A Shawnee star in the past, Earl now assesses his future:
“If he could relive his basketball days at Shawnee High School, Danny Earl says he wouldn’t hesitate. Those were great days for Earl, a 6-foot-4 point guard who never ventured far from the sport that put him on the map.
” ‘If I could go back, I would love to,’ he said last week from his brother Brian’s home in Moorestown, where he’s living. ‘I don’t think I’d change too many things. I went to a Shawnee game two weeks ago and saw all the kids and parents and cheerleaders. It brought back memories. Yeah, those were good times, definitely.’
“Brian, now a lawyer and two years younger than Danny, was a teammate during Danny’s junior and senior years at Shawnee.
“Few high school basketball players accomplish what Danny Earl did at Shawnee between 1990 and 1993. Not only was he a varsity starter all four years, but he led his team to the Tournament of Champions title in 1992, was named the tourney’s MVP that year, was crowned South Jersey Player of the Year in 1992 and captured New Jersey Player of the Year laurels one year later.
“Coach Joe Kessler, who still heads the program at Shawnee, will never forget the right-hander from Medford Lakes who could shoot, score and defend. He’ll never forget his intelligence either.
” ‘Basketball-wise, he probably was the smartest player ever to come out of South Jersey,’ Kessler said fondly. ‘He just understood the game better than anybody I’ve seen. He was great, one of the best to ever play in this area.’
“After graduating from Shawnee, Earl stayed close to the hardwood.
“He was heavily recruited by Penn State and played six years for the Nittany Lions, being redshirted twice because of injury. During his junior year, Penn State won the Big Ten title and was ranked No. 8 in the country. Earl made the All-Big Ten team that year …”