Kobe Bryant is in town, and fans are treated to much more than a basketball game. They are treated to alley-oops and no-look passes and length-of-the-court forays resulting in in-your-face slams.
Kobe Bryant was in town. And that is a pity. The area's best, the most exciting high school basketball player in years, has played his last game in a Lower Merion uniform, and even the coaches who tried to stop him aren't happy.
``He was good for the league,'' Springfield coach Kevin McCormick said. ``He elevated attendance to another level. He gave the kids from Springfield and other schools the chance to play before packed houses.''
Bryant is The Inquirer's player of the year for the western suburbs. He might find room for this honor in a trophy case cluttered with national player-of-the-year honors and souvenir basketballs he received after setting various scoring records.
Then again, the Bryants might have to add another wing to their home to house all the honors.
Bryant leaves Lower Merion as the leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history. He finished with 2,883 points, more than 400 more than former record-holder Jared Lenko of West-Mont Christian. Bryant averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals and 3.8 blocked shots this season.
He leaves with two Central League titles. He leaves with one District 1 title. He leaves with the biggest prize of all: a state championship with a 48-43 victory over Erie Cathedral Prep on Saturday.
Bryant also ends his high school career as a 17-year-old who managed to withstand the barrage of national and local media attention and maintain a sense of self. In the media storm that swirled around him, Bryant was the calm in the center.
