by Ed Morrone

It was the last time Aaron Reisman would ever play on his home court, so he was going to give the crowd something to remember him by.

Penn Charter ended up squandering a 14-point lead to SCH Academy in last Friday night’s regular season Inter-Ac finale, ultimately losing the game, 72-67. However, most in attendance will remember Reisman’s superhuman first-half effort. The senior guard/forward scored 22 of his team-high 24 points in an unforgettable first half, including 16 in the second quarter alone. Reisman buried six three pointers in the game’s first 16 minutes, four of which came in the second period where he scored all but three of PC’s points.

So, what exactly got into Reisman, whose previous season-high was 17 points and was usually viewed as the team’s third or fourth scoring option?

“I’ve always wanted to make an impact wherever I am,” Reisman said afterward. “I’ve only been on varsity for two years, and in my last home game I wanted show what I can do and prove I can play the game. I had the momentum going, and I just tried to go for it. I was extremely confident. When I’m in that zone, I just try to block everything out and envision that I’m by myself shooting from three. Don’t worry about the defender or who’s in front of you…just aim and shoot.”

In a season full of close losses — PC is 8-16 overall and finished 1-9 in the league — this one to the Blue Devils stung, but Reisman at least treated a raucous Senior Night crowd to something they won’t soon forget about. Reisman played on the freshman team in ninth grade and was a JV starter as a sophomore, so he didn’t start for the Quakers until last season.

With fellow senior Ryan Holmes serving as PC’s go-to scorer the last two seasons, paired with the emergence of uber-talented freshman Mark Butler who was a varsity starter as an eighth grader, Reisman has always slotted into a supporting role. His job is to score when the team needs him to, but also to be one of its best rebounders, and, at 6-foot-2, he often guards taller, stronger players on the other team.

“(Head) Coach (John Owens) always asks me, ‘What is your what else?’” Reisman said. “My shot hasn’t been falling like this in previous games, so my ‘what else’ is grabbing rebounds, playing good defense on their tallest guy and just doing anything I can to help my team be successful. The first half was obviously very successful, it just tailed off in the second half.”

Alas, Reisman scored just two points after halftime as SCH mounted a furious second-half rally. When he fouled out late in the fourth quarter, Reisman trudged to the bench with tears in his eyes, knowing this would be the last time he ever played on his home floor.

The Villanova native indeed left it all out there.

“It was definitely an emotional experience,” he said. “I was tearing up on the sideline knowing this was the last time I’d play in front of my parents and all my classmates. It’s great, because I know going out with a bang proved what my potential can be. I’ll remember it forever and I’ll be telling people about it when I’m much older.”

Reisman has come a long way since he came to Penn Charter in sixth grade, following in the footsteps of his sister, three years his senior. After working his way up the basketball program’s ladder and finally making varsity as a junior, half of his junior season was wiped out due to Compartment syndrome, a condition causes muscle and nerve damage in the leg due to increased pressure. The fact that it’s been such a long road to success for Reisman made Friday night’s eruption even sweeter.

Coming to Penn Charter has been one of the most rewarding decisions of Reisman’s life. Not only did he find success as a basketball player, but he’s a star in the classroom too. Reisman will head to the University of Pennsylvania in the fall, and while he’s not sure what he is going to major in yet, Reisman is considering everything from physics to business to economics. Maybe Reisman will even try to walk on to Penn’s basketball team. Whatever he lands on, he knows Penn Charter has helped prepare him for whatever challenges come his way.

“I knew this was a place where I could get a great education and play the sport I love,” he said. “I would have never said no to this option. The connections I’ve made with teachers and classmates has been absolutely amazing. It forces you to be independent while also collaborating with others; it really is the best of both worlds.”

The Quakers have at least one remaining game left in Tuesday’s PAISAA Tournament play-in game at Solebury School. Should PC win, Reisman and company will play at top-seeded Westtown School on Friday. No matter what happens, Reisman knows he gave it his all, and now it’s up to Butler and the talented young core to lead the program into the future.

“I love the freshmen that have been playing big roles on our team,” he said. “They have a great few years in the future ahead of them, and since I’ll be so close, I can’t wait to come back and watch them play. They are going to continue to get better and are going to make Penn Charter basketball great.”