With the second month of the high school and college basketball season wrapping up, and the new year just getting started, let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how some of the former Lower Merion basketball stars are doing right now in college.
Sam Brown, class of ’23 (and son of former Sixers head coach, Brett Brown), is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He is currently averaging 8.0 points and around three rebounds per game. The Quakers didn’t have an ideal start to the season, but with conference play officially starting, we’ll see if Penn can make a run and compete for an Ivy League championship. However, this is one of the best Ivy League basketball seasons we’ve ever seen, with schools like Columbia (who beat Villanova) and Princeton (who beat Rutgers and St. Joe’s) who are both deserving of a bid in the big dance in March. As a Philadelphia native and a fan of the Penn basketball program, hopefully Sam Brown can play at the Palestra like it’s the year 2022 at the Kobe Bryant gym. Coach Gregg Downer stated “Sam was one of the greatest 3-point shooters in the history of the program. He was a coach’s son and typical gym rat. He worked relentlessly to perfect his craft.” With Sam’s hard work and dedication we know what he and the rest of Penn is capable of. Everyone at LM is rooting for Sam Brown and Penn to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018.
Demetrius “Meech” Lilley, class of ’22, was a highly touted prospect out of LM who received multiple offers. Lilley is LM’s all time leading rebounder and the only player since the legendary Kobe Bryant to average over twenty points and ten rebounds per game. With all of these accolades and accomplishments, Lilley ultimately chose to take his talents to Penn State. After two seasons with the Nittany Lions, Lilley tested the waters of the transfer portal. He decided to come back to his home city of Philadelphia to play for the La Salle Explorers, coached by Philadelphia legend Fran Dunphy. La Salle had very low expectations, as they were projected to finish last in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason rankings. However, La Salle is off to a pretty solid start to their 2024-2025 campaign as they have wins against two Philadelphia rivals in Temple and Drexel. In La Salle’s most recent loss against basketball powerhouse North Carolina, Lilley posted 16 points and six rebounds. Those 16 points nearly doubled his points per game which is 8.4 along with 7.2 rebounds per game (which leads La Salle). With conference play officially starting, hopefully Lilley and the Explorers can put together a good performance in an elite Atlantic 10 conference. However, the odds will be stacked against them. With teams like St. Bonaventure, Dayton, Rhode Island, and even rival St. Joe’s, it’s going to be a tough ride for the Explorers. But, if anyone can take this team far it’s Fran Dunphy with his seventeen appearances in March Madness. Hopefully like Sam, Meech can also play like it’s 2022 at the Kobe Bryant gym. Coach Downer stated “Meech was raw, but also worked hard to maximize his skills.”
That ‘21-’22 LM team was special. This team was one of the best teams since the state-winning championship team with the legendary Kobe Bryant back in 1996. Downer stated “Coaching Sam and Meech was a lot of fun but also a lot of hard work.” “Both are successful in college because they understand hard work and are passionate about being the best they can be.” We should all be excited to watch Brown and Lilley continue to contribute to their teams, play at an elite level, and make LM proud for years to come.
