‘The kid loves basketball:’ SJCA’s Scanlon’s 1,000 points were the culmination of years of hard work

When Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy boys’ basketball coach Rich Ciambotti called a timeout during his team’s Jan. 18 game against Montoursville to deliver the news to his star senior Brendan Scanlon that he’d just hit his 1,000th career point, he was surprised by the response.

“His reaction was, really?,” Ciambotti said.

Then instead of jumping up and down in celebration, the senior kept his emotions in check after taking in the significance of the milestone, and quickly refocused his attention to the task at hand — winning the basketball game.

“I was just kind of surprised because I wasn’t really thinking much about it,” Scanlon said. “It was definitely a cool moment and it was just cool to hear that happened.”

It was midway through that game when Scanlon drilled the jumper that would put him in an exclusive category along with only two others — Stephen Beattie and Jack Mangene — in the eight-year history of the Wolfpack’s varsity basketball program.

Scanlon and his teammates, however, were unaware that he had reached such a prestigious milestone until right after it happened, because Ciambotti made the decision not to inform his team before its game with the hope of limiting distractions so the team could focus on winning the game.

But Ciambotti understood how big a moment this was for not only Scanlon but also for the Saint Joseph’s community. So that’s why he called a timeout immediately following the made jumper and delivered the exciting news.

“I decided, as this season’s been strange enough, I didn’t really want to throw one more thing at Brendan or at the team to have them think about,” Ciambotti said. “Obviously, I let his family and our administration know so everyone knew it was coming, and when it happened I wanted our team to celebrate.”

The Wolfpack ended up losing the game, 58-42. But despite the team’s 4-10 overall record so far this season, Ciambotti is still eminently impressed with the growth of his team, and much of that can be credited to Scanlon’s growth as an individual player.

Not only does he lead the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game, but he’s become a prolific facilitator as his assists numbers are up to 4.4 per game this season, from 1.6 per game last season. Scanlon attributes much of his player evolution to his work ethic, and the hours he puts in at the gym on a regular basis.

“I think a lot of games I would just try and do things on my own,” Scanlon said. “And I think this year we have a better team, and I’m kind of trusting my teammates a little more in knowing they’re able to make plays and getting them the ball more, not really having to shoot the ball as much and not having as much of a load on myself offensively.”

Ciambotti echoed much of the same sentiment, having gotten to know Scanlon off the court as well, through his time teaching in the classroom. Scanlon’s maturity and continued improvement as a leader have served him well, according to his coach.

“He’s a really hard-working student. He focuses on his academics and wants to make that an important part of his life as well as what he’s doing on the court,” Ciambotti said. “He’s kind of a quiet guy off the court and he just kind of leads with the example of the work he puts in.”

Perhaps the person who has seen Scanlon develop the most throughout his lifetime is one of his closest friends and current teammate, Noah Straub, whose relationship with Scanlon dates all the way back to preschool.

He shares many memories with Scanlon, including attending the same schools throughout their childhood, countless hours in the gym and 6 a.m. workouts before classes.

Throughout their time together, Straub noted that one thing has stayed consistent: Scanlon’s passion and relentlessness to get better each day he steps on the basketball court.

“Brendan’s always had an innate ability to score and handle the ball, but it’s his passing that I feel like really sets him apart, like he can thread the needle and he just has a great work ethic,” Straub said.

One memory stands out in particular to Straub, because it show how infectious Scanlon’s dedication is to those around him.

Up two points with a few seconds left in Saint Joseph’s game against Southern Huntingdon last season, the Wolfpack were still searching for their first victory. As the Rockets’ player missed the buzzer-beating shot, Scanlon immediately ran to half court in celebration, jumped as high as he could and gave the “world’s biggest fist bump,” according to Straub. It’s a recollection he won’t soon forget.

Despite his talent and skill set, Scanlon hasn’t become overconfident or brash. Instead, he soaks up all of the advice his coach has given him while forming an unbreakable bond that will extend long past his playing days at Saint Joseph’s.

“He’s been through a lot and I give him a lot of credit for just keeping his head high and continuing to do the right things,” Ciambotti said. “The kid loves basketball. I’ve been around a lot of teams and a lot of players and he may love basketball more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 12:44 PM.