Mid-Atlantic Independent Shootout: PA Players to Watch – Part 2

Mid-Atlantic Independent Shootout: PA Players to Watch &#8211; Part 2

Chad Graham June 15, 2022 @ 06:10 PM

The Philly are is sending busloads of elite players up to Blair Academy for the Mid-Atlantic Independent Shootout. There, they’ll compete against schools from CT, MA, NY, NJ, MD, VA, and other parts of PA. Here are another handful of guys who’ll be representing the Keystone State. [player_tooltip player_id="1279636" first="Basil" last="Laster"] | 6’4 G ‘24 Academy of the New Church Making his way from the ‘23 class and Archbishop Wood, Laster is coming off a season where he averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 assists in the Catholic League. More than the stats show, he developed a ton in his first season of varsity action. The late-bloomer flashed as a primary ball-handler and facilitator on one end and an on-ball disrupter on the other. Drexel and other mid-majors are already chasing him. [player_tooltip player_id="1200771" first="Matt" last="Mayock"] 6’7 W ‘23 Westtown The Moose were depleted with Lively II (Duke), Brown (Penn St), and Berger (St. Joe’s) off to college. But having Matt back helps in a number of ways. His feel as a weak side defender - rotating to shooters and walling off cutters - will be crucial for a team with several new additions. Offensively, he’ll space the floor with his volume three point shooting and make connecting passes to sustain possessions. Mayock won’t be slept on for much longer. [player_tooltip player_id="1119114" first="Onyekachi" last="Nzeh"] | 6’8 F ‘23 George School Kachi’s athleticism on both ends is undeniable - dunks, rebounds, blocks, steals. What is still underrated is his touch as a free throw shooter and in the mid-range. The reinforcements (re: transfers) that the Cougars brought in should help him develop and showcase more of the nuances in his game - the cutting, passing, and screening - as they ramp up for a run at the Friends League title. The Big 10 & A10 are already coming after him. [player_tooltip player_id="1192657" first="Saleem" last="Payne, Jr."] | 5’11 G ‘23 Phelps Leem has been carving up the circuit with Gibbs Elite 17U. Linking back up with his Phelps squad, Payne will run the show for them at MAIS. His quickness makes it difficult for defenses to contain him. The Lions will lean on him for instance offense, scoring at each level and facilitating. He recently picked up an offer from Chestnut Hill College and there will be more to come. [player_tooltip player_id="1279645" first="Ife" last="West-Ingram"] | 6’6 W ‘23 Abington Friends West-Ingram has come alive on the court this spring and into the summer. Monday, his hard work paid off in the form of an offer from Robert Morris. Ife’s performance this weekend will be telling. If he can generate points with his jumper, to go along with the opportunistic scoring, and hold his own amongst the plethora of highly touted wing prospects who’ll alo be there, Ife can parlay that performance into more offers. [player_tooltip player_id="991421" first="Ryan" last="Williams"] | 6’3 G ‘24 Malvern Prep The baby-faced assassin took the Inter-Ac by force in Malvern’s first season since the pandemic. The versatile scoring package he showed with Philly Pride carried over nicely. What really took people by surprise was his secondary playmaking. His facilitating off the bounce was almost as lethal as his scoring. The Friars will likely shift him into the primary role as they head to Blairstown. Temple and Penn are in the mix early. Other players to watch [player_tooltip player_id="1119156" first="Deywilk" last="Tavarez"] | 6’1 G ‘23 ANC [player_tooltip player_id="1285466" first="Christian" last="Bliss"] | 6’4 G ‘24 George School [player_tooltip player_id="1202039" first="Christian" last="Kirkland"] | 6’7 W ‘23 Friends Select [player_tooltip player_id="1153953" first="Luke" last="Bevilacqua"] | 6’10 C ‘25 George School [player_tooltip player_id="1379452" first="Andrew" last="Phillips"] | 6’6 F ‘23 Malvern Prep [player_tooltip player_id="1477775" first="Justin" last="Houser"] | 6’11 C ‘24 Phelps Argel Pettit aka "IV" | 6’2 G ‘23 Phelps [player_tooltip player_id="1477774" first="Malik" last="Rasul"] | 6’8 W ‘24 Westtown For more hoops coverage, follow me @CGraham_Sports on twitter/IG. And follow @MidatlanticISTC on twitter for updates on their event.