City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
__

EAST FALLS —Malvern Prep boys basketball coach Paul Romanczuk isn’t sure Ryan Williams would have been able to handle the moment two years ago.

Williams, a Malvern Prep senior guard and Northeastern commit, led the Friars into a marquee Inter-Ac matchup against Penn Charter on Wednesday. 

This one had even more weight than pitting the league’s last two co-champions against each other as Williams also went up against his longtime Philly Pride coach Brandon Williams, who is in his first year as head coach of the Quakers.

Malvern’s star guard was brilliant, steadying his team with a 33-point performance he made look easy in a 61-56 road victory.

“He’s gone through such a maturation process that’s been so enjoyable for me as a coach to see,” Romanczuk said. “When he was younger as a sophomore and some of the mistakes, and now he’s over those mistakes and growing from them. There were bumps in the road, and he fought through them. And he trusted. He trusted that Malvern was the place for him, and that Malvern was the place for him to grow and boy as he grown. He’s just a really hard worker.”

“A year ago or two years ago, it might have played with his emotions. I thought he was terrific tonight.”

Malvern Prep freshman Nick Harken, left, and senior Ryan Williams pose after the Friars' win over Penn Charter. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Williams had terrific role models as an eighth grader at Malvern Prep.

There was Deuce Turner and Rahdir Hicks, who are both playing Division I hoops, and the multi-sport star Lonnie White. 

While Williams didn’t share the court with that group — only playing for the Friars’ JV team — he saw them in the hallways during the school day. He was there with them at practices and bus rides to and from games, getting the chance to learn and ask questions. Hicks also played at Philly Pride, so Williams got to know him well. 

The Friars have two potential stars in the making this season in freshmen Nick Harken and Marvin Reed. Along with trying to carry the Friars to a third straight league title this season, Williams’ job is to make sure they get the same kind of guidance he did four years ago.

“It’s a full circle moment because when I was in eighth grade I was on JV and Deuce Turner, Rahdir Hicks, Lonnie, they were all still here, so I was always looking up to them,” Williams said. “Now, Nick and Marvin are freshmen and I’m a senior, so it’s kind of just a full circle moment and I know I gotta play my best and be composed throughout the whole game because they’re looking at me. I just want to lead them in the right way.”

Malvern and Penn Charter shared the Inter-Ac title in each of the past two seasons, splitting the season series both years. Last year, both teams’ lone league losses came against each other.

The two squads each entered Wednesday’s matchup with a loss in their first two league games — the Friars (11-2, 2-1 Inter-Ac) falling to Episcopal Academy on Jan. 5 and the Quakers (7-8, 1-2) falling to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy on Friday. 

With SCHA picking up an overtime win over EA earlier Wednesday, a loss Wednesday would put either team in an early two-game hole in the Inter-Ac.

“This was a big game, but we have some young guys who don’t really understand the Inter-Ac yet,” Williams said. “I didn’t want to boost their heads and get them to play nervous. I didn’t want that to happen. We kind of hinted at it, but not a lot.”

Williams consistently put the ball through the hoop to match whatever Penn Charter was doing on the other end. He had eight in the first quarter and 13 by halftime as the Friars lead 25-23 after he hit a pull-up jumper before the break. He added eight more in the third quarter as the teams went into the fourth tied, 36-36,

Junior guard Jake West scored 23 points in the game for the Quakers. He had 10 in the fourth quarter for PC. Williams added 12 in the fourth for the Friars. He scored two buckets in a row to make it 51-46 Friars with two minutes left. After West drilled a triple less with a minute and a half left in the game to pull PC within one, Williams came up with a ridiculously difficult answer on the other end.

Harken scored 10 points on Wednesday but none of the six other Malvern players who scored had more than a bucket. With Inter-Ac MVP Andrew Phillips at Lafayette this season, the Friars have jumped on Williams’ back.

“Last year, I could always count on Andrew to score 20, 20-plus, but now this year it’s more I’ll get that 20 and everyone else is kind of scattered in the scoring,” Williams said. “I feel like we can play as a team, and when we do that, everyone can kind of get theirs.”

West hit a pair of free throws with 43.6 seconds left to pull PC back within one. An ill-advised shot by the Friars on their next possession gave the Quakers the ball back with a chance to go ahead. Instead, Harken swiped the ball from PC’s Jamal Hicks on a drive and got the ball to Williams for a pair of free throws.

Penn Charter never got the chance to tie the game as they turned the ball over on their final possession before Harken finished the game in style with a dunk.

“It was just playing defense,” Harken said. “We work on defense a lot during games, so we know what to do and how to do it at the end of games. It was all preparation. I didn’t really get nervous.”

Harken said he’s become a lot more comfortable since first playing with the Friars’ varsity group this summer through the work he’s put in and time spent with the group. A trip to Richmond, Va. was a bonding experience for the team.

He’s felt the benefits of playing with a player of Williams’ stature early in his budding career. 

“It’s great to have somebody to look after that you know they set a good example and just to follow his lead and success will come,” Harken said.

With two matchups against league leader SCHA (3-0) and another against EA (2-1) still on the schedule, the Friars’ still hold their destiny in their own hands when it comes to another Inter-Ac title. 

Williams knows how difficult the path is to finishing atop the league standings. A loss to SCHA in their final Inter-Ac game spoiled a potential outright title for the Friars in 2021-22. They dropped their league finale again last season to settle for a first place tie with PC once again last season.

The key to trying to finish things off this season?

“I think it’s still just playing together and being relaxed,” Williams said.

Malvern Prep 61, Penn Charter 56

By Quarter
Malvern Prep:  14  |   11   |  11  |  25  ||  61
Penn Charter: 11  |  12  |  13  |  20  ||  56

Scoring
Malvern Prep: Ryan Williams 33, Nick Harken 10, Junior McFadden 5, Ryan Pegg 3, Marvin Reed 3, Ennis Udo 3, Andrew Davis 2, Achilles Tucker-Turner 2, 

Penn Charter: Jake West 23, Matt Gilhool 9, Jamal Hicks 8, Kai Shinholster 7, T.J. Bryson Jr. 7, Kevin Cotton 2