MOUNT HOLLY – Maalik Waynes couldn’t believe what he saw.
The Camden High School boys basketball team rolled up to Rancocas Valley before JV play Thursday afternoon, and there was already a line of fans lining up to get into the building.
That was the norm for the Panthers all last season, but first-year head coach never experienced it on this level before.
The former Villanova standout and NBA player was surprised to see the stands almost full by the second quarter of the JV game.
The behemoth that is the Camden basketball hit him.
“It’s definitely butterflies, good butterflies, to be nervous,” Waynes said. “I want to do well and I want these guys to do well and I know a lot depends on these guys and this city this season. I just want to be able to perform and carry this great legacy with great passion, tradition and great pride.”
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Top rated panthers after a 91-50 season-opening triumph over the Red Devils, Waynes celebrated with a bottle of water in front of a crowd that was spilling out of the gym doors.
“This is the best high school atmosphere I’ve been around. It doesn’t get any better than that,” Waynes said. “I played at a Roman Catholic school, great tradition, but Camden High, this tradition is unlike any other in the area. The legacy, the support of the fans, the whole city, it means a lot when you have a city on your chest and not just a school name. It was great. It was great to get the first game and get a good result.”
Waynes took over the reins of the program from Rick Brunson, who joined the New York Knicks coaching staff in the offseason after going 73-4 in three seasons and lead the team to their own first national championship since 2000.
Waynes brought a similar coaching style.
“Even though it’s a high school program, I run it like a high-level college program,” Waynes said, citing his previous coaches — Doc Rivers, Jay Wright, Nick Nurse and Rick Carlisle — as influences. “High level practices, intensity all the time, not a lot of breaks, things like that. We’ve been training hard and running a lot so I don’t think it’s anything new for these guys because I’m sure they’ve been doing it for a while with Rick Brunson, I’m just trying to come in and keep it at that level.”
Kentucky senior Aaron Bradshaw feels he’s doing just that.
“Nothing has really changed,” Bradshaw said. “We’re still practicing, the same people from last year, just a little more comfortable. … (Wayne’s) has the same mentality (as Brunson), scream, scream, scream, at the end of the game, good game, good game.”
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Waynes understands the expectations on the program are huge, so he tries to balance coaching and letting his players do what they’ve proven they can do.
“I just don’t want to bother these guys,” he said. “I want these guys to help me help them, listen every day, get better every day and just build on what they’ve already built here. These guys are great players.”
Meet Billy Richmond
Less than two minutes into his first Panther game, junior Billy Richmond turned an interception into a fastbreak.
That was just the beginning for the transfer from Memphis East.
Richmond, the No. 139 ranked player in the Class of 2024 by 247sports, led Camden with 19 points and six steals and had plenty of dunks, including a windmill dunk in the fourth quarter.
“It was a buzz,” said Richmond, who was as overwhelmed by the fan support as his coach.
He let go of their jaws several times. His teammates, too.
“Oooooh. Wow,” Bradshaw said. “He’s tough, like really, really tough. He’s not only a good player, he’s a good kid, claps for everybody, talks, that’s the type of player we need.”
Richmond’s hard-nosed defense matched the rest of the Panthers, and his swinging of the rim brought back memories of the now-graduated Elijah Perkins.
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Richmond did have one dunk it would like to get back, as it went from behind the rim in the third quarter. He threw it so hard that it bent the rim.
“I’m just trying to bring energy to my team and get the win,” he said.
Notes of the game
∎ Kentucky coach John Calipari arrived at halftime to watch his two performances – DJ Wagner and Bradshaw. Wagner finished with 17 points while Bradshaw was dominant with 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
“He’s a monster,” Rancocas Valley coach Jay Flanagan said of Bradshaw.
∎ Bradshaw, ESPN’s No. 5 prospect in the 2023 class, looked more comfortable than he did all of last season. The 7-footer smiled, laughed and encouraged his teammates when the game wasn’t going their way. He credited Coach Waynes for that.
“It’s just the Malik Wayans effect,” he said. “He and I are very close.”
∎ Welcome Cornelius Robinson. The senior and Albany native missed the end of last season with a leg injury, but showed why he is such a valuable asset to the program against the Red Devils. He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
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∎ Panthers are incredible on the glass. They finished with 45 rebounds, including 21 offensive rebounds, which led to numerous second-chance points.
∎ One area to keep an eye on for Camden will be his 3-point shooting. That was a problem for the Panthers last year, and they struggled against Rancocas Valley, making just 5 of 27 attempts.
∎ Thursday’s game was Rancocas Valley’s first in the Olympic Conference since moving from the Burlington County Scholastic League. The Red Devils didn’t get to play Camden as it was a crossover game, but the players were delighted with the opportunity and the memory.
Flanagan was more concerned with how his kids were playing, and while he wanted to win, he felt his team’s approach was winning.
“I don’t think we were intimidated at all,” he said. “We prepared for it, but it’s hard to prepare for this level of talent, but the mindset and everything, we prepared for what we were going to face. I thought we didn’t care.”
Jack Arendak led all scorers with 20 points, while sophomore Montre Wilson and freshman Jayden Washington had 12 and 9 points, respectively.
“If we don’t come out strong on Saturday, I think this game will backfire,” Flanagan said. “I told the guys yesterday before this game that the most important game of the season is Saturday (against Delsea). I hope today’s efforts move us forward.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports reporting for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or by email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also reach him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism by subscribing.
