Camden High’s Dasear Haskins commits to play basketball at St. Joseph’s

Camden’s Dasear Haskins is staying close to home to play basketball under St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange, Haskins announced Saturday afternoon.

“Just it’s family,” Haskins told The Inquirer about his decision. “All the coaches, I know the freshmen coming in, as well as, some players on the team. It’s similar to my high school and how family-oriented it is.”

The 6-foot-6 small forward will join other area players in Roman Catholic’s Xzayvier Brown and Anthony Finkley as members of the Hawks’ 2023 recruiting class. In March, St. Joe’s expressed interest in Haskins and then extended him an offer while he was in Dallas, Texas, supporting fellow Camden teammate and Kentucky signee DJ Wagner at the McDonald’s All-American game.

St. Joe’s assistant coach Justin Scott, who’s is Brown’s stepfather, played a large part in recruiting Haskins. The Camden senior, who averaged 10 points and 4.7 rebounds this season for the Panthers, took his unofficial visit to Hawk Hill on Friday. Scott showed him around campus and, Haskins said, was trustworthy and relatable.

» READ MORE: West Catholic’s Zion Stanford is all in at Temple: ‘It’s still a family there’

“They were loyal and upfront,” Haskins said about the St. Joe’s staff. “I’m very familiar with the program, so it is just an honor for them to call me and believe in me.”

After an up-and-down recruiting process, where Haskins said the transfer portal impacted a few of the offers he held, the forward wanted to solely focus on his senior season before committing to college. He was looking for an environment similar to that of the nationally ranked Panthers; a winning program that doubles as a brotherhood.

He previously narrowed his offers down to Wagner, St. Peter’s, San Diego, and Texas A&M-Commerce. Once he held an offer from St. Joe’s, Haskins spoke with the Hawks’ Lynn Greer III, an alumnus of Roman, and Rasheer Fleming, who played at Camden High.

In addition to the familiar faces, Camden head coach Maalik Wayns, who’s another Roman graduate, was coached by Lange at Villanova, where Lange served as an assistant coach from 2011-13. Those connections made Haskins feel right at home.

“Arms straight open, [they] welcomed me into the family,” Haskins said. “It was like, I feel I’m needed there.”

Haskins said he is hard-nosed, a winner, and a competitor, and hopes to bring those attributes to Hawk Hill next season.

» READ MORE: Camden’s Cian Medley prospered into a leader for the Panthers: ‘He puts other people first’