Mid-July SEPA Grassroots Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a review of several grassroots teams from southeastern Pennsylvania (and beyond) who made serious noise on the circuits last weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>17U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride']'s top 17 U team is loaded with college prospects, and it showed this past weekend as they assembled a 3-1 record in the “HGSL Showcase Division” of the Summer Finale. Combo guards Toby Ojukwu and Ty Burton were outstanding. Shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1281777' first='Greg' last='Guidinger'], slasher wing Jermai Stewart-Herring, point guard Izaiah Pasha were extraordinary as well. Matt Golhool and [player_tooltip player_id='1153953' first='Luke' last='Bevilacqua'] provided a formidable “two bigs” lineup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2125145' first='York' last='Ballers HGSL']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>YB 17s went 3-1 at Hoops Group Summer Finale. Their only loss came in their “Platinum Division” championship game. A host of different players made tremendous contributions for this squad. Long and athletic wing [player_tooltip player_id='1990912' first='Elijah' last='Espinosa'] continued his impressive July live period. Combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1477725' first='Carter' last='Horst'] was rock steady as always. Sebastian Henson and [player_tooltip player_id='2383195' first='Joe' last='Sedora'] both boosted their recruiting stock significantly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>16U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brad Wannamaker Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the Hoop Group Summer Finale, BW Elite 16s went 4-0 and won their “Platinum Division” title. [player_tooltip player_id='2047550' first='Carnell' last='Henderson'] continued his breakout summer by scoring from anywhere he wanted. [player_tooltip player_id='1267446' first='Jalen' last='Chiles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1486773' first='Saaid' last='Lee'] provided high level backcourt play. [player_tooltip player_id='1466558' first='Brandon' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1850270' first='Abdurahman' last='Coulibaly'] caused match-up issues for opponents all weekend. [player_tooltip player_id='2237263' first='Kameron' last='Waters'] put his name on the recruiting map at Summer Finale. [player_tooltip player_id='1874208' first='Israel' last='Cole'] turned heads as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>15U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hunting Park Warriors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The HP Warriors always come strong, and they did not disappoint at Hoop Group's Summer Finale. HPW 15s assembled a 3-1 record in their “Platinum Division”. Their only defeat was a one-point loss in the championship game to a talented Sideline Cancer team. Highly touted 2027 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2194372' first='Nazir' last='Tyler'] grabbed the attention of scouts and college coaches with his 3-level scoring skills. Combo Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1406769' first='Jayden' last='McKie'] destroyed opponents with his creative handles which enabled him to get to the cup for buckets. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NJ Scholars EYBL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We predicted that this Scholars 15u group would run the table at Summer Finale and they came through for us. The youngest Scholars team captured their HG Summer Finale division championship and has now run their July record to 11-1. This past weekend their average margin of victory was 11 points per game. The guard trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1613878' first='RJ' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='1608257' first='Ian' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1406770' first='Nasir' last='Ralls'] were incredibly difficult to guard. Wings [player_tooltip player_id='1888747' first='Latief' last='Lorenzano-White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1406767' first='Munir' last='Greig'] were a dynamic transition tandem. [player_tooltip player_id='1454269' first='Marcus' last='Richardson'] has made a compelling case for being crowned “best” traditional power forward in the Class of 2026. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride']'s top 15s group has won a slew of games this spring/summer. That trend continued at the Summer Finale as the squad went 3-1, losing in championship game to the above-mentioned NJ Scholars team. [player_tooltip player_id='1608494' first='Dior' last='Carter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1454262' first='Rowan' last='Miller'] did considerable damage with their dribble drive attacks on the rim. Emanuel Butts got buckets in transition and displayed a solid mid-range game. [player_tooltip player_id='1454261' first='Reggie' last='King'] is a player from this squad to watch during August and September.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] Select</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] squad was one of the few teams that traveled out of state last weekend. They participated in the Grassroots Basketball Finale in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It turned out to be a great trip down south as Head Coach Markel Jones and company won their 15U division. The play of [player_tooltip player_id='1608248' first='Nafis' last='Dubose'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2336898' first='Brady' last='Moore'] stood out all weekend. Combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2090410' first='Christopher' last='Allegra Jr.']provided perimeter scoring as he popped jumpers from all over the court. Josh Jones-Pinilla and [player_tooltip player_id='2057241' first='Taj' last='Medley'] also made significant contributions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->