skip navigation

Donofrio Classic Report: Tuesday, March 24

03/24/2015, 11:00pm EDT
By Josh Verlin & Ethan Miller

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Ethan Miller (@ByEthanMiller)

Here’s a report from Donofrio Classic action at the Fellowship House (515 Harry St., Conshohocken) on Tuesday, March 24:

~~~

Game One: Pizza Time 95, Del-Val VC 71
After a back-and-forth opening few minutes, Pizza Time surged ahead to a 43-30 halftime lead over a young Del-Val VC. PT would eventually lead by as many as 32 in the second half, cruising to an easy first-round victory. Pizza Time’s balanced scoring attack was led by Bryant Quill (2015/Pottstown) with 16 points, with Rich Dunham (2016/Pope John Paul) and Shane Stark( 2016/La Salle HS) chipping in 13 apiece. Del-Val VC got 23 points from Naur Johnson (2015/Sankofa Freedom) and 12 from Justin Anson (2015/Sankofa Freedom).

Game Two: LVBR 103, Filly Sol 100
A lead that LVBR held for almost the entire first half slipped away with 13 minutes to go as Filly Sol took a brief three-point lead, but the team from the Lehigh Valley would rally to lead by as many as 14 with three minutes to go before holding on for the win. DaShon Giddings (2015/Del-Val Charter) led the way with 23 points, while Kyle Stout (2016/Parkland) hit five 3-pointers for his 17 points and Zay Jennings (2016/Allentown CC) added 14. Lamar Hamrick (2016/St. George’s) had 32 points as the high-water mark for the night, and Rider signee Gemil Holbrook (2015/Roman Catholic) chipped in 23.

~~~

Stark using Krmpotich as inspiration for big summer
With his college recruitment yet to really hit full speed, La Salle College HS (Pa.) junior forward Shane Stark only needs to look at a high school teammate’s path to know he’s entering a key few months.

Last year, it was David Krmpotich who went from a little-known prospect to a forward who had eight Division I offers before accepting a scholarship from Colgate last fall. Stark, at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, is an inch shorter than Krmpotich, but he has long arms and good athleticism, just like his older teammate. And they both play for the Jersey Shore Warriors on the AAU circuit.

“Me and him kind of have the same body…he played for the same program,” Stark said. “He got a lot of looks, I saw the coaches coming in during open gyms at La Salle, so it inspired me too.”

Stark had 13 points to help Pizza Time to a first-round victory over Del-Val VC, including hitting a 3-pointer in the second half. Similar to Krmpotich last year, who showed an ability to step out and knock down an open triple on the AAU circuit last year, he knows that it’s his range that’ll make him more appealing to colleges considering he’s an undersized power forward even at the Ivy/Patriot level.

“[At the] beginning of the season, I wasn’t too good shooting threes,” he said, “but I’ve been working on it hard, so I’m better now.”

To date, Stark said the only Division I schools he’s hearing from are Yale and Colgate, and the solid student–he earned a 3.7 GPA as a junior, upping his cumulative GPA to 3.4–has already visited the Bulldogs’ campus, where he met another 6-6 forward and Jersey Shore Warrior alum,Eric Anderson (2014/Haverford School).

“I watched Yale play against Harvard, they have big guys all around that can play every position and I like that,” he said.

~~~

Hamrick shows off improved shooting stroke
After dropping four 3-pointers and 32 points in a loss to LVBR, Filly Sol’s Lamar Hamrick showed that he cannot only shoot the ball but he has taken his game to another level.

Coming into this year’s high school season, Hamrick had one main goal, which was to get his shot better. His shot has many values to his game, but his awareness and quickness on the court has let him develop many opportunities on transitions to the hoop.

[Lamar Hamrick (above, last May) showed off an improved shooting stroke at the Fellowship House on Tuesday night. (Photo: Josh Verlin)]

Lamar Hamrick (above, last May) showed off an improved shooting stroke at the Fellowship House on Tuesday night. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

This off-season, Hamrick has different goals.

“I’m always working on my handles and jump shots, but my main goal is to get better at attacking the rim,” he said.

As Hamrick shows his talents in this year’s AAU season while playing for Team Final, he really highlighted the point that he wants to create more opportunities for himself and his teammates. One way he’ll be able to this is by spreading the floor and not letting the defense clog up the zone.

It seems that Hamrick can showcase his talents a lot easier when it comes to AAU ball.

“In these games I just let it come to me, I don’t feel like I need to force anything,” he said. “I know my teammates are capable of doing what I can do, so I just let the game come to me and make my open shots.”

Hamrick is just beginning his recruiting process for college. He believes that this is the perfect time for him to start the process. This AAU season, where he’ll be playing with Team Final Black, is extremely important for Hamrick to showcase his abilities to give him a good shot for his college dreams.

He claimed to have a “couple of offers,” saying “I know a few schools are interested in me,” but declined to mention specific college.

“None of that will be possible if I don’t play the game to my highest potential,” he added. “I am just looking to improve my game every day so it is possible.”

Hamrick has one long-term goal for the next high school season, but it’s not an individual one: “A championship. That’s the only thing I’m worried about right now is to get a championship for my team and my school.”

~~~

Quick Hits
–Bryant Quill (2015/Pottsgrove) scored 16 points in the Game One win over Del-Val VC; afterwards, he was hearing from D-IIIs Rosemont, Neumann and Alvernia plus D-II Chestnut Hill. The 6-4, 175 wing has a very good frame and should be a quality scorer at the D-III level before long.

–DaShon Giddings (2015/Delaware Valley Charter) had an impressive 23-point performance in LVBR’s Game Two win. The 6-5 wing is hearing from a lot of PSAC schools, including D-IIs like West Chester, Shippensburg and Indiana (Pa.); he said he plans on playing at the Pitt Jam Fest in April before making his decision


Recruiting News:

HS Coverage:

Tag(s): Home  Old HS  Contributors  Donofrio Classic  Josh Verlin