good defense and bring the energy every day,” Schenck said. “I’m happy to be part of the chemistry we have here, the team environment. We’re all cool with each other on and off the court, so it should be fun.”
Executive Education Raptors
Coach: Ray Barbosa (fourth season at Executive, 56-20; seventh season overall, 120-42).
2020-21 season: 20-5. Beat Pen Argyl 84-34 and Notre Dame-Green Pond 81-68 in the district tournament, beat Dock Mennonite 67-44 in the state tournament before a 79-75 loss to District 4 champ Loyalsock.
Season opener: Dec. 10, versus Frankford in the Cheltenham Tip-Off Tournament.
Home opener: Dec. 15, versus Archbishop Ryan.
Players to watch: Kobe Magee (6-5, Sr. G); Jeremiah Bembry (6-6, Sr. G); Jalil Schenck (6-0, Sr. G); Dontae Oquendo (6-2, Sr. F); Isaiah Brantley (5-9, Sr. G); Moustapha Sanoh (6-10, Jr. C); Patrick Allieu (6-5, Jr. F); Rylan Muniz (5-10, So. G); Lamine Sanoh (6-9, Jr. F); Alfred
Rios (6-7, Jr. F); Gabriel Hornberger (6-3, Fr. G); Elias Lopez (5-9, Fr. G).
Take note: The Raptors will be hosting a holiday event Dec. 28 and 29 called the “Raptors Challenge,” with their first game against School of the Future from Philly. The winner could play St. Benedict’s Prep, the national powerhouse from Newark, New Jersey, in the finals.
Barbosa added Deandre Tillett, his brother and his former player at Bethlehem Catholic, to the staff as well as another former player, Micaiah Fraction. Jerry Lloyd, the former Northwestern Lehigh coach and Whitehall and Mt. St. Mary’s standout, may be contributing as a volunteer assistant.
Why the Raptors could be dandy: It’s a talented team that has a lot of everything, including quickness, size, outside shooting and depth. Barbosa believes he can go at least eight or nine deep and get a lot more from his bench than in previous seasons. In addition, it’s a team that has no problem sharing the basketball, especially with Bembry at point guard.
Why the Raptors could be a dud: Playing a regional schedule filled with powerhouse teams, particularly from Philly, could take a toll on Executive mentally and physically. The Raptors are going to lose games and it’s going to be a matter of bouncing back and not letting the losses mount.
The final word: This is an exceptionally good team that might be as good as any in District 11, and it is built for a run at a state championship. The road to Hershey is not an easy one, however, as the Raptors have discovered each of the last three seasons. It’s a team without a league, and frankly, a lot of friends, but it has firmly circled the wagons and doesn’t worry about what others think. The goal is to play an attractive schedule and give kids exposure to as many college coaches as possible while also winning games and competing for district and state titles.