Jack Greaves describes his first basketball season at Perkiomen School as challenging. Playing time has been sporadic, and he claims the competition in practice is fierce.

Evan Colao, center, leaps for a rebound against Penn Char- ter.  The Perkiomen School junior scored four points in the loss

            Still, Greaves has embraced his first season at the prep school in Pennsburg. He considers it the best path to play basketball in college.

            "The level of play is quite a step up from where I was," Greaves said.

            The Upper Frederick resident has emerged as a consistent contributor off the bench for the Prep basketball team. Head coach John Caldera feels the 6-foot-8 junior has the potential to become a legitimate Division III prospect.

            "He's going to be a nice piece for us next year," Caldera said.

            Greaves, a transfer student from Boyertown High School, played approximately eight minutes for the Panthers in a 59-48 loss to Penn Charter on Saturday, Feb. 15.

            Caldera said he liked his team's effort against the No. 2 seeded team in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Tournament despite absorbing its third straight loss.

            Greaves, described by his coach as an effective shooter and shot blocker, claims the lack of consistent playing time has taken a mental toll. He received significantly more minutes in the team's 60-50 loss to the College Achieve Central Charter School on Feb. 13 posting 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and five rebounds.

            During his first workout at the school in December 2023, as part of its recruitment process, Greaves said did more running than ever before. He claims the hard work has him in good physical shape.

            "I can play eight straight minutes without huffing and puffing," Greaves said.

            Caldera said he has encouraged the player to dedicate himself in the weight room. According to the coach, Greaves' game will take off when his body is transformed.

            "The minute Jack falls in love with the weight room, his level will increase," Caldera said.

            According to Greaves, the speed of the game is much faster than in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, where he averaged 10 points per game last season for the Bears. He cited the utilization of a 40-second shot clock.

            Greaves claims the lack of consistent playing time has taken a mental toll. He received significantly more minutes in the team's 60-50 loss to the College Achieve Central Charter School on Feb. 13, posting 10 points -- including two 3-pointers -- and five rebounds.

            Last month, he helped the Panthers (8-6) post a 69-59 victory over Prestige Prep. Greaves finished with eight points.

            In the Penn Charter game Matt Gilhool finished with a game-high 18 points for the Quakers, which utilized a 22-5 second-half run to pull away. Carter Smith added 17 points to help their team rally from an eight-point hole midway through the third quarter.

            Gilhool, a 6-foot-11 center, posted 12 of his points in the second half. The senior converted six free throws during the third quarter to allow the Quakers to overcome a 38-30 deficit.

            Smith, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, scored a dozen points after halftime and notched five consecutive points late in the third quarter.

            The freshman hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with less than two minutes left to get his team within 40-39. Smith's driving layup on the ensuing possession put Penn Charter ahead for good.

            The host Panthers had two double-figure scorers. Jackson Clough, a sophomore from Wilmington, Del., finished with 12 points.

            Kevin Porretto added 10 points. Kevan Everts Kamminga and Asher Bradley contributed eight points for Perkiomen School, which was outscored 26-8 during the fourth quarter.

            "We ran out of gas at the end," Caldera said. "I'm very happy with the way our guys played. When you get to face the best competition, you find out exactly how you stack up."