There are two Joe Lemlys. The one who plays sports, and the one who doesn’t.
But both are the same guys, who evoke the same reaction from those around him. Consider what Nottingham High basketball coach Chris “The Baron” Raba says about his senior guard.
“The biggest compliment I can give Joe is that as good of an athlete that he is, and as great of a student he is, he is a better teammate,” Raba said. “And that’s the most important thing when playing team sports.”
That’s good stuff, but it doesn’t end there. Lemly is also what he calls “a behind-the-scenes guy” doing lights and props for Nottingham’s school plays, which are under the direction of Lauren Flaherty. According to the Julie Taymor of Nottingham, Lemly is also the ultimate teammate out of uniform.
“Joe is a member of our tech crew and helps out with the tech for other school-wide activities,” Flaherty said. “He brings a positive vibe and good energy to our group. The same commitment he shows in sports is evident with the play. We love having a diverse group; Joe contributes to that diversity as a student-athlete.”
In other words, Lemly is not only well rounded, but the kind of guy everyone enjoys being around. And that is important when he is playing quarterback or shooting 3-pointers for the Stars football and basketball teams.
His first priority in either situation is how it affects the players around him. Asked about Raba’s declaration of him as a teammate, Lemly noted it is just an extension of his youth.
“It was instilled into me at a very young age, being a coach’s son,” the senior said. “I had to learn to respect other coaches, refs, and players which I still carry on to this day. To win, you have to play as a team. It doesn’t matter who does what, good or bad, I have their back. Everybody has good and bad games. It’s about sticking together during both.”
It is that kind of attitude that has Raba campaigning for Lemly to get the coveted Jack Cryan Award, named after the former 1960s Notre Dame standout known for his hustle and courage, who died of cancer.
“Joe exemplifies everything the Cryan award is about,” the Baron said. “He not only has been a leader on the football field and basketball court for four years, he also has been a leader in the classroom (3.9 grade point average), which is more important. He is a member of the National Honor Society, and the German National Honor Society. He works in the school play and does volunteer work with kids who play basketball at Hamilton PAL.”
With all he does, it would seem Lemly would need one day a week just to map out the other six.
“My schedule is overloaded,” he said. “But keeping busy and active is the way I was raised, so I guess to me it’s normal.”
One thing that is definitely normal is Lemly and athletic success. He began playing basketball, baseball and soccer at age 5 in Philadelphia.
The family moved to Hamilton when he was 8, and Lemly played HTRBA baseball until age 13, helping his team win a memorable District 12 Little League championship in 2017.
Lemly also played six years of football for Hamilton PAL, while playing basketball at the YMCA and PAL, where he won the Chris Somma Award “under the legendary John King.” He also won the Andrew Kusnirik Award while playing hoops for Hamilton Little Lads, and in the summer Lemly was an AAU player for the Nighthawks, Blazers and YSU for Freddie Young.
When he arrived at Nottingham, Lemly was thrown into the varsity football fire as a freshman when he started against arch-rival Hamilton West and completed 8 of 14 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. The Northstars lost, but it was still a thrill.
“One of my favorite moments was starting as a freshman against Hamilton West,” Lemly recalled.
He missed his sophomore year but came back as a junior to throw for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns in helping Nottingham to the state playoffs and a WJFL Capitol Division title. This past fall he threw for 567 yards and three touchdowns after losing Q McMillan — one of Central Jersey’s top receivers — to a season-ending knee injury.
The result of that injury has lasted through basketball season, one year after Lemly and McMillan helped Nottingham finish 19-8 in a season it was expected to be terrible after graduating every player with varsity experience. Lemly averaged 12.1 points with a team-leading 60 3-pointers to make first-team All-CVC, while McMillan averaged 13.3 points and led the team in scoring.
Despite being juniors, the two provided leadership.
“They are both great players because they both complement each other on the football field and basketball court,” Raba said. “Q brought that football intensity to basketball that is very hard to find. Q was like bad cop. He would hold players accountable. Joe was more like the good cop. Once Q would get into his teammates Joe would come in and stabilize the situation in a way only Joe can. They both brought experience to a non-experienced team and taught the kids our culture, and what it takes to be part of our program.”
For Lemly, however, it is not the same after losing his partner in excellence.
“Q is missed greatly in both sports, you can’t replace him,” Lemly said. “Mostly I feel bad for him missing these memories from his senior year, but I know he will recover and go on to have a great college career. I hope the best for Q, he is my brother on and off the field and court.”
That being said, Lemly has still provided leadership for a Northstars team with high expectations this season. Through their 11-4 start, dependable Joe was averaging 10.5 points per game with 31 3-pointers. He was second on the team in assists with 39 and fourth in rebounds with 54.
With a sharp knowledge of the game, Lemly is able to be the player that Raba expects. And always ready to provide whatever is needed.
“The biggest improvement in Joe’s game is he knows that if he isn’t scoring he can do other things on the court to help our team win,” Raba said.
Lemly said when he got to high school, he considered himself both a football and basketball player, and worked considerably at both. But as time went by he realized he was a basketball-first guy and has focused his attention on that sport.
He still brings that gridiron grit to the basketball court, and also transferred the leadership qualities needed by a signal caller into the gym.
“Being the quarterback it’s all about toughness,” he said. “It was the way I was taught to play every sport. You’re supposed to give 110 percent effort every time. Being the quarterback you have to be a vocal leader and know where everyone is supposed to be at all times. It translates on the court from having experience from the past couple years.”
Lemly has gotten so serious about hoops, that he is looking to play college basketball and has been in talks with Penn State-Abington, which has accepted him, and Arcadia University, which he is waiting to hear from. He has taken his love of the game back to where he grew up with it.
“I enjoy helping the kids at PAL and have them develop their skills and learn the game,” Lemly said. “One memory I have from PAL is when I had to coach my dad’s team for him. We were down by 20 and we came back and won that game.”
One of the players on that team is current Northstars junior Donte Alexander.
“We make jokes that I’m the one who taught him how to shoot,” Lemly said with a laugh.
As if his schedule is not busy enough, Lemly has decided to go out for the Northstars baseball team this spring.
“It’s been years but all my friends are playing,” he said. “I can either help out on the field or, if not, provide moral support. Being around my friends in the final stretch of my senior year is what it’s all about, making memories.”
Which is also why he is a valuable asset to Flaherty’s team behind the curtain.
“Being involved in my school and being a part of the Northstar family is something that I love,” he said.
And considering what those in charge say about him, it’s something his Northsar family loves just as much.
Joe Lemly at the line for Nottingham High School basketball. (Photo by Wes Kirkpatrick.),
