City of Basketball Love

Eugene Rapay (@erapay5)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of CoBL's "Prepping for Preps," our series of articles previewing area high school teams for the 2015-16 season. For the complete list of schools previewed so far, click here)

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In a hallway located outside Lower Merion’s gymnasium, is a display dedicated to one of the greatest players to ever grace the basketball court.

Kobe Bryant, who the gym is named after, is a symbol of the strong basketball tradition that exists in Lower Merion High School.

In the 25 years head coach Gregg Downer has been at Lower Merion, the Aces have won three state championships and were runner-ups twice.

They most recently won the PIAA Class AAAA state championship in 2013. For some, however, last season seemed to stray away from that winning tradition.

“I don’t think it was a down year, per se,” Downer said at an open gym this week. “We were able to get a state bid, which we were proud of. The 17-12 record is a record that a lot of people would be proud of, but by the lofty standards of Lower Merion basketball, I think that’s sometimes a bit misinterpreted.”

Last season, the Aces were bounced out of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs early, losing to Cedar Crest in the opening round. But they also failed to reach the District 1 semifinals and Central League finals, places Lower Merion has been seemingly every year in Downer's tenure.

Heading into his 26th season, Downer is looking to get his team back on the right track in order to meet those higher expectations.

First, he has to figure out how he will fill in the gaps left by those who have graduated.

Four out of five of last year’s seniors now play Division III basketball. Corey Sherman and Jule Brown now play together at Dickinson College. Asher Barry is playing at DeSales. Steve Pendleton has enrolled at Alvernia.

“I look at every season kind of like a jigsaw puzzle,” Downer said. “This year is going to be a very challenging puzzle.  Myself and my staff have been in a lot of situations like this, the hope is that we’ll have a successful season.“

While Downer is not completely sure as of now who will be starting in the team’s season opener at Coatesville on December 4, he is looking to seniors K.J. Helton and Jeremy Horn to take an even bigger role this season.

Both Helton and Horn return with a considerable amount of experience in the starting rotation last season. Depending on the opposing team, either of the two were used to fill out the lineup.

Horn is the largest player on Lower Merion’s roster. The 6-foot-8 center has shown a great presence in the post on the rebounding end. On offense, he will need to step up and be more of an active contributor, but he is working on it.

“My goal is to be one of the best big men in the Central League,” he said.

As for Helton, not only is he being called upon to take a bigger role, but also to be a leader for the team on and off the court.

Helton saw a sharp increase in minutes last season, after not playing much as a sophomore. He proved to be an adept player, showing what he could do as a scorer and as a solid rebounder.

“People say that I have potential to be a great leader,” Helton said. “This year, I just want to be able to show that and bring this team together.”

Helton remains steadfast in the face of pressure. He feels confident in this upcoming season, citing a much better team chemistry than last year.

According to Helton, there were cliques within the team last season, restricting everyone from really coming together. After a trip out West this past summer, that has drastically changed for the better.

From the end of June to the first few weeks of July, the Aces participated in a camp at Northern Arizona University. When they weren’t playing basketball, they engaged in various team-building activities. They were able to hike the Grand Canyon, visit Indian Reservations, venture into Phoenix, Utah, and Las Vegas, all of which has brought the team closer together.

He is excited for his chance to prove himself, but even more so for his teammates.

“We have a lot of young players who want to get in the game,” he said.

Junior forward Dion Harris and wing Terrell Jones are looking like a formidable duo for the Aces. Harris and Jones have great athleticism. On offense, they can explode off the dribble and rise up for an emphatic dunk. On the other end, their length and quickness allow them to play disruptive defense.  

Noah Fennell is emerging as a threat from long range. The 6-foot-1 junior guard hungers for his chance to step into the game. Fennell was sidelined all of last season due to a torn meniscus he suffered just before the season began.

“It sucked, it was horrible,” Fennell said. “There are some things that are just out of your control, but I’m happy now that I’m with my team.”

Expect a lot of new faces in the Aces’ rotation, but the preservation of the same core values. This current team does not have many veteran players who have been a part of the deep tournament runs of seasons past.

However, this team is reminded of it with each day.

“There’s a certain expectation that comes with getting a jersey, and that expectation is that we’re going to win a lot of games and compete for championships,” Downer said. “The second you say you want to lower the bar and say you want to have a .500 season or you’re not interested in competing for championships, is where you get into a lot of trouble with the younger guys who don’t understand our legacy.”