Imhotep wins state title again

STATE COLLEGE - Somebody out there or Up There really must have wanted to see Shakur NeSmith enjoy a special basketball moment before his sporting attention turned completely to football.

No way anyone could have predicted such a positive outcome during the 2010-11 season. Or even, for that matter, right before this one.

NeSmith (yes, there's a capital S in the midst of his surname) is a 6-5, 195-pound senior forward and Saturday at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center he helped Imhotep Charter, a side-door, state-tourney entrant as District 12's No. 4 seed, capture its third Class AA championship in 4 years.

The score was 56-54, the victim was Beaver Falls, and the contest required an overtime session, which NeSmith very much made possible.

In 2010, NeSmith was a deep-sub member of the Imhotep basketball squad that fell to fellow Phillyite Strawberry Mansion in a state semifinal.

In 2011, he disappeared.

"I got a late start coming off football," said NeSmith, who lives near 2nd and Fisher, in Olney, and wants to become a physical therapist. "I had a little disagreement with the coaches, over not knowing everything, and they said it would be best for me not to play."

Ah, football. That's NeSmith's future and the wide receiver will play his college ball at Temple, having committed last June.

"Really, I wasn't thinking of playing basketball this year," he said. "I was just going to focus on football. Then, Brother Andre [Andre Noble, Imhotep's coach] talked to me and asked if I wanted to play.

"I said I'd call my recruiter from Temple, Sean McGowan. I wasn't expecting him to say yes. I thought he'd want me in the weight room, getting bigger and stronger. He was fine with it, though. He said he liked it because it would keep me in shape."

NeSmith wound up starting for a squad that had graduated seven of its nine rotation members while claiming a third consecutive Public League championship. Though this year's Panthers were bounced from the playoffs in the round of 16 - at home, no less, by Communications Tech - they knew D-12 would have five participants in the AA state tourney and that the rest of the season could still be enjoyable, even special.

So how did NeSmith make his imprint on Saturday's win?

His bold-relief moment came late in regulation as Imhotep, having been outscored 13-2 over the last 5 minutes due to sloppy play and wicked foul shooting, faced a 48-46 deficit.

The Panthers went with a fullcourt press. In the corner, NeSmith and Brandon Austin executed a double-team.

"The guy looked a little scared," NeSmith said. "I didn't want to foul, so I was a little hesitant to jump toward him. But I thought I had a chance to pick off his pass."

He did. And when he turned, the sail route to the hoop could not have been clearer. His layup tied the score and BF star Sheldon Jeter missed a last-second, straight-on trey.

When asked whether the steal/layup qualified as the biggest play of his high school career, NeSmith laughed and said, "Brandon was saying that to me in the locker room. About three times. 'Your biggest play ever, right?' He was having fun with it."

NeSmith totaled eight points, five rebounds and two assists in addition to his one gigantic pilfer.

The ball wasn't passed his way very often but, hey, that was nothing new. Working with very green quarterbacks last fall, NeSmith was able to post just 10 catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns.

NeSmith's biggest role Saturday was staunch defender. Though Austin started out playing the athletic Jeter, he missed almost the entire last 5 minutes of the first half with foul trouble. NeSmith also covered Jeter through much of the time beyond intermission and helped to hound him into a 10-for-32 performance (0-for-10 on treys).

NeSmith was responsible for making Jeter miss nine of 10 shots in one woeful stretch.

"I knew I'd be getting my chances to play him," NeSmith said. "To get ready, the coaches had me stickin' Brandon in practice.

"The coaches watched a lot of tape. They said [Jeter] couldn't go to his left. I didn't find that to be correct. He was pretty good with both hands. Instead of trying to force him to his left, I just played him straight up and used my athleticism to keep up with him. It worked.

"My role isn't to score the ball. I'm fine with that. I know I help us in other ways."

In OT, Imhotep went ahead for good at 52-50 on a steal/dunk combo by Austin, who has already committed to Penn State. Wanting to do well in his future home, Austin collected 13 points/rebounds, four assists and three steals/blocks. Khyree Wooten added 15 points (13 beyond intermission) and seven boards while Nigel Grant bagged nine points and seven boards.

Joining forces this year with Ss. Neumann-Goretti (AAA) and Constitution (A), Imhotep was able to make 12 the first district to capture three state titles in successive years. N-G, Imhotep and Math, Civics and Sciences (A) had triumphed in 2011. The PIAA expanded to three classes for the 1950-51 season and to four for 1983-84.

Shakur NeSmith, meanwhile, is planning for sporting contraction.

When asked whether he could picture himself playing intramural hoops at Temple, or maybe somewhere in a summer league, he said simply, "Probably not."

Always treasured, however, will be the gold medal placed around his neck about 4 o'clock Saturday.

"I'm so glad I got one. Didn't look like I would."

Online high school coverage at philly.com/rally.