Philly Live 2 Scouting Reports, Around the League

Archbishop Carroll

Carroll had one of the more brutal Philly Live 1 schedules for Catholic League teams, ending in an 0-3 record, but the weekend wasn’t without merit. The bright spot for Carroll was Luca Foster, who I previously had at 6’4, but is probably a little over 6’6, the developing wing had an impressive performance against nationally ranked Camden, dropped 27 points on efficient shooting, and cleaned up on the offensive glass to keep his team in the game. Foster is blossoming into a bonafide high major prospect, and played his best ball in front of a dozen Power 5 coaches, its hard to imagine that he hasn’t garnered significant D1 attention at this point. Foster wasn’t the only one with a stock boosting weekend, as sophomore backcourt of D1 offerees Nasir Ralls and Ian Williams also showed impressive development from the games I saw vs. Don Bosco and Immaculate Conception, Ralls has improved his ability to create his own shot, and Williams’ vision and prowess as a floor general is steadily increasing. Williams showed a lot of creativity, if not a slight tendency to try and do too much with the ball in his hands, but the high level thought that D1s desire is there. Another guy who helped himself a lot this weekend was junior wing Brendan Horan, who had a particularly nice showing vs. Camden, putting up 11 points as the primary glue guy. Coaches like his 6’5 frame, motor, and shooting capability, but probably want to see a little more volume before they pull the trigger on a scholarship.

Carroll starts their second weekend with a much more manageable slate of basketball on the horizon. First, they get Gill St. Bernard’s from Jersey. The Knights finished 19-8 last year, and played in the first weekend of Philly Live at SJP vs. Jackson-Reed, a top 25 team in the USA last season. Two guys in particular stood out for Coach Sina’s team, Kobe Closeil, a 2025 guard that had 14 points in the matchup, and 2026 Dorsett Mulcahy, who had 15 points vs. Jackson-Reed. Mulcahy is a 6’3 sniper and has some of the trademarks of his older brother Paul, who is a highly sought after transfer portal target, after a solid senior campaign with Rutgers. If his older brother’s height is any indication, Dorsett might have another two or three inches left in his frame to match Paul’s 6’6 stature. Another one to watch out for on this young GSB team is 6’6 sophomore Ebenizer Ehigie, who impressed scouts in the first session.

After their 2:50 PM contest vs. GSB, they get Parkland in the 5:10 PM slot. Parkland is led by familiar face Nick Coval, a microwave, score-first guard, who runs with some of the Catholic League’s best on Team Final’s 17u team. Parkland finished 19-11 last season and ran into three PCL teams in their schedule, going 0-4 in contests vs. Wood, Devon and Roman (two games). Parkland is looking to turn their luck around in their games vs. Carroll and Bonner, and it seems Coval has leveled up his game for his senior season. Schools to get involved with Coval so far include Hofstra, Vermont, Towson, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, and Fordham, and that is only since the conclusion of Philly Live 1. Patriot leaguers like Holy Cross, Bucknell and American are said to be heavily involved, and Coval took an unofficial visit to Bucknell before the High School Live Period started. Coval is a key rotation piece on the EYBL front runner Team Final and his knack for hitting shots behind the three point line might cause some trouble.

Concluding Carroll’s weekend is a Sunday morning matchup with Salesianum out of Delaware. The Sallies had a contest with fellow Catholic Leaguer, West Catholic, in the first session, a 65-59 loss. In the loss, Sallie’s trio of 6’5+ RJ Johnson (2025), and seniors Kareem Thomas and Justin Hinds (a guy I missed in their Live 1 Preview writeup) all impressed. As always the guard play is dangerous with 2024 Isaiah Hynson and 2026 Tookie Smith on the roster. Carroll will have their hands full against the reigning Delaware State champions, who have the height and intensity to match even the upper echelon of the Catholic League.

Archbishop Ryan

If there were any doubts about Ryan’s status as top dog in the City of Brotherly Love, Philly Live 1 quashed them. After they handled 29-0 Ohio State Champs Richmond Heights, WCAC staple Gonzaga College HS, and NJ Contender Bergen Catholic in one weekend, all debate about the best team in Philly is over. What surprised me the most during Ryan’s first session was the development of their depth, as 2024s Rocco Morabito, Jaden Murray and Ryan Everett have all taken large leaps and 2025 Brandon Russell is exactly what we thought he would be. The dynamic duo of ever stock rising 4☆ Thomas Sorber and Darren Williams also put up some incredible statlines, like Sorbers 26 point, 18 rebound, 8 block eruption vs. Gonzaga, or Williams’ 29 point effort in the win over Richmond Heights. Georgetown and FGCU are getting gems with these two, but the key contributions from Morabito, Murray, Everett and Russell will be what takes this Ryan program to new heights.

Payne Tech is Ryan’s first game of the weekend, a Saturday afternoon matchup at St. Joe’s Prep. Payne Tech might be an unfamiliar program to local hoopheads, as they finished an unimpressive 19-10 last season, with more than a few blowout losses to NJ powerhouses like Roselle Catholic, but this Payne Tech team is not last year's Payne Tech team. They have their goals set higher and returning front man Rob Foster is the guy they’re depending on to lead them there. Foster, a 2025 wing that stands at 6’4, led them in scoring last year as a sophomore, and has D1 aspirations coming into his junior year. Also returning from last year’s team are 6’9 senior Eunique Rink, who led the team in rebounds last year and put up just over 11 points a game, and 5’9 senior Isaiah Oliver, a shifty 5’9 guard prospect that chipped in 11 more points a game. 5’10 junior Jamir Westry and 6’4 sophomore Gerald Edwell also saw plenty of action last season, but are expected to take on much bigger roles this season as Payne Tech is expected to take a leap into the upper tier of the NJ HS scene.

A few hours later, Ryan will play St. Rose in the 7:30 slate. St. Rose went 24-5 last year and were the state runner-ups to Roselle Catholic, a nine point decision that was closer than many expected. St. Rose returns a few high priority faces that should put them near the top of many preseason rankings of Jersey basketball. The primary standout for Rose is 4☆ senior forward Matt Hodge, a 6’8 two way, high motor guy that had an incredible stock boosting weekend at the first session of Philly Live. Head Coach Adam Fisher of Temple, HC Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall, and Assistant DJ Irving of Miami (FL) were among those who saw his game vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary, a game in which he scored 20 points and grabbed 8 boards in a 54-33 win over Lebron’s alma mater. Hodge is a very intriguing prospect that should continue to rise in the recruiting rankings, while he takes a visit to Old Dominion (where his dad scored over two thousand points) and fields offers from Temple, George Washington, St. Bonaventure, Maryland, and others. If one Hodge wasn’t enough, his brother Jayden is also on the team, a 2026 forward with an offer to Old Dominion. Standing at 6’5, he is tracking as another high major target. During his freshman season, he saw plenty of varsity action and averaged over 12 points a game, making him a key piece for this year’s state championship hopeful squad. Rose has two more guard options in 2025s Bryan Eberling, who scored 17 points in a win over PIAA Class 1A state champ Imani Christian out of Pittsburgh and averaged 9 points a contest last season and 5’10 Peter Mauro, who averaged north of 8 points a game last year and has an offer to Seton Hall. Some more guys to look out for are 2026 Ny’Sean Kennedy, 2024 Gioacchino Panzini, 2026 Tyler Cameron, and 2025 Evan Romano, as all saw extensive action on last season’s team and should all be improved as they advance a grade level.

To end their second session, Ryan completes the NJ trifecta with St. Peter’s Prep, who were also at last weekend's event, where they beat reigning PIAA Class 6A champion Reading High by double digits. Peter’s is a deep team that will trot out more than eight guys in the rotation, including but not limited to, 5’11 guard Richie Rosa and 6’3 Mason Santiago, two 2025s that play on the Puerto Rican 16u FIBA national team, 6’6 senior Jordan Taylor, junior Peyton Miller, and leading returning scorer 2024 guard Nico Peña. All are holdovers from their ‘22-’23 team that went 27-5 and advanced to the New Jersey Non-Public A Title game, where they lost to Union Catholic. The biggest head turner at last weekend's event, however, was Bergen Catholic transfer Austin Spencer, a guard in the 2025 class who came off the bench and caught scout's eyes with an impressive 19 point performance vs. the aforementioned Reading High, showcasing a smooth jump shot and efficient shot making. Also keep watch out for 6’11 newcomer Will Higgs (‘26), who played his freshman year at Christian Brothers Academy (NJ), and has an offer to NJIT.

Archbishop Wood

Jalil Bethea did Jalil Bethea things during Wood’s 2-1 showing during the first Live session, in front of dozens of high major coaches and assistants, the 6’5 dynamo dropped 42 points on Camden’s head and willed his team to a wire-to-wire victory. John Calipari and Nate Oats shadowed him on Saturday, watching Wood beat Immaculate Conception (NJ) by three possessions, while Kyle Neptune followed the recently anointed 5☆ on Sunday for the Camden game, which culminated with an unofficial visit to the Main Line on Wednesday. Wood’s lone hiccup on the weekend came Friday vs. St. Ignatius (OH), which saw them score 86 points, but lose by double figures. Interestingly enough, the biggest stock riser for Wood was clearly Josh Reed, who has seen a flurry of offers come in since the weekend ended. Buffalo, North Carolina A&T, Quinnipiac and Iona have gotten involved, while the latter will have Reed on campus this week. Reed was dunking everything on Saturday vs. Immaculate, and is the centerpiece of Wood’s small ball defensive approach. A guy who should have offers, but doesn’t, is 2025 Milan Dean,

who is clearly Wood’s #2 option behind Bethea. On Saturday, I had him with 21 points vs. Immaculate, five behind Bethea’s electric 26. Dean can attack the rim with the best of them, lives at the foul line, and has expanded his game well into three point land, and this isn’t even counting his bounce, which he has in spades. Quinnipiac has shown interest, but given time, I could see him as a top name in Philly. More guys who showed flashes for Wood were the ‘25 guard trio of Deuce Maxey, Mike Green and Ihsan Beyah, who have shifted into more defined roles as Maxey and Green were elevated into the starting lineup, while Beyah is one of the first off the bench. 2024 Tahir Howell also gave Wood some quality relief minutes, which is something the team has need of.

Coach Mosco’s group has another difficult weekend slate, leading off with a Friday evening battle with East Catholic of Connecticut. East are reigning Connecticut State champions, coming off a highly successful 24-1 season, just cracking the Maxpreps’ National Top 100 at #98. Returning from last year’s group are 2024 Samson Reilly, who impressed scouts and media at Philly Live 1 with a 21 point, five three pointer performance vs. Math, Civics, & Sciences, 2024 Yayo Rodriguez, and 2025 6’4 Omar Oqeundo, along with the centerpiece of the squad, 2025 Preston Fowler. Fowler is a 6’7 forward from the 16u New Heights Lightning EYBL team, who projects as a college wing, but is a walking double double in high school for East Catholic. He had multiple games teetering around 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first session and will be another major test for Wood’s smaller rotation. Count Bryant, Albany, Sacred Heart, Fordham, George Mason, Manhattan, and Fairfield among his early offers, while the Ivy League and Illinois have also had their interest piqued.

Tunstall is the next test for Wood, a Sunday morning battle with the Trojans out of Dry Fork, Virginia. Tunstall is fresh off a 24-3 season, and return plenty of production from last year’s team, particularly their senior class, led by 6’6 Jamarcus Brown, 5’9 Jailyn Edmonds, 6’1 Ashton Hammock and 6’1 Bricen Pool, who all had strong junior campaigns. 6’1 sophomore Kobe Morrison is the most intriguing college prospect on the roster, as he was a key contributor as a freshman and is looking for an expanded role for his sophomore season. Also keep a look out for 6’4 senior Lathan Witcher and 6’5 junior Carter Higdon to provide more height to the lineup.

Wood’s second game on Sunday wraps up their weekend, and it’ll be against St. Rose (NJ), who went 24-5 last year and were the state runner-ups to Roselle Catholic, a nine point decision that was closer than many expected. St. Rose returns a few high priority faces that should put them near the top of many preseason rankings of Jersey basketball. The primary standout for Rose is 4☆ senior forward Matt Hodge, a 6’8 two way, high motor guy that had an incredible stock boosting weekend at the first session of Philly Live. Head Coach Adam Fisher of Temple, HC Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall, and Assistant DJ Irving of Miami (FL) were among those who saw his game vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary, a game in which he scored 20 points and grabbed 8 boards in a 54-33 win over Lebron’s alma mater. Hodge is a very intriguing prospect that should continue to rise in the recruiting rankings, while he takes a visit to Old Dominion (where his dad scored over two thousand points) and fields offers from Temple, George Washington, St. Bonaventure, Maryland, and others. If one Hodge wasn’t enough, his brother Jayden is also on the team, a 2026 forward with an offer to Old Dominion. Standing at 6’5, he is tracking as another high major target. During his freshman season, he saw plenty of varsity action and averaged over 12 points a game, making him a key piece for this year’s state championship hopeful squad. Rose has two more guard options in 2025s Bryan Eberling, who scored 17 points in a win over PIAA Class 1A state champ Imani Christian out of Pittsburgh and averaged 9 points a contest last season and 5’10 Peter Mauro, who averaged north of 8 points a game last year and has an offer to Seton Hall. Some more guys to look out for are 2026 Ny’Sean Kennedy, 2024 Gioacchino Panzini, 2026 Tyler Cameron, and 2025 Evan Romano, as all saw extensive action on last season’s team and should all be improved as they advance a grade level.

Bonner-Prendergast

Billy Cassidy’s senior heavy group expected and achieved a 3-0 first session of the High School Live Period, with impressive wins over Rutgers Prep, Central Dauphin and Atlantic City. This second session, however, appears to be more challenging than the former, with a few high profile matchups on the horizon. As for last session, Bonner’s fab five of 2024’s all did their thing, and watch in particular for the recruitments of Kev Rucker Jr. and Deuce Ketner to heat up during this higher profile schedule they’ve received, while PSAC’s and low majors should be waging total war for the rest of Bonner’s starting lineup: 5’10 guard Kyree Womack, 6’2 combo Reggie Selden, and 6’7 forward Nelson Lamizana. Bonner’s first guy off the bench seems to be 6’2 freshman and multi-sport star Kenjai Gatling, who’s set to start at QB for Bonner’s football team this fall. An interesting thing to keep tabs on will be his early season availability, because there’s always an awkward period where basketball season starts and football hasn’t quite ended yet for the more successful teams in the area.

Bonner’s first Catholic League-worthy test of the offseason is their Saturday afternoon matchup vs. Immaculate Conception (NJ), who drubbed Archbishop Carroll by twenty points and then gave Archbishop Wood a good fight on Saturday. Last year, Montclair Immaculate fell just short of an absolutely loaded Roselle Catholic squad in the North Jersey Non-Public B championship, but return their most important piece, 2024 Louisville Commit TJ Robinson, who many recruiting services have on the cusp of his fourth star. Robinson is a very high level point guard, and displayed touch, vision, and defensive prowess in a more laid back role this past weekend. Another important piece for IC is 6’5 junior guard Myles Blackley, who is attracting significant D1 attention from the likes of Seton Hall, Radford, UPenn and App State so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that list doubled in size after his performances vs. Wood and Carroll on Saturday. Two guys that I didn’t know about when I wrote previews for IC last weekend were the 2024 and 2026 combo of forwards 6’10 Malachi Arrington and 6’7 Kole Grandison, both caused major problems for Wood’s smaller lineup and dominated the inside, not to mention the two or three lobs that Arrington threw down for vicious dunks. This IC lineup is chippy and tough, but Bonner has the size and skill for this to be a matchup worth watching.

Next on the docket is Parkland High, who are led by a familiar face for local hoopheads in Nick Coval. Coval is a microwave, score-first guard, who runs with some of the Catholic League’s best on Team Final’s 17u team. Parkland finished 19-11 last season and ran into three PCL teams in their schedule, going 0-4 in contests vs. Wood, Devon and Roman (two games). Parkland is looking to turn their luck around in their games vs. Bonner and Carroll, and it seems Coval has leveled up his game for his senior season. Schools to get involved with Coval so far include Hofstra, Vermont, Towson, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, and Fordham, and that is only since the conclusion of Philly Live 1. Patriot leaguers like Holy Cross, Bucknell and American are said to be heavily involved, and Coval took an unofficial visit to Bucknell before the High School Live Period started. Coval is a key rotation piece on the EYBL front runner Team Final and his knack for hitting shots behind the three point line might cause some trouble.

Bonner’s final game of the High School Live Period is against Newark Arts High from Jersey. The Jaguars finished the ‘22-’23 season with a 17-8 record, while playing against some of the toughest competition New Jersey has to offer. This year’s team is headlined by a quartet of interesting college prospects who all saw limited action on last year’s team. The senior duo of 6’3 Anthony Akande and 6’6 Savod Goodwin should provide veteran leadership to an otherwise young and inexperienced group, while 6’4 junior Kevin Freeman should see a massively increased role, along with 6 foot sophomore Jayden Holman, who many have as one of the top sophomores in the Garden State. Also expected to contribute are 6’6 senior Jadyn Humber and 6’4 junior Zyaire Price, who add more height and athleticism to an already tall and athletic bunch.

Cardinal O’Hara

O’Hara has an absolutely jam packed weekend coming up as they’ll split time between two High School Live Period events, spending Friday and Sunday in Philly where they’ll play three games and Saturday at Montgomery High School for Jersey Live where they’ve got two matchups booked. The first session had O’Hara face some upper tier local public schools, and they prevailed in both matchups, a 50-42 win over Camden Eastside and a 57-46 win over Spring-Ford. The key catalyst for O’Hara is still senior guard Flash Burton, who visited Fairleigh-Dickinson on Wednesday and is a high priority target for several low majors in need of a long term floor general. Flash’s 21 points vs. Eastside and 22 points vs. Spring-Ford showcased a much improved three point shot, something his game sorely lacked after he transferred to O’Hara from Math, Civics, & Sciences. Drexel, Delaware, Rider and FDU should be the favorites, but don’t count out any late arrivals from the Big Five. Also impressive for O’Hara was surefire D1 prospect, 6 foot 7 stretch big Pearse McGuinn, who had 16 points in the win over SF, and whose recruitment has been suspiciously quiet lately, but he could easily fit in on any low major roster on the east coast.

Trinity Catholic out of Florida is coming into Philly Live 2 after an abysmal 5-20 season in the Sunshine State, but bring a relatively impressive group to the City of Brotherly Love. The Celtics are headlined by new addition 6’9 Justin Bandy, formerly of Campbell High School (GA). Bandy is a 2025 that rebounds at a very high level, but has significant point guard skills like his ability to initiate transition, shoot around screens and distribute the basketball. Mid-Atlantic low majors might just fire an offer at him if they like what they see. Returning from last year’s team are a surprisingly tall group, including 6’4 sophomore Isaac Jacobs and 6’6 sophomore Jermaine Kinsler, who already has football scholarships to Miami, Florida and USF. Also returning are junior guard Julian Mendez, and 6’5 junior Sean James. The schedule makers have high expectations for this group, because their weekend slate does not exactly scream five wins and twenty losses.

Rutgers Prep is a usual suspect at Philly Live, and although they lost to Bonner-Prendergast last week, they’re looking to get PCL revenge in this Sunday afternoon contest. Last session, a number of youngsters impressed for the Argonauts, like freshman duo Jacob Canton (6’3) and Andrew Kretkowski (6’6) who both look to be high priority recruits in the class of 2027. Also listed as a standout last session was 6’11 sophomore Logan Franz, who came to Rutgers Prep after a year at Gill St. Bernard’s. Some more guys who check into the rotation are seniors Jayden Jenkins, and John Kelly, 2025 guards Donovan Pigeé, younger brother of NJIT freshman Cameron, Aiden Ur, who played at St. John Vianney last year, and Myles Parker, who impressed media and scouts during their game vs. Bonner. Not to mention a solid 2026 class with Matt Ghaim, Nic Nysenkyrie and Jaden Teyan on top of the rest of the rotation. This is not the same team that went 23-8 last year, and although they are young, Coach Matt Bloom has a lot to be excited about for this upcoming season and the new challenges it presents.

Concluding O’Hara’s weekend is a Sunday afternoon matchup with Salesianum out of Delaware. The Sallies had a contest with fellow Catholic Leaguer, West Catholic, in the first session, a 65-59 loss. In the loss, Sallie’s trio of 6’5+ RJ Johnson (2025), and seniors Kareem Thomas and Justin Hinds (a guy I missed in their Live 1 Preview writeup) all impressed. As always the guard play is dangerous with 2024 Isaiah Hynson and 2026 Tookie Smith on the roster. O’Hara will have their hands full against the reigning Delaware State champions, who have the height and intensity to match even the upper echelon of the Catholic League.

Conwell-Egan

Egan is a program firmly on the up-swing if Philly Live 1 is any indicator, a win over Octorara and a two possession loss to Freedom (VA) is a comparatively great weekend based on their recent history. Returning Catholic League vets like Antwone George and Aidan Mondragon make life easy for PCL newcomer Justin Bobb. George had ten points in the 52-48 loss to Freedom, while Bobb flashed outside shotmaking, shot creation off the dribble and interior defensive presence, something Egan hasn’t had much of since the graduation of Donald Imo (‘21). Bobb is one to watch in a deep PCL 2026 class led by multiple guys with D1 offers before their sophomore years, and seniors George and Mondragon should be on local college radars.

This weekend they have two matchups of a similar caliber, with two PIAA teams on the schedule, it will be a good test to see if Egan can break through the District 12 barrier in Class 3A and potentially have a state playoff berth. First up is Chambersburg High, who went 16-12 last year in the Mid-Penn Conference. Chambersburg is a 6A school in District 3, so they play the likes of Reading, Harrisburg, Central Dauphin and Central Dauphin East every year, so their sixteen wins is an impressive feat. This year’s CBurg team should be led by 6’6 junior Jai’tavius Kelly and 6’4 senior Jermere Jones.

Saturday night, Egan has a contest vs. District 1 5A contender Upper Moreland, out of the Suburban One League. UM has a pair of former Archbishop Wood players at the core of their lineup with seniors Alex Best and 6’10 Sean Murphy, who are looking to improve on last year’s 13-9 record. Another one to watch for UM will be 6 foot junior Colson Campbell, a returning all-league player.

Devon Prep

Devon is another team that had a fairly successful 1-1 weekend at the first session of Philly Live. Their weekend consisted of a win over District 3 contender Central York, who feature multiple Division One prospects, and the loss at the buzzer to St. Georges Tech out of Delaware, which hurts, but it's only June. Devon has a pretty deep group this year, compared to years past where it felt like their top three did most of the heavy lifting. Senior Ty Mishock is the primary standout for the Tide, and PSAC’s and local D2s should be all over him, the undersized lead guard will have four years of PCL starting experience and that counts for a lot, considering how many standout D1 guards he will have played and held his own against. Senior Ben Costello and junior Reece Craft are Devon’s presence on the interior, but both can hit shots from the outside. Junior Shane Doyle and freshman Jaden Craft round out a deeper group than years past and that should be looking to contend for a PCL playoff berth.

To start the second weekend, Devon will play Shamokin Area High, a 4A team from the Wilkes Barre area, who finished last season with a 19-9 record and a PIAA playoff berth where they were bounced in the first round. Shamokin’s junior class, consisting of 6’6 Joe Hile, 6’3 Jenssyn Shuey, 6’2 Case Litchy and 5’11 Rylan Price should be the primary leaders of this year’s team, who are seeking another chance at PIAA gold.

Next up for Devon is Eastern High from Jersey, who finished 20-11 last season in the Olympic Conference of South Jersey. As one of the better public teams in South Jersey, they match up with Camden, Camden Catholic, Bishop Eustace, St. Joseph Hammonton, and other South Jersey public powers every year. Eastern will trot out an experienced group with a flare of youth in the lineup. Senior Damien Edwards was the team’s leading scorer last year and he’s back for one more go-around, along with fellow senior Max Portnoy, who was just behind Edwards in total points on the year. Expect juniors Kaedon Harper Myricks and Chase Huggard to have an expanded role, as well as sophomore Michael Brennan, all of whom saw extensive action last year.

Ending the weekend is Devon’s most daunting matchup of the Live Period, a game vs. the Sanford School out of Delaware, who are usually state championship contenders in the First State. Sanford has a legitimate D1 prospect on the team in junior forward Jayden Taylor, a 6’8 standout with offers to Albany, Rider and Delaware State, will be a matchup to watch vs. 6’7 Reece Craft of Devon, who doesn’t have too much experience guarding similarly sized forwards. Also watch out for senior Tommy Vaughn, who led the scoring effort in their game last weekend vs. Scranton Prep, and 2027 Marquis Newsome, who will be a name to watch in Delaware over the next few years.

Father Judge

If a program can have a stock rising Live Period, then Judge qualifies as the premier stock riser of Philly Live 1. Judge took down NJ powerhouse Roselle Catholic, led by a few high major recruits, on Saturday afternoon, by double digits. Judge has the tallest lineup in the Catholic League, and they use their length and athleticism to make life incredibly difficult for opposing offenses. In classic Chris Roantree fashion, Judge players are diving on the floor for every loose ball, don’t take any possessions off and there is no dropoff in quality of play from starters to reserves. Judge’s guard duo of senior Laquan Byrd, and junior Kevair Kennedy should both be looked at as serious D1 prospects, and Kennedy in particular should join the discussion for best PG in the Philadelphia’s class of 2025. I was also impressed by the 3&D play of 6’4 Kevin Beck, who will be a great wing option for Judge this year, and 6’7 senior forward Anthony Lilly, who scraps for every rebound and contests every shot in the paint. Newcomer Everett Barnes was a welcome addition to the Judge rotation and gave great minutes off the bench in his Judge debut, look for his role to expand as the summer draws to a close, as his 6’9 stature places him near the top of the PCL in size. Judge’s depth is their best asset, and in the win over Roselle, Rocco Westfield and Kiev Rucker gave some key relief minutes for the Judge starters. The most important takeaway I had from their weekend, however, was the development and confidence of sophomore DJ Morton-Rivera, who has never seen a shot he didn’t like, and torched Roselle up and down the floor. Rivera’s continued growth will determine if Judge is a serious Palestra contender, like they seemed to be on Saturday.

Judge enters another grueling weekend with a Saturday morning game against East Catholic (CT). East are reigning Connecticut State champions, coming off a highly successful 24-1 season, just cracking the Maxpreps’ National Top 100 at #98. Returning from last year’s group are 2024 Samson Reilly, who impressed scouts and media at Philly Live 1 with a 21 point, five three pointer performance vs. Math, Civics, & Sciences, 2024 Yayo Rodriguez, and 2025 6’4 Omar Oqeundo, along with the centerpiece of the squad, 2025 Preston Fowler. Fowler is a 6’7 forward from the 16u New Heights Lightning EYBL team, who projects as a college wing, but is a walking double double in high school for East Catholic. He had multiple games teetering around 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first session and will be another major test for Wood’s smaller rotation. Count Bryant, Albany, Sacred Heart, Fordham, George Mason, Manhattan, and Fairfield among his early offers, while the Ivy League and Illinois have also had their interest piqued.

A few hours later, Judge has a matchup with Coatesville, who have been one of the top District 1 programs in recent memory. Last year, Coatesville finished 20-10, and made it to the 6A quarterfinals, where their season ended at the hands of Archbishop Wood. Coatesville returns plenty of production from their ‘22-’23 team to place them among the top preseason contenders in the always competitive District 1 6A bracket. Senior guard tandem of Dior Kennedy, who is coming off an unofficial visit to Fairleigh-Dickinson, and Zuri Harris, are both players to watch out for, and should garner significant local college attention, while 6’7 sophomore big man Larry Brown is a name to keep in mind during the next two years. Brown saw plenty of varsity action last season and will seek an expanded role for his sophomore campaign. Wagner has already offered the talented post player, and more colleges will pursue as his high school career goes on.

To wrap the weekend, Judge gets Trinity Catholic out of Florida, who are coming into Philly Live 2 after an abysmal 5-20 season in the Sunshine State, but bring a relatively impressive group to the City of Brotherly Love. The Celtics are headlined by new addition 6’9 Justin Bandy, formerly of Campbell High School (GA). Bandy is a 2025 that rebounds at a very high level, but has significant point guard skills like his ability to initiate transition, shoot around screens and distribute the basketball. Mid-Atlantic low majors might just fire an offer at him if they like what they see. Returning from last year’s team are a surprisingly tall group, including 6’4 sophomore Isaac Jacobs and 6’6 sophomore Jermaine Kinsler, who already has football scholarships to Miami, Florida and USF. Also returning are junior guard Julian Mendez, and 6’5 junior Sean James. The schedule makers have high expectations for this group, because their weekend slate does not exactly scream five wins and twenty losses.

La Salle

Head Coach Ryan Ansel’s first two games as La Salle’s boss didn’t exactly go according to plan, with two close losses to the Maret School (DC) and District 1 contender Conestoga, but the lineup did show immense promise, even though they were short handed for Friday’s game against Maret. Thankfully, the bright spot for La Salle was a pretty big one, as junior guard Nick Parisi exploded in both matchups. With 25 and a half points per game, on fifty percent from three, Parisi is clearly the guy for La Salle, going forward. Also impressive was 6’8 sophomore Grayson McKeogh, who was getting his first true taste of varsity action, against some relatively high level competition, like Maret School’s 6’9 big man, Malciah Marable. La Salle isn’t quite there yet as a team, but their development in the next few months will be exciting to watch as Ansel prepares for his first taste of the Catholic League.

La Salle’s first test of the 2nd Live Session is Chester High, an ever-competitive contender in District 1 Class 5A. Chester finished last season with an uncharacteristic 12-10 record, but their solid senior class should help the rebound effort as they look to get back into contention status in the 5A playoffs. The aforementioned senior class is led by four guys that stand over 6 foot 3, in Dom Troy, Jerry Young, Calvin Williams, and Vince Coleman, this is a very athletically gifted team and right up Chester’s alley, matching their reputation for tough, hard nosed teams.

The second contest of the weekend for the Explorers is a bright and early 8:30 AM match with Green Run out of Virginia. The Stallions finished last season under .500 with a 14-15 mark, and return two All-Region players to the fold. The first is David “Trey” Miller, a 6’6 wing in the class of ‘25 with offers to Ohio and Youngstown State, Miller, whose versatility around the rim is his greatest asset, can light up the scoreboard, and has been a repeated standout in various Live Events this summer, after averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds a contest during his sophomore year. The second is fellow junior Kassidy Jackson, a confident, shifty guard at 6’2 that can do damage by getting teammates involved, or attacking the paint with brutal efficiency.

The final game of La Salle’s weekend is a Sunday afternoon bout with Pemberton High (NJ). Pemberton had an 18-8 record last season, and were competitors in the always crowded South Jersey HS scene. They return leading scorer from last year’s roster, senior guard Adrian Lemons, who averaged close to 14 points a night for the Hornets. Pemberton doesn’t return too much other production from last year’s team, but juniors EJ Smalls and Keyon Dennis should see increased roles, as well as seniors, George Hardin and Jeremiah Clay.

Neumann-Goretti

Considering the circumstances, Neumann’s first Live Session can only be viewed as a total victory. A 3-0 weekend should have Saints faithful breathing a sigh of relief, after losing the senior duo of Rob Wright, to transfer, and Khaafiq Myers, to injury for the summer. Not to fear, however, as the new sophomore duo of Munchie Ashley-Wright and Torrey Brooks have taken on the mantle of Neumann-Goretti’s starting guard positions. Both impressed scouts over the weekend, and Ashley-Wright has the attention of a few high major programs. Also impressive, in their Neumann debuts, were newcomers Keon Long-Mtume (‘25), who averaged over twenty points a game for Martin Luther King Jr. HS in the Pub last year, and slots in nicely at the wing position, and 2027 Nazir Tyler, who should be a staple in the rotation for the next four years, he’s known as a shooter, but don’t pigeonhole him into a one dimensional player, because Coach Carl and the staff have big plans for this 6’3 youngster. Two more big stock risers on Neumann’s roster are the senior forward duo of Amir Williams, who received offers to Buffalo, Hofstra, Towson, NJIT, and Delaware State, since the First Session ended, and Larenzo Jerkins, who very well may be Neumann’s primary scoring option for this upcoming season, and has looked dominant since he’s been back on the court.

Neumann has another tough upcoming slate this weekend, their first test against Ramapo (NJ), who went 30-3 last year and ended the season as NJSIAA Group 3 State Champs, to conclude their best season in school history. Ramapo isn’t a one season wonder, either, as plenty of their state championship roster is returning for their senior seasons, like Princeton commit Peyton Seals, and small college recruits like Wyatt Egington Manner and Chris Cervino, as well as junior Ryan Goldman, all of whom headline the roster. Some more returning guys who saw action last year are 6’4 Nehemiah Burleson, 6’5 Max Baczynski, 6’ Zach Schnorbusch, and 6’3 Charlie Wingfield, and all are coming back after a year of improvement.

Neumann's second match is Camden, led by 4☆ Billy Richmond. They had a mildly successful first Live Session, but ended the weekend with a loss to Archbishop Wood. Camden has production to replace and the talent to do it, with Richmond, and fellow holdovers, 6’5 senior Teron Murray, 6’0 senior Ari Gooch and 5’10 junior Sitafa Hall all back from last year’s team, as well as Paul VI (NJ) transfer Manny Joe-Samuel, who received an offer to Towson after an impressive first Live Session. Richmond, their premier standout, had Nova head coach Kyle Neptune shadowing him on Sunday, and Alabama’s Nate Oats monitoring on Saturday, for two great performances, after which Kansas, Michigan and UConn all offered scholarships.

To end their second session, Neumann gets St. Peter’s Prep, who were also at last weekend's event, where they beat reigning PIAA Class 6A champion Reading High by double digits. Peter’s is a deep team that will trot out more than eight guys in the rotation, including but not limited to, 5’11 guard Richie Rosa and 6’3 Mason Santiago, two 2025s that play on the Puerto Rican 16u FIBA national team, 6’6 senior Jordan Taylor, junior Peyton Miller, and leading returning scorer 2024 guard Nico Peña. All are holdovers from their ‘22-’23 team that went 27-5 and advanced to the New Jersey Non-Public A Title game, where they lost to Union Catholic. The biggest head turner at last weekend's event, however, was Bergen Catholic transfer Austin Spencer, a guard in the 2025 class who came off the bench and caught scout's eyes with an impressive 19 point performance vs. the aforementioned Reading High, showcasing a smooth jump shot and efficient shot making. Also keep watch out for 6’11 newcomer Will Higgs (‘26), who played his freshman year at Christian Brothers Academy (NJ), and has an offer to NJIT.

St. Joe’s Prep

As predicted, St. Joe’s Prep look like PCL title contenders early into the summer. ‘25s Jaron McKie and Jordan Ellerbee have each accrued some scholarship offers, with Ellerbee getting his first, to Albany, and McKie collecting: Seton Hall, Bucknell, and Saint Joe’s during the weekend. Prep pulled a 2-1 record out of Philly Live 1, with wins over St. Ignatius (OH) and reigning PIAA Class 1A champ, Imani Christian, with a one possession loss to fellow Jesuit school, Gonzaga College, out of the WCAC. The senior pair consisting of 6’9 Tristen Guilleoutte and 6’3 Jalen Harper played key roles in the wins, scoring 13 points each vs. Ignatius, while McKie led with 19. Junior PG and third D1 recruit of the Prep class of 2025, Olin Chamberlain, led the scoring in the loss to Gonzaga with 14 points. In the win over Imani, McKie scorched the nets with a 29 point performance, and a double double from Guillouette helped contain Imani 5☆ big man Alier Maluk.

Their second weekend starts with a game against the preseason top team in New Jersey, Don Bosco Prep. Bosco will again be without 5☆ Dylan Harper, the top player in the class of ‘24, who is busy playing with Team USA. In his absence, Bosco will rely on senior guard Isaiah Brown, who has an offer to Marist University and scored 15 points in Bosco’s blowout win over Archbishop Carroll. Also impressive in their win over Carroll were 2025 Brady Loughlin, who scored 19 points on five three pointers and added a nifty 360 layup, and 2026 7 footer Keiner Asprilla, who looks to be a future 5☆ and was a man amongst boys against the Carroll front line. The matchup with Prep big man Tristen Guillouette will be one to watch.

Next on their schedule is Immaculate Conception (NJ), who also drubbed Archbishop Carroll by twenty points and then gave Archbishop Wood a good fight on Saturday. Last year, Montclair Immaculate fell just short of an absolutely loaded Roselle Catholic squad in the North Jersey Non-Public B championship, but return their most important piece, 2024 Louisville Commit TJ Robinson, who many recruiting services have on the cusp of his fourth star. Robinson is a very high level point guard, and displayed touch, vision, and defensive prowess in a more laid back role this past weekend. Another important piece for IC is 6’5 junior guard Myles Blackley, who is attracting significant D1 attention from the likes of Seton Hall, Radford, UPenn and App State so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that list doubled in size after his performances vs. Wood and Carroll on Saturday. Two guys that I didn’t know about when I wrote previews for IC last weekend were the 2024 and 2026 combo of forwards 6’10 Malachi Arrington and 6’7 Kole Grandison, both caused major problems for Wood’s smaller lineup and dominated the inside, not to mention the two or three lobs that Arrington threw down for vicious dunks. This IC lineup is chippy and tough, but Prep has the size and skill for this to be a matchup worth watching.

To end the High School Live Period, Prep matches up with Payne Tech, who may be an unfamiliar program to local hoopheads, as they finished an unimpressive 19-10 last season, with more than a few blowout losses to NJ powerhouses like Roselle Catholic, but This Payne Tech team is not last year's Payne Tech team. They have their goals set higher and returning front man Rob Foster is the guy they’re depending on to lead them there. Foster, a 2025 wing that stands at 6’4, led them in scoring last year as a sophomore, and has D1 aspirations coming into his junior year. Also returning from last year’s team are 6’9 senior Eunique Rink, who led the team in rebounds last year and put up just over 11 points a game, and 5’9 senior Isaiah Oliver, a shifty 5’9 guard prospect that chipped in 11 more points a game. 5’10 junior Jamir Westry and 6’4 sophomore Gerald Edwell also saw plenty of action last season, but are expected to take on much bigger roles this season as Payne Tech is expected to take a leap into the upper tier of the NJ HS scene.

West Catholic

West’s youth showed in their first weekend of Philly Live, with an up and down weekend that saw them finish 2-1, with good wins against Bergen Catholic (NJ) and Salesianum (DE), and a loss to Taylor Allderdice out of Pittsburgh. WC’s co-MVPs of the weekend have to be 2025 guard Saiid Lee and 6’7 sophomore Kingston Wheatley. Both made winning plays all weekend, as Wheatley showed shades of Kenneth Faried in his outstanding motor, rebounding and defense, and Lee showed up on the scorecard with 17 points in the win over Bergen. Wheatley should be firmly on D1 radars, as the talented wing forward just turned 15, while Lee, 2025 Isaiah Muhammad, 2024 Tariq Jennings, and 2025 Micah Waters Jr. are also players to monitor, as all are capable hoopers and college prospects.

The Burrs open the weekend against the preseason top team in New Jersey, Don Bosco Prep. Bosco will again be without 5☆ Dylan Harper, the top player in the class of ‘24, who is busy playing with Team USA. In his absence, Bosco will rely on senior guard Isaiah Brown, who has an offer to Marist University and scored 15 points in Bosco’s blowout win over Archbishop Carroll. Also impressive in their win over Carroll were 2025 Brady Loughlin, who scored 19 points on five three pointers and added a nifty 360 layup, and 2026 7 footer Keiner Asprilla, who looks to be a future 5☆ and was a man amongst boys against the Carroll front line. The Burrs have a good test in this one.

Next up is Camden, who are led by 4☆ Billy Richmond, had a mildly successful first Live Session, but ended the weekend with a loss to Archbishop Wood. Camden has production to replace and the talent to do it, with Richmond, and fellow holdovers, 6’5 senior Teron Murray, 6’0 senior Ari Gooch and 5’10 junior Sitafa Hall all back from last year’s team, as well as Paul VI (NJ) transfer Manny Joe-Samuel, who received an offer to Towson after an impressive first Live Session. Richmond, their premier standout, had Nova head coach Kyle Neptune shadowing him on Sunday, and Alabama’s Nate Oats monitoring on Saturday, for two great performances, after which Kansas, Michigan and UConn all offered scholarships.

Finally, the Burrs end their Live Period with a game against Gill St. Bernard’s. The Knights finished 19-8 last year, and played in the first weekend of Philly Live at SJP vs. Jackson-Reed, a top 25 team in the USA last season. Two guys in particular stood out for Coach Sina’s team, Kobe Closeil, a 2025 guard that had 14 points in the matchup, and 2026 Dorsett Mulcahy, who had 15 points vs. Jackson-Reed. Mulcahy is a 6’3 sniper and has some of the trademarks of his older brother Paul, who is a highly sought after transfer portal target, after a solid senior campaign with Rutgers. If his older brother’s height is any indication, Dorsett might have another two or three inches left in his frame to match Paul’s 6’6 stature. Another one to watch out for on this young GSB team is 6’6 sophomore Ebenizer Ehigie, who impressed scouts in the first session.