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Brickus bounces back as Coatesville beats Downingtown East

02/02/2018, 2:00am EST
By Tyler Sandora

Jhamir Brickus (above) and Coatesville got revenge on Downingtown East on Thursday night. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Tyler Sandora (@tyler_sandora)
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When Coatesville lost to Downingtown East in overtime on January 9, the Red Raiders did not use their greatest asset to the best of their abilities.

Coatesville’s star player, sophomore Jhamir “Jig” Brickus, was held to just four points in the loss.

“We go how he goes,” head coach Chuck Moore said of the 5-foot-10 high-scoring combo guard.

Up by seven points with four minutes to go in that one, the Raiders went scoreless for the rest of regulation to fall by the wayside.

As Brickus was limited in the scoring column, so was the team’s production. But in that loss - and the other three losses that Coatesville has sustained this season -- Moore has found some reason for optimism.

“I hate to lose, that’s my personality,” Moore said, “but for the first time this year, I’m learning how valuable losses are. It humbles us, humbles my team. Our concentration goes up, we learn from our mistakes and we build off of that.”

Dating back to that loss to Downingtown East just under a month ago, the Red Raiders have rattled off eight straight wins, including a 76-63 victory over the Cougars on Thursday night.

This time around, Brickus was clicking.

The talented sophomore scored a team-high 24 points in the win. Donte Crews scored 14, DaPree Bryant dropped 12, and Avery Young had 11.

But Brickus’ most important attribute, and the team’s, is the positive spirit he produced to the rest of his teammates when he is in his groove.

“When I get hot,” Brickus said, “it sets a tone and they feed off of my energy. I make plays for my team and I create.”

When Brickus isn’t getting to the rack and finishing with fancy moves, he is also his team’s go-to-guy in terms of setting up the offense, and finding holes to facilitate to teammates. That’s something Brickus has been working on more and more, and his teammates are enjoying the results of it.

“He just does what he does,” Moore said. “When he’s into the games, he’s focused. He gets the other players going. When they see his intensity, him being in constant attack mode, they lick their chops because they know he’s going to find them.”

“If [Jhamir’s] in his bag, everybody is going to get in their bag,” said 6-3 senior Donte Crews. “If [Jhamir] is shooting the ball, we’re going to have a good night. That’s how it is.”

Crews particularly played well off of Brickus’ presence on Thursday night. After coming off the bench, he hit four threes, all of which came off of assists from Brickus. All of them came from the left wing or corner, and none of them even hit the rim.

A transfer from Oxford, Crews had trouble even getting onto the playing court in the beginning of the season. Since he was still learning the system Coatesville runs, he had to be patient, knowing his time to impress would be coming.

It wasn’t until a West Chester East matchup on January 4 that Crews would have his presence felt. He went for a season-high 22 points that game, and hit four 3’s. He would then drop 10 points against both Downingtown West and Bishop Shanahan.

“Just a different mindset,” Crews said. “I came in and scored the rock.”

“His talented skillset wasn’t the issue,” Moore said, “it was about him learning us, and me, and being confident with the system. He’s a great shooter when he gets his feet set. [Jhamir] was able to find him on the fastbreak or in the half court, and when he’s open, he’s a dangerous scorer as well.”

Add Crews to this long list of weapons Moore has at his disposal. Throughout the year, Moore has gained more confidence to go deeper in his bench. And when Brickus is doing his thing by getting others involved, it just motivates more players to want to come in and get a piece of the pie.

“We’re at a point in the season where I’m confident to call anyone’s number,” Moore said. “They are all ready for their number to be called. Donte’s number got called, [Avery Young’s] number got called, and those guys showed how much work that they have put in.”

With the win, Coatesville moves up to third in the unofficial PIAA 6A district rankings, only behind Plymouth-Whitemarsh and Lower Merion. It also puts the Red Raiders in a better position to gets a spot in the Ches-Mont final four.

As Coatesville moves along with its season, depth is going to be a big factor in how far they make it in postseason play.

The PIAA 6A district runner-ups from a year ago, Coatesville has rolled out at least five different starting lineups this year. Brickus, his half-brother DaPree Bryant, and senior Tyrel Bladen have been pretty consistent in cracking the starting lineup, but no other spots have been guaranteed.

Young, who’s headed to Rutgers next year for football, has started a few games. Kahtero Summers, a muscular 6-2 senior started on Thursday, and Chuck Smith, a WC Henderson transfer, has taken on a bigger role as of late. Add them into a bunch of role players who come in and do their job, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

“I’ve got some guys who didn’t get in the game who I still feel confident in calling their name,” Moore said. “If you want to play when that weather changes to March, it’s going to take 11 or 12 guys buying into the process, and that’s what I have.”

 


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