Login Subscribe
    • Players/Parents
    • College Coaches
  • Choose Your State Middle School Coverage
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    California
    Colorado
    Dakotas
    Delaware
    Florida
    Georgia
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Indiana
    Iowa
    Kansas
    Kentucky
    Louisiana
    Maryland
    Michigan
    Minnesota
    Missouri
    Nebraska
    Nevada
    New England
    New Jersey
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Ohio
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    Pennsylvania
    South Carolina
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Virginia
    Washington
    West Virginia
    Wisconsin
  • Loading...
  • Loading...
  • Tournaments
    • Prep Hoops Prep Hoops
    • Prep Hoops Next Prep Hoops Next
    Showcases
    • The Expo The Expo
    About Our Events
  • Prep Hoops for
    • Players
    • Parents
    • Club Coaches
    • High School Coaches
    • College Coaches
    • Fans
    View All Features
    • Player Profiles Build your own profile and join the Prep Hoops database.
    • Coverage Access Prep Hoops articles year-round without ads.
    • Rankings See how players stack up in each state.
    • Coach Views Get notified when a college coach views your profile.
    • Profile Trends Track your Player Profile views over time.
    • Recruiting Tasks Stay on-track in the recruiting process.
    • Recruiting Dashboard All your recruiting tools in a single place.
    • College Match Recommends colleges that match with your profile.
    • Coach Contacts Contact any program in the country.
    • Recruiting Tips Become an expert on the recruiting process.
    • Event Credits Save $25 on all Prep Hoops showcases.
    • College Email Templates Send customized emails directly to college coaches.
    • Scouts
    • How We Rank
    • Reviews
    • About Us
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rankings
    • How We Rank

    • Archived Rankings

    • 2026 Rankings

    • 2027 Rankings

    • 2028 Rankings

  • Club Programs
  • Player Database
  • Scouts
  • Home
  • Coverage
      Choose Your State Middle School Coverage
      Alabama
      Arizona
      Arkansas
      California
      Colorado
      Dakotas
      Delaware
      Florida
      Georgia
      Idaho
      Illinois
      Indiana
      Iowa
      Kansas
      Kentucky
      Louisiana
      Maryland
      Michigan
      Minnesota
      Missouri
      Nebraska
      Nevada
      New England
      New Jersey
      New Mexico
      New York
      North Carolina
      Ohio
      Oklahoma
      Oregon
      Pennsylvania
      South Carolina
      Tennessee
      Texas
      Utah
      Virginia
      Washington
      West Virginia
      Wisconsin
  • Events
      Tournaments
      • Prep Hoops Prep Hoops
      • Prep Hoops Next Prep Hoops Next
      Showcases
      • The Expo The Expo
      About Our Events
  • Rankings
      Loading...
  • Scores
      Loading...
  • Features
      Prep Hoops for
      • Players
      • Parents
      • Club Coaches
      • High School Coaches
      • College Coaches
      • Fans
      View All Features
      • Player Profiles Build your own profile and join the Prep Hoops database.
      • Coverage Access Prep Hoops articles year-round without ads.
      • Rankings See how players stack up in each state.
      • Coach Views Get notified when a college coach views your profile.
      • Profile Trends Track your Player Profile views over time.
      • Recruiting Tasks Stay on-track in the recruiting process.
      • Recruiting Dashboard All your recruiting tools in a single place.
      • College Match Recommends colleges that match with your profile.
      • Coach Contacts Contact any program in the country.
      • Recruiting Tips Become an expert on the recruiting process.
      • Event Credits Save $25 on all Prep Hoops showcases.
      • College Email Templates Send customized emails directly to college coaches.
  • About Us
      • Scouts
      • How We Rank
      • Reviews
      • About Us
  • Support
Login Subscribe

WPIAL Underclassmen Making Noise

WPIAL Underclassmen Making Noise
Alex Fydryszewski
Alex Fydryszewski
January 23, 2023 @ 10:15 PM
Facebook
X (Formerly Twitter)

In this article:

Julian Semplice
Julian Semplice 5'11" | CG | 2026
PA
Jared Astorino
Jared Astorino 6'1" | CG | 2026
PA
Jayden Davis
Jayden Davis 5'10" | CG | 2025
PA
Alier Maluk
Alier Maluk 7'0" | PF | 2025
NY
Royce Parham
Royce Parham 6'8" | PF | 2024
OH
Damon Astorino
Damon Astorino 6'2" | CG | 2023
PA
Meleek Thomas
Meleek Thomas 6'4" | CG | 2025
PA
<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season has been a great opportunity for young players in the Pittsburgh Metro to make their names known as players to watch for the next 2-3 seasons. Today we take a look at a handful of players who have excelled.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991408' first='Meleek' last='Thomas']</strong> |6'4" | G| Lincoln Park 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Okay, so, this one is kind of a "gimme" for us...Thomas is one of the elite recruits nationally and ranked #2 in our PA rankings. He's a do it all scorer at multiple levels. He is dominant with the ball in his hands, possesses a lightning quick first step to torch defenders and has a gear that nobody else in Pittsburgh has right now, except perhaps <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1173989' first='Royce' last='Parham']</strong>. He's a US National Team prospect for a reason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188607' first='Jayden' last='Davis']</strong> | 5'10" | G | Chartiers Valley 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Davis has continued to build on his impressive freshman season by adding more to his game as a sophomore. He was a scorer in his first year but when we've seen him this year, ballhandling, defensive posture, quickness, strength...all have improved. As such, he's caught the eye of D1 programs around the region. RMU was in the house to watch him play Seton LaSalle earlier this season and they won't be the only program to stop off of I-79 over the next few years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188606' first='Alier' last='Maluk']</strong> | 6'10" | F | Imani Christian 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We got our first look at Maluk of the season early on at the North Catholic tip off and were very impressed. His ability to handle the ball has improved and it was already impressive for a big man. He's added some moves in the post to his list and is an imposing figure on defense. As Maluk continues to put on some muscle as he matures, he could become a nationally elite prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1454309' first='Julian' last='Semplice']</strong> | 5'11" | G | Chartiers Valley 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While he's been in and out of the starting 5 as a freshman, what we've seen of Semplice has been impressive. He stepped up in the CV win over Seton on both ends of the floor and is an ice-in-his-veins player for a young age. He can score the ball, hit it from deep but is at his best when he's moving the ball from the perimeter in the offensive set. His greatest asset for the next level will be his leadership, which is apparent already. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1406902' first='Jared' last='Astorino']</strong> | 6'2" | G | Ambridge 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As his older brother <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991350' first='Damon' last='Astorino']</strong> has worked his way back from an injury over the last year, Jared has been prepping for a breakout freshman year at Ambridge. The Bridgers are playing competitive basketball and Astorino is a reason why. A coach's son, his basketball IQ is beyond his years, as is his poise on the floor. He's a solid shooter from beyond the arc and is starting to develop some confidence to take on older and more physically mature players going to the basket. With a father who was a coach and a brother who has had a stellar HS career, Jared has a head start on many of his classmates. He'll be a name to watch over the next three years. He's had big games so far: 24 vs North Catholic and 25 vs Lincoln Park Charter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->

This season has been a great opportunity for young players in the Pittsburgh Metro to make their names known as players to watch for the next 2-3 seasons. Today we take a look at a handful of players who have excelled.

Prep Hoops

Access all of Prep Hoops

Continue reading this article and more.

Continue Reading
Already a subscriber? Log in

Rankings

363 Players Ranked

  • 1
    Sammy Jackson

    Sammy Jackson

    Roman Catholic

    VCU
  • 2
    Ethan Johnston

    Ethan Johnston

    Hill School

    Marquette
  • 3
    Derrick Morton-Rivera

    Derrick Morton-Rivera

    Father Judge

  • 4
    Zaahir Muhammad-Gray

    Zaahir Muhammad-Gray

    Imhotep Charter

  • 5
    Darnell Lloyd

    Darnell Lloyd

    Perkiomen

View Full Rankings

Related Articles

  • Appalachian Prep/JC Jamboree Eye-Catchers Part 1

    Appalachian Prep/JC Jamboree Eye-Catchers Part 1

    Tom Keller • October 20

  • October Rankings Update: Who was added to our Pennsylvania 2028 list?

    October Rankings Update: Who was added to our Pennsylvania 2028 list?

    Prep Hoops Staff • October 17

  • October Rankings Update: Who moved up the rankings in Pennsylvania’s 2028 class?

    October Rankings Update: Who moved up the rankings in Pennsylvania’s 2028 class?

    Prep Hoops Staff • October 17

  • October Pennsylvania Class of 2028 Rankings

    October Pennsylvania Class of 2028 Rankings

    Tom Keller • October 17

  • Updated 2028 Pennsylvania Rankings

    Updated 2028 Pennsylvania Rankings

    Prep Hoops Staff • October 17

Loading...
Home Pennsylvania WPIAL Underclassmen Making Noise

Prep Network

  • Prep Network
  • Prep Dig
  • Prep Girls Hoops
  • Prep Hoops
  • Prep Lacrosse
  • Prep Redzone
  • Prep Soccer
  • Prep Softball

Company

  • News
  • About
  • Careers
  • Store
  • Partner Interest Form

Resources

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie Policy
  • NCSA College Recruiting
  • Recruiting Tips
  • Student Loan Resources
  • College Scholarship Search

Support

  • My Account
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

© 2025 Prep Hoops. All rights reserved.