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Sharkey, Daly part ways winners at Donofrio

04/13/2016, 5:30pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Sharkey (above) was named Donofrio Tournament MVP after Old School's epic, triple-overtime win Tuesday night. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Between their freshmen and sophomore years of high school, Ryan Daly and Josh Sharkey met at Penn State’s elite camp. At the time, their high school paths were quite different: Sharkey was just coming out of his freshman season at Abington Friends, a small private school just north of Philadelphia; Daly had spent his freshman year up at State College High School, near where his father Brian was an assistant coach at Penn State.

And though the two lived a few hundred miles apart, they formed an instant connection.

“I was shy and a lot less known than him, so I didn’t really initiate conversation,” Daly admitted. “He was already a big name--but yeah, we got along really well.”

Just a few months later, however, they were teammates, sophomores at Radnor’s Archbishop Carroll after Sharkey transferred and Daly moved with his brother and mother back to Philadelphia, where his family was from originally.

And over the last three years, they went from role players with Paul Romanczuk’s Patriots to its starting backcourt, leading Carroll to 23 wins, a Catholic League semifinal appearance and a second-round showing in the PIAA Class AAA tournament as seniors. Daly, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, won the 2015-16 Catholic League MVP award for his 21.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg averages--but Sharkey certainly wasn’t far behind, as the 5-10 point guard and tenacious defender, a first team all-Catholic selection, was the table-setter on both ends of the floor.

Their games have made large strides over the last three years, to the point where both will be playing Division I basketball in the fall. Sharkey is headed to Samford, where he should see big minutes right away in the Big South; Daly will be playing at a to-be-determined location after de-comitting from Hartford in March, but several other D-I schools are already on his tail.


Like Sharkey, Daly (above) transferred into Archbishop Carroll as a sophomore. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

“I’m thankful that I met Josh because without him i don’t know if I could be close to here or anything,” Daly said. “He’s probably my favorite player I’ve ever played with, to be honest with you.”

“Ryan’s one of my best friends, I love playing with him,” Sharkey echoed. “He’s such a great shooter and his ball-handling improved so much so he can create his own shot now. He’s such a great player.”

On Tuesday night, the two close friends played what might have been their final game together as teammates, and it’s one they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.

The 127-126 win for their Old School Cavaliers over Team Hardnett in the Donofrio Classic Championship was a three-overtime epic that featured no shortage of breath-catching moments and clutch shots over 55 minutes of action, one of the most exciting finales the 56-year-old tournament is sure to have seen in its years of top-level competition.

“That was the most fun game of my year so far, other than that Wood double-overtime game to get to the Palestra,” Daly said, referencing the Catholic League quarterfinal win. “As far as up-and-down pace battle, that was a fan favorite.”

Daly and Sharkey took turns carrying Old School, combining for 74 points in the victory.

At first it was Daly, who had eight 3-pointers in regulation as he scored all 36 of his points in the first 35 minutes of action. A sniper from beyond the arc, Daly also posted up often, where Sharkey fed him the ball for mid-range jumpers or layups.

“We just have a lot of chemistry built up, I know where to find him when he’s open, he knows where to find me,” Sharkey said. “We love playing with each other, because it’s a lot of fun.”

When Daly was cramping up throughout the extra sessions, it was Sharkey who stepped up, scoring 10 points in the three overtime periods before Lamar Stevens sealed it with two late foul shots.

“He’s a killer, he’s got the biggest heart I’ve ever played with or against,” Daly said. “There’s not many guys who are 5-9 who are the best player when they step out on the court, usually every time.”

And afterwards, the two posed for photos together, Sharkey holding his tournament MVP plaque and Daly the one for tournament champion.

The moment wasn’t lost on either.

“This could be the last time (we play together),” Sharkey said. “Hopefully it’s not--but if it is, I think we went out with a bang.”


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