Comp Edge Fall League: Week 3 Standouts

[caption id="attachment_1294650" align="alignleft" width="248"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Ryan-Mackey-2022-white-uni.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1294650" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/Ryan-Mackey-2022-white-uni-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="248" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1122121" first="Ryan" last="Mackey"] of Conestoga. Photo: Conestoga HS Athletics[/caption] <p>The third weekend of play at the 2021 Competitive Edge High School Fall League featured several highly anticipated matchups. This week the basketball action was much more fluid and eye pleasing as the players appear to have knocked the rust off their full court games.</p> <p>Below is a review of prospects who played well during the third weekend of action in the Competitive Edge High School Fall League.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1200797" first="Brett" last="Byrne"] </strong><strong>– 6’2” / Senior / Methacton / East Coast Power-Rap / Combo Guard:</strong> Byrne (2-year starter) is a hard-nosed kid with great court awareness who is the key to Methacton’s perimeter offense. He can score at all three levels but is especially adept at hitting the corner three ball. Byrne’s ability to stretch the floor opens space / opportunities for teammates like power forward [player_tooltip player_id="991198" first="Cole" last="Hargrove"]. When you watch this Methacton team play it does not take long to realize that Byrne is a vocal leader for this group.</p> <p><strong>Eddie Higgins </strong><strong>– 6’5” / Senior / Boyertown / Eastern PA Elite / Power Forward:</strong> A versatile prospect who truly can play the highly valued stretch-4 role, Higgins sat out his junior year with an ankle injury. He now appears fully recovered and ready to have a breakout fall/winter. He is a high energy, hard-nosed player who is in constant communication with teammates on the floor. In short, he is a leader for this team. Higgins runs the floor well and can finish with both hands. In the half-court he can score off the bounce as he demonstrated repeatedly this past Saturday. Especially impressive was a sequence in which Higgins caught the ball at the elbow, executed a strong rip through, took a dribble or two into a spin move and then finished with his left hand. Higgins is also a fierce offensive rebounder. He posted 14 points on Saturday in Boyertown’s convincing win over Springfield (Montco).</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1122121" first="Ryan" last="Mackey"] </strong><strong>– 6’0’’ / Senior / Conestoga / East Coast Power-Rap / Point Guard:</strong> Conestoga was without standout big man [player_tooltip player_id="1119123" first="Michael" last="Walz"] (Committed to Richmond) because of a broken finger, so Mackey carried the scoring load this weekend. The ‘Stoga point guard owns creative handles and can drains threes of the standstill variety and off pick action. Mackey plays with a great deal of energy and a bit of an edge which coaches love in a point guard. He is exceptional at leading the fast break and his court vision in the half-court is solid as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1200819" first="Danny" last="Rosenblum"]</strong> <strong>– </strong><strong>5’10” / Junior / </strong><strong>Radnor / SJ Hoops Elite-Grey / Point Guard:</strong> Rosenblum was not available for Radnor’s first game in the 2021 Comp Edge Fall League and the result was a tough loss for the Raptors. Since he returned to the lineup the Radnor is 3-0. This week with their starting floor general at the helm, Radnor looked much more fluid and cohesive while posting two wins. Rosenblum is an excellent half-court lead guard who can get a team into its sets and distribute to the open man. Still, his ability to score the ball is highly underrated. Rosenblum can get out in transition, absorb contact at the rim and score the ball. He owns an effective stop-n-pop mid-range game and can dial up the occasional 3-ball.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1281758" first="Jeremiah" last="Shepherd-Baker"] </strong><strong>– 5’8” / Junior / Abington Friends School / Philly Pride / Point Guard:</strong> The former Hill-Freedman World Academy player (11.5 ppg. in 2020-21) is fitting n nicely with his new team. Shepherd-Baker is a high IQ, super quick lead guard who displayed good handles and court vision. One item that jumps out at you right away with Shepherd-Baker is the tenacity with which he competes at both ends of the court. When you pair Shepherd-Baker with fellow electric guard prospect [player_tooltip player_id="1136566" first="Kaydin" last="Ford"], AFS has one of quickest backcourts in the region. That duo’s on-ball defense is scary good.</p>