City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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CONSHOHOCKEN — Shannon Givens thought he had a team of underdogs heading into the Donofrio Classic. 

Despite a run to the championship game last season, he knew he didn’t have the ‘big names’ around the area showing up for his Love Basketball Team.

Instead, it was a group of his guys who were hungry to win a title.

“There was nobody knocking on my kids’ doors to play in this tournament.” Givens said.

Love Basketball — formerly Team Hardnet —  fought its way back to the title game Tuesday night at the Fellowship House against a scrappy Marathon-Sport team that also carried a bit of a chip on its shoulder as an undersized all-guard group.

The result was a fun 40 minutes of basketball decided on a layup by Love Basketball’s Jarell Keel with eight seconds to go that delivered his team a 92-90 title game win.

“We were always the underdog, so walking into this tournament we were always walking around with a chip on our shoulders,” said Keel, an Academy New Church senior. “Coach Shannon. He wanted it the most out of all of us. He was our motivation.”

Love Basketball poses together after winning the Donofrio Championship on Tuesday against Marathon-Sport. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Givens, an assistant for his father Kevin at Academy New Church, said his group was an “ANC and Danny Rumph thing” with some of his players from the Lions and others from around the city. 

Most of the group was on the team last April that lost to Raw Sports in the title game with the exception of Marquette-bound big man Alasanne Amadou (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) and ANC senior Deywilk Tavarez, who was out due to injury last season. However, they were without a pair of big names from last season’s team in Elmarko Jackson (Kansas commit) and Anthony McCall (Rider). 

Tavarez was one of those who stepped up during this year’s run as he went off for 30 in the quarters to help take down a Philly Hoop Group team led by Ahmad Nowell and Justin Edwards, 35 in the semifinals against a Keystone Blazers team powered by Philadelphia Catholic League MVP Jalil Bethea and 30 more in Tuesday’s title game. He was one of the tournament MVPs along with M-Sport’s Adam ‘Budd’ Clark (West Catholic), who had 27.

“Great tournament for sure, a lot of competition, great basketball players in general,” said Tavarez, who came straight from a visit to Delaware State where he received a scholarship offer earlier in the day. “We had this marked on the calendar for a little while now, ever since the season ended because we lost last year and I wasn’t able to be a part of it. I wanted to get this W, get this championship for Coach Shannon for sure.”

Perkiomen Valley junior Julian Sadler, who had 19 of his 27 points in the first half, had the hot hand early to jumpstart M-Sport out to a double-digit lead, but Love Basketball closed the gap to 45-44 at halftime and neither team led by much more than a bucket or two for the rest of the game. 

Archbishop Wood sophomore Milan Dean (19 points) sparked a 9-0 run for M-Sport to go up nine with about seven minutes left. Rashan Locke-Hicks (Math, Civics & Sciences), who had 17 of his 19 points in the second half, got hot from deep to tighten things right back up. His fifth three of the game gave Love Basketball an 87-86 lead with 1:22 to play and set up an exciting ending.

“It was definitely probably one of the best games I’ve ever played in just because the atmosphere was good, everybody just was playing hard, playing with heart,” Tavarez said. “Everybody wanted to win, so those are the games you gotta love to play in because it’s physical, refs letting you play and it separates the boys from the men.”

Clark put M-Sport back up with about a minute left and tied the game 90-90 with 20.3 seconds left on a pair of free throws after Love Basketball retook the lead. Givens put the ball in Math, Civics & Sciences senior Nayeem Johnson’s (19 points) hands with the game on the line.

Johnson drove to the hoop before dishing to Keel open underneath the basket for a layup with 7.9 seconds to play. Sadler gave great effort trying to slide in and take a charge but didn't get the call.

“I drew up a play and it was for him to get a screen and attack the basket," Givens said. "He kind of deflected the screen and just took it to the hole. And it was a good play. I told my guy to cut the baseline and they executed the play right and won the game.”

Keel got back into the game when Amadou fouled out late in the second half and took advantage of the moment, coming up with a big block and hitting an important free throw before converting the game-winner.

“Coming off the bench, I was telling Cedric (Zellars), ‘I love games like this,;” Keel said. “I was sitting on the bench, waiting for my time to get in, and I told him, ‘Once I get in I’m not coming back out. I’m not going to let coach take me out of the game.’ When I got in, that’s what I did.”

M-Sport still had time to tie or take the lead and Clark, who added a pair of offers himself Tuesday from Boston and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday, almost got one to go. After nearly losing the ball in the backcourt he got it back and pulled up for a double clutch shot just inside the 3-point line that hit the front of the rim as time expired.

“Those are the shots he kind of makes,” Tavarez said. “My heart dropped a little bit. He’s a player. I respect him a lot. Me and Budd, we’re cool, but I definitely had a little thought in my mind that that was going to go in.”

Love Basketball had some DI talent in Amadou and Friends’ Select big man Christian Kirkland, who is headed to Youngstown State — with potentially another in Tavarez. Still, guys like Keel, Locke-Hicks and Johnson showing out throughout the run made it all the more special.

“I think that we have a very special group,” Givens said. “ I think it says a lot, the guys who we beat in this tournament two years straight. … For my guys who showed up and showed out, I’m so proud and happy for them. Just the experience of playing here in this prestigious tournament is big in itself.”

Marathon-Sport: Budd Clark 27, Julian Sadler 27, Milan Dean 19, Jayden Byrd 9, Tariq Jennings 5, Amyr Walker 3.

Love Basketball: Deywilk Tavarez 30, Nayeem Johnson 19, Rashan Locke-Hicks 19, Alassane Amadou 13, Jarell Keel 9, Christian Kirkland 2.

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All-Tournament Team
Adam “Budd” Clark” (M-Sport)
Ryan Williams (M-Sport)
Milan “Mir” Dean (M-Sport)
Myles Grey (Raw Sports)
Izaiah Pasha (Raw Sports)
Jacob Nguyen (Floccos)
Deywilk Tavarez (Love Basketball)
Alassane Amadou (Love Basketball)
Nayeem Johnson (Love Basketball)
Ahmad Nowell (Philly Hoop Group)
Justin Edwards (Philly Hoop Group)
Cian Medley (Team Awesome)
Elijah Hamilton (Hoop Dreams)
John Clemons (Just Clean It)
Jalil Bethea (Keystone Blazers/Thurm)
Thomas Sorber (Keystone Blazers/Thurm)
Carson Howard (Keystone Blazers/Thurm)
Auggie Gerhart (NEPA)
Gabe Tanner (NEPA)
Jacen Holloway (PA Hoops)
Isaiah Hynson (WER1) 

Sportsmanship Award
Rashan Locke-Hicks (Love Basketball)

Albert C. Donofrio Award
Milan “Mir” Dean (M-Sport)

Whelan Twins Memorial MVP Award
Adam “Budd” Clark (M-Sport)

Art Andrey, Sr. MVP Award 
Deywilk Tavarez (Love Basketball)