Abington senior John Paul Nolan (above) hit a big time three in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)
By Owen McCue
John Paul Nolan wasn’t even sure if he was going to try out for the basketball team this year.
The Abington senior spent his sophomore season on JV and left the basketball program as a junior to focus on his talents on the baseball diamond, where he is the ace pitcher for the Ghosts and earned a scholarship to East Stroudsburg next season.
After watching Abington take home a District 1 Class 6A title from the student section in 2017, Nolan felt like he might want to rejoin the team. Still, he was not sure if he had the ability. It took some coaxing from coach Charles Grasty and fellow senior Robbie Heath to get him to come out.
“He was like ‘Should I try out? I don’t think I’ll make the team,’” Heath said. “I was like P, you’ve got a jump shot. We need jump shooters on this team.”
Though Nolan obliged to the request, he didn’t expect to see much time on the floor for the defending district champs, but he scored seven points in the Ghosts’ first game and has carved out a role as a knockdown shooter ever since.