City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
—

St. Joe’s Prep has undergone some major changes from last season.

Jalen Harper and Matt Gorman moved on, with Harper choosing to do a prep year at the Newman School (Mass.) and turning his additional season into a commitment to Rhode Island. Gorman committed to Catholic University and the departure of those two left two starting spots in the Hawks rotation. One of those spots was filled by junior Will Lesovitz but the remaining starting slot was still up for grabs.

Enter Mekhi Robertson, one of the premier players in the class of 2027 and a player “looking for a change,” he notes. Robertson brought with him offers from Villanova, Samford, Drexel, High Point, Rider, and Mississippi State after averaging 14.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4.1 apg with 47 three-pointers on his freshman season at Life Center Academy (N.J.).

The 6-foot-3 sophomore joined a vaunted lineup of Jaron McKie (Dayton), Jordan Ellerbee (Florida Gulf Coast) and Olin Chamberlain Jr. to create a lineup full of mismatches and versatility that few in the Philadelphia Catholic League can boast. He felt there was a place for him on Girard Avenue and pursued it.

“I wanted to play in Philadelphia and in the PCL,” Robertson said. “I thought Prep was the best place to play at. I talked to the coaches, and we made it happen.”

Before signing on, Robertson went on a tour of the campus and luckily those aforementioned teammates were there to give him insight into the curriculum of the school and pedigree of the program, one that was coming off a heartbreaking two-point loss to Archbishop Ryan in the league quarterfinals as Darren Williams hit a shot from the elbow in the final seconds.

The feeling of the group was Robertson was the missing piece to bring everything together with his wide array of skills and on the other side, he felt the passion for achieving something the program hadn’t in over two decades when William “Speedy” Morris roamed the sideline with John Griffin (Bucknell head coach), Chris Clark (Temple assistant) and former Villanova standout Reggie Redding leading the way.

“They told me that the program was great, and their goal was to get to the Palestra and win the whole thing,” Robertson said. “I wanted to be a part of that, and they were really focused on one goal, which was to win. That’s really the whole thing.”

Robertson posted four points, five rebounds and five assists in leading St. Joe’s Prep to a dominant 64-45 victory over Cardinal O’Hara to remain unbeaten in the Philadelphia Catholic League. His stat line doesn’t immediately jump off the page, but it was the way he commanded attention and the added dimension he has brought to the Hawks lineup this season.

Chamberlain, who had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, is the natural point guard for St. Joe’s Prep (8-4, 4-0 Philadelphia Catholic League) but Robertson is one of an assortment of Hawks who can push the ball up the floor and facilitate the offense. He can also catch at the high post and make a move or hand off to McKie (18 points) for one of his three three-pointers, the second of which gave his side a 30-16 lead with 58.2 seconds left in the first half.

He can certainly score when he needs to, as he did with 11 points against Imhotep Charter and 22 points against Thurgood Marshall (N.Y.) and while he affects the game in so many ways, head coach Jason Harrigan feels his biggest contribution has been on the defensive end of the floor.

“He adds a whole different dynamic of player,” Harrigan said. “He can dribble, pass and shoot at an elite level. He’s an elite athlete. The best part about him has been his defense. He’s a really great defender from blocking shots to getting steals and defections. He’s been very consistent with that. He’s explosive offensively and can get by people, finish and dunk the ball. He’s making us a really good defensive and rebounding team.”

What made the Hawks so dangerous a season ago was their five-out offense that presented matchup nightmares for the opposition as the team drilled 207 three-pointers. McKie, Ellerbee, Chamberlain, Harper and Gorman would penetrate and draw double teams when turning the corner, thus leaving an open shooter on the wing or in the corner.

Harrigan is deploying the same offense this season and now he has Robertson who can shoot the three but excels at finishing above the rim when a defender runs at him. This iteration of the Hawks can light it up when it needs to, but Robertson has given this group a player who can guard multiple positions and anchor a defense in the middle.

He had six blocks in the first three Philadelphia Catholic League games and the athletic wing is doing more than simply swatting shots off the backboard. He’s aiding a talented offense in its transition to a well-rounded team.   

“Our communication on defense is what we’re really trying to work on right now,” Robertson said. “Everybody needs to talk more on defense but also talk more in general. That’s going to make everything easier for us.”

His presence was felt on Friday night as Cardinal O’Hara (10-3, 3-1) committed 14 turnovers and struggled to get the ball below the three-point line. Ellerbee, the Florida Gulf Coast commit who accrued 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals, turned a steal into a layup at the other end to make it 17-6 to begin the second quarter then later it was Robertson who was found slashing to the basket to give the Hawks a 22-10 lead. Consecutive threes from Chamberlain and McKie gave St. Joe’s Prep a 30-17 advantage at halftime.

Milak Myatt hit a pair of free throws then a quick 9-0 run had the Hawks in front 43-23 at the 1:27 mark of the third. First a trey from Kahseem Bronzell then back-to-back makes from behind the arc by Myatt, who finished with 17 points, cut the Cardinal O’Hara deficit to 45-32 entering the final quarter.

The Hawks put this one away with an emphatic 15-2 run to begin the fourth as Ellerbee attacked the rim to start things off. He went 1-2 from the line then Chamberlain converted an and-one inside and Lesovitz hit his lone three-pointer of the game. The run ended with a Chamberlain layup off another steal, then McKie finished a steal at the other end and Robertson got ahead of the defense to extend the lead to 60-34.

The Lions had beaten Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Carroll in two of its first three league contests coming in but against one of the most potent offensive attacks in Southeastern Pa., they didn’t have an answer. Bronzell was the only other player in double figures with 10 points on a night where the Lions were hoping to make a statement but never found enough momentum to keep the game within striking distance.  

While Robertson has been key to much of the early success this season, Harrigan also notes that the holdovers like McKie, Chamberlain, Ellerbee and Lesovitz have grown to become more mature leaders and some of the Philadelphia Catholic League’s best players.

“The next step came from our guys growing up,” Harrigan said. “Now we have senior guards and that changes the dynamic bit. We’re no longer the younger team but the senior laden team. That experience that they have and the pride they have in themselves is an attitude. They want to come out and impose their will. There were older players they were going against like Jalil Bethea, Thomas Sorber and these other guys. Now, they are the seniors, and they take it personally to impose their will on the league.”

The Hawks are in control to begin the league season following this win and its two-point victory over Roman Catholic on Wednesday as Ellerbee put home the game-winning layup at the buzzer. St. Joe’s Prep will play Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Carroll in its next two games and its toughest test of the year may not come until February 10 against Father Judge in a game that will have both Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA Class 6A Tournament implications.

Much of the Hawks over the last two seasons has been predicated on its offense. Now, its defense can influence the outcome of games and Robertson is essential to that shift in playing style. As he gets more acclimated to this group, the better the Hawks will be and the more likely their aspirations will become reality.

“I’m getting more comfortable as the season goes along,” Robertson said. “I’m not fully comfortable but I’m getting there. I’m getting used to how everybody plays. Eventually, we’re going to get there through practice and getting to know each other more.”

~~~

By Quarter
St. Joe’s Prep (8-4, 4-0) 15 | 15 | 15| 19 || 64
Cardinal O’Hara (10-3, 3-1) 6 | 11 | 15 | 13 || 45

Shooting
St. Joe’s Prep: 24-51 FG (6-17 3PT) 10-14 FT
Cardinal O’Hara: 16-43 FG (6-18 3PT) 7-14 FT

Scoring
St. Joe’s Prep: Jaron McKie 18, Olin Chamberlain Jr. 15, Jordan Ellerbee 14, Will Lesovitz 7, Mekhi Robertson 4, Myles Peterson 2, Harrison Barnes 2, Liam O’Connor 2.

Cardinal O’Hara: Milak Myatt 17, Kahseem Bronzell 10, Jack Quinn 7, Malik Brown 7, Lymir Green 3, Toby Hartman 1.