When the St. Augustine Prep basketball team needed a big bucket, the Hermits turned to Rory Friel. The 6-foot-5 swingman could play like a point guard or a center, whatever the team needed in a particular game.
The Hermits finished in fifth place in the always tough Cape-Atlantic League American Conference race, but that was
largely because Friel missed about two weeks in the middle of the season with an injury. He came back strong, however, leading the Hermits to a surprising run in the league tournament that ended with another Hermits title.
He scored 21 points in a win over Holy Spirit to put his team in the championship game, then scored 19 in a win over Wildwood Catholic in the title game. For his career, Friel finished just seven points shy of 1,000 and hit 130 three-pointers.
