St. Joseph’s Prep rolls over Bonner

The kids from St. Joseph's Prep couldn't buy a basket. Not even wholesale.

Again and again they launched. Again and again the spectators winced, or laughed.

Those shots that did not result in airballs darn near bruised the backboard. That's what happens when a bunch of regular students venture onto the court at halftime and bomb away from halfcourt with the hope of winning prizes.

Hey, the kids should have been paying closer attention during the first 16 minutes of a Catholic League game between the Prep and visiting Monsignor Bonner. Or perhaps they'd like to hire Gene Williams as a sniping instructor.

Williams, a 6-4, 190-pound junior, plays wing guard for coach William "Speedy" Morris, and Wednesday he showed what hours and hours of practice can do.

As the Hawks frolicked to a 61-40 victory, Williams finished with 21 points. Twenty were posted in a 41-16 first half, largely because of Williams' 5-for-7 marksmanship from behind the arc.

"I had a few good practices before today and I came out confident," Williams said. "And then I felt strong in warmups, so I let it fly.

"Some days it's just there. You can't really describe it . . . Unconscious."

Lest anyone think differently, mad-bombing is not exactly as easy as making toast. (Come to think of it, that can be difficult, too. Set off the smoke detector lately?) Anyway, Williams is often in the zone because firing away is now second nature.

Though Williams lives in Broomall, not exactly around the corner from 17th and Girard, in the summer he makes almost-daily trips to the Prep to subject himself to various drills. We'll take a strong guess that shooting is his favorite.

Morris or assistant Dov Grohsgal act as Williams' rebounder/feeder. Cones or chairs serve as defenders/screen-setters. On a slow day, Gene will settle for 150 shots. But the total is usually closer to 200.

"If I'm shooting them right, I'll make half," he said. "If I'm lucky, sometimes as many as two-thirds. The idea is repetition. Coming off screens. Set shots. Pull-ups. I work on them all."

Williams enjoyed great shooting moments even as a soph, and his release was quick. Now, it should be against the law.

Williams has added a new variable. While awaiting passes from the likes of soph Stephen Vasturia and senior Mike Fee - from anyone, really - he not only positions his feet, but his arms as well. His wish: to catch the ball at shoulder level. Then it's quickly over his head and gone.

He has rid himself of the bad habit of dropping the ball to belly level, which made defenders' poke-aways an occasional bugaboo.

"I was a pretty good shooter before," he said. "Now I think I've elevated things."

Williams was not alone in Wednesday's net-scorching endeavor. Vasturia (three) and soph Miles Overton combined for four more treys in the first half. The Hawks hit seven of their first 11 in the beginning 11:46 and Williams owned 15 points as the score stood at 31-14.

"When you make shots, it covers a multitude of sins," Morris cracked.

Williams took only five total shots after halftime, going 0-for-3 from the floor (two treys) and 1-for-2 at the line. Overall, he shot 7-for-14 (5-for-9) and 2-for-3 while adding seven rebounds and three assists.

Vasturia (19) and Overton (16) also scored well. Mike Levy (eight) and Vasturia (six) helped on the boards while Fee dished four assists.

Scott Slade topped Bonner with 10 points. His brother, Craig, added eight, as did Josh Hoho, and Billy Cassidy used three treys to post nine.

"We played pretty good defense," Williams said. "Our goal was to hold them under 40 points and we reached it until that one kid [sub Joe Phelan, with a three] messed things up at the end."

Surprisingly, Williams said the Hawks never engage in post-practice shooting contests.

"We should try," he added, laughing. "I'll put out the challenge. Steve Vasturia would give me great competition. I don't ever remember a day when he was off."

Maybe he could also instruct the halftime halfcourt bricksters.