Week 6 Philly Catholic League: Under the Radar and Underclassmen

This week, I have four Under the Radar upperclassmen and 4 Underclassmen from the best conference in the state. Under the Radar [player_tooltip player_id="991326" first="Mandon" last="Seapoe"] 5'10 PG ‘22 - Bonner-Prendie/ Philly Hurricanes Bonner's season was cut short, but Seapoe is now starting and playing an increased role from a season ago. With his duties handling the ball for the Friars, he's improving at setting up his teammates. One area he's already shown promise in is his ability to stretch the floor. Mandon made four triples against Devon Prep and three against Lansdale Catholic. Shawnn Smith 6'3 SG ‘22 - Bishop McDevitt/ Northeast Basketball Co Smith does a little bit of everything for the Lancers (8 points, 2.6 boards, 1.9 assists and 31.2% from deep). The 6'3 glue guy has a nice first step, passes, can shoot, and defends. His best game was versus Carroll when put up 13p, 5r and 5a. In that contest, Shawnn scored efficiently and made winning plays to seal the victory for his team. [player_tooltip player_id="991316" first="Masud" last="Stewart"] 6'1 CG ‘22 - Neumann-Goretti/WeR1 After humbly contributing on the 2020 PCL championship team, Stewart earned a spot in the backcourt as a junior. He stepped right in and became their glue guy, drawing critical defensive assignments for the Saints and getting opportunistic buckets here-and-there (9.5 pts/g). Against Father Judge, Masud went off for a career high 23 points, on 5-6 from three, giving folks a glimpse of what he'll do when he gets the keys to the offense as a senior. [player_tooltip player_id="990976" first="Dominic" last="Vazquez"] 6'0 PG '21 - Archbishop Ryan/ Philly Storm Archbishop Ryan overwhelms teams with their execution, rather than their talent or athleticism, and Dom Vazquez is the reason for that. In their epic showdown with McDevitt, the senior point guard was forced off-ball, yet he still cashed in 5 catch-and-shoot threes. When he did have the ball, Dom's improvement in pick-and-roll and change-of-pace ability made him tough to stop as well. He led the Ryan Raiders to the win with 23 points and 3 assists. Underclassmen [player_tooltip player_id="1116062" first="Elijah" last="Duval"] 6'3 CG '24 - Bonner-Prendie/ Team Final Bonner hasn't been able to play as many games as their other teams in the PCL but that hasn't kept Duval from flashing on film. With his combination of size and quickness, he pressures opposing guards at the point-of-attack. When he has the ball on the other end, Elijah illustrates playmaking instincts and a crisp handle, which he uses to pressure the rim. In limited action, he's averaging 8.7 points, 4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.3 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="991356" first="Adam" last="Clark"] 5'9 PG ‘23 - West Catholic/ Philly Pride What “Budd” lacks in size, he makes up for in agility. Like a defensive back, Clark beats ball-handlers to their spots and jumps passing windows (2.4 sts/g). The way he organizes his teammates on that end is coach-like. He's a secondary playmaker on offense too. Often deferring to teammates, he uses his quickness to draw help defenders before swinging it to the open man. But versus LaSalle he called his own number with 13 points and 2 triples. [player_tooltip player_id="1123887" first="Amir" last="Speights"] 6'4 SF ‘24 - Cardinal O'Hara/ [program_tooltip program_id='2078693' first='Philly' last='Blue Magic'] Amir has emerged as one of the next sharpshooters in the PCL. The 6'4 wing is already averaging 8.5 points and 34% from three as a freshman. With his quick release, he went 4 of 6 from deep against Neumann-Goretti. When run off the 3-point line, he can get to his spots for mid-range jumpers or runners in the lane. [player_tooltip player_id="1116063" first="Robert" last="Wright III"] 5'10 PG ‘24 - Neumann-Goretti/ Team Final In a city known for producing guards, Wright III is on a team full of them. Yet, even as a freshman, his talent makes him hard to keep on the bench. He's shifty with the rock in his hands, executing simple dribble moves as he bursts past defenders. It translates to defense too. Robert is currently averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 assists; and he'll challenge for a starting spot next season.   The season is winding down quickly. If you'd like to nominate someone else you think is deserving, messing me on twitter @cgraham_sports.