City of Basketball Love

By Olivia Valania
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To Darnell Lloyd, there is more to life than just basketball. 

So when picking where he will be starting his college career, the decision was not solely based on finding the most successful program but also a school where the Perkiomen School post-grad could challenge himself academically, a city he could thrive in, and a place that will give him opportunities in the future.

He feels he found that at Boston University.

On Monday, September 22, after sitting down with his family and coaches, the 6-foot-10 big man gave the Terriers’ head coach Joe Jones a call. Lloyd already had weekly calls with Jones throughout the summer, but this time he marked himself as one of the first commitments for BU out of the class of 2026. 

The decision was not one Lloyd took lightly, having narrowed down his 17 offers to four: Boston University, Siena, Bucknell, and Delaware. All of these schools he made visits to — touring the school, meeting the team, getting to know the environments, but it was his visit to Boston from September 11-13 that gave Boston University the edge. 

The Wilmington (Del.) native took a liking to the city atmosphere that Boston provides.

“Their academics are amazing and the campus is dead in the middle of downtown Boston, which is a great city campus so I really love that,” Lloyd told CoBL by phone on Wednesday evening. “It felt like an amazing environment. When people say a city is alive, I finally understood what they meant when I got to BU.”

Lloyd has been somewhat of a late bloomer, most of his offers coming just a couple of months ago during his breakout summer spent on the Under Armour circuit playing for WeR1. 

He spent his freshman and sophomore year at Mount Pleasant (Del.), only gaining attention from D-II programs like Kutztown. For his junior year he transferred to St. Andrew’s, where he has spent the last two seasons, leaving off ending the 2024-2025 season 13-7 and making it to the DIAA state playoffs. 

However, he feels like he needs more work; so, for his last season before heading to BU he took the prep route to play for Harry Morra in Pennsburg.

“I talked to one of my coaches and he suggested that I do another year just to get more game experience and to be prepared for college,” Lloyd said. “To be able to come in and actually earn minutes at a top college program.” 

A standout player in Delaware known for using his large frame to make strong moves in the paint, he is looking to take a step up and take on the tougher competition that Pennsylvania and the prep school level bring. Lloyd is a versatile center able to use his physicality to his advantage along with his decisive vision on the floor. Another bonus of his game is his ability outside the post where he can pull up for a jump shot and his dedication on defense, making him a key addition to the Panthers lineup this season.  

“At Perkiomen, everyone here is focused on trying to play in college,” he said. “I mean we are all dedicated, we probably practice 3-4 hours a day between lifts, individuals, and team practice. Everyone is ready to put the work in so it’s a great environment to be around. I like our group of guys.”

And it seems that even in his short time at the Perkiomen School he has already made an impact, as he starts to build a connection with Morra and his new teammates. 

Morra recounts his favorite thing about Lloyd, not him as a basketball player but about his character in general.

“Darnell is the first high-level player I’ve seen that when he goes to lunch he sits with international kids, he sits with kids that speak different languages, he sits with kids that maybe don’t play basketball,” said Morra, a former assistant coach at both Lehigh and DeSales. “It’s so neat to see him interact with everybody and anybody on campus and I think it is so genuine. It’s really cool that he is that kind of guy that to him there is more to life than basketball.”  

Jones, who is entering his 15th season at Boston University, previously spent seven seasons as head coach at Columbia and then time as an assistant under Steve Lappas and Jay Wright at Villanova. 

The last time Boston University had a player from Delaware on their roster was Friends Central alum Dom Morris in 2014 when they were Patriot League regular season champions, so Lloyd will be the first player from Delaware in over a decade. The Terriers ended last season 16-16 overall and 10-8 within their conference, finishing four in Patriot League play, but Lloyd has higher aspirations for his new team.

“I’m hoping to win a Patriot League championship,” he said.

While he is eager to get started on his college basketball career he still has one more season at the high school level left, one he is using to prepare for Boston University now that his decision has been made. This winter, with the stress of multiple offers and college commitment off of his plate, he can focus on growing as a player and finding success at the Perkiomen School.  

“It feels great,” he said. “I feel like now I can focus on improving. I know where I am going, I have a clear vision for next year. I’m excited, I’m really excited to play at BU.”