Coombs-McDaniel Sets Milestone
It has been a dream-like season for the Tilton boy’s basketball team thus far. With less than a month remaining in the regular season they sit at a perfect 16-0 with wins over the likes of Winchendon, St. Mark’s, and MCI. They have been so dominant that their margin of victory has been under double digits in just 2 of those 16 contests – the first an 81-74 win over class A Phillips Exeter and the second a 72-67 decision over class B power Marianapolis Prep, that came without Alex Oriakhi in the line-up. In the process they have not only established themselves as the clear favorite to run away with class B, but they also have many people referring to them as the best team in the NEPSAC…period.
Right in the middle of that success has been Jamal Coombs. The senior swingman arrived at the beginning of his junior year. By that time he had already established himself as a top 100 player nationally in the class of 2009 as well as made a verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut.
While most would think that Coombs had little left to prove, what he has done in the last season-and-a-half has silenced even his toughest critics. He’s expanded his offensive game by becoming more consistent with his three-point shot and learning to use his size and skill set to become a true mismatch problem; he’s emerged as a phenomenally versatile defender who can both guard virtually any position on the floor as well as lock up the opposition’s best scorer on a nightly basis; and also developed into one of the best perimeter rebounders around.
But what really sets Coombs apart is his ability to compete.
So few young players today really understand what that word means, but ultimately it’s one of the best indicators of their future success. Coombs is a guy who comes right at you on the court…and demands his teammates to do the same. He doesn’t take nights off, he doesn’t even take plays off. He doesn’t back down, he doesn’t shy away, and when there’s a big play he’s usually right in the middle of it. He wants the ball in crunch time and has a will to win that is seemingly limitless.
Qualities like those are hard to quantify. But what’s undeniable is that they breed success, victories, and ultimately championships. It’s hard to deny they’ve done that for Coombs and his teams as he not only led Tilton to the class B title last year but also was a catalyst for BABC’s championship at the King James Classic and 3rd Place finish at AAU Nationals this past summer.
And while championships are the driving force behind any great player, individual records are often a consequence of their success. On Wednesday night, Coombs scored a statistical milestone to help verify the level of his excellence while wearing a Tilton uniform. He scored 27 points in an 89-56 victory over Andover and in so doing topped the 1000 point plateau in his career at the Tilton School.
Eclipsing the 1000 point plateau in just a season-and-a-half is an extraordinarily rare accomplishment…but to do it in the NEPSAC, one of the most competitive basketball leagues in the country is practically unheard of.
So while reaching that milestone no doubt is a far less priority to Coombs than winning his second NEPSAC crown or leading his Tilton team into the National Prep Championship field, it is a reflection of the tremendous level of success he has had and possibly an indication of things to come as Tilton prepares for their stretch run.
Alex Oriakhi