Philipsburg-Osceola boys basketball’s Jacob Desimone scores his 1,000th point
Philipsburg-Osceola guard Jacob Desimone dribbled hard to the hoop with seconds waning from the clock in the third quarter.
Swish.
The senior made his 1,000th point against Huntingdon on Friday. He had time to soak the moment in following the end of the quarter, receiving hugs from teammates, his head coach T.J. Anderson and a thunderous applause from Mounties faithful.
When he entered his freshman season, his goal was to start on varsity. His next goal was to one day score 1,000 points. Despite his team falling 57-49 in front of a home crowd, his 19 points in the game was a reminder that he’d do anything to accomplish the goal that he set out at the beginning of his high school career.
“It’s a great accomplishment and I’m glad that I was able to do it tonight at home,” Desimone said. “Obviously we wanted to win, but I’ll give it to those guys, they wanted it more, but it’s a great accomplishment that I’ll remember for a really long time.”
Desimone is known for his athleticism and ability to find his spots in the mid-range game. The senior uses a flurry of quick crossovers, seeing an opening in the defense by blowing past defenders and pulling up for an easy jump shot.
It’s something that his teammate and fellow senior Oliver Harpster has seen for a long time. The two show up to practices as early as possible and have gone to many of the offseason workouts, testing each other’s commitment by attempting to beat their friend to the gym.
Harpster watches his fellow senior put up jump shots at 6 a.m. or earlier. The mid-range is a deadly aspect of Desimone’s play, hearkening back to the way that NBA games were played in the 2000s. He also believes that it’s just one part of Desimone’s ever-evolving game that will continue to grow.
“He used to be just a mid-range guy and now, he’s stretching the defense out,” Harpster said. “He can shoot threes, he can get to the rack really easily — he’s a good player and he’s tough to guard. Him developing a well-rounded jump shot — he’s tough.”
Desimone’s work ethic has been there for awhile. He “always thought it was cool to be the youngest guy on the floor against the older guys.” This is where he found his ability to drive to the paint.
He began playing basketball in the first grade for the Philipsburg Y’s Little Dribblers program. From there he began to love the game, playing throughout elementary school and at Philipsburg-Osceola Area Middle School. He also played with Anderson’s AAU teams while the latter was the head coach at Juniata Valley.
When Anderson made the transition of becoming Philipsburg-Osceola’s head coach in 2020, it made sense to have Desimone lead the team by example.
“He’s been everything for me,” Anderson said. “He’s our hardest worker, he’s our leader. Him and I have a special relationship. When he was younger, he would come down to my other high school to be trained during the summers. When I made the transition up here with him, I felt a special bond. I’ve watched him get better over the years. It’s going to be tough to watch him walk away.”
