PCL Breakout Performers

With the Philly Catholic League transitioning from regular season to playoffs, it's time to take a look back at the year that was. Keep reading for a look at a handful of breakout performers from across the league this year.    Coming from the JV ranks to become a valued starter for the league's top-seeded team, Powell has established himself clearly as the next up in a long line of high-level D1 guards to come out of Wood over the past decade. Coming off a standout spring and summer on the 15U Under Armour circuit, he made the transition to the varsity level look mostly seamless with his dynamic two-way ability in the backcourt. Powell has a smooth handle and an explosive first step to propel himself downhill at a moment's notice, with advanced dexterity both as a finisher and most intriguingly as a passer on the move, to go along with his highlight-reel athleticism near the rim. His length and quickness make him a pest at the point of attack defensively and a consistent factor in passing lanes. He'll have a chance to emerge onto high-major radars with continued growth as a perimeter shooter.     Our clear pick for Most Improved Player in the league in this year, McKie made the noteworthy jump from glue guy off the bench to regular offensive focal point while putting together a First Team All-PCL season. Filling the void left by his brother (Dayton freshman Jaron McKie) and FGCU guard Jordan Ellerbee, the sophomore swingman emerged into a consistent double-figure scorer and a threat to go for 20-plus on any given night. McKie shows natural touch as a finisher and shotmaker from all over the floor and is developing the ball skills to be able to create his own shot consistently from a variety of different actions. He remains a constant factor in the floor game, using his length and twitchy athleticism to make plays around the ball on both ends. The ceiling is quite high for McKie and he made a big jump this season toward turning potential into regular production.     Jackson may have warranted inclusion on this type of list last year, but deserves mention again after another noteworthy jump that saw him emerge into a first team all-league performer. Helping lead a guard-oriented Bonner group that made a surprise run to the league's second seed, Jackson was the straw that stirred the drink from the point guard position. A rock-solid ballhandler, he found his way to his spots with regularity while masterfully controlling tempo and spreading the ball around to his teammates. He helps set a tough-nosed tone on the other end, and has a penchant for coming up with big plays when the lights are the brightest. A surefire scholarship-level prospect, he'll have a chance to emerge onto D1 radars this summer with continued growth as a perimeter shooter.     Turner got valuable reps last season in the starting lineup, filling the void left by the injured Ian Williams at the point guard spot, but had his fair share of freshman moments in the process with Carroll on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. Fast forward a year and Carroll is a game away from the Palestra with Turner having emerged into a bona fide All-Catholic performer. Having sprouted a couple inches and added notable strength to his frame, Turner looked like a different player from the very start this season, consistently weaving his way through traffic off the bounce and making plays from the middle of the lane as both a scorer and facilitator. He shows an advanced floater package with ability to keep defenses honest from the perimeter as well. He's still learning the in's and out's of how to manage a game at this level, but the on-ball juice with Turner appears to be very real and should have him on a D1 track moving forward.     It's fair to say Lewis largely came out of nowhere to become a consistent double-figure scorer, having both transferred in to LC this summer and elevated up from the JV ranks last year at Neumann-Goretti. The sophomore swingman jumped onto the radar while helping the Crusaders to their first PCL wins since 2021, showing himself to be a dynamic two-way playmaker in the process. Lewis shows comfortable three-level scoring ability from the wing, with natural ball skills to be able to create his own shot and sneaky feel as a passer over the top of smaller defenders. The ceiling for Lewis is evident and he's put himself on a pretty clear D1 track with the jump he made in his sophomore season.

With the Philly Catholic League transitioning from regular season to playoffs, it's time to take a look back at the year that was. Keep reading for a look at a handful of breakout performers from across the league this year.