Win 27 games and a couple of championships, make a dashing run into the postseason and spend all of the year ranked among Pennsylvania’s best and somebody’s bound to notice all the fireworks and take a deeper look.
Maybe even dish out some sparkling individual recognition.
Well, that’s what happened Friday to Milik Gantz and Dyllon Hudson-Emory as the explosive Bishop McDevitt tandem landed together on the Class AAA all-state team selected by a panel of Pennsylvania sports writers.
Both were second-team choices.
CLICK HERE TO FIND ALL THE PLAYERS WHO WERE SELECTED
“I was kind of surprised,” Hudson-Emory admitted. “It’s a huge honor, to be truthful. I’m thanking God [that I was selected].
“I was surprised,” echoed Gantz. “I honestly didn’t know I was going to make all-state. It’s a huge accomplishment for myself. It’s like a dream come true.”
For both of them … at the same time.
“That’s huge,” Hudson-Emory remarked. “That shows that we were really good and we had a lot of big-time players. It’s a big honor.”
“It was their third year playing together,” McDevitt skipper Jeff Hoke said. “They’ve spent three years together. They work out together. They played AAU together. They do a lot of things together — and it shows on the court. It’s well-deserved.
“They’re great kids,” Hoke added. “They’re great young men. That’s what makes it so much fun. When they got on that [fast] break, it just energized everybody.
And the break — with Gantz spearheading McDevitt’s transition game and facilitating, while Hudson-Emory used his mobility and speed to locate open lanes repeatedly and finish — was a McDevitt staple.
Certainly fueled the Crusaders’ high-octane run that gathered steam while reeling in Mid-Penn Keystone Division — seven Keystone teams advanced to postseason play and four reached states — and Mid-Penn Conference tournament championships.
“It was one of the hardest conferences in the state,” Hudson-Emory admitted.
“Night in and night out going against good competition like the Mid-Penn Keystone Division, that’s why we did well.”
McDevitt, which was ranked in the top 10 throughout the 2013-14 campaign by PennLive, also finished third in the District 3-AAA playoffs and reached the second round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament.
A splendid season by any standard.
Yet while Gantz, a 6-3 junior with wonderful vision and the innovative gene, averaged 12.3 points per game while piloting McDevitt’s fast-paced attack, he also posted big rebounding (10 per) and assists (9 per) on a nightly basis.
He also found time to block three shots per game.
And even though Gantz believes his ability to crank up McDevitt’s fast break was one of the things that enabled him to take his game to another level, crashing the boards with fervor was another. His leadership skills also improved.
“It was being a big leader, especially in transition,” Gantz said. “[During my sophomore year] we pushed the ball, but we didn’t push the ball enough. When we pushed the ball this year, we pretty much ran teams out of the gym.
“Going against guys like [Susquehanna Twp.’s 6-6] Quintin Ward and [Lower Dauphin’s 6-5] Tommy Bowen forced me to work at boxing out. So that helped me step up my game, too. Gave us a successful year.”
Gantz may have another year to go, but he’s already flashing scholarship offers from Boston University, Sacred Heart and Radford.
Others such as Rider, Southern Cal, Dayton, Hofstra, Pennsylvania, St. Joseph’s, LaSalle, Drexel, American, Delaware, Buffalo and Quinnipiac also have been snooping around.
Same for Pittsburgh and Penn State.
“[Being named all-state] just pushes me to work harder every day,” Gantz said.
“I’m just trying to progress my game to another level, so I can get ready for my senior year and the college level.”
And since many of Gantz’s passes whistled in Hudson-Emory’s direction, the 6-6 senior forward turned his numerous opportunities into timely finishes at the hole … and from the perimeter (17 3-point goals).
Hudson-Emory, who reached 1,000 career points during his senior season while averaging 19.8 points per outing, also averaged 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor.
Even better were Hudson-Emory’s postseason numbers, when he scored at a 20.4 ppg clip. Improving intangibles, however, is where he believes he gained the most.
“Being a team leader,” Hudson-Emory said. “We didn’t have like a captain, but going into my senior year I wanted to step up and be a leader.
“[As a junior], we won a lot of games and lost some we shouldn’t have. This year, we held leads or we came back and stayed with it. Practice every night was hard work and it was a tough atmosphere because our junior [varsity] team was really good.
“That made it fun and it made us better throughout the season.”
Hoping to continue to get better, Hudson-Emory likely is headed for a prep school, possibly Phelps in Philadelphia or Bridgton (Maine) Academy.
And landing on the all-state team just added to Hudson-Emory’s confidence.
“I believe I can use this knowing I have the potential to be a big-time player at the next level,” Hudson-Emory said. “With hard work and dedication, I believe I can be a force to be reckoned with.”
Undoubtedly, someone will notice — even if they already have.
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