Freshman Basketball - Year in Review

Freshman Basketball- Year in Review

My first impression of this team was the day after Thanksgiving. When I first saw the team warming up, I saw that they were talking and laughing to each other as if there was already a sense of community. 

Two players stuck out to me in this first practice: Dylan Russo ‘29 and Devin Tullis ‘29. When they were stretching, I noticed that Russo was calling out what to do and showed his leadership and hustle throughout the practice. Later in the practice, Tullis showed his hustle and expression in every drill. 

During practice, while in the paint, these two faced each other. Tullis tended to go after the ball to which Russo would take advantage of by using his blazing speed to pass by him. But the plays where he didn’t go after the ball, his blocking skills were off the charts. From this practice, I noticed that this team was not afraid to be physical and are very competitive, but had a lot of trouble rebounding, which was inevitably a constant theme throughout the season. 

Their first game was on December 9th, when the Hawks took on the Fords of Haverford School. The Hawks started off slow, down 17-12 at the end of the first. Jason Barmore ‘29 scored 17 points in the first half leading the Hawks to be tied up at 29. It was a close game throughout the second half, but the Hawks had a tipped pass stolen and the Fords scored with 6 seconds left on the clock. The team could not score after that, and the final was 46-45 Fords. Even though the Prep lost, Haverford had already taken down other PCL teams and Barmore, a 5’ 10” guard with elite scoring ability and exceptional court vision, recorded 20 points with 6 threes. 

The next game was at Archbishop Wood. It was a snowy night where many players arrived late because of the storm that had just passed. I was worried that they would start off slow because they did not get enough time to warm up and a day off the day before. I was right, as the Hawks were losing 27-21 at half when Coach Mike Barton ‘17 said, “All we need to do is win, win, win.” This surely flipped a switch. The Prep took the lead with 3 minutes left in the third and didn’t let up until late in the fourth. With 22 seconds left in the game, Joe Iannaccone ‘29, one of the team's most consistent scorers, had a huge steal. Sprinting down the court, Iannaccone fired a pass over to Tullis. Down by 2, Tullis ran to the corner, contested with the game on the line, launched a three-pointer to lead by one with 11 seconds left. A few fouls and free throws later, the Prep picked up their first win, 52-49.

The Hawks had a game the next day, taking on Penn Charter. The Prep easily cruised to a 58-23 win. It was evident through the first few games that this team was resilient and gritty with a willingness to win any way possible. 

The Hawks returned home for the first time this season. They would have to face a strong Father Judge team. It was a slow start with the Prep only scoring 19 in the first half. The second half was very different, with the Hawks scoring 27 points, 11 from Barmore and 14 from guard Chase Rollins ‘29. Rollins only missed two shots, both of which were three pointers. The Hawks won 46-34, heading into their next game against La Salle, first game in the new year. 

Coach Barton had this game circled on his schedule and couldn't wait for it. He got the team excited by saying, “If you’re not up for this, what are you doing?” Upon hearing this, the boys responded with a roar. The first half did not go as planned for the Prep, down 18-16. The game was tied at the end of the third at 24 apiece. La Salle made many mistakes and fouls were called against them, but the Prep struggled making free throws, leading to just scoring 2 points in the 4th quarter. La Salle escaped 17th and Girard with a 38-26 win. 

Next, the Hawks hosted Archbishop Wood. The start of this game was quiet, with not much action on either side of the court. In the second half, Wood overcame a seven point deficit and took a 27-25 lead at the end of the 3rd. The 4th quarter was dominated by the Hawks’ 6’ 5” Jayden Brown ‘29. Unfortunately, Brown’s shoe broke with two minutes left taking him out of the game. One technical foul from both teams occurred with 31.5 seconds to go. Wood would come out with a 33-31 win, turning the Prep’s record to .500. 

Back on the road, the Prep visited Cardinal O’Hara. A back-and-fourth game resulted in an overtime finish. At 41-41, the Prep needed a huge performance and a somewhat of a miracle  to finish the extra frame victorious. With 20 seconds left and the game now tied at 47, Iannaccone had possession, put up a shot, and scored at the buzzer. The bench mobbed him in the corner and went to the locker room. Barmore and Naim Bellinger ‘29 led the scoring with 18 and 11, respectively. 

Following this electric victory, the team ventured to Lansdale Catholic. The Hawks only scored 4 points in the first quarter, but came back and took a 38-31 victory. The next week, they played against Roman Catholic at 17th and Girard. The Prep could not get any rebounds or finish any layups, until the 4th quarter. The Prep pulled away in a low scoring matchup to win. Against Lansdale and Roman, the Prep didn’t allow a single point in both third quarters, a huge factor in their wins over these two teams. 

An out of league game against Salesianum awaited. This matchup was a shootout, but the Hawks persevered and took a 53-47 win. A game at Devon Prep was next, where a lot of players played and scored in this game, including John D’Lauro ‘29 and Blake Sacchetta ‘29, with a combined 10 points. The Tide tied it up in the 3rd quarter, until Gabriel Balchunas ‘29 hit a mid-range jumpshot to take the lead.The Hawks never gave the lead back and held on to beat the Tide 48-37. 

The very next day, the team traveled to Scranton Prep. The Hawks won by a final score of 58-27 improving their record to 9-3. It was pleasing to see a bunch of players get their opportunities and seize them. Gavin McLane ‘29 scored a thunderous 12 points, the most for the team and his highest all year. Second in scoring was Erich Swerling ‘29 with 8 points, his most all year. Kellen Holmes ‘29 was perfect from the field with his 6 points and Kevin Roscioli ‘29 got his first start of the year and grabbed 6 rebounds. 

The home stretch of the season arrived. The team took on La Salle on a cold day in Wyndmoor. The Prep led all game until La Salle hit a huge three with around 45 seconds left in the 4th. The Prep could not match it, although Francis Greek ‘29 had two huge threes at the end of the game, resulting in a 39-37 loss. Father Judge hosted the Prep next. Tullis ended with 12 points and Brown had 7 and a demoralizing block in the 4th quarter to send the Hawks home to face Archbishop Ryan. The final match was on Super Bowl Sunday. The Prep started off hot with 24 points and a couple of points from Jacob Smith ‘29. Brown got a buzzer beater slam dunk to cap off the season with a win. 

This group of guys was a fantastic group to be around for three months. This community has grown so much from the first game to the last whistle of the season, slowly becoming a family and a true image of brotherhood. It is very safe to say that the future of Hawks hoops is bright.