City of Basketball Love

John Leuzzi (@ByJohnLeuzzi)
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Will Riley impressed and then some Tuesday night inside the Graham Athletics Center at Penn Charter as the Phelps School big man helped lift the Lions to a 86-72 win over the Quakers with a 31-point performance. 

Scoring 30-plus points is a feat that has become almost a nightly occurrence for the 6-foot-9 forward through the Lions’ first eight games. 

“I’ve had a couple of 30 balls this year, but I don’t really look to get the most points,” Riley said. “I just play my game and it comes to me naturally.

“Felt I was playing pretty good, attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line. Didn’t feel my shot was too good today, but that’s something I know I can improve on because I’m in the gym everyday. … Distributed the ball well. We played good as a team, and we came out with a win.” 

It was a close game heading into halftime with the Lions up 40-37. But then the floodgates opened in the second half as Riley came alive, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the final 16 minutes. 

“I definitely was more aggressive in the second half,” Riley said. “I knew I could get my own and also involve my teammates. It also helped that I was distributing the ball and my teammates were hitting shots. That helped open my game up.”

Riley, who is originally from Kitchener, Canada, came to the United States and the Phelps School last season to further progress his basketball career. In his first year with the Lions, Riley led the team with 26 points per game. He’s already met that mark through the Lions’ first eight games this season, a byproduct of his comfortability in head coach Trey Morin's system and another year in the states.

“When you come to boarding school, especially from as far away as he's from Toronto — different country, different culture, different basketball culture — it takes a little bit to assimilate, but he was tremendous right away,” Trey Morin said. “He's gifted when it comes to scoring the ball.”

Over the summer Riley played again for UPLAY Canada, alongside teammate (junior forward) Onyx Nnani, on the Nike Circuit. He said where he saw his most improvement between his first two seasons on the AAU circuit was his scoring, as he ranked fifth amongst all Nike E16 scorers in offensive efficiency with 21.4 points per game.

“The first year I played, I wasn’t really used to that type of speed because it was my first year in America. It's definitely a big jump from Canadian basketball, so I definitely improved in that aspect,” Riley said. “But it was great to see that I was a top-five efficient player. It showed my work paid off.”

Morin said he has seen Riley carry over his success this summer into the Lions’ season, but the next step for him is to take on playmaking abilities, which he showcased throughout Tuesday’s non-league contest.

“It's about kind of making the game easier for him, quarterbacking it and at the end of the game we try to go to him to kind of facilitate some stuff,” Morin said. 
“He has so much to offer us.” 

It’s rare to see a high school player such as Riley who has a 6-9 frame be utilized as a point guard. Riley’s uniquely physical traits allows Hamartuk to deploy him in versatile ways. 

“It definitely helps me,” Riley said. “I can see over a lot of defenders, especially when I get trapped. It’s not something you really see, (but) I can get above the rim and (still) dribble around defenders.”

Riley, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025 according to 247Sports, has received an influx of interest from high-major Division I programs — such as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Villanova, Seton Hall and others — over the last year. University of Washington assistant coach Ben Lee was in attendance Tuesday watching Riley. 

“(They’ve said) they really like my IQ, my ability to have a good feel for the game and how I create baskets for not only myself but other teammates,” said Riley on the feedback he has received from college programs.

Riley said currently he does not have a list of top schools or any visits lined up. 

But Riley is continuing to put Canada on the map for up-and-coming basketball players, which he said is special to him.

“It means a lot to me knowing that I have my city and all my family watching me play,” Riley said. “It’s amazing to see that I came this far because I feel like I came a very long way because nobody even knew who I was two or three years ago.”

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By Quarter

PENN CHARTER  19  18  14  21  --  72
PHELPS SCHOOL  18  22  25  21  --  86

Scoring
PC: Matt Gilhool 22, Jake West 19, Carter Smith 10, Kai Shinholster 9, Jamal Hicks 8 and Kevin Cotton 3 

TPS: Will Riley 31, Onyx Nnani 13, Stesher Mathelier 12, Justin Houser 7, Jacob Hudson 7, Jordan Rogers 5 and Cooper Shivers 7 

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This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at byjohnleuzzi@gmail.com or on Twitter @ByJohnLeuzzi.