Ball Night in De La Warr: Philly Live Recap

For hoopers in Delaware, the month of June did not disappoint. Devaughn (IG: brucewain11) and I were both at Philly Live I & II, which featured a plethora of programs from the first state. So after letting our thoughts on both weekends marinate, we linked to go back over a snippet of what we saw.   1) What's one thing you took away from the past two weekends?   DB: Delaware basketball is not far behind the surrounding areas.   For those who know, Delaware basketball has its flaws. Whether it's keeping our top kids home, lack of exposure, public schools vs. private schools, etc. We all can agree that basketball has room to grow in the First State. But after watching us compete with schools from different areas and at different levels, it showed me that Delaware can compete with Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and beyond. There were highly competitive games with PCL schools and other high level divisions and plenty of college level prospects on the other side. The Delaware players held their own and in some cases dominated the competition. There should be a lot of college coaches looking towards Delaware for those diamonds in the rough at the low Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 levels.   CG: Guys who make things happen >   In basketball, the team that has the most points wins and the players who score the most tend to get more individual recognition than those who don't. But as players get relatively more athletic from one level to the next, that's actually the skill that translates the least. Players who can create extra possessions with steals and offensive rebounds, win 50/50 balls, get stops on defense, and make basic reads are essential. Of the prospects who received High Major offers in June, many of them did get buckets in different ways. But they also showed other high level skills that will get them on the floor at the college level.   2) Which rising senior(s) stood out the most to you?   DB: [player_tooltip player_id='2364771' first='Vince' last='Evans III'] | Seaford   [player_tooltip player_id='2364771' first='Vince' last='Evans III'] may be the most under discussed prospect in the state of Delaware! At 5'11”, his combination of athleticism, long range shooting, and playmaking should have him at the top of any list when it comes to Delaware's top point guard. He was unstoppable against Cedar Creek putting up 31 points while showing off his whole arsenal of scoring. Vince would be a STEAL at a low Division 1 or Division 2 school!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/Qbi-Hofk0Hw?si=vslxjO2T-AiZL9tQ </div></figure>   CG: The Conrad 2026s   For small colleges looking for guards, Conrad has something for everyone. [player_tooltip player_id='2473347' first='Vinny' last='Starr'] initiated the most actions for them while shooting the lights out from three. [player_tooltip player_id='2450817' first='Marcel' last='Ramirez'] spaced the floor with his shooting off the catch and was an impactful team defender. [player_tooltip player_id='2633962' first='Jordan' last='Kennedy'] was their point of attack defender who also shot well from three. The Red Wolves finish out the starting lineup with their wing-forward combo of [player_tooltip player_id='2569489' first='Clint' last='Cauley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2639214' first='AJ' last='James'], who both rebounded and added some physicality to their guard-heavy rotations. The thing they all excelled at was ball movement. They played unselfishly and found every open shooter. The other thing Conrad's rising seniors have in common is that they're all high-academic students.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/JuAfRuib4_E?si=SgNfdvmhNGdc8Z0V </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/80YSdwLzP1A?si=9UwP-jHAX-Lv7yvf </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/zKJzbRLuPuk?si=khH3xWpLiksgVANS </div></figure>   In his first High School Live Period as a “known commodity,” [player_tooltip player_id='2352452' first='Josh' last='Obiora'] met expectations. He needs to add strength and mass in order to play with more force versus other forwards. But he didn't shy away or shrink due to the physicality. Obiora kept battling on both ends, attacking the basket offensively and walling up defensively. And even though no new offers materialized   3) Who are some 2027 prospects taking the next step?   DB: [player_tooltip player_id='2364703' first='A'zir' last='Ellegood'] | Sanford   Coming off a state championship during his sophomore year, [player_tooltip player_id='2364703' first='A'zir' last='Ellegood'] has a bigger role for Sanford. I thought he was one of, if not the best offensive initiators in Delaware last year. His ball handing, passing, pace, and knack for making the right decision made him look like an upperclassman. The only thing I thought was missing (selfishly) and would have made Sanford even more unstoppable was A'zir's ability to create his own shots on top of his playmaking for others. If this game against Camden is a sign of things to come, buckle your seat belts folks! He got to the paint and finished over taller defenders with relative ease as well as knocked down a few jump shots. If this is the new normal for Ellegood, he has a great argument for the First State's finest floor general.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/qA-jB8MB4zs?si=WAsks2qSq8YcPBtW </div></figure>   CG: [player_tooltip player_id='2442708' first='King' last='Savior'] | Middletown   Savior receiving his first offer from Albany is a signal that he's making the progressive from prospect to player. The lanky wing tapped into his physical tools with his all-around activity. He grabbed rebounds on both ends, got deflections and blocked shots. Of the handful of threes Savior took, the ball came off his hands clean. But his in-between game is clearly where he'd put in the most work. It was nice to see him attack off the catch and get to the second and third levels of the defense. Several coaches from various levels got eyes on him and left intrigued.   4) Who is a 2028 that opened your eyes during the live period?   DB: [player_tooltip player_id='2519940' first='Joseph' last='Taylor'] | Dover   Over the last ten years, Dover has had possibly their greatest stretch of talent in school history. From All-Staters, players of the year, and Division 1 and 2 talents - Jordan Allen, Elijah Allen, Denim Perkins, Eden Davis, Dorell Little, and Jahiem Harrell just to name a few - Dover has established themselves as the premier public school talent hub in Delaware. The latest addition to the tradition is 6'5” rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2519940' first='Joseph' last='Taylor']. Taylor showed many flashes of his versatility over the live period. From blocking shots, knocking down threes off the catch, and some acrobatic finishes around the rim, Taylor has begun to sketch out the beginning of his painting. After these weekends, Taylor has shown that he may be the biggest upside swing in 2028, outside of [player_tooltip player_id='1755072' first='Mason' last='Collins']. I'm excited to see how he develops over the next three years. He should be on division 1 schools radars sooner than later.   CG: [player_tooltip player_id='1755072' first='Mason' last='Collins'] | Tatnall   When a prospect has already been dubbed a “5 Star” at age 15 and was a contributor on the FIBA U16 gold medal team, it's convenient to conform to the consensus evaluation. And at this stage of the class's cycle, many of the highly rated 2028s are early bloomers who've matured (physically or skill-wise) before others. So with a former NBA player and current trainer as your dad and now coach, it would be easy to lump young Collins into that category. But that isn't exactly the case. Even though he has skill getting into his spots and feel, Collins is far from a finished product. He hasn't grown into his body yet and he doesn't just rely on talent or physical tools. The big wing lets the game come to him, playing with the flow of the scheme and figuring out where/when/how to pick his spots. And while being the tallest player on Tatnall isn't ideal now, it will help his development on the defensive end, long-term.   5) After watching Philly Live, what storyline is the most intriguing heading into the 2025-26 season?   DB: Who is the best point guard in 2026?   The Mount Rushmore of ‘26 point guards right now are Vince Evans III, [player_tooltip player_id='2352451' first='Latrell' last='Wright'], [player_tooltip player_id='2352456' first='Nick' last='Baysah'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2573852' first='Chase' last='Sullivan']. All of them present a different case to why they're the top lead guard, so I'll lay them out.   [player_tooltip player_id='2364771' first='Vince' last='Evans III'] | Seaford| 5'10” |: Evans may be the most talented of the group. His ability to score from all levels with unlimited range makes him a matchup nightmare. His athleticism and explosiveness also makes him must see TV on a night to night basis.   [player_tooltip player_id='2352451' first='Latrell' last='Wright'] | Salesianum | 5'10” |: Wright is the ultimate gamer! He's proven to be the guy you want in a big game (go check out the game versus Middletown last season). Wright is also a knockdown shooter who can finish among the trees despite his height and has a knack for finding his teammates for open shots.   [player_tooltip player_id='2352456' first='Nick' last='Baysah'] | Howard | 5'10” |: Baysah is another gamer whose athleticism makes him a great two-way point guard. He uses that athleticism to collapse the defense to finish inside over bigger defenders as well as make plays for others. If he's able to knock down threes more consistently, he may be virtually unstoppable.   [player_tooltip player_id='2573852' first='Chase' last='Sullivan'] | Smyrna | 6'2” |: Sullivan is a scoring guard who is showing more on ball playmaking ability by the day. He's one of the best isolation scorers in Delaware which makes him a matchup nightmare playing alongside Logan Shaw and Maurice Kilgoe.   The play of these lead guards will determine outcomes from all-state, conference and state championships, and possibly even player of the year. It's going to be a great season!   CG: Which 2026 prospect will see the biggest jump in his recruitment?   Our top 3 prospects each have the requisite talent to become scholarship players at the next level, specifically Low Major up. And they all have room to grow, which should bring in additional interest from college coaches. As previously noted, [player_tooltip player_id='2352452' first='Josh' last='Obiora'] improving his play-strength can/will go a long way in conjunction with his special athleticism. It'll allow him to “be the hammer” (and not the nail) when he's slashing, posting up, and protecting the rim. Alcorn St and Delaware St have already offered. [player_tooltip player_id='2461953' first='Elijah' last='Farrington'], the most skilled scorer of the three, would be even more appealing if he took the leap as a playmaker. He has the face up game and spot-up ability to draw attention wherever he catches the ball. So being able to pass as the short roller, operate dribble handoffs, and facilitate from the high post would make his talent undeniable. Lastly, there's [player_tooltip player_id='2352457' first='JayVion' last='Denis']. The three-year starter likes to take and can make difficult shots. But cleaning up his shot selection would do wonders for his efficiency and overall production. Denis is a bouncy athlete on the glass and in transition. So when the simple catch-and-shoots or movement threes aren't there, he has the handle to get into the lane and to the baja. Each of these prospects refining their games in the aforementioned ways would enhance their viability as prospects and make the Player of the Year race that much more fun to track.

For hoopers in Delaware, the month of June did not disappoint. Devaughn (IG: brucewain11) and I were both at Philly Live I & II, which featured a plethora of programs from the first state. So after letting our thoughts on both weekends marinate, we linked to go back over a snippet of what we saw.