City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The first three 3-pointers Deuce Turner hit in Malvern Prep’s game against Bishop Shanahan on Saturday afternoon were all from a couple feet beyond the arc.

His fourth in as many attempts -- which he let fly seemingly on the move, a one-two step and launch just a dribble or two past half-court -- would have counted for three points no matter what level of hoops he was playing. And it was still only five minutes into the first quarter.

“After I hit my first four 3s, I knew I was going to have an on night,” the Friars’ talented sophomore guard said. “I was just shooting it, I wasn’t even thinking about it or anything. It was just falling.”

No matter what Turner put up in the opening game of the final Play By Play Classics showcase event of the year, his shot found the bottom of the net. The 6-foot-1 guard lit up the scoreboard at Harriton High School, finishing with a career-high 48 points as the Friars pulled out an exciting 87-82 win over the Eagles on Saturday afternoon.

“I can’t even explain it right now,” Turner said. “I’m just in shock myself.”

“I think at one point late in the third quarter I turned and looked at my assistants and said ‘does he have 50?” Malvern coach John Harmatuk quipped. “I don’t know how many threes he made….”

It was nine.

“That’s pretty good,” Harmatuk replied. “I knew it was a lot. But I didn’t know it was almost 50.”

Turner’s final shooting line: 9-of-11 from deep, part of an overall 14-for-23 shooting performance that also saw him go 10-for-12 from the free-throw line.

Malvern Prep was coming off a frustrating game against the Haverford School on Friday night, where Turner scored 17 points in the first half but only took two shots total in the second half, finishing with 19 points as the Friars lost to the Fords by 25, all but securing an Inter-Ac title for Haverford School.

“I was hurt yesterday,” Turner said. “After that game, I was really down, and I came in today, I was like, I’ve got to just come out, it’s a new game.”

Turner’s effort was the highest by any player in a Malvern Prep uniform since 1950, according to former Daily News reporter and Philly hoops historian Ted Silary.

The previous record, 42 points, was set by Charlie Floyd in 1973; Jerry Floyd was the only other player in a Friars uniform to reach 40, doing so in 1950.

“I think I’ve kind of changed the record books a little bit, scoring-wise in Malvern Prep’s history, we’ve gone from playing a low-possession game to a high-possession game,” Harmatuk said. “But still, that’s special. Having history at Malvern Prep is a special thing.”

Turner admitted he keeps track of his scoring in every game, typically by quarter. He knew he had 12 after one and 26 at half, closing in quickly on his previous career high of 38. That record was gone by the end of the third quarter, which he began with a layup, another 3-pointer and then three foul shots after getting knocked down on another long-range attempt.

A four-point play later in the period put him at 40 before the fourth quarter even arrived.

“I know I can score the ball,” he said, “and whenever I put my mind to it to just lock in and just focus on scoring, I know I can get whatever I’m feeling that night.”

One of several talented underclassman guards in the lineup for Malvern Prep (15-7), Turner played purely at the ‘2’ last season but has been focusing this year on playing more at the point, running the Friars’ drive-and-kick, 3-point heavy offense.

But Harmatuk knows that while Turner’s future in basketball might have to be with the ball in his hands due to his height, there’s no denying what his best asset is on the court.

“At the next level, he can be a scoring point guard, but right now we need him to score,” the fifth-year Prep coach said. “He’s been trying to play point and find guys and get people open, he’s done a great job with that, but his number one skill is scoring and we need to get him more shots.”

Fellow sophomore guard Isaac White added 12 and freshman Rahdir Hicks popped in 10 points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds for the Friars, who were up as many as 20 in the second quarter but saw Shanahan come all the way back within three points.

The Eagles (16-3), one of the top teams in District 1’s 5A classification, had two looks at game-tying 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds, but weren’t able to connect on either.

Thomas Ford (27 points/12 rebounds), David Angelo (23 points/4 steals) and Kevin Dodds (20 points/5 assists) all enjoyed strong games for Shanahan, which can clinch the Ches-Mont National crown by beating either West Chester East on Tuesday or Downingtown East on Thursday.

Turner and Malvern Prep close out with a trip to Episcopal on Tuesday afternoon and then finish up the Inter-Ac schedule with Germantown Academy on Friday night. After that comes the Pennsylvania Independent School (PAISAA) playoffs, which puts the Friars in a bracket with the likes of Westtown School, Phelps, Hill and more private/boarding/prep schools for the state championship.

But no matter what happens, the Coatesville native already has some serious bragging rights over several guards he grew up with, including Coatesville HS’s Jhamir “Jig” Brickus and Archbishop Carroll’s A.J. Hoggard, two other high-scoring sophomores who are leading their respective teams to strong seasons this year.

“I know Jig played against them and I don’t think he had 48, so I’ll definitely be on him about that,” Turner said. “A.J, I mean I respect his game a lot, we’ve been going at it since we were little...it’s not so much a competition to me, I want to go as far as them, we want to grow up together.

“But,” he added, “Forty-eight, A.J.”