Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Coatesville guard Jhamir Brickus was already playing lights-out before dropping 52 points against Chester on Saturday

Followers are asking: Can he reach 60?

Jhamir Brickus (center) of Coatesville passes the ball ahead to teammate Dapree Bryant in 2017.
Jhamir Brickus (center) of Coatesville passes the ball ahead to teammate Dapree Bryant in 2017.Read more

Now, it’s 52. Will he hit 60?

Since losing to Abington in the PIAA District 1 Class 6A championship game on March 2, Jhamir Brickus has been, well, spectacular. The 5-foot-10 Coatesville junior guard has left his mark as a scoring machine in the state playoffs, and fans and social media followers can’t seem to get enough.

“No one in the state is playing better basketball than Jig right now,” one person tweeted, referring to Brickus’ nickname.

The scoring explosion started on March 9 when Brickus poured in 41 points in a victory over District 11 power Emmaus in the first round of the state playoffs. Then he tossed in 31 points in a second-round victory over District 7 power Butler on Wednesday.

Then Saturday’s game against Chester in the 6A state quarterfinals rolled around, and Brickus erupted for 52 points as the Red Raiders rolled over the Clippers, 96-82, to advance to Tuesday’s state semifinals against Kennedy Catholic.

After that performance, Brickus is averaging 41 points per game, and observers are asking how high can he go? He was 16-for-28 from the field on Saturday, 5-of-9 from three-point range, and 15-of-19 from the foul line.

“I see myself as the Allen Iverson type,” Brickus said last month. “He was like a point guard that could go out and get his and break people down and score buckets. That’s like my game.”

Others have compared Brickus to Celtics star Kyrie Irving.

Either way, standing above the crowd is not new to Brickus. He passed NBA champion and three-time all-star Richard “Rip” Hamilton to move into second place on Coatesville’s all-time scoring list in February, and he’s already scooped up college offers from La Salle, Rider and Bryant. Temple and St. Joseph’s have shown interest, too.

So far, Brickus has the most points in a season for Coatesville -- 853 --- and 1,857 for his career. Former Coatesville and Seton Hall star John Allen is the school’s career leader with 2,371 points.

“This kid is an unbeatable offensive player,” Coatesville coach Fred Thompson said last month. “Jhamir has a really high basketball IQ that makes him so much better than a lot people he plays with or against.”

But, what may be the best part of all this for Brickus and the Coatesville faithful, even if they fail to win the championship this year?

He’s still got another season to play.

“He’s an inspiration for the other kids in his area,” AAU coach Terrell Myers said in February. “And I think at the moment he won’t recognize that, but it’s that big of a deal. You are the new Rip Hamilton of your area.”