Tradition of excellence
at Central

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

The Central High School women’s basketball team scored one for the history books last week when they celebrated their 100th consecutive Public League victory.
Confetti flew and cameras flashed as the Lancers reached the milestone with an 86-41 win over Martin Luther King High School on Jan. 23, extending their six-year streak of success in the Philadelphia Public League.
"This is incredible. I am so happy right now," senior forward Jillian Barrett, who lives in the Northeast, said after the win. "I was very excited for today. I was also nervous, but definitely more excited. This is amazing. I never really thought that I would be part of something like this."
Barrett led the Lancers with 17 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists. She was joined in the spotlight by juniors Brittany Harriot, with 13 points, and Janaa Pickard, who scored 11.
"I’ve been blessed with these kids," said coach Frank Greco. "I would love to tell you how great a coach I am, but the reality is it’s all the kids. I don’t have a formula. It just kind of happened."
That first win of the streak kicked off the 2001-02 season, after Central’s loss in the league title game that ended the previous season. Central kept rolling, winning 76 regular-season league games and 24 playoff matches.
They figure there’s no reason to stop now.
"We’re only halfway through the season," said Barrett. "We’re not done yet. We still have to get to the championship."
The Lancers followed last week’s epic win by trouncing Frankford High School, 84-38, two days later on Jan. 25. Central also was sitting pretty with an 8-0 record. (The Lancers were scheduled to play Northeast High School on Jan. 30, after the Times went to press this week.)
"There are games we have won because we have out-worked teams," said Greco. "Not the day before the game, but in October, November and January. The team’s work ethic is incredible. Everybody is at practice every day."
After all, practice makes perfect. And when you look back on the Lancers’ remarkable winning streak — which includes six consecutive Public League championship victories — you’d have to believe that’s true.
For the past two years, after winning the league title, Central had reached the second round of the PIAA state playoff tournament. Each time, the Lancers lost and headed for the exit.
"We would really like to get past the second round because the last two years we’ve lost by three points," Barrett said. "We know we have the talent to get further; we just have to get there."
Barrett got her start on the basketball court more than a decade ago, playing for local squads like Fox Rok, the Northeast Rockers and the Philadelphia Belles.
As a four-year varsity player — and now a team co-captain — she has been part of 72 victories at Central. She also has experienced the joy of three Public League crowns.
"If you think about, this started when I was in sixth grade," Barrett said of her basketball journey. "When I came in as a freshman, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But after the first couple days, I felt like I was part of the program. To be standing here four years later is amazing. The girls are great and the coaches are great. This is an amazing moment."
Greco has been the Lancers’ coach for 23 years, or for most of his 35 years of coaching in the School District of Philadelphia. His Central teams have been undefeated in league play for seven years — amassing, in the process, the longest winning streak in Public League history.
"How many people get to one-hundred?" Greco asked, smiling ear to ear. "It’s really a wonderful feeling."
He was even happier for the girls who, over the years, have been part of this achievement.
"Thanks to all the girls who contributed to this over the past seven years," Greco yelled in a packed Central gymnasium during the squad’s victory celebration last week. "You can say you’re the greatest coach in the world. But guess what? Without the players, it can’t happen!"
Former players like Sarah Jones, now a Villanova freshman, and Ashley Morris, a guard on the women’s squad at Temple University, were among the many fans eager to witness history.
Greco was glad to see them. And so many others.
"I saw so many familiar faces here today," the coach said. "Parents of former players were here, and their kids don’t even go here anymore. The parents are here supporting the kids, and their kids are in college. And yet they keep coming back. This is more than a team. We really are a family here." ••