Prescott steps up to make Imhotep state champions
Luckily for Imhotep Charter, he did so just in time Saturday at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, thus leading his basketball team to the PIAA Class AA state championship.
It's not every basketball star who tends to be reluctant and/or unassuming. In the overall scheme, especially since he does get the job done, that's better than selfish and/or brash to the point of being annoying.
"I sometimes forget who I am," Prescott said. "That I'm a captain, and that the guys look up to me, and that I have to lead the way."
Pause . . .
"But when it counts, you know I'm going to throw it out there, like I have the whole season."
Prescott, a 6-3, 185-pound senior bound for Marist, uttered those words outside Imhotep's locker room. Moments earlier, he had carried the championship trophy down the long hallway, with his teammates hopping and hooting behind.
Imhotep 75, Pittsburgh's version of North Catholic 67.
That was the final, in double overtime. And though Prescott wasn't the reason the Panthers finally prevailed, to some degree in spite of themselves, he was decidedly prominent.
His final stat line showed 21 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and five steals. Twelve of those points and seven of those rebounds were squeezed into the final 16 minutes, and 8-for-8 perfection at the foul line was especially appreciated because his teammates went 7-for-17 during that segment.
First half? Did you have to ask?
"That was so uncharacteristic of Sam. I told him he hadn't looked that bad since his junior year," coach Andre Noble said. "I was on him."
As were others. Per usual.
"My teammates always tell me I'm the best player on the team," Prescott said. "I don't agree because I think we have plenty of good players. But anyway, they have confidence I'll make good plays at the end of the game . . . They tell me to get it going."
Well before it experienced the joy of winning a state title in only its fifth year of Public League existence, Imhotep was in self-destruct mode.
North Catholic scored the first 12 points of the game as the Panthers shot a series of not just bricks, but cinder blocks. At least they were able to scramble for five points in the final 11 seconds of that first quarter, thanks largely to back-to-back steals by sub David Appolon.
Prescott at first explained the wicked beginning by using the ol' we'd-never-been-here-before explanation.
But then he smiled because, yes, the light had gone off in his head: Point guard Parrish Grant had started for Prep Charter's 2007 state champs.
"Parrish was doing OK," he said. "We weren't finishing his passes."
Had Prescott feared the worst?
"I think I lost some hair," he said, laughing. "From the back part and probably on top, too.
"It's not easy when you can't even find the bucket. I knew it would be hard. Never doubted we'd win, though. I had to settle myself down. Forget about being nervous and help my teammates and coaches get this win.
"Our coaches gave us strength. They never doubted us. They always told us we were going to make it this far, even going through guys going off and on the team [due to injury, illness, discipline]. It was never that we were hoping to get to a certain spot in playoffs. It was always championship, like every team should think."
Imhotep finished 32-1 with a 31-game winning streak; it lost Game No. 2 to Chester. That's the city's best record since Simon Gratz, with Rasheed Wallace, went 31-0 in 1993 and the most wins since Overbrook's 34-0 effort in 1980.
Appolon (15), Kenny Battle (12), Will Adams (11) and Grant (10) joined Prescott in double figures in scoring. Grant added six assists while Appolon had four steals.
Erik Copes, a 6-8 sophomore, posted 11 rebounds and seven blocks while sub Tyree Morgan forced a key turnover late in the first OT and hit the back end of a double bonus at 5.2 seconds to provide a 63-60 lead.
Then, defender Ivory Wells was right in front of Jesse Long as he drained a right-wing trey to beat the buzzer and force the second extra session. North had four starters named Long; all sons/nephews of coach Dave Long.
"That game was very LONG and tiresome," Prescott said. (Not sure if he meant the pun, but we italicized and capitalized "Long" just in case.)
Imhotep closed things out with the final eight points. Prescott posted those first four by splashing double-bonuses.
Soon, Grant was being asked which title had meant the most to him, and he was responding, "This one. It's my senior year. Have to go out with a bang."
And Prescott was heaping praise on Copes because, "He creates all that space for us in the lane, and gets those blocks and rebounds. He's going to be phenomenal next year."
And Noble was describing his players as "poised and supremely confident" and pointing out how a team can't hope to win if some guys aren't content with not being stars.
"I've been blessed with these guys," he added.
And he won't forget them. *