ROCK HILL, S.C. — Antonio Pemberton broke down his defender from the left wing, took a big side-step dribble to his left and drained a deep, ridiculous 3-pointer. After hitting another big shot, the Mass Rivals guard had a big smile on his face as he went back on defense.
The play – which helped Rivals seal a close win over Upward Stars at the Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships – was emblematic of Pemberton’s undeniable talent, and the unbridled joy he plays with on the court.
It was a common scene in Rock Hill, where Pemberton (Lawrence, Mass.) was one of the biggest individual winners of the event. The 2027 guard, who has been playing up on Rivals’ top 17U squad since he was in eighth grade, asserted himself on the national radar as he lit up the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center with electric scoring performances. He was the 17U division’s second leading scorer at the championships with 26.8 points per game, including two 30-point performances. He added two more 30-point efforts this weekend at the Earn Your Stripes Invitational in California, including a 39-point, five-assist masterpiece that included eight 3-pointers.
As a sophomore this winter at Brewster Academy, Pemberton played a smaller role on an older team. But this spring and summer with Rivals – and after the departure of teammate Sebastian Wilkins to Duke – Pemberton had the opportunity to spread his wings as the clear-cut No. 1 option. Offensively, his gifts shined bright, especially from the mid-range, and earned the attention of the college coaches in attendance. Georgetown and Boston College offered him after the championship weekend, adding to a growing list of Division 1 suitors.
Longtime Mass Rivals director Vin Pastore said that Pemberton is now in the rare company of players he’s coached who could score 30 consistently, joining Jalen Adams, a Roxbury, Mass., native who played at UConn. The 6-foot-2 Pemberton’s rise this spring, on a local and national level, has made him an unquestioned high-major recruit.
“This spring, he’s got to be the man and the culmination of learning how to be the man was this tournament,” Pastore said. “I haven’t had a kid any better at getting to his spot on the floor and raising and making shots. He’s going to be an elite scorer at the highest level of college basketball. Every college basketball team has a couple of guys who can really score the basketball. …
“I love him. I think he’s just beginning his ascension.”
After one of his big performances in Rock Hill, Pemberton sat down for an interview discussing his growth, aspirations and even an encounter with Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the NBA Cup last year that has helped motivate him.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
How much do you relish the big moments when you have to make a play for your team?
“I take it all the way. I love it. It’s my favorite time of the day to just take the basketball, shoot the ball, I like it all the time.”
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What kind of strides do you feel like you’ve made this spring and summer?
“Just leading my team, being the energy guy. That’s what I really worked on throughout the whole year, so I think I really got it down now. Seeing my guys play hard because of me, and our coaches, so it’s fun. I love it.”
How do you describe how much you love the game of basketball?
“It’s more than love, really. I love doing this. I love playing with this team, I love playing basketball, I mean, ever since I was a baby.”
What are some things in your game you’ve been trying to work and improve on?
“I would say my defense. Just honing in on my defense every day of the week.”
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I feel like the mid-range game is a pretty underrated part of basketball these days, and you excel in that. What does your work with that look like?
“I watch a lot of Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), because Shai is really good in the mid-range. And then after that, I’ll go in the gym with my dad, we just break down the shots, work on it every day.”
Do you have a favorite NBA player?
“Shai is my favorite player. … The mid-range, the way he is off the court, too, because I actually met him. I talked to him, he’s really cool, a great person. Him even speaking to me, it was like it just makes me go harder every day because that’s every kid’s dream.
When did you meet him?
“I met him when I was in Vegas for the NBA Cup. I was out there with Brewster. … I was walking out of the hotel and I just happened to see him, and I asked him for a picture and I started talking to him right there, kind of picking his brain and seeing what I could do.”
Is there anything he said to you that stuck with you?
“His memo was just to stay consistent, really, so that’s what I want to do. Stay consistent.”
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Being part of the Rivals program, I feel like it’s not for everybody — a lot of hard coaching from Vin. How much has that helped you?
“I’ve been here since the seventh grade. I mean, everybody calls him crazy. He’s crazy, but it’s a good crazy. You need it in your life, so I like it.”
What does your recruitment look like right now? The contact period (for rising juniors) just opened, what has that been like for you?
“It’s just a blessing every day. Not too many kids hear from Division 1 college coaches, so I don’t take it for granted. I love it.”
Are there any schools you’ve heard from that you’re really excited about?
“Marquette has really excited me. It really excited me that they reached out to me, because that’s one of my top schools since I was a kid. … Just the way they play defense. High energy team and I just love it. I know a couple guys who are there now. Nigel (James) and Tre Norman.”
What inspires you?
“My parents keep me going every day. My mom, she’s always here supporting me with the camera, just sitting there, happy. To see her in the crowd makes me go hard every day.”
What dreams do you have in this game?
“The NBA, but throughout this whole basketball (experience), it’s always about my family and my community, so I want to get my family a big house and give back to my community, because they were always there for me from the jump as a kid, so that’s what I want to do.”
