City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
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GWYNEDD VALLEY - Even the most dedicated Philadelphia-area basketball fans are likely to be unfamiliar with Neumann University junior Jayson Love, but the 6-foot-2 guard from South Philadelphia is showing people why they should take notice.

Love, playing in only his fourth game for the Knights, scored 18 points to help lead Neumann to an exhilarating 72-68 win over rival Gwynedd Mercy in a key early season Atlantic East Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Griffin Complex.

The Knights improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the AEC, while the Griffins fell to 10-5, 3-1. Neumann was the preseason favorite to win the league, and Gwynedd Mercy was picked to finish third, so the competitiveness of Saturday’s game, which featured 14 lead changes and 9 ties, was no surprise.

“It was a very good college basketball game,” Knights coach Jim Rullo said. “It was a good opportunity for both teams. In college basketball, when you go on the road, you’ve got to be on point, and I think for the most part we did that. What I told them in the locker room just now is the great thing is that there’s an opportunity for us to get better.”

Neumann started the season 1-3 and then won nine straight before losing, 58-57, at home on Wednesday night to Marymount University at the buzzer.

“I think it's very easy to hang your head, but we had a couple good days of practice preparing for this knowing it would be another tough test, especially on the road,” Rullo said. “So we just wanted to be prepared as best we can and try to execute knowing that they generate a lot of pressure and they're obviously very good.”

Love was a major reason for the win. He came off the bench for the Knights - which he has done in all four games he’s played for them - and in 29 minutes made 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also connected on 4-of-5 from the foul line, making 2-of-3 in the final seconds to seal the win. His 18 points were second on his team only to senior guard DJ Earl, who finished with 21.

Just a few years ago, Love said he never could have imagined playing college basketball. He said he grew up playing basketball at local rec centers and at his neighborhood playground, the Capitolo Playground - which is the one located right near Pat’s and Geno’s that was featured in the movie Hustle - but he just played for fun.

“When I was young, I was always playing,” he said. “But I just never took it seriously.”

Love first played for his high school team as a junior at the Academy at Palumbo, a public school that is part of the School District of Philadelphia. The school, which is located at 1100 Catharine Street in South Philadelphia, opened in 2006 and is described on its website as an “academic liberal arts magnet school.”

Love said he did not play much as a junior, but things changed the next year.

“That’s when I first took it seriously,” he said. “I was like, ‘I have to get better,’ because I really loved the game, so I started expanding my game and becoming a three-point shooter.”

Even with his new skills, he said, since he was the tallest player on his team as a senior, he played more of a center position and didn’t get to show off his shooting abilities. He averaged about 9 points and 7 rebounds per game in his final year of high school and didn’t imagine playing college basketball.

“No,” he said. “Not at all.”

Ultimately, Love said, Penn State Brandywine showed interest, but he ended up at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ, where he blossomed into a three-point threat and an offensive force.

During his first season at Mercer County, he averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 42% from deep. The next year at Mercer County, he scored 18.8 points per game and hit 38% from three-point range; he also earned first-team all-region and first-team all-conference honors.

His success drew interest from several Division III schools, including Gwynedd Mercy and Neumann. He was all set to play for the Griffins and former coach John Baron, but then Baron took the job at Division II Holy Family University in April of 2025 and Love followed him there.

Love spent the fall semester at Holy Family and was a member of the basketball team there, but after playing in only 3 games for a total of 9 minutes, he decided it was time for a change.

“I just wasn’t playing enough, and I think I deserved a little more playing time,” Love said. “I hit the transfer portal after that.”

Neumann was one of the first schools he contacted, and Rullo was thrilled to hear from him.

“He reached back out to us, and we welcomed him with open arms because we knew him and knew what kind of player he was and what kind of student-athlete he was,” Rullo said. “He fits our style of play, and he’s coachable.”

Love enrolled for this semester and made an impressive debut with 16 points and 9 rebounds in a win over Immaculata University on January 7.

This is the second consecutive season that the Knights have received a roster boost midway through the season. Last year, it was Donte Dupriest, a 6-foot-4 forward from Philadelphia, who joined the team for the second semester; he went on to become the AEC Player of the Year and lead Neumann to the NCAA tournament.

Dupriest, who is now a senior, came up big once again on Saturday. He finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds, and his basket from the left block with 18 seconds left as the shot clock was winding down pushed the Neumann lead to 68-65. The Knights then held on for the win.

Gwynedd Mercy, which got 21 points from sophomore guard Bruce Smith (Neumann Goretti), 13 points from junior guard Mazen Sayed (Chichester) and 11 points from senior guard D.J. Johnson (Norristown), will get another shot at Neumann on February 14.

By that time, Love will have become more accustomed to his new teammates and his new school and his new role. He and his team will be trying to return to the NCAA tournament.

But, thus far, only four games in, Love has already shown he fits. He is averaging 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. You would never know he’s the new guy by watching him play; he has fit in seamlessly. Love has a textbook jumper with a soft touch that belies his muscular frame.

“Everyone passes the ball,” he said. “We all eat. Everyone is going to eat; it’s not like a 1-on-1 game. They all pass the ball, and we get open shots. Everyone is unselfish.” 

Love had struggled for the Knights from the perimeter in his first three games, making 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, so when he made back-to-back three-pointers in the first half on Saturday he was relieved.

“It felt great,” he said. “After I hit one, I wanted to keep hitting them.”

And Rullo was pleased for his newest player.

“I’m just happy for the kid,” he said. “All he wants to do is compete and give 110%.”