St. Joseph’s-bound Dasear Haskins stars on his home floor as Camden High hosted Iverson Classic events

One last time on the home court, Camden’s Dasear Haskins opened up the Allen Iverson 24K Showcase on Thursday with a flurry he wouldn’t forget.

A late addition to the game, the St. Joseph’s signee made back-to-back three-pointers in the opening minutes that sparked a celebration between him and teammate Cian Medley. Haskins earned co-MVP honors with his performance and a spot on Saturday’s Iverson Classic roster.

“It hasn’t hit me,” said Haskins, who averaged 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists with the Panthers this past season. “I know it’s my last time playing in the city. It’s a blessing, for real — I didn’t even know I was going to play in this game. ... I was the next man up and ready to play.”

Medley and Haskins, along with Roman Catholic’s Xzayvier Brown, were among the local stars competing in the showcase at Camden.

More than 20 recruits from across the nation gathered to compete in the event, including UCLA signee Sebastian Mack from Coronado High School of Henderson, Nev., and Sierra Canyon’s Ashton Hardaway, who’s committed to play for his dad, Penny Hardaway, at Memphis.

The Iverson Classic, which will be held at Kean University, features the top prospects in the nation. Kentucky signees in Camden’s DJ Wagner and Imhotep’s Justin Edwards will be in attendance, while Camden coach Maalik Wayns will be coaching one of the teams.

“It’ll be fun, hopefully we can have a good game,” Wayns said. “I’m coaching against [Wagner], but I want to win.”

After Camden was withdrawn from the NJSIAA tournament because of an on-court altercation between the Panthers and Eastside in February, they were unable to defend the Group 2 state championship.

Thursday was an opportunity for a few Camden seniors to have one last hurrah on the home court. And even if they weren’t competing, former teammates like Cornelius “Boog” Robinson, who’s headed Albany in the fall, sat on the sidelines in support.

“It shows our friendship. We’re brothers,” Medley said. “Going to the next level, it’s going to be the same thing. We’re going to watch all of each others games. ... It’s fun to have a number of people supporting you. They don’t got to do it, but they do it because of the love we got for each other.”

Along with taking the court alongside Haskins one more time, Medley, a St. Louis signee, also caught a glimpse of Brown, who’ll join Haskins on Hawk Hill. The point guards will be seeing more of each other next season in the Atlantic 10 conference.

“X is a great player,” Medley said. “He’s going to be great at St. Joe’s. It’s just fun for us to be able to play in the same conference. It’s a whole bunch of underdogs — playing in these types of games and playing in that conference is going to be huge.”

Players also participated in one-on-one, three-point, and dunk contests on Thursday. Wagner, who’s considered on of the best combo guards in the class of 2023, lit up the floor in the three-point contest.

While the crowd wasn’t packed — which might be because of the $25 ticket prices — the Sixers’ Danuel House Jr. and Georges Niang were spotted in the stands enjoying the festivities. Camden City School District superintendent Katrina T. McCombs also watched the competition.

“We’re proud of our players from Camden, and we’re also proud to just be a part of a national event,” McCombs said. “I always say it, but can good things come out of Camden — yes, absolutely. ... This is one way that we do that.”

Wayns referred to this moment as bittersweet. It’ll be difficult to see such an impactful senior class graduate, he said, but Wayns is excited for what’s to come.

“They’re all going to college, they all have scholarships, they did a great job for us,” said Wayns, who led the Panthers to a 23-2 record in his first year. “They built a foundation that, hopefully, we can keep it going.”