Malvern Prep Head Coach Paul Romanczuk with team vs. Penn Charter 2/8 (PSD photo by James Williamson)
Photos/Videos: James Williamson, James Quinn & Rich Flanagan
By Rich Flanagan
MALVERN, PA-When he took the head coaching job at Malvern Prep in July, Paul Romanczuk’s gaze was not winning an Inter-Ac championship. After one of the most successful stints in recent memory at the helm of Archbishop Carroll, the former University of Penn standout’s itinerary was building a close relationship with the Friars roster, one that would be without Rahdir Hicks (Towson) and Fran Oschell (Duke baseball) for the first time in several years.
Both Hicks and Oschell were members of the 2019-20 Malvern Prep team that went undefeated in league play en route to the Inter-Ac title followed by a run to the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) championship game. The Friars have established themselves as a consistent contender, particularly under John Harmatuk who is now at the helm of the Phelps School, and Romanczuk felt there was a tradition here that he hoped to continue; he just wasn’t sure how soon that trend would recommence.
“In the beginning of the year, I knew we had some great kids who wanted to work hard and had a work ethic about them,” Romanczuk said. “I’m not going to say I thought we were a championship team, but I thought we were going to fight and be competitive in our league. I thought we challenged ourselves in the non-league and I saw us getting better and better as the season went on.”
On Tuesday night, Romanczuk was in a position he hadn’t been for almost a decade: competing for a title from the sideline. Back in 2015, behind Derrick Jones Jr. (Chicago Bulls) and Josh Sharkey, Romanczuk took the Patriots to the 2015 PIAA Class 3A title game, where they fell to fellow Philadelphia Catholic League foe, Neumann-Goretti in Hershey. After turning Archbishop Carroll into a team that won with methodical offense and stingy defense, he has established that same framework for success at Malvern Prep.
Babson College commit Tyler Lauder posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds while junior forward Andrew Phillips tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as Malvern Prep downed Germantown Academy, 80-53 to clinch a share of the Inter-Ac title. Earlier in the day, Penn Charter, a team the Friars split the season series with, defeated Springside Chestnut Hill, so by the time Malvern Prep was slated to tipoff, a title was within reach, even if it was not outright.
Lauder scored his first basket on a tough finish inside then fellow senior Joey Vandergeest (20 points) hit one of his four three-pointers to put the Friars up, 17-9. Having taken over the spot in the middle vacated by Oschell, Lauder stressed that the defensive principles that Romanczuk began preaching early on in his tenure made a huge difference in the direction of this year’s team.
Malvern Prep wins share of 2021 Inter-Ac title - PSD Photo by Rich Flanagan
Malvern Prep senior Joey Vandergeest tallied 20 points in the victory vs. GA - PSD Photo by Dan Hilferty
“In the past, we were always trying to outshoot a team but Coach Romanczuk has had us winning with defense,” Lauder said. “That’s something I love to play and the team is starting to love it. I think that’s been a stereotype with Malvern Prep basketball the last few years that we don’t play defense and I think that’s something we look forward to proving doubters wrong.”
Defense has certainly paid dividends this season. The Friars (15-7, 8-2 Inter-Ac) have only allowed one team to score more than 70 points this season: the Quakers in a 72-60 loss on Jan. 18, the first meeting between the two historic programs this season. Two seasons ago under Harmatuk, Malvern Prep scored at least 80 points in eight games, including three 90-point performances behind Hicks, Oschell, Spencer Cochran and all-time leading scorer Deuce Turner. It has been a basketball philosophy shift over the course of Romanczuk’s first season and it starts at the point guard spot with 6-foot-2 sophomore Ryan Williams.
“Coach Romanczuk talked about sacrifice,” Williams said. “Last season, it was all about scoring but now he’s trying to get me to be more of a point guard, not simply a scorer. He’s big on everyone knowing how to pass so we can get good shots.”
Williams finished with 15 points but was limited to two in a first quarter that saw Malvern Prep run out to a 24-11 advantage. A putback and finish by Lauder followed by a corner three-pointer from Phillips pushed the lead to 36-21 lead with 4:16 left to play before halftime. Williams went on a bit of a spurt with four straight points, including a pair of free throws, then Phillips found Vandergeest for a corner trey to give the Friars a 19-point lead at halftime.
Malvern Prep head coach Paul Romanczuk cuts net after securing share of Inter-Ac title - PSD Photo by Rich Flanagan
Malvern Prep held Germantown Academy’s two leading scorers in check in seniors Casey Traina (12 points) and Blake Smith (11). The two helped the Patriots (8-13, 3-7) make their best run of the night as Traina finished through traffic then Smith converted with his left hand to put the deficit at 50-35. Williams answered with a three-pointer from straight away then Vandergeest sank one of his own and the lead was 19 at that point. The offensive methodology has changed immensely as a result of the added defensive nuances implemented by Romanczuk, and Williams feels his game has taken a huge leap forward due to these changes.
“Everything on the defensive side has improved because I used to constantly think, ‘Offense, offense, offense,’ but I have the mindset now to take the same energy I had to score with and turn that into trying to stop the guy who is guarding me,” Williams said. “I’m also working on making my guys better because one player scoring is not helping us and I want to get them involved, too.”
Luke Marvin, who led the Patriots with 17 points, hit one of his five three-pointers then Smith hit his lone shot from behind the arc to put the Malvern Prep lead at 63-44 with 6:34 remaining. First, Phillips scored off a gorgeous pass from Lauder at the high post then Lauder nailed a pair of free throws and the lead grew to 67-47. While Lauder and the Friars suffered the first league loss at the hands of the Quakers, they tallied five straight victories, one of which was a nine-point triumph over Penn Charter to even the season series. Three days later with the possibility of winning out and claiming the Inter-Ac title outright, Malvern Prep fell to Springside Chestnut Hill.
Malvern Prep vs. Germantown Academy Highlights by Rich Flanagan:
Much of the preseason talk centered around the Quakers and Blue Devils but it also became added motivation for Lauder and the Friars.
“Coming into the year, all of the talk in the Inter-Ac was about Penn Charter and Springside Chestnut Hill,” Lauder said. “We came in with a chip on our shoulder and after our first loss to Penn Charter, we said we weren’t going to let that happen again. We came out with energy last week and that’s the type of energy that we need to take into the state tournament.”
One final three-pointer from Vandergeest then an exclamation dunk by Lauder to put the finishing touches on a dominant performance closed the game out. The Friars will play Friends’ Central on Saturday in a tune-up for the PAISAA Tournament, which begins next weekend. After chasing one title in year one and succeeding, Romanczuk is focused on his team’s resiliency and how the philosophical modifications to the program have been slowly but surely deployed in this group.
PSD's James Williams Caught Up with Malvern's Tyler Lauder After Win against Penn Charter on 2/8
“We had some character wins,” Romanczuk said. “Obviously, Penn Charter is the co-champion with us for a reason and that first game we played them, we felt like we could’ve played a lot better. We knew we were going to get another shot at them. For us to respond after a tough loss and leave no doubt makes me very proud.”
The Quakers complete dramatic turnaround to share Inter-Ac title
It took every ounce of effort they could muster but the Quakers held on to down Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 78-73 in the first Inter-Ac game of the day. Penn Charter’s victory secured its first title since winning outright in 2004. The last time William Penn Charter shared a title with another Inter-Ac foe was 1994 (Springside Chestnut Hill).
Junior point guard Mark Butler erupted for a career-high 30 points with 17 of those in the second quarter. He shot 10-for-12 from the free throw line and became the first Quakers player to score 30 in a game since Ryan Holmes (2020) vs. Simon Gratz on Dec. 14, 2019. Junior guard Trey Shinholster drilled four three-pointers on his way to 18 points while 6-foot-3 junior forward Isaiah Grimes added 12 points for the Quakers, who swept the season series with the Blue Devils. Keith Gee chipped in 10 points in the victory.
Butler has been at his best against Springside Chestnut Hill this season, avg. 23.5 points per game in two contests. More importantly, he has been terrific late, having accounted for 10 points and shooting 8-for-10 at the line in the fourth quarter in the first matchup, a 62-52 win on Jan. 28. As freshmen, the 2023 class of Butler, Shinholster, Grimes and Gee finished 1-9 in the Inter-Ac and turned things around in only two seasons. It’s especially impressive when considering they were limited to four games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Quakers improved to 20-3 on the season, their first 20-win campaign since the 2003-04 season when future Virgina Cavaliers Sean Singletary and Sammy Zeglinski were members of the program.
Penn Charter junior Mark Butler in game vs. Springside Chestnut Hill (PSD photo by James Quinn)
