May 3, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; May 3, 2012 - Patrick Chambers added another big post presence to his first Penn State basketball recruiting class Thursday when Berks Catholic all-state forward Donovon Jack (Reading, Pa.) completed and signed paperwork confirming his intent to attend Penn State University and play for the Nittany Lions. The 6-9, 205-pound forward becomes the third and tallest member of Chambers' 2012 signing class.
He joins 6-3 guard Akosa Maduegbunam (Boston, Mass) and 6-8 forward Brandon Taylor (Tabernacle, N.J.) among the 2012 Nittany Lion signees. The trio will also be joined by 6-3, Southern Mississippi transfer D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.), a sophomore, among the new Nittany Lions slated to take the floor for Chambers in 2012-13.
"We are fired up to have Donovon join the Penn State family," Chambers said. "He's a 6-9, extremely athletic player with a high basketball IQ. Donovon is very skilled; he can shoot, handle the ball and really gets off the floor. He can do a lot of things for us in the front court."
A three-time all-state selection, Jack led the Saints to division, county and district championships in their first season in 2011-12 as they posted a 28-3 record overall and went 11-0 in their league. Twice named Berks Player of the Year by the Reading Eagle, he finished his career with 1,725 points, 10th most in Berks history and the most ever by a player in the city of Reading. A left-hander, Jack averaged 17.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this past season as he earned Pennsylvania Class AAA first-team All-State honors and led Berks to the PIAA District III Class AAA title. They lost to District 12 champ Abington Heights, 56-53, in the PIAA Tournament second round as Jack posted 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The MVP of the 2012 District 3 Class AAA playoffs, Jack had 66 points and 52 rebounds in four games as Berks Catholic won the Class AAA title. He also shot 73 percent from the field (27 of 37). Jack made 42 consecutive shots over a six-game span earlier in the year and shot 68 percent for the season. He also posted 78 blocks and 56 assists on his senior campaign and showed an ability to run the floor and shoot from three-point range.
Jack also won two Class A titles as a sophomore and junior when he attended Reading Central Catholic, which merged with Holy Name to form Berks Catholic for the 2011-12 school year. Jack won three district championships and 85 games in his three seasons at Central Catholic and Berks Catholic. He averaged 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a junior while earning 2011 Berks Player of the Year honors.
Jack was called a "tough and competitive lefty power forward that plays with great energy on both ends of the floor" and a player that "runs the floor and can catch and finish on the move very well" by ESPN.com, which gave him an 88 grade. Jack played with the PA Playaz and York Ballers during the AAU season.
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