Episcopal Academy’s Kevin McCarthy usually drew a crowd when he moved the ball, as he did on this occasion in January against Haverford School. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Kevin McCarthy’s introduction to high school basketball came with a splash from deep.
From his COVID-abbreviated freshman year, McCarthy’s niche at Episcopal Academy was first and foremost as a shooter. Leave him open behind the arc at your own peril, opposing teams would quickly learn.
Word would get around, as it always does, and that novelty would burn off. Yet McCarthy kept on making 3-pointers. And with that as the cornerstone, he would diversify his game, grow physically into a rangy 6-4 defender and become the kind of offensive facilitator that makes others around him better.
“Definitely the best asset of my game is my shooting ability,” McCarthy said. “When I was an underclassmen, I did a lot more solely 3-point shooting. As I matured, I developed my game and made my game better all around, and I play off my 3-pointer more now. So teams close out on me hard, they guard me really heavily. I use my 3-pointer to get to the basket, to get open diving lanes.”
Along the way, McCarthy collected 1,527 points, eighth-most in program history. He picked up three Division I offers before fulfilling his dream of going to West Point to play for Army.
And he makes history as the first Churchmen player to be named Daily Times Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
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