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Imhotep stays in front in Public League with 71-57 win

01/19/2017, 9:15pm EST
By David Gough

Donta Scott (above) and Imhotep stayed on top in the Public League with a 71-57 win over Del-Val Charter. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

David Gough (@DG0UGH)
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Donta Scott can thank his mother for his path to becoming one of the area’s most promising sophomores.

It wasn’t until the 6-foot-7, 215 pound forward was 10 years old until he started playing the sport.

“My mom wanted me to get out of the house and do more sports,” he said, “because I was chubby back then.”

Scott -- who added he wasn’t too chubby -- was more into football, but his mom wouldn’t allow it. So, instead, he stuck with basketball.

He’s doing pretty well for himself in the sport. As a member of an impressive, and tall, sophomore class for Imhotep coach Andre Noble which includes two other guys that are 6-foot-6 in Chareef Knox and Jamil Riggins, Scott is making a name for himself.

His ability to use the whole court was evident in Imhotep’s 71-57 victory over Del-Val Charter in Public League action on Thursday.

After blocking a shot on the defensive end, he hit a 3-point shot on the other end of the court. That sequence came immediately after senior guard Daron Russell had a steal-and-dunk that even had the Delaware Valley fans react in applause.

With that, the Panthers (13-2, 6-1) took their largest lead of the game at the time, 45-30, just a couple minutes into the third quarter.

Scott finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal in the win.

The Public League Division ‘A’ leaders will look to keep that moniker alive with a trip to George Washington next Tuesday.

Noble is finding that Scott’s play this year is going a long way in helping the team succeed.

“His ability to be 6-7 and really stretch the floor when he shoots and then we can handle the ball and make plays off the dribble,” Noble said. “What he does defensively is he’s able to guard one through five. We switch him to a guard and we’re fine. He’s been one of our leaders in rebounds and blocked shots and is almost averaging a double-double this year so much improved year for him.”

As a freshman, Scott saw a few spare minutes, but has really emerged this season. He had a productive summer on the AAU circuit on a talented Philly Pride 15U squad, setting up for a year where he's needed to take a step forward for a Panthers team with state championship expectations.

Next year, once a trio of Division I seniors are gone, he'll be expected to become one of the focal points of the program.

“He’s definitely made progressions,” said Noble. “We obviously use him more now than we did when he was a freshman. He’s been one of our leaders in rebounds and blocked shots and is almost averaging a double-double this year, so a much-improved year for him.”

As a sophomore, college programs cannot directly speak to Scott. Noble said, though, that he’s hearing interest from schools like Saint Joseph’s, Wake Forest, Maryland, and even Villanova is keeping an eye on him.

For this particular game, Temple head coach Fran Dunphy was in attendance.

“The great thing about him is it won’t affect him. He really just likes basketball,” Noble said.  “As long as he keeps the fundamental ‘I like playing basketball, I want to get better’, I don’t think it’s going to affect Donta. He doesn’t get too high on ‘Oh look who’s in the stands.’ It’s not really his thing."

As productive as Scott was in Thursday’s win, ‘Tep seniors Russell and David Beatty showed why they’ll be playing Division I basketball next fall.

Russell, a 5-11 guard who is committed to Rhode Island, had a game-high 20 points on the day while Beatty, a 6-3 South Carolina commit, had 16 including a dunk in the fourth quarter that had even the opposing fans impressed.

The guards also combined for five 3-pointers on Thursday while their team had eight as a whole.

“We really make people try and guard the 3-point line. With Dave and Daron’s penetration, I think it’s hard to guard us,” said Noble.

Robert Morris commit Koby Thomas added seven points and nine rebounds.

Imhotep led throughout the entire game as Delaware Valley was unable to keep up with them. The Warriors still had some standout performers.

Junior Antwaun Butler and senior Makhi Morris both had 15 while combining for five 3-pointers. Meanwhile, senior Dion Harris contributed nine points and eight rebounds.

The Warriors (14-5, 5-3) get Martin Luther King next Tuesday, on their home court at Simons Rec Center.


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