Photos: Zack Beavers, Donna Eckert, Lennie Malmgren & Krystal Williams
By: Marc Narducci
Shipley’s unsung senior, Westtown’s big week, a promising Friends' Central freshman and Friends Select and ANC keep rolling
Gyasi Miller was just looking for a chance and this season the 5-10 senior Shipley combo guard has made the most of his expanded minutes. He entered the season without the highest of profiles, but that is all changing.
“My whole high school career I didn’t play much,” Miller said. “I always felt I could do it, and this season I have played with a lot of confidence.”
Miller says that last year he’d only play about a quarter a game. Now it’s hard to get him off the court.
In his first 13 games (through Friday) he is averaging a team-high 13.9 points. What’s most impressive is that Miller has hit 24-of-28 free throws (86%).
More importantly, is that Miller has been a leader for a team with many first-time starters.
“He has been tremendous,” Shipley first-year coach T.J. Ferrick said of Miller. “He is one of the most underrecruited kids I have seen in the area.”
Ferrick knows plenty about recruiting after serving as an assistant last year for Swarthmore’s Division III Final Four team.
“Every Division III school that is a fit academically should be interested in Gyasi,” Ferrick said. “He is a great shooter, a good scorer and always guards the other team’s best point guard or ball handler and he can run forever.”
There is still more from the coach.
“He is very focused, and a team-oriented player,” Ferrick said. “It’s been a great time coaching him.”
Miller, who is averaging 1.6 steals per game, gave an honest assessment of his season and that of the Gators.
“I am happy with the progress I have made, but I wish we had more wins,” he said.
Through Friday, Shipley was 3-12 and 0-5 in the Friends League.
Shipley senior Gyasi Miller #0 - PSD Photo by Zack Beavers
Shipley School senior Gyasi Miller #0 - PSD Photo by Lennie Malmgren
Miller is looking forward to playing at the next level, but he will worry about recruiting after the season.
For now, he is just looking to continually improve. His senior season has been a true confidence builder.
“I always felt I could do this,” he said. “This season is reassurance that I can do it.”
Miller sprained his ankle and missed two full games but returned on Friday and scored 10 points in a 58-57 home loss to Cross Christian Academy of Seaford, Delaware. Will Littles, a 6-1 senior and 6-6 junior Henry Rasmussen each scored 12 points to lead Shipley.
More on Shipley
Playing without Miller, Shipley lost to the George School, 69-41 and Westtown, 63-47
Against the George School, 6-1 senior Braelin Hardy led Shipley with 17 points. He also had three blocks and two rebounds. Matt Lange, a 6-2 senior, added eight points and five assists.
Against Westtown Lange had 13 points, four assists and three blocks while Rasmussen added 13 points, six rebounds, one block and two steals. Littles and 5-10 sophomore Stevie Maniatis each scored six points.
Shipley vs. George School - PSD Gallery by Zack Beavers
Three more wins for Friends Select
Friends Select continues to show that it is a major Friends League contender after last week’s 66-58 victory over George School. Isaiah Marshall, a 6-1 junior, who has continued an impressive season, had 22 points and six rebounds, while 5-10 junior Jay Chiles added 16 points and four assists, and 6-4 sophomore Ahmeil Mclaurin contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
“It was a total team win, and guys are starting to work together on both ends of the floor” FSS coach Percell Coles said. “Great leadership from the upper classman Tiko Morris, Jay Chiles, Isaiah Marshall and Scottie Aaronson.”
For Friends Select, it wasn’t just about the above-mentioned players.
“Ahmeil Mclaurin was fighting hard down in the paint as an undersized big,” Coles said. “Great energy from freshman Reggie Moore, lightning-fast, plays extremely hard both offensively and defensively. George is a well-coached team with great players. It was good to see us put together a complete basketball game today.”
Friends Select vs. George School. (Photos by Krystal Williams for PSD)
On Friday, Friends Select defeated Abington Friends as Marshall had 17 points and four assists. Aaronson had 12 points, McLaurin added nine points and 10 rebounds and Moore had nine points, three assists and two steals.
Westtown with three wins
On Friday Westtown earned a hard-fought 67-52 Friends League win over George School. It was a balanced offense for the Moose, led by 6-3 junior Daveyon Lydner who had 16 points. Cam Wallace, a 6-6 junior and Division I prospect, added 14 points, while 6-0 junior Jahmare Memphis scored 11 points and junior guard Jayden Kelsey added 10.
“It was a great and mostly even game,” Westtown coach Seth Berger said. “Both teams played super hard. Our kids made a few plays and shots at a key stretch in the second half and that was the difference.”
Westtown had a stellar defensive effort in a 65-35 win over Germantown Friends. Sophomore combo guard Henry Ye led the way with 15 points. Wallace scored 14 points while sophomore wing Eb Ehigie added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“GFS players and staff did a nice job of keeping it close, but eventually our team’s talent took over,” Berger said.
In a 63-47 win over Shipley, Wallace scored 23 points and Ye added 12 points.
Westtown vs. Germantown Friends School. (Photos by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
Young players coming through for George School
George School had 32 combined points from freshmen Tyler Sutton and Ziyi Xiong in a 69-41 win over Shipley. Sutton scored 20 and Xiong added 12 points in the win. Tristen Guillouette, George School’s 6-9 senior who is enjoying a strong season, scored 17 points.
In an earlier 66-58 loss to Friends Select, Guillouette led the way with 30 points, while Sutton added 13 points.
During Friday’s loss to Westtown, Guillouette led George School with 15 points, with 6-3 sophomore Kasey Fleming scored 10 points, with 6-3 junior Luke Melniczak contributing nine points.
Logjam at the top
When we say the league is up for grabs, the standings back this up. Through Friday 1/26, here were the top four teams:
1. Academy of the New Church 5-0
2. Friends Select 5-1
2. Friends' Central 5-1
2. Westtown 5-1
Dill exploded for Germantown Friends
Germantown Friends sophomore guard Jordan Dill had a strong effort in defeat. Dill scored 35 points in the Tigers’ 77-58 loss to Friends' Central on Friday. Dill’s younger brother Isaiah, added six points.
In a 65-35 loss to Westtown, Dill led the way for Germantown Friends with nine points. Senior Jesse Mullins added seven points, all in the first quarter, and classmate Luke Lendler also scored seven.
Germantown Friends Sophomore Standout Jordan Dill. (Photo/ Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
A 2-1 week for ANC
Academy of the New Church had a tough 69-58 non-league loss to Penn Charter, that will still help the Lions in the long run. Bahsil Laster, a 6-5 senior, led ANC with 18 points, while 6-7 sophomore Cameron Smith added 14 points.
In a 73-46 win over Lawrenceville, 6-0 senior Ogonna Obayi led the way with 16 points.
ANC then scored a 79-26 Friends League win over Barrack Hebrew Academy, with 6-6 sophomore Ryan Warren and Smith, each scoring 14 points.
Friends’ Central freshman showing great promise
Friends' Central is a veteran team, but 6-4 freshman Pat Feamster has fit in well with the older players.
In a recent 83-69 win over Abington Friends that improved the Phoenix to 4-1 in Friends League play, Feamster was his team’s second-leading scorer with 16 points.
“He is young and showing a lot of promise,” Friends' Central coach Devin Coleman said. “He is maybe capable of doing more than he has because he understands the senior situation and takes a back seat to them at times, but he is an extremely capable player, and we are lucky to have him for three more years.”
Against Abington Friends, Fazi Oshodi, a 6-1 senior, led the Phoenix with 26 points, while 6-3 classmate Muhsin Muhammad added 11 points and 5-11 senior Reid Belcher scored 10. Su'Meer Alleyne, a 6-4 junior, added nine points, five rebounds and five assists in the balanced attack.
In a 77-58 win over Germantown Friends, Muhammad led the way with 17 points, while Feamster added 16.
Abington Friends vs. Friends Central - PSD Photos by Donna Eckert
Abington Friends competitive in defeat
In the above-mentioned 83-69 loss to Friends' Central, Abington Friends played well, having three players score in double figures. Zamir Parker-Barnes, a 6-4 junior, who has been the Kangaroos’ leading scorer, had 20 points. Kaydin Ford, a 5-10 senior, added 15 points, while 6-1 junior Ethan Hodnett-Bell added 14 points.
In Friday’s 61-48 loss to Friends Select, Ford scored nine points.