City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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St. Joe’s Prep junior forward Tristen Guillouette could literally be called the ‘biggest piece’ for the Hawks.

At 6-foot-9, Guillouette towers over the rest of his teammates — and many opponents as well. 

It’s not just his physical presence, however, that stands out.

As the most experienced player on a still young Hawks team, he brings much more to the table as well.

“He’s not only our captain but our leader,” St. Joe’s Prep coach Jason Harrigan said. “We really follow him. We’re going to be leaning on him a lot. He’s going to be huge for us on both ends of the court, even from a spirit standpoint, leadership standpoint. He’s really a big piece to our team and I’m hoping he continues playing well.”

The Hawks played just their second game of the season at the Diane Mosco Classic on Saturday at Archbishop Wood, rolling past St. John’s Prep (Md.) for a 71-40 win. There were plenty of standout performances like 15 points from sophomore guard Jaron McKie and 11 points and nine assists from sophomore guard Olin Chamberlain.

Guillouette’s 20-point, six-rebound, four-block effort stood out in the victory. He made his first seven field goal attempts and finished 9-for-11 from the field. 

“I feel like just taking advantage of opportunity,” Guillouette said of Saturdays’ performance. “You see an opportunity and you take it. When you work hard and an opportunity is presented to you, good things happen.”

After not seeing much action during his freshman season at Life Center Academy (N.J.) in 2020-21, Guillouette arrived at St. Joe’s last season without a lot of experience under his belt. The big man wasn’t alone as the Hawks had three freshmen in the rotation and plenty of others getting acclimated to high level hoops..

Guillouette was a quick learner as he averaged 11.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 3.2 bpg in Philadelphia Catholic League Play as a sophomore, though the young Hawks finished 2-11 in the PCL, good for a 12th-place finish.

“Last year, we had a bunch of young guys, so we were all getting used to finding out who we are as individuals and then we were trying to find out who we are as a team,” Guillouette said. “This year, over the summer, spring and fall. I think we all bonded together. We all got that chemistry and it shows on the court.”

The goals have increased. Guillouette believes his game has too. He and teammate Jalen Harper (nine points, five rebounds) worked out with the same skills trainer and strength & conditioning coach this offseason. 

His interior game was impressive on Saturday, showing off impressive footwork and body control inside to get easy looks at the rim. His size and athleticism were highlighted with four blocks on the defensive end.

“There’s definitely a growth in his game,” Harrigan said. “I think it started in the offseason with just the growth in his physical physique. He was able to really dedicate himself. He trimmed up a little bit, got his body together and I think that’s where it started at, just him dedicating himself to physical conditioning. 

“Also, him in the gym working on his game. He’s very intentional about things he’s working on and how he goes about it. I’m not surprised at that. I expect him to continue that going throughout the year.”

Guillouette’s improvements have been backed up by the college interest he received this summer and fall.

He had an offer from Saint Francis (Brooklyn) before arriving at St. Joe’s Prep and added an offer from Hofstra last February, but Guillouette said the interest from college coaches heated up during Philly Live in June.

An offer from St. Joe’s in late June was an eye opener. Albany and Drexel offered in October. He took visits to Albany and Drexel this fall and attended a St. Joe’s-Lafayette game in November as well. Harrigan said La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy recently popped in to see Guillouette and expects the list of coaches reaching out to grow as the season progresses.

“I just want to show everyone what I’m capable of doing,” Guillouette said. “I don’t think there’s a particular area. I just want to show everyone everything I'm capable of doing whether it’s rebounding, passing, shooting, scoring, defending. I just want to show I can be the best version of myself.”

HIs coach wants the same thing.

“I just want him to believe in how good he can be,” Harrigan said. “I think he can show even more than he’s been showing. I think he can shoot the ball really well. I think he’s got good touch with both hands over both shoulders and continue to improve on his condition so he can play the whole game and show everybody how good he is.”

By Quarter

St. John’s (Md.):   12  |  7  |  13  |  8  ||  40

St. Joe’s Prep:  30   |  21  |  19  |  1  ||  71

Scoring

Bishop Eustace: Jordan Giandrea 13, Darnell Morris 12, Ayden Hurley 8, Jaden Codlin 5, Ryan Hantains 2.

Downingtown West: Tristen Guillouette 20, Jaron McKie 15, Olin Chamberlain 11, Jordan Ellerbe 10, Jalen Harper 9, Matt Gorman 5, Jackson Maguire 1.

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Downingtown West guard Joey Suarez goes up for a shot against Bishop Eustace (N.J.) on Saturday. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Downingtown West trio helps Whippets roll Bishop Eustace

Downingtown’s West’s top scoring trio took their turns on Saturday afternoon.

First it was Joey Suarez, then Donovan Fromhartz and finally Dylan Blair took the Whippets home in a runaway 61-44 victory over Bishop Eustace (N.J.).

Blair finished with 21 points and five assists, Fromhartz added 17 points and Suarez poured in another 13 in the victory.

“That’s what you want to see from a team,” Blair said. “That’s a great team win. We know that’s what we’re all capable of. When we’re all rolling like that, we’re tough to beat.”

Suarez had the hot hand early for Downingtown West, pouring in a pair triples in the first quarter help his team stake a 24-11 lead after a period of play and finishing with 11 in the first half as his team jumped out to a 34-23 advantage.

Fromhartz (19 points) knocked down a trio threes in the first half then heated up in the third period, scoring nine of his team’s 15 points as Downingtown West extended the advantage to 49-31.

Blair put the finishing touches on the victory with 10 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth, helping the Whippets extend their advantage to 20 points before cruising down the stretch.

Kelly Bell was effective on the glass and Alex Neuhaus added some defensive prowess as well. It was a nice bounce back after opening conference play with a loss to West Chester Henderson earlier this week.

“We’re feeling alright,” Blair said. “We had a tough loss, but we went back to practice, evaluated ourselves, realized that no one person can beat another team. It’s going to take an entire team effort if we want to win a championship, and I think everyone’s buying in.”

By Quarter

Bishop Eustace:   11  |  12  |  8  |  13  ||  44

Downingtown West:  24   |  10  |  15  |  16  ||  61

Scoring

Bishop Eustace: Ian Glassmarcher 12, James Ianelli 11, Daniel Mason 8, Joey Callahan 7, Thomas Smeiraglio, James Hollingshead 2

Downingtown West: Dylan Blair 21, Donovan Fromhartz 17, Joey Suarez 13, Kelly Bell 4, Alex Neuhaus 2, Jase Lasher 4.