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N-G's Kimble commits to St. Joe's

Senior-to-be Lamarr Kimble was recruited by the Hawks to play point guard.

LAMARR "FRESH" KIMBLE was about 30 minutes removed from making a verbal commitment to St. Joseph's University yesterday afternoon as he fielded questions over the phone via Carl Arrigale's Bluetooth-enabled car speakers.

Arrigale, the Ss. Neumann-Goretti basketball head coach, was piloting his soon-to-be senior guard when Kimble was asked if he wanted to add anything else about his commitment.

"Not much," Kimble said, "just that I'm a Hawk."

"Not until next year," Arrigale interjected quickly before both broke out in laughter. "You're still a Saint!"

Kimble, a 6-foot, 175-pound guard, said he was recruited by the Hawks to play point guard. As a wing last season, Kimble helped the Saints capture a sixth consecutive Catholic League title, tying Roman Catholic's record feat from 1989-94.

After losing CL all-timer Ja'Quan Newton (Miami) and big-time contributors Troy Harper and Tony Toplyn (both Campbell University) to graduation, the quest for No. 7 will likely lean heavily on Kimble. No wonder Arrigale was quick to remind him.

It's also no wonder that Kimble chose the Hawks, in part because of his relationship with coach Phil Martelli - one that appears to mirror what he's built with Arrigale. "I could see that they love each other and they play as a team," Kimble said. "And, I see that they have a lot of respect for coach Martelli, and he has respect for them right back."

Kimble, a Lawncrest resident, was also swayed by the ability to stay close to home, where he grew up watching former Hawk Jameer Nelson, now with the Dallas Mavericks. A first-team All-Catholic choice by league coaches last season, Kimble was also pursued by La Salle, Drexel and Creighton, among others.

"Just felt like it was the right decision for me and my career," Kimble said, "and for my 4 years I want to play here."

Now Kimble can focus on his senior season.

"It feels good," he said. "Especially now that the recruiting process is over now. It feels good to be able to say that [I'm a Hawk]."