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Prepping for Preps '22-23: Neshaminy (Boys)

10/10/2022, 9:45am EDT
By Jared Leveson

By Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2022-23 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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‘Let’s E.A.T.’ is the mantra that has embodied the Neshaminy boys basketball team for the past seven years.

The acronym stands for Effort, Attitude and Toughness. Those three central pillars form the foundation for seventh-year head coach Mark Tingle’s Suburban One League program. 

A solid 2021-2022 campaign and strong group of returners have created high expectations for Tingle’s squad, who must rely on those core values as they navigate the SOL Patriot Division. They are returning three starters from last year’s varsity team and are looking to expand upon last year’s successes. 


Neshaminy's Emeer Coombs, above, is one of three starters back this season. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

“Last year we didn’t have as much experience and this year we do,” Tingle said. “So it’s carrying over that experience and building off that experience to have a better year than we did last year, and last year was a solid year.” 

Coming off a SOL Patriot Division title in 2020-21, an inexperienced Neshaminy squad expected growing pains last season. Tingle’s team finished with a 14-10 record and placed third in the SOL Patriot Division standings behind Bensalem and Council Rock North with a 10-6 league mark. 

Their postseason run was short-lived, however, as Cheltenham bounced them handily in the opening round of the SOL tournament and division rival Council Rock North knocked them out of the District 1-6A playoffs in the 15 vs. 18 matchup of the first round.

Neshaminy lost several “big-time contributors,” according to Tingle when he discussed this season’s roster. Graduates from the 2022 class included Evan Esposito (Holy Family), 6-7 Kade Benjamin (Bucks County Community College), and dual-sport athlete Nunzio Zydzik. 

But Neshaminy has turned a page from last year, returning key players focused on the task before them — getting back on top of the Patriot Division. 

The returning starters include junior guards Emeer Coombs and Nathan Townsend and senior shooting guard Sean Curley. The three have spearheaded Neshaminy’s offseason workouts as they plan on hitting the ground running in November. 

“They are the catalysts,” Tingle said. 

Coombs and Townsend have played together since middle school, bringing different dimensions to Neshaminy’s style. The 5-8 point guard Coombs handles the ball confidently and can clamp down his opponents. On the other hand, the 6-2 Townsend has an impressive handle and footwork. His large frame allows him to pull down offensive and defensive rebounds. Curley will assume most leadership responsibilities and serve as the Skins’ perimeter threat and secondary ball handler. 

The 6-1 Curley has put together a noticeable offseason with impressive performances at preseason showcases where he’s shown an ability to knockdown the three-point and mid-range jumper and finish around the rim. He has drawn interest from Division III programs like Scranton, Haverford, Gettysburg, and TCNJ. 

“I think all three of them made big jumps, it’s the easy answer, but they have really all made big-time jumps,” Tingle said. “In the sense that playing together, those three are really tough to play against.” 

Joseph Zack, a 6-4 senior center,  is spending his offseason as the starting tight end and defensive end on Neshaminy’s varsity football team but should slide into the starting lineup as well. Zack backed up Benjamin last season but played plenty of minutes off the bench and will provide experience and needed size. 

The fifth spot in Tingle’s starting lineup is up for grabs. Seniors Ashton Lovelace, Colin Cloud and Boima Gobah will compete for the final starting spot and more minutes in the rotation off the bench. 

This upperclassmen-laden squad understands that they need a positive and persistent attitude to have increased success this season.

“I think we could have beaten all the teams last year,” Townsend said. “It was just our mental mistakes that cost us.” 

The challenging SOL will test Neshaminy’s attitude and mentality each game. Key matchups include games against Bensalem, Council Rock North, and Pennsbury. 


Neshaminy's Nathan Townsend, above, Sean Curley and Emeer Coombs will guide the team this season. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Bensalem lost 2022 SOL first-team selections Aaron Sanders and Jeremy Rodriguez (Pitt-Bradford) but returns Eric Gonzalez and Antonio Morris. Council Rock North features at least seven players on their roster who are 6-2 or taller, including senior Jack Blum

“Bensalem won (the Patriot Division) last year and we stayed in the game with them both games last year, but they just got ahead and won both games,” Townsend said. “They [Council Rock North] won the first game at our house, we won the second game at their house, and then the first game of playoffs we played them in their house and lost by five, so I definitely do have revenge on my mind.” 

“But our biggest rival is Pennsbury, we don’t really like each other.” 

Neshaminy looks to beat its opponents using a lot of dribble drives and to create space for their shooters like Curley. They also want to get up and down the floor and create simple opportunities for themselves. 

“We have guys that can run and handle the ball well,” Tingle said. 

Other than executing their offensive game plan, the critical element for Neshaminy this season will be  that ‘T’ or toughness. 

Toughness has been the missing part of Neshaminy’s equation, and they have looked to turn that around this offseason. Cheltenham’s physicality proved too much to overcome in their SOL playoff loss. 

“We were with them the whole time,” Townsend said. “But down the stretch they got the more aggressive points and we didn’t get it [the lead] back.” 

Tingle has noticed signs his team embraced playing tough basketball through their stretch of preseason competitions and open gyms. 

“As a team, we attempted charges, took charges, played physical, despite not having our height here because of other sports and stuff like that,” Tingle said. “So that was nice to see that.”

The team is eager to satisfy their desire for a deep run in March and avoid similar first-round exits this time around. For this reason, Neshaminy has worked tirelessly this preseason. The team has done conditioning work on the track, gained strength in the weight room, and sharpened their skills during open gyms. 

“We’ve been working really hard on our conditioning and lifting,” Townsend said. “And working as a team to get better.” 

Tingle hopes his team can continue ‘E.A.T.-ing’  this season.

“For us it’s a really exciting year,” Tingle said. “We have a lot of experience back, which is good. I think the league is wide open for everybody. I think it’s gonna be a great year for us as long as we do what we’re supposed to so far as effort, attitude and toughness.”


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