City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
--

When Chase Audige wants to get going offensively, he makes a point to get to the rim. Late in the first half in the Hill School’s clash with Academy New Church on Friday night, Audige did just that and got fouled hard.

But as the sophomore slammed to the ground, he watched his contested layup go through the rim and pounded his chest in celebration while still on the floor. Moments later, right before halftime, Audige shook his defender and nailed his first 3-pointer of the game to beat the buzzer and tie the score at halftime.

That six-point swing and 18-point showing from Audige helped the Hill School down ANC, 65-52, in the first game of the Don McBride basketball showcase at the Haverford School. Audige, a touted transfer in his first year with the Rams, has been fitting in and making plays throughout his first four games in a new uniform.

“Coach always tells me, ‘When you’re not feeling your shot, go to the basket,’ ” Audige said. “That’s what I always used to do at my old school. I got the and-1 and I was feeling myself. I hit the free throw and then that last play, I went behind the back, did a little step back and I knew it went in when it left my hand.”

It was not just Audige’s defense that sparked his new team, either. The springy 6-foot-4 wing also worked the glass to pull down seven rebounds, made three steals and had a block as the Hill School flustered Academy New Church defensively in the second and third quarters.

The Rams trailed 12-0 to start the game and faced a 13-point hole at the end of the first quarter. However, in the middle two quarters of the game, the Hill School outscored ANC, 40-16, and held a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter.

Senior guard Seth Stankiewicz led the Rams with 19 points, while Ethan Norton and DaQuan Morris evenly shared 14 points for the victors. Meanwhile, Lions’ big man Marcus Littles led all scorers with 20 points – nine of which came in the first quarter and sophomore Mattue Cotton chipped in 14 for ANC, including three first-half 3-pointers.

The Lions led by as many as 16 in the second quarter, but the Hill School ended the half on a 24-8 run, those last six points coming from Audige.

While he only has four official games with his new teammates, Audige spent all summer playing with the Hill School, including at the Hoop Group Future All-American camp in August. While it took some time for the New York City native to adapt to life at a preparatory school in Pottstown, Audige certainly does not regret his decision.

The adjustment, of course, took him some time to get used to and featured a little bit of initial culture shock. Audige gets to see his family, which recently relocated from Brooklyn to Long Island, as often as he can and is on the phone with his parents before and after most games.

“When I got to the school, I felt different,” he said. “They ate different food, I wore different clothes than them. I had to adjust to the dress code. But they definitely accepted me. I have friends I wouldn’t have made at my old school, and I like it a lot. I’m glad I transferred.”

So is Hill School coach Seth Eilberg, who has been pleased with Audige’s transition and his early play.

“He has the ability to impact the game in a lot of places, I think you saw that on the glass and with his steals, Eilberg said.

“But there are still times when he’s a little tentative when he should push and sometimes he’ll force when he could just keep it simple. That’s just part of him that will continue to understand the game better and I think he will do that because he’s coachable, loves to play and gets better each day.”

When asked what he wanted to improve the most over the course of this season, Audige said he wants to make the team better and just grow as a player. To put it simply, Audige said: “I just want to ball out, basically.”

He’s been doing just that, and the 2018 recruit has already captured the attention of some Division-I programs. Audige noted Stony Brook, Rice and Temple as schools that he’s talked to, and Owls coach Fran Dunphy was in attendance Friday night.

But, for now, the sophomore did not seemed too focused on his recruitment. If he keeps playing like he did Friday, it will be tough for him to ignore it for too long.

“His best basketball is ahead of him,” Eilberg said.