Waller hits his stride with these Panthers

Karon Waller has long been a Panther. He has just found more success with the Collingswood species.

Through last season, Waller was a member of the Camden Panthers basketball program. He transferred to Collingswood for his senior year.

In a recent game against Pennsauken, Waller grabbed a defensive rebound and darted downcourt. Mixing in crossovers to avoid defenders, Waller accelerated across midcourt, cut through the lane, and took a hard spin before knocking down a floater, which he had to readjust after being bumped by a Pennsauken defender.

A year ago, Waller would not have made a play like that. Waller averaged just three points a game for Camden.

But the 6-foot-3 swingman has taken his game to another level at Collingswood. Thanks to a month-long surge of deep three-pointers as well as sharp drives to the basket, Waller has become South Jersey's leading scorer with an average of 26.2 points.

"It was a goal of mine, but I didn't know it would come," Waller said of his improved ability as a scorer.

His season total of 656 points is a Collingswood record. The old mark, 620, was set by Darnell McCargo in 2008.

Waller has averaged 30.7 points in February. He has scored 30 or more in seven of his last 14 games, starting with a 40-point performance Jan. 20 at Overbrook.

"I usually don't even know, but I was aware during the second game against Overbrook," Waller said of his high point totals.

That Jan. 20 output might not even be Waller's most impressive performance. On Feb. 10 against Colonial Conference rival Haddonfield, Waller scored 11 points in 97 seconds in a furious fourth-quarter rally that fell short in a 67-63 loss. Waller led all players that night with 31 points.

"It's a great story to show someone if you believe in yourself and you're in the right system, you can be successful, and he's proven that this year," Panthers coach Joe McLoughlin said. "From Day 1, I've told him, 'Believe in yourself and make believers out of others.' "

Watching Collingswood, it is clear that the Panthers live and die by their leading scorer. Against Pennsauken, Waller played all 32 minutes for the Panthers and consistently brought the ball upcourt, despite being hounded by double teams.

Waller also led the team in field goal attempts with 15 and foul shot attempts with 11, and ended the game with 28 points.

"We have a system that is good for scorers. Our offense goes through him. We run a lot of set plays to set him up," McLoughlin said.

Waller acknowledges his growth as a player. But he is as humble off the court as he is aggressive on it, giving a great deal of credit to his coaching staff and teammates.

"My teammates and coaches believing in me has been big," said Waller, who has helped lead Collingswood to a 14-2 conference record and a share of the Liberty Division title with Haddonfield, as well as an 18-7 overall mark.

Waller's future beyond Collingswood is still undecided. He has received interest from some Division II and III programs, but he aspires for more.

Waller plans to attend prep school next year to improve his skills in the hopes of earning attention from Division I programs.