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Donofrio Classic Report: Thursday, April 2

04/03/2015, 1:00am EDT
By Josh Velin & Ari Rosenfeld

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Here’s a report from Donofrio Classic action at the Fellowship House (515 Harry St., Conshohocken) on Thursday, April 2:

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Game One: Team Hardnett 105, L&L Running Rebels 73
Though the final score might not indicate it, this was a very competitive game for the opening 20 minutes. Hardnett jumped out to a 10-point lead early on, but L&L closed to within 37-35 just 90 second before halftime. But a five-point Hardnett lead quickly became a 51-35 advantage out of the break, and it was 71-49 with 10 minutes to play; Hardnett would lead by as many as 36. Levan Alston (2015/Haverford School) led Hardnett with 26 points, including five 3-pointers, while Ahmad Gilbert (2015/Constitution) scored all 21 of his in the second half; Nazeer Bostick (2016/Roman Catholic) added 17 and teammate Tony Carr (2016/Roman Catholic) had 13. The Running Rebels were led by David Kachelries (2017/Emmaus) and Dan Cuevas (2015/Stroudsburg) with 20 apiece. 

Game Two: Bucks County All-Stars 106, Just Clean It 90
As this game got closer to halftime, it looked like fans at the Fellowship House may be being treated to their second blowout in as many games on the night. Bucks All-Stars held a double-digit lead for much of the opening session, going into the locker room up 52-41 behind 18 points from Temple commit Trey Lowe (2015/Ewing). The lead stretched as large as 15 early in the second half, but Just Clean it would quickly come back to make it a game. Led by some hot shooting from long range sniper Ryan Daly (2016/Archbishop Carroll), the team composed primarily of Philadelphia Catholic League players would cut the lead to just 90-83 with four minutes remaining, forcing a Bucks All-Stars timeout. After talking things over, however, Bucks All-Stars ripped off a 12-1 run to eliminate any hopes of a comeback. They were led by sharpshooter Cameron Jones (2015/Pennsbury), who scored 25 points on six three-pointers, while Lowe added 23. Daly led the way for Just Clean it with 24 points on five treys, and Lithuanian native Antanas Krimelis (2015/Phelps) scored 20 of his own.

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Gilbert to figure out futre after meeting with Paulsen
Within the next 24 hours, Constitution senior Ahmad Gilbert should have a much better idea of his recruiting situation.

Gilbert, a 6-foot-6 wing, committed to George Mason and head coach Paul Hewitt last fall, picking the Patriots over Hofstra, Rhode Island and South Florida. Hewitt was relieved of his duties after a 9-22 season, GMU’s second in the Atlantic 10, and was replaced earlier this week by former Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen.

Paulsen and Gilbert are scheduled to meet tomorrow, with Paulsen making the trip up to Philadelphia to meet with the only player currently committed to come to GMU this fall.

“I might still open up my recruitment, just in case, if I don’t really like get the feel of him,” Gilbert said.

In seven years as the head coach at Bucknell, Paulsen led the Bison to a 134-94 record (.588), including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2013, the bookends of three straight Patriot League regular-season titles under his watch. They won the league again this season with a 19-15 (13-5) record, but were upset by Lafayette in the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament.

You can bet that success at Lewisburg will be one of the topics covered tomorrow, but it’s really a chance for the two to get to know each other and for Gilbert to feel out if the school will still be a good fit for him under the new staff.

“I really don’t know anything about [Paulsen]. I’m not trying to say that to be smart, but I don’t know,” he said. “I would like to play for him if the sit-down goes very well, but it really doesn’t matter at this point, I just want to play college basketball, so whatever happens, happens.”

If Gilbert does decommit and look elsewhere for a place to play in 2015-16, it won’t be at any prep schools.

“I’m definitely going to college. I’m not going to prep, I’m definitely going to pick a school,” he said. –Josh Verlin

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Kachelries hearing from a number of mid-majors
If you’re looking for a name to explode onto the Patriot League recruiting radar in the coming months, 2017 Emmaus point guard David Kachelries may be your best bet.

Right now, Kachelries holds just one offer, from Binghamton, but is receiving interest from Lehigh, Lafayette, Colgate, and Bucknell from the Patriot League, as well as Davidson, which will be coming to a few of his AAU games in the next few weeks.

Kachelries’ first offer actually came from Fordham, but since head coach Tom Pecora was replaced this week by Jeff Neubauer, previously at Eastern Kentucky, the new coaching staff is yet to reach out.

For the AAU season, Kachelries will run with New Jersey-based Under Armour program Sports U/Team IZOD, as he has for the past several years. Instead of playing for any of his local Lehigh Valley teams, he makes the hour’s drive to practice in order to play for the program that has produced current Big 5 stars DeAndre Bembry and Quenton Decosey in recent years, as well as Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, to name a few.

“When I was little, I was playing 11U with my dad’s team, LVBR. I was at a tournament and one of the dads saw me play and invited me to a tryout. Back then it was Team Battle. I tried out and I was on Team Battle, and I just stuck with the program, then it changed to Sports U.

“It’s not bad. I’m used to it,” he added about the lengthy drive.

During his sophomore campaign, Kachelries was Emmaus’ leading scorer, and although the Green Hornets finished with just a 12-13 record, that included an 11-5 mark in the EPC Skyline division, good for second-place behind state AAAA power Parkland.

They will lose just one senior next year, and with Kachelries returning to man the point guard spot alongside his twin brother Matt in the backcourt, things are certainly looking up for the Emmaus program.

“It was pretty good,” Kachelries said of this past season. “We didn’t do what we wanted to this year, but we’re gonna keep getting better. It was a fun year.”

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Phelps’ Krimelis still unsure of college plans
After helping lead Phelps School to its first PAISAA Tournament championship in school history this past winter and scoring 20 points in Just Clean It’s second round loss to Bucks County All-Stars, Lithuanian forward Antanas Krimelis is still wide open in regards to what next year will bring for him.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m waiting for somebody to offer me. If not, I don’t know what I’m doing next year.

“If I don’t get any scholarships maybe I’ll go to JUCO or something. My mentor is working on these things. He’s trying to find me a school.”

A 6-foot-5 wing, Krimelis excels shooting from long range, but also possesses some off-the-dribble creativity and sneaky athleticism.

After the game, Phelps head coach Brian Shanahan, who also coached Just Clean It, mentioned that he is hearing from some low Division I programs as well as some Division II’s about Krimelis, though he was hesitant to mention any specifics since things are still up in the air.

He did, however, describe Krimelis as a “scholarship player” at some level.

While going back home to play in Europe is still an outside possibility, it is more than likely that Krimelis will stay in the United States, as he has adjusted well to the American style of play.

“It was pretty hard at the beginning because it’s different basketball,” he said. “Here everything is faster and we play a more individual game. At the beginning it was pretty hard but then I got used to it and it was fun. I like this playing style.”

Regardless of where he ends up next season, Krimelis will surely be working on his game before the school year, hoping to make the necessary improvements to earn himself playing time at a college program.

“I need to get stronger, I need to go to the weight room more,” he said. “I need to work on my dribbling, on my defense. I need to improve everything. I’m going to work on it this summer.”


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