City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Believe it or not, Dasear Haskins said his shot wasn’t feeling good.

Before the Camden senior knocked down four 3-pointers, a crucial shooting performance in Camden’s 60-57 win over Imhotep in the much-anticipated showcase game between the two local and national powerhouses, Haskins wasn’t feeling right during warmups.

“I ain’t going to lie,” he said. “I was struggling today to shoot the ball, so (Camden coach Maalik Wayns) sent me out there to get more shots.”

That’s something that happens sometimes for the 6-foot-9, 187-pound wing forward, whose outside shot is one of his most useful assets; sometimes, he’s feeling good during practice, and sometimes he isn’t.

“I could be like ‘alright, I’m struggling today,’ I’ll tell my coach I’m struggling today, so he’ll send me out there earlier or later to get more shots up,” he said, “or (I’ll tell) my coach I was feeling good today.”

Saturday, at first, was a bad day. But after taking more pregame shots, Haskins said he got to where he needed to be, and then put it to work during the game. He was 4-of-5 from 3-point range, making one in each quarter (plus a layup in the third), serving as a necessary complement to DJ Wagner’s 22-point effort and Cian Medley’s 14-point, six-assist outing. 

The talk coming in had been about the trios of Imhotep’s Justin Edwards, Rahmir Barno and Ahmad Nowell — who combined for 53 of Imhotep’s 57 points — and that of Medley, Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, Wagner and Bradshaw set to join Edwards at Kentucky next year, all three of them McDonald’s All-Americans. 

All six of the above stars showed why they’re so highly-touted. Imhotep didn’t have anybody else produce. Camden did.

“I think their ‘other’s’ made plays and our others really didn’t,” Imhotep coach Andre Noble said. “Their role guys made plays and we were 0-for from all of our catch-and-shoot threes, from our kickouts. We’re not usually 0-for like that with our kickout game, and we just didn’t make shots.”

“Dasear’s a star in my eyes, he’s a star,” Medley said, “He’s one of the best shooters in the country if you ask me. When he’s shooting the ball he just makes us 10 times better, 100 times better, because he feeds off of that. 

“He’s not going to stop shooting, no matter how many shots he missed or how many shots he makes, he’s not going to stop shooting,” the Saint Louis-bound guard added. “He’s aggressive, that’s him as a person, if he misses four in a row, he’ll tell you I’m still going to shoot, I’m a shooter. His confidence is crazy, and his confidence is part of this team.”

After missing two games with a sprained right ankle, Haskins’ contributions were especially critical early on in a game where both teams were fighting for points, the halftime score just 26-24 in Camden’s favor, Wagner — the No. 2 senior in the country, behind only Edwards, according to ESPN — held to just four points on eight shots.

Haskins knew Wagner would bounce back, and did he ever. But those first-half shots made Imhotep’s defense guard him, and that opened up lanes for Wagner to drive.

“It was definitely important for me,” Haskins said, “but I don’t think nobody in the country can stop him for four points, I didn’t think they were going to hold him, I don’t think that’s possible. But definitely get (Wagner) open and let him proceed to do what he does.”

Now that the Imhotep matchup is in the past, Camden can get back to its goal of defending its New Jersey Group 2 state championship, which would be the 13th in program history.

Haskins also has recruiting to think about: the only uncommitted senior in the rotation, he’s got offers from Wagner and Texas A&M-CC but all sorts of high-major programs keeping track, including Seton Hall. 

“It’s a big team win for me and my guys,” he said. “I’d like to get back to work as soon as possible, it’s a statement win, and that’s all I have to say.