JAKE DANNA STEVENS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Abington’s Harry Johnson in congratulated by teammate Kyle Nealon, 23, after scoring in the final seconds of the game to win 51-49 over Scranton Prep at Scranton Prep on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020.
The senior scored 11 points and had eight rebounds and three assists in a win over No. 2 Valley View; had 22 points in a win over Wallenpaupack; and finished the week with 18 points and eight rebounds in a win over No. 1 Scranton Prep.
Favorite sports teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Mavericks and any Penn State teams
Other sport you play: Soccer
Athlete you admire: Dirk Nowitzki
You faced the three teams previously above you in the top 10 in your first four games. How good is Coach (Ken) Bianchi at preparing you for a gauntlet like that? He didn’t have too much time this year to really prepare us but I feel like he used the time that he was given effectively and got us in an excellent shape to perform when it came time came time to play.
Opponents know you are going to try to pound the ball inside, yet they have not been able to stop it. Can you explain that? I think part of it is just we’re the biggest team right now in the area. So for teams without a lot of size it’s hard to match up on us when you put your third-biggest guy on someone who’s IS 6-4, 6-5. At the local level, that’s difficult for a lot of teams. And I feel like a lot of teams are experimenting with different things. We’re managing to stay to our game and just push through it.
Everyone on the starting five had at least five rebounds in Saturday’s win over Prep. How crucial is that? I would say that’s extremely crucial. I mean, as I previously stated we’re one of the biggest teams, if not the biggest team in the local area. So, crashing the glass is extremely important as we only want to limit teams to one shot and just keep them off the glass and keep us getting more possessions as much as possible.
Biggest influence on your athletic career. I would say, outside my parents, it was probably the late coach (John) Bucci. He just really, really helped me transform my game. I worked out with him one-on-one, or with someone else, for about four or five years before he passed away. And I think he just had the biggest effect, both on like my mental state towards the game and just my physical skill set.
It’s been a different year to say the least. What’s the biggest battle you’ve fought because of the COVID-19 pandemic? The season’s hard for everybody. I think from a basketball standpoint, the most difficult part is just not having a lot of time to play with each other. I think a lot of the games on both sides have been kind of sloppy this year, a lot of missed shots, a lot of missed free throws, for example the last Scranton Prep game. And I think a lot of that is just because we have played together much. We haven’t played a lot of games. Normally, we will have 10 exhibition games coming into our league schedule. This year, we have not. So overall I would just say it’s the lack of experience.
Who’s your funniest teammate? Michael Marion. He’s always trying to make someone laugh, whether it’s working or not.
Other than sports, what is one thing you would like to learn in your lifetime? I’d like to just learn a good way to help people consistently.
One dish in your house that is served that you can’t live without? My mom’s chocolate chip cookies.
Three people you would like to have dinner with. LeBron James, Coach (Ken) Bianchi and Abraham Lincoln.
What lies ahead for you after high school? I haven’t committed anywhere for college. I’m in the process of deciding. Haverford is at the top of the list.
Related posts:
Marty Myers began his career as a sports writer at The Wayne Independent in Honesdale, where he served as sports editor and later managing editor. After 10 years there, he joined The Times-Tribune in 1994 and has spent the ensuing years reporting on high school sports, local and professional golf. An award-winning journalist, he also enjoys his duties as a copy editor for The Times-Tribune, editing stories and designing pages. A native of Williamsport, Marty resides in Clarks Summit. Reach him at mmyers@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100 x5437 or @mmyersTT.
