Roman Catholic sophomore Garner stars at Reebok camp at Philly U.

During the school year, Shep Garner said he views his forty-minute public transit commute from Chester to Center City as a business trip.

The sophomore guard from Roman Catholic appeared to use that same mentality in the four days of the Reebok Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University, as his game stood apart from the other area prospects among a field of roughly 120 national prospects.

As a member of the Slashes, the 6-foot-2 guard finished the camp on Saturday, scoring an average of 15 points per game, while knocking down 17 three-pointers over eight games.

"[In the] Catholic League, you can't take a night off, and in this camp, you can't take a night off," said Garner. "Everybody in this camp is here for a reason, everybody is good. I want to go at everybody, just like I do at school."

He said he was happy with the way he was able to penetrate the lane, as it serves as a nice complement to his already menacing perimeter game. Last season as a freshman, Garner averaged just less than 10 points per game for the Cahillites in 13 Catholic League games.

"I want to be the best player I can be," said Garner, "I want to be the best player to come out of these parts."

Garner wrapped up his terrific showing with a team-high 17 points in his last game of the camp, and knocked down three three-pointers. He scored 15 while grabbing four rebounds in his morning game. On Friday, Garner turned in his best performance of the camp as he dropped 28 points and knocked down six threes as the Slashes captured their second victory of the day.

For the remainder of the summer, Garner said he will continue to work on his game. Instead of a specific area, he plans to work on his overall game, as he said he's not a "perfect player." Later this month, he'll head to AAU showcases in both Florida and West Virginia.

He said he has "a little bit more than a couple" colleges that are looking at him now and he is taking it all in.

"I'm really excited that all these schools are interested in me," said Garner.

Other notable Philadelphia prospects at the camp were William Tennant's Horace Spencer III, St. Joseph's Prep's Miles Overton, Vaux's Rysheed Jordan and Constitution's Daiquan Walker.

In February, Garner could only watch as his friends from Chester High captured the PIAA state title. Although some people had told him to leave Roman and head back home, Garner said he has no plans to do so, as he said he is committed to his team and coaches. In his sophomore season, he will join a talented group of guards at Broad and Vine, including sophomore Rip Engel, senior Montana Mayfield and junior Shafeek Taylor.

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mbreen@phillynews.com.