Malvern’s Turner earns Class 5A Player of Year honors

Like many other kids, Kieves “Deuce” Turner modeled his game after Kobe Bryant. Turner got closer than most to matching the feats of the former Lower Merion great.

Turner, a 6-1 guard, ended his career with an Inter-Ac League-record 2,452 points, led Malvern Prep to a school-record 27 wins and is the Player of the Year on the Pennsylvania Sportswriters Class 5A AllState team.

Turner can score from all three levels – the 3-point line, in the lane and at the foul line – but his game evolved into so much more, said Friars coach John Harmatuk.

“He’s become a student of the game because of how hard he works at it,” Harmatuk said. “When practice is over he’s still there for hours working on his footwork, working on his jump shot, watching video. He’s watched more film than pretty much the rest of our team combined.”

Turner, a repeat first-team pick,

CLASS 5A ALL-STATE TEAM First Team

Deuce Turner, 6-1Sr. G, Malvern Prep Rahsool Diggins, 6-3Jr. G, Archbishop Wood

Andrew Carr, 6-10Sr. F, W.C. East Michael Carmody, 6-6Sr. F, Mars Quadir Copeland,6-5Jr. F, Gettysburg Rodney Gallagher, 6-0Fr. G, Laurel Highlands

Second Team

Jaylen Stinson, 6-0Jr. G, Archbishop Wood

Daeshon Shepherd, 6-5Jr. F, Archbishop Wood

Michael Lucarotti, C 6-4Jr. G, Erie Cathedral Prep

Aaron Lemon-Warren, 6-5 Jr. F, Archbishop Ryan

is joined on the first team by Rahsool Diggins of Archbishop Wood, Andrew Carr of West Chester East, Michael Carmody of Mars, Quadir Copeland of Gettysburg and Rodney Gallagher of Laurel Highlands.

Former NBA guard Tyrone Nesby, who led Muhlenberg to its first District 3 championship, is the

Gediminas Mokseckas, 6-4Sr. F, Archbishop Ryan

Josh Parra, 6-5Sr. F, Milton Hershey

Third Team

Mason Barnes, 6-1Sr. G, Pottsville Marcus Randolph, 6-4Jr. F, Archbishop Wood

Logan Shanahan, 6-6Sr. F, Unionville Daryl Coleman, 6-4Jr. F, Southern Lehigh

Seth Beers, 6-0Sr. G, LampeterStrasburg

Elijah Rosenthal, 6-0Sr. G, Wallenpaupack

Coach of the year: Tyrone Nesby, Muhlenberg

Player of the year: Deuce Turner, Malvern Prep

Coach of the Year.

Turner is the all-time scoring leader of one of the oldest leagues in America, the Inter-Ac, a circuit that’s featured future NBA talents like Episcopal Academy alums Gerald Henderson, Wayne Ellington and Jerome Allen.

The Coatesville native averaged

25.2 points per game in earning league MVP honors and his third straight first-team all-league selection.

The Friars beat eight teams that qualified for the PIAA tournament, went undefeated in league play and advanced to the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association final.

Diggins, a 6-3 junior guard, was the top scorer and MVP in the Catholic League, averaging 20.2 points. He was also first-team All-State last year and finished with 1,186 career points. Diggins led Wood to the District 12 Class 5A championship and the state quarterfinals. He has offers from Kansas, Miami, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Florida, and Wake Forest, among others.

Carr, a 6-10 senior forward, moves up from the third team after averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. He led the Vikings to a 25-2 record, the District

1 Class 5A championship and the state quarterfinals. The University of Delaware recruit finished with 1,443 career points.

Carmody, a 6-6 senior forward, averaged 19.0 points and 19.5 rebounds for the Fightin’ Planets, who reached the District 7 championship game. The Notre Dame football recruit shot 64 percent from the field and 71 percent from the line. He was a second-team pick as a junior.

Copeland, a 6-5 junior forward, averaged 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and six assists. The York County Player of the Year led the Greyhounds to a 22-0 start and to the PIAA tournament.

Gallagher, a 6-0 freshman guard, averaged 22.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. He already has several major-college offers and hit a pair of clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left in the district championship game, giving Highlands its first title since 1968.

Nesby quickly transformed Muhlenberg’s program, inheriting a team that finished 5-17 in 2016-17. The Muhls have reached back-to-back district finals, including an overtime win over Milton Hershey this season.