Philly: Virtual Open Run Standouts

Omar Richburg

September 4, 2020 @ 08:48 PM

What an abnormal summer this has been. Normally, the sound of officials whistles and squeaks from basketball sneakers would be oozing out of every court in America, but due to COVID summer leagues, travel tournaments and exposure camps were non-existent. And for a hoops junkie and gym rat like me it was withdraw. However, as we began to navigate through this pandemic, the basketball community has begun to think out the box and created unique ways to keep the player’s games sharp and get them some live action on the court. Social media was flooded with virtual workouts athletes were able to take advantage of from ballhandling to fundamental shooting drills. But summer is the time when you get better. It’s that time where ballers can play games every day of the week and multiple games on weekends to get those repetitions to work on the skills they have added to their game. But with those opportunities taken away a new wave of game play has emerged. Open Exposure Runs. Philly area hoopsheads have created a new lane for ballers that have missed out due to COVID. The “Bumps” as they are sometimes referred to feature the areas unsung and high major talent for officiated games. Players are outfitted with t-shirts, video is captured and even has commentators so you can easily identify the participants. It’s an amazing spin-off from the normal and shows how the basketball community developed this opportunity for student athletes. Here are a few standout players that caught my eye during these open runs. [player_tooltip player_id="991338" first="Shawn" last="Simmons"], Friends Central (2023) – Shawn has definitely taken advantage of these open runs and workouts, popping up on quite a few. With his long 6’5” frame, and explosive athleticism he easily can finish above the rim and is an open court highlight tape. He has great fundamental skills to go along with a smooth mid-range jump shot. Shawn is a Division I talent that has three more years to continue to improve. Kareem Watson, West Catholic (2022) – This rising junior has begun to attract the attention of college coaches throughout the summer. Standing at 6’5” Kareem is a patient offensive wing player that reads the floor well and makes plays for others. His knockdown catch and shoot 3 point shooting ability and off the dribble mid-range pull up game will make him hard to guard as he continues to get stronger. Playing two more years in the competitive Philadelphia Catholic League he should see his list of offers increase significantly. [player_tooltip player_id="990949" first="Blaise" last="Vespe"], Neumann-Goretti (2021) – Towering at 6’7”, Blaise has shown he can play the big wing or stretch small forward position. He has demonstrated playmaking abilities off the bounce creating easy baskets for his teammates. He is a dangerous 3-Point shooter and he knows how to finish at the rim, in traffic, with both hands. Since transferring from St. Augustine (NJ) Blaise has been an important piece to the Neumann-Goretti program and expect his contribution to increase in his final year with the Saints. He should attract interest from DI mid majors. [player_tooltip player_id="991231" first="Jacob" last="Beccles"], Constitution (2022) – Talk about quick! This 6’3” combo guard will leave you standing flatfooted. Jacob has amazing first step explosion and a crafty ability to finish at the rim in various ways. And if you sleep on his athleticism, the defender could be a poster. He has developed a jump shot to go along with his attacking style of play, so this upcoming season he should improve his stats. Coming off a sophomore season where he averaged about 15PPG and earned 2nd Team All Philadelphia Public Team honors, add in a high academic GPA, he should lure a lengthy list of DI programs for his talents.