It’s gotten to the point where Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli doesn’t even consider Lamarr Kimble a freshman anymore.
Not after watching the Philly native play on the biggest high school stages as a star guard at Neumann-Goretti.
Not after seeing him gracefully handle a reserve role this season and still put up impressive numbers in limited minutes.
And especially not after watching him enjoy perhaps the best game of his college career in Wednesday’s huge 79-70 win over No. 15 Dayton (see game story). In 21 minutes against one of the nation’s best defensive teams, Kimble finished with 13 points and five assists, while burying two huge second-half three-pointers that helped dash any hopes of a Flyers’ comeback.
“He’s played so many games and played in state championships and national games,” Martelli said. “Those two threes, a lot of freshmen that we’ve had — short of the greatest in Jameer [Nelson] — would be shaking their arms and wanting the ball to magically go from their hand to the basket. He shot the ball like he thought it was going in.”
He certainly did. Just ask him.
“I’m confident,” Kimble said from the Hagan Arena floor, shortly after the energetic and packed crowd filed out of the gym. “I’ve been confident my whole life. When shots come like that, I’m ready to take them. My teammates have trust in me to pass me the ball. My coaches have that trust in me. I put in the work. Taking big shots like that is nothing new to me.”
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Indeed, it’s hard to imagine too many players being as prepared for big-time college basketball as Kimble. In high school, the 6-foot guard was part of three state championship teams and played in some memorable Catholic League playoff games at the Palestra. (This year’s semifinals, interestingly enough, were being held at the same time as the Hawks’ win over Dayton with Kimble's alma mater advancing to the finals.)
Perhaps not surprisingly, some of his best games have been against Big 5 opponents as Kimble — nicknamed “Fresh” — dropped in 11 points in the Hawks’ OT win over Temple on Dec. 13, logged eight points and six assists back at the Palestra vs. Penn on Jan. 20 and scored 10 against La Salle four days after that.
But the freshman saved his best work for the Hawks’ first win over a ranked opponent in two years, forming an effective pairing with starting point guard Shavar Newkirk as the two combined for 21 points and only one turnover in 40 minutes. Kimble also electrified the crowd with a great lob to James Demery, who finished a thunderous second-half alley-oop.
“I do like playing in big games,” Kimble said. “The intensity is there. The crowd’s on their toes. We got a nice fan section (Wednesday). They helped us out.”
He’ll be playing in some more big games soon as the Hawks are not only closing in on an NCAA Tournament berth but also their first national ranking since Jameer Nelson roamed Hawk Hill in 2003-04.
All of that is naturally exciting for Kimble. But true to his coach’s motto — Martelli said time and again after Wednesday’s win that he’s not thinking about March — he’s only focused on the Hawks’ upcoming road matchup with Davidson on Saturday (2 p.m., NBCSN).
“It’s hard not to look ahead,” Kimble admitted. “I imagine myself in March Madness. I’ve imagined that since I was young and started playing basketball. But right now, I’ve learned to take it one game at a time. We’re all dialed in for Saturday. We’ve got a tough team on the road, and we’re all looking forward to matchup.”
The Hawks, the only Division I that's yet to lose a true road game, will take a perfect 9-0 road record into that game. Seasoned veterans like Isaiah Miles and DeAndre Bembry’ — two of the best players in the Atlantic 10 — are a big reason for that remarkable streak. So too are the team's fearless role players like Kimble, who’s relished the opportunity to grow alongside Miles and Bembry and turn the Hawks into what Dayton coach Archie Miller called “one of the best teams in the country” after a disappointing 2014-15 campaign.
“It’s great,” Kimble said. “They make our job easy and vice versa. We look for them, they look for us. Even though they’re the best two players on the team, they still believe on everybody on the team and are unselfish players. That makes our team even better.”