Philly Live: Top '27+'28 Performers

19p 9r 4a 2s 8/12 FG vs Carroll; 15p 7r 5a 1s vs West Catholic   -Came away really impressed with Veney's play at both ends of the floor as a guard that can impact the game in so many different areas. Love how easily he is finding ways to score within the flow of the game with backdoor cuts, putbacks, and by attacking closeouts from the wings. He scored off a beautiful pivot in the paint in traffic to score with the extension with the left, hit a nice 1-dribble pull after getting his defender off his feet with a pump fake, and showed his vision as an inbounder--collecting at least 5 assists in 2 games by delivering on-time and on-target passes. SJC likes to switch on the perimeter and Veney can effectively guard 1-3, using a really quick set of hands to collect deflections and steals. His standout performances should lead to a nice bump in his recruitment as he put himself on the radar of several college coaches in attendance.     21p 3a 2r 1s 1 charge drawn (5/7 3P, 7/10 FG) vs Carroll (DC)   -Loomis turned in a very impactful performance as a PG that can be effective on the ball as a creator and off the ball as a sniper. He doesn't need a ton of air space to get a shot off and went 5/7 from 3 despite some harder closeouts in the 2H. Loomis also plays unselfishly as a guard that collected a ton of hockey assists, imploring his passing target to keep the ball flowing to the opposite side of the floor to force the defense to rotate. Loomis also puts his body on the line for his team, rotating well to chip in for rebounds against forwards and even taking a huge charge late in the game to seal the win for his team.     12p 5r 1b 2s vs Rutgers Prep   -Bolding had a pretty good day at the offensive end of the floor but really stood out as a defensive menace for the Lions. Bolding can effectively lock down guards but also does pretty well on an island against bigger wings because of a quick set of hands and how he sucks up space by attaching himself to his defenders hip to make it extremely difficult to put the ball down on the floor. Bolding can push the pace, play off the ball as a shooter, attacks closeouts well in the halfcourt, and is an underrated rebounder for his size and position. The tenacity and aggressiveness always stand out when watching Bolding, he should be in for a big junior season this year.     26p 3r 1a 2s vs Plymouth Whitemarsh   -Knight showed the full range of offensive abilities in a good matchup with PW, scoring at a high level to keep his team in it on a night that points seemed pretty hard to come by for the Tigers. Knight uses a nice burst on the ball with a beautiful change of speed that is really difficult for defenders to anticipate, accelerating well to create space for pull-up jumpers or get all the way to the rim. He excelled at creating his own offense but also was an effective floor-spacer, serving as a release valve for his other guards to kick to on the perimeter before knocking down 3s. Love his touch in the paint on floaters, extension lays off glass, and finger rolls. Fully expect the T30 guard to be one of the most productive newcomers in the DCIAA as he steps into new threads with the perennial powerhouse.     22p 11r 3a 1b 7/10 vs Carroll (DC)   -There weren't many prospects that I saw in the past two weekends that have the upside that Brunson has on the horizon. A smooth-scoring guard that plays with great feel and takes what the defense gives him, he was getting anything he wanted against Carroll. He showed his vision on drive and kicks to perimeter shooters, scored off a spin move lay, plays with great pace and absorbs contact well on drives to the rim, earned several trips to the FT line, and knocked down most of his looks from the perimeter. Love that he is effective at the offensive end without dominating the ball, finding opportunities to swing the ball to teammates and either execute a well-timed cut to the rim or set an off-ball screen to free up a teammate for an open look. Brunson plays beyond his years despite being young for his class. With the above-mentioned skills, feel, and blue blood pedigree from his father-- I expect him to develop into one of the most balanced scoring guards in the country.     6p 4a 5r 4s 1b vs West Catholic; 14p 2r vs Carroll (PA)   -Continue to come away impressed with Smith-Bey's all around impact as a 2-way guard that also has a rapidly-developing offensive skillset. I like the changes that he's made to his shooting mechanics as he's removed a sort of hitch/pause in the middle of his load-up and is shooting with much more consistent follow-through on the perimeter. He provides value as a floor-spacer that can knock down open looks from the wings or corners but also has displayed some explosive athleticism above the rim as a physical slasher that doesn't settle for jumpers. Scored off a spin layup, knocked down 1-dribble jumpers at the elbows, and wasn't afraid to mix it up with bigs in the paints for rebounds and offensive putbacks.     8p 5r 2a 4s vs Coatesville   -Loved Ruffin's explosive play as a driving point guard that is always probing the defense to find open gaps to burst through before finishing at the rim. Ruffin also provided some pesky POA defense, collecting 4 steals (mostly on-ball) that he then turned into points at the other end for his team. As a small guard that often gets past his matchup on the perimeter, want to see him make more decisions above the free throw line to give his teammates another beat or two of a step on helpers and allow them to finish at the rim before the defense can react. Had several nice rip n go's from the wing but none were more impactful than a coast to coast layup that he hit just before time expired to seal a come from behind win for his team.