Joe Goldenberg

Tribute Page Joe Goldenberg, an alumnus and star player, coached basketball at West Philadelphia for 21 seasons (1970-90), winning 410 games, five Public League crowns (in succession) and four City Titles (also in succession). In 1978, the Speedboys beat Roman Catholic, 67-64, for that fourth straight CT. Here is that story . . . Coach Joe Goldenberg SEASON BY SEASON League / Overall (*-Strike by Teachers Halted PL Play) 1970: 9-5 / 10-5 1971: 10-2 / 14-3 1972: 10-4 / 13-5 *1973: 2-0 / 3-0 1974: 10-3 / 17-5 1975: 14-0 / 25-0 1976: 13-0 / 24-2 1977: 14-0 / 30-0 1978: 14-1 / 33-1 1979: 15-0 / 21-4 1980: 13-1 / 19-6 1981: 10-5 / 13-9 1982: 12-0 / 20-3 1983: 8-0 / 19-5 1984: 12-0 / 24-5 1985: 10-3 / 19-6 1986: 9-4 / 18-7 1987: 12-1 / 26-4 1988: 13-0 / 24-2 1989: 9-4 / 18-8 1990: 11-3 / 20-6 TOTAL RECORD 21 Seasons, 1970-1990 League - 230-36 Overall - 410-86 PLAYOFF BREAKDOWN Appearances Ended in . . . Quarterfinals (6) 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1989 Semifinals (3) 1979, 1986, 1990 Finals (9) 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1987, 1988 TOP 15 PL SCORERS Clar. "Eggy" Tillman 1978 26.8 Gene Banks 1976 25.4 Gene Banks 1977 25.4 Tom Jordan 1970 23.5 Howard Evans 1984 23.3 Kev. "Rock" McCray 1979 22.8 Henry Smith 1984 22.0 Mike Stokes 1972 21.5 Earl Bundy 1971 20.0 Tom Hooks 1971 19.3 Roy Lloyd 1990 19.1 Clar. "Eggy" Tillman 1976 19.0 Mark Dwight 1975 19 Howard Evans 1982 18.6 Malcolm Musgrove 1989 18.5 STARTERS FOR PL CHAMPS 1974 Tim Smith Mark Dwight Wilbert Lorick Calvin Goodwin Clarence Hamilton 1975 Tim Smith Gene Banks Mark Dwight Wilbert Lorick Michael Collins 1976 Gene Banks Clarence "Eggy" Tillman Darryl "City Lights" Warwick Ron "Weiner" Williams Louis Crawley 1977 Gene Banks Clarence "Eggy" Tillman Darryl "City Lights" Warwick Joe Garrett Mike Nichols 1978 Clarence "Eggy" Tillman Vincent Ross James "Pee Wee" Thomas *Burt Biggs Kevin "Rock" McCray *known as Tyrell Biggs during professional boxing career -- This story was written in December 1982, when the Speedboys did more than play basketball on a trip to Las Vegas . . . By Ted Silary LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Because of her busy schedule, Lola Falana doesn't get much of a chance to partake of college or NBA basketball, let alone the high school version. But when someone calls and says she can sing the national anthem before a game, well, that's a whole different story. "I love it when they ask me to sing the anthem," said Falana, who's in the midst of a two-week engagement at the Sands. "That way, I always get a great seat." Yesterday afternoon, Falana wasn't singing the national anthem - or anything else, for that matter - but she did take time to visit briefly with the players and coaches of West Philadelphia's basketball team. Pictures were taken, questions were asked and answered and, most of all, every eye bugged out. "On a scale of 1 to 10, she's a 12," said point guard Tracey Kelty. Falana was born in Camden, but she attended Roosevelt Junior High and Germantown High in Philadelphia. She never experienced the thrills of Public League basketball, however, either as a cheerleader or fan. "I was involved in dance every day after school," she said, "so I didn't have much of a chance to follow sports. But now, I'm very much into sports. "I like basketball, football, tennis, gymnastics, almost everything. The only thing I'm not too excited about is ockey. I can't take the violence." Kelty was luckier than most of the Speedboys because it was his second look at Falana. Tracey's ninth-grade history teacher at Sulzberger Junior High is Lola's aunt. "Lola came to Sulzberger," Tracey said. "She performed in an assembly, sang a couple of songs. The students were going crazy, trying to jump on the stage and get close to her. I was right there with 'em. A couple policemen came with her. I guess they knew everyone would be excited. "I thought we were coming here to see a show. G (Coach Joe Goldenberg) didn't really tell us what we'd be doing. This was nice, though. The guys liked it. Do you see how clean (dressed up) they got?" During the time the team spent on the stage with Lola, the biggest ham probably was sub guard John Allison, who even put his arm around Falana's waist for one picture. "I'd like to take her out if I could," Allison said. "Can you get me her phone number? "I was hoping we'd all get to take individual pictures with her, shake her hand and get her autograph. But I didn't bring any paper. I forgot." Last night, Goldenberg and his assistants, Frank Greco and Phil Umansky, took in Lola's midnight show, compliments of the Sands. Their mood needed some brightening, too, because the Speedboys lost to Clark of Las Vegas, 76-65, in the third-place game. "Some guys came to play, some guys didn't," Goldenberg said. " That seems to happen in all our games. Not just consolation games. "If everybody had the heart of Lawrence Taylor, Tracey Kelty and Howard Evans we would be a little bit different team. At times, we don't get enough hard play from certain people. " Evans paced the Speedboys with 24 points and eight assists while Taylor had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Kelty dealt nine assists. In the championship game, Osceola of Kissimmee, Fla., defeated Chaparral of Las Vegas, 71-58, as MVP Frank Ford (28) and Jimmy McCrimon combined for 51 points. -- This story was written in December 1983, when Joe headed a project that enabled his team to play in Hawaii . . . By Ted Silary HONOLULU, Hawaii -- West Philadelphia's basketball team is here for eight days and seven nights because of two things: the heart and ingenuity of coach Joe Goldenberg. The sponsors of the first Iolani Prep Basketball Classic agreed to pay the Speedboys' tab for five nights at the old but classy Moana Sheraton, which sits within shouting distance of famed Waikiki Beach. Nights six and seven, as well as the cost of airfare, were paid for by West students, who bought more than 33,000 soft pretzels from Goldenberg, assistant Phil Umansky and ex-assistant Frank Greco, now the head coach at Central. "There was no way we were going to come over here for four or five days," Goldenberg said. "When I found out we'd have such a long flight (about 11 hours) and that we'd be experiencing a five-hour time change, I said we'd better go the full route, make a week's vacation out of it, so the kids would have some time to relax and adjust before the games started. " Pretzel sales began the first week of January, two weeks before Goldenberg knew for sure that there would be a tournament and 11 months before the school district gave its blessing. But the groundwork began last December when Goldenberg met Glenn Young, the coach of Iolani, during the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic. "Glenn was really intrigued by the concept of a tournament like that and he said he was thinking of having the same thing over here," Goldenberg said. ''I told him, 'If you do, make sure you invite us. ' When we left Las Vegas, Glenn said conditions were pretty much go and that he'd get back to me. Two weeks later, he did. " And quickly, Goldenberg got the blessing of the school and the district. All that was needed was the approval of the new city schools superintendent, Dr. Constance Clayton. "We kept hearing that she was going to say yes, that it was just a formality," Goldenberg said. "Then we got a letter at the end of November, one of the nicest letters I've ever received. She said some wonderful things. I'm going to have it framed. " For four players - forward Derrick McCarter, guards Howard Evans and Steve Holloman and center Henry Smith - what Clayton did was ensure an incredible two-year Christmastime parlay. Las Vegas one year, Hawaii the next. McCarter still finds it hard to believe. But probably not as much as his brother, Terry, a starting forward for the Speedboys in 1971, when the phrase ''long trip" was used in reference to bus rides to Lincoln, Northeast and Washington. "I guess all this, going to Las Vegas and Hawaii, won't hit me until I'm 30," Derrick said. "I'll look back and realize what a great thing I had a chance to do. My mother and father never really took the time to go on a real big vacation. They just go to Washington, where my brother lives, for about a week each summer. " If Derrick McCarter was having trouble early on recognizing how special a road trip this would be, his teachers and classmates helped to put it in perspective. "It seemed like almost everybody was envious," Derrick said, laughing. ''Teachers were saying, 'I've been working hard all these years. How come you get to go to Hawaii and I can't? ' Guys on the football team kept saying, 'It's not fair. You guys get treated better than us and the other sports teams. ' Mr. G likes to mess with them. He says, 'If you win like the basketball team does, you'll get treated the same way. ' " Although Wednesday's trip to Pearl Harbor was the only planned activity the Speedboys were able to take advantage of, they have shown a special brand of resourcefulness. They're seeing the sights, soaking in the beauty of this island city in the Pacific. "I kept looking forward to the beach," McCarter said. "Now we're here and I'm not getting to the beach very much. Anyway, I'm not the greatest fan of swimming ever since 'Jaws. ' I like walking up and down the street in front of the hotel. A lot of pretty sights. "The last couple months, every day I gave at least some thought to coming here. Now I'm giving thought to how I can get back . . . Well, maybe not to here but at least to someplace real nice. After I go to college, get a job and get married, I hope I can save enough money to do something like this again. " McCarter isn't the only one entertaining those thoughts. In fact . . . "We might not have to worry about coming back," McCarter said, "because we might not leave." -- This story was written in January 1990, when Joe earned his 400th win and announced he would retire at the end of the season . . . By Ted Silary The winningest coach in Public League basketball history will soon add ''ex" and a hyphen to his title. After West Philadelphia yesterday downed host Kensington, 105-57, to raise his 21-year varsity record to 400-82, coach Joe Goldenberg said the current season would be his last. "I told the players. They know," said Goldenberg, 52. "I'll take a sabbatical from next September through to June, then go out on early retirement. So this is it for coaching. "I'm going to start a second career. Some of the details are still pending, so I can't be specific." When yesterday's game ended, Kensington's fans had to be muttering, "Gimme a break. One hundred points isn't that big a deal. " The reason: A split-second after the final horn sounded, the Speedboys hoisted Goldenberg to their shoulders and romped around the court in celebration of No. 400. "They didn't know where they were going," he said, laughing. "I had to point them toward our locker room. Pat Cassano, a teacher at West and our scorekeeper, must have tipped off the Kensington people. Because there was a knock on the door and in came (Kensington phys-ed administrators) Jim Parrish and Carole Cipriano. They gave me a brand, new ball with 400 wins, the details, on it. Later, the coach, Paul Kolakowski, said they'll send me the nets. "I can't tell how you nice they made me feel. I mean, those were just really nice gestures. " In February 1985, when Goldenberg won his 300th game, he had no recollection of victory No. 1. "I still don't," he said, laughing. "Whatever team we beat then, it's still the same. " Goldenberg, a 1955 West grad, replaced the man who'd been his coach, Doug Connelly, for the 1969-70 season. His teams have won five league championships (1974 to '78), they won four City Titles ('75 to '78) and they have made playoff appearances in the last 16 years. Win No. 400 could have come last weekend in the championship game of the Rockledge (Fla.) Holiday Classic. But the Speedboys (now 10-2) fell to host Rockledge, 61-56. "My wife (Claire) had planned a big to-do," Goldenberg said. "Our losing saved her a fortune. She had invited the immediate world to a postgame celebration, but we screwed it up. "The whole thing was based on, 'If they win, we'll do this. If they don't, chuck it.' The people at the Holiday Inn in Cocoa Beach were very understanding. A lot of people hung around just to see what would happen (regarding the possible party). I feel badly for the kids that we didn't win the tournament, but this (lengthy, storied career) all started in Philadelphia and I guess that's where this (special occasion) should have happened. " West's scoring leaders yesterday were Roy Lloyd (19), Ed Gland (15), frosh Laurence Pembrook (also 15) and soph Alvin Horne (13). Ray Harris (17), James Spry (16), Anthony Oliver (13) and Darien Martin (11) did all of Kensington's scoring. Upon retirement, Goldenberg said, he will have "nothing but fond memories. "It's been a great experience," he said. "I've met and dealt with hundreds of kids. In coaching, you can't help but have a few negative experiences, but the overwhelming majority have been positive, and that's what I'm going to remember. " Much has changed during Goldenberg's tenure. In his first three years, the Speedboys played only 50 games total. They now play that many in two years, as do most Public League teams. They also travel. Goldenberg has taken teams to Las Vegas, Hawaii and the Bahamas, as well as Florida, for tournaments. Goldenberg becomes the third prominent "Pub" coach in the last year to announce his retirement. Overbrook's Mark "Max" Levin went 306-145 in 18 seasons through '89, while Southern's Mitch Schneider went 252-86 in 15 seasons through '89. Among them, Goldenberg, Levin and Schneider have won 958 games. "These (milestone) wins are nice," Goldenberg said, "but it's more important to get in the playoffs." -- Recaps of victories in Public League championship games/City Titles . . . PUBLIC FINALS 1974 At Temple's McGonigle Hall West Phila. 48, Gratz 46 Mark Dwight (14) and Tim Smith (10, 11 rebounds) were the only West players to score in double figures. Sixth-man Clarence Hamilton had six assists and made a one-and-one with 0:55 left to provide a 48-44 lead. For Gratz, Marvin Brown had 14 points and 20 rebounds. 1975 At Temple's McGonigle Hall West Phila. 62, Gratz 40 Mark Dwight scored 22 points, Tim Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds and 6-6 sophomore Gene Banks claimed 15 rebounds. Gratz's Keith Johnson had 11 points and 18 rebounds. 1976 At the Palestra West Phila. 89, Overbrook 78 Junior Gene Banks (23 points, 22 rebounds) and sophomore Clarence "Eggy" Tillman (26, 20) dominated inside and junior Darryl "City Lights" Warwick had 20 points and five assists. Junior Lewis Lloyd was Overbrook's best with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Robert Carter had 23 points. 1977 At the Palestra West Phila. 61, Overbrook 51 With All-America Gene Banks watching from the bench (he was suspended for violating team rules), Clarence "Eggy" Tillman had 24 points and 12 rebounds before a turnaway crowd (8,000-plus). Mike Powell, who started in Banks's place, had 13 points. The Speedboys finished the season at 30-0 and were 79-2 in Banks's 3-year varsity career. Overbrook's Lewis Lloyd had 19 points and 13 rebounds. 1978 At the Palestra West Phila. 68, Mastbaum 56 Seventh-man Mark Davis, who'd attended Mastbaum as a junior, posted 20 points and nine rebounds as the Speedboys won their fifth straight title under coach Joe Goldenberg. Kevin "Rock" McCray had 12 points and seven assists. Burt Biggs, who went on to fame as boxer Tyrell Biggs, started for West. A few weeks earlier, West's state-record, 68-game winning streak had been snapped by Overbrook. For Mastbaum, Ray Thompson had 16 points and 15 rebounds. --------------------- CITY TITLES 1975 At Temple's McGonigle Hall West Phila. 67, Judge 45 Gene Banks, a 6-6 soph, shot 11-for-14 and 2-for-3 for 24 points and snatched 13 rebounds as the Speedboys completed a 25-0 season. Tim Smith had eight points and six rebounds and held Judge star Al Clancy to three points. Michael Collins added 11 points and five assists while Mark Dwight had 10 points, nine boards. Charlie Rice led Judge with 15 points and nine rebounds. 1976 At the Palestra West Phila. 71, Kenrick 61 Gene Banks (24 points, 18 rebounds) and Clarence "Eggy" Tillman (22, 14) were dominant inside while Ron "Weiner" Williams added 14 points and Darryl Warwick and Louis Crawley split 12 assists. Kenrick's Tom Catagnus shot 12-for-14 at the line en route to 24 points and Paul Mulholland mixed 14 points, nine rebounds. 1977 At the Palestra West Phila. 72, Judge 52 Gene Banks totaled 31 points (11-for-11 at the line) and 23 rebounds to help the Speedboys cap a 30-0 season, finalize the record during the Banks Era at 79-2 and extend a winning streak to 43 games. At the end of the game, Banks tossed four, long-stemmed roses (three red, one yellow) into the stands. Clarence "Eggy" Tillman added 12 points and 14 rebounds. For Judge, Tom "Mo" Greenfield had 11 points and 12 boards. 1978 At the Palestra West Phila. 67, Roman 64 Clarence "Eggy" Tillman poured in 31 points, Vincent Ross took 13 rebounds and Kevin "Rock" McCray dished eight assists as West proved best in the city for a record fourth consecutive time. Tillman shot 11-for-19 and 9-for-10. Reggie Jackson (24, 11 rebounds) and Charlie Robbins (16) led Roman, which used an 11-0 run to draw within 58-57. McCray's two free throws with 0:28 left provided comfort at 66-60. The Speedboys finished the season at 33-1 with 87 wins in their last 89 games and 112 in 115. -- Below are the players who helped Joe Goldenberg claim 410 wins, five Public League championships and four City Titles in 21 seasons as the coach at West Philadelphia. The year indicates the player's final season. Most were seniors. Some transferred and some were underclassmen who did not play in the following season. Faison 1970 Burt Biggs 1978 Derrick McCarter 1984 Jerome Langston 1970 Clarence "Eggy" Tillman 1978 George Jones 1984 Joe Woodlock 1970 Derek Coleman 1978 Henry Hayward 1984 Oscar Berryman 1970 Greg Gaymon 1978 Henry Smith 1984 Roger Clay 1970 Greg McKinley 1978 Howard Evans 1984 Steven Palmer 1970 Ira Potter 1978 John Washington 1984 Tom Jordan 1970 James "Pee Wee" Thomas 1978 Ronald Champion 1984 Wallace 1970 Karl Jones 1978 Steve Holloman 1984 Beverly 1971 Ken Riddick 1978 Tom Macey 1984 Brundage 1971 Mark Davis 1978 Derrick Butler 1985 Earl Bundy 1971 Vincent Ross 1978 Derrick Hopkins 1985 Hudson 1971 Jim Jones 1979 Earl Richards 1985 M. Taylor 1971 Jimmy Moore 1979 Ed Lester 1985 Terry McCarter 1971 Kevin "Rock" McCray 1979 Eric "Buttton" Pearson 1985 Tommy Hooks 1971 Kevin Warwick 1979 Micah Waters 1985 Darnell Benson 1972 Norman Winston 1979 Sean Kershaw 1985 Floyd Bivins 1972 Phil Webb 1979 Tim Baker 1985 Fred Goodman 1972 Rick Peters 1979 Tony Cauthen 1985 Jan Pearson 1972 Vincent Johnson 1979 Claude Gravely 1986 Jeff Green 1972 Chris Davis 1980 Derrick Lee 1986 Mike Johnson 1972 David Beard 1980 James Hillyard 1986 Mike Stokes 1972 Eric Smith 1980 Marcus Brown 1986 Ray Smith 1972 Greg "Box" Brandon 1980 Rodney Jones 1986 Tony Britt 1972 Jerry Moore 1980 Akhenaton "Kahn" Mikell 1987 Wayne Taylor 1972 John Briggs 1980 Dwayne Jeter 1987 Fernando Davis 1973 Kenny Jones 1980 Gary Farmer 1987 Mark Dwight 1973 Bruce Davis 1981 Gary Lee 1987 Mike Thomas 1973 Charlie Peck 1981 Marcus Preston 1987 Ray Elzey 1973 Claude Hughes 1981 Mike Monroe 1987 Ray Stevenson 1973 Darryl McAdams 1981 Will Richardson 1987 Rick Williams 1973 Derrick Williams 1981 Benny "Basket" Ball 1988 Tim Smith 1973 George Erwin 1981 Derek Higgins 1988 Clarence Hamilton 1974 Kenyatta Bey 1981 Eric Williams 1988 Gary Anderson 1974 Ron Johnson 1981 Fred Richardson 1988 Greg Martin 1974 Ronald Johnson 1981 Marvin Rogers 1988 Herman Adams 1974 Tobias Walker 1981 Mik Kilgore 1988 Joe Waller 1974 Wayne Batson 1981 Orlando Butler 1988 Julius Bullock 1974 Armond Banks 1982 Rich Stone 1988 Ted Hampton 1974 Arnett Woodall 1982 Richard McDowell 1988 Alfred Cave 1975 Danny Thomas 1982 Robert Cathey 1988 Butch Jordan 1975 Drew Warthen 1982 Robert Mobley 1988 Calvin Goodwin 1975 Jeff White 1982 Donald Suswell 1989 Jeff Coleman 1975 Sam "Pebbles" McCray 1982 Gerald Jordan 1989 Mike Collins 1975 Will Jones 1982 Harold McLendon 1989 Mike Green 1975 William Harriott 1982 Lloyd Smith 1989 Wilbert Lorick 1975 Willie Dunmeyer 1982 Malcolm Musgrove 1989 Cliff Riddick 1976 Derrick Garner 1983 Mike Mobley 1989 Donald Watkins 1976 John Allison 1983 Roy Lloyd 1989 Louis Crawley 1976 Lawrence Taylor 1983 Alvin Horne 1990 Ronald Williams 1976 Marc Anderson 1983 Andre Johnson 1990 Tony Roots 1976 Mark Davis 1983 Brian Hancock 1990 Darryl Warwick 1977 Ray Bannister 1983 Devin Baker 1990 Gene Banks 1977 Robert Palmer 1983 Edwin Gland 1990 Joe Garrett 1977 Rodney Wescott 1983 Jimmie Memminger 1990 Mike Nichols 1977 Tracey Kelty 1983 Lamar James 1990 Mike Powell 1977 Laurence Pembrook 1990 Randy Barr 1977 Rob Williams 1990 Terry "Cotton" Scott 1977 Sam McCloud 1990 Shawn Harvey 1990 --