Philly Live: Dynamic '26 Guards

20p 3r 2a 2s vs Roman   -Just a tough, gritty player that came out of the gate to outplay his matchup for most of the first half and help Coatesville jump out to an early lead. Allegra hit perimeter jumpers, collected steals and finished through contact at the other end, and hit some important putbacks at pivotal moments in the game. Allegra provided some fierce on-ball defense and stepped in to double down on bigs or stunt at ballhandlers with regularity. Definitely impacts winning, love watching him play.     19p 8a 7r 5s vs Rutgers Prep   -On a night that the shot wasn't really falling in the face of double and sometimes triple teams, loved that Brown found other ways to impact the game and keep his team in it. A pretty prolific passer himself, Brown is consistently baiting opponents into throwing crosscourt passes or pocket passes that he is able to jump and turn into a basket at the other end. Despite not having much shooting around him on the roster, he was two away from double digit assists by doing most of the heavy lifting and getting two feet in the paint to draw the help to give his teammates wide-open bunnies around the basket. Brown also does a great job of sneaking in to grab defensive rebounds to initiate the fastbreak as quickly as possible but also does a phenomenal job of finding teammates quickly with a rifled pass when he grabs offensive rebounds. Brown's ability to operate within chaos and make split second decisions in traffic pushes him to the top of the local 2026 class.     28p 6r 6a 4s vs Jackson Reed   -Sajid was probably the best shot creator of the event as a fluid combo guard that excels at putting the ball in the basket. The handle has sharpened to allow him to get to sidestep gathers well off the dribble, the fluidity of his shooting motion in those sidesteps or stepbacks allows him to get the ball above his head often before the defense can react. He can really fill it up from all 3 levels, and I love that he doesn't settle for 3s when he can pump fake or jab before getting into 1 or 2-dribble midrange pull-ups. The vertical athleticism, quickness, and back foot burst have really improved to allow him to get to his spots in the halfcourt and get off a shot attempt cleanly without being blocked.     21p 2r 1s vs Coatesville   -Didn't love how he started the game defensively but Smith rallied well in the 2H to lead his team to victory. The full offensive arsenal was on display for the La Salle commit: pull up 3, spin move floater off glass AND1, floater off the window past the double, one leg floater, double cross elbow pull, double cross and turned the corner for the extension lay. Smith uses a tight handle to maneuver his way to spots in the halfcourt and I thought his ability to work his way to the FT line when the offense stalled was key to his team's comeback. His spin move pull up has to be one of the more unguardable shots in Philly basketball, as he used a few makes to then blow by his matchup off the spin move to get to the paint in the 2H.     17p 2a 3r 1s vs West Catholic; 14p 3a 3r 2s vs Carroll(PA)   -Really liked the confidence and consistency in his shooting motion over the summer as the rising senior is making it rain from beyond the arc. The footwork on his shooting--especially off of movement-- has also improved quite a bit, as evidenced by a corner 3 off the BLOB that he smoothly sent through the direct center of the basket. His ability to hit shots but also serve as a connector for the Cadets should make him a valuable piece for an SJC team that figures to be the preseason #1 pick in the WCAC.     20p 6a 4r 1s vs Carroll (PA); 7p 2a 1r 2s vs Plymouth Whitemarsh   -Toatley had a good scoring performance cut short against PW by an ankle roll but he really showed what he could do against Carroll. Toatley is beginning to use his scoring gravity off the bounce to create open looks for his teammates and his handle has improved to allow him to get the ball from the floor and into one hand before rocketing a pass to an open teammate. The jumper is consistently falling from the midrange but more importantly from 3--the latter of which I think was the biggest swing skill for his upside at the next level. Toatley is doing a great job of absorbing contact on drives to the rim and on the finishes around the basket to earn himself trips to the FT line but also to hit the shot before the FT trip. If he can continue to ramp up the defensive intensity as a POA defender, I think the college interest will turn into more offers as his senior season progresses.     17p 9r 5a 1s vs Plymouth Whitemarsh   -Joy is doing a great job of channeling his emotions into standout performances as a dynamic combo guard that can score, rebound, and distribute. Joy stands into a bigger role this season as the lead guard for a Jackson Reed team that will need him to be incredibly dynamic in the halfcourt to be successful. His balance and scoring craft around the basket is leading to more trips to the FT line for more efficient scoring performances as a guard that isn't afraid to mix it up in the paint. Love that he is beginning to use those paint touches to create easy dumpoff opportunities to his bigs around the basket for high-percentage looks. Would be shocked if he wasn't named an All-League guard this season.