City of Basketball Love welcomed over 100 of the best underclassmen from the Philadelphia area to Friends Central High School to sharpen their tools against one another and get quality coaching from great basketball minds. There were so many games and talented players that I couldn't settled on 8-10. So here are my personal MVPs and a rapid fire recap of some standouts.
<strong>2024</strong>
[player_tooltip player_id="1189096" first="Jalil" last="Bethea"] | G 6'3 Archbishop Wood
The Wood sophomore is my co-MVP from the camp. Jalil dominated offensively with his explosive off-the-dribble game. He knocked down pull-up three after pull-up three, made one-handed passes (left & right), and operated the pick & roll well. What impressed me most was his awareness as an off-ball defender. Jalil clogged the lane for cutters and deflected passes. Once this 2021-2022 season gets underway, Bethea will be more than just a local name to know.
[player_tooltip player_id="1153991" first="Gio" last="Panzini"] | F 6'5 Red Bank Catholic (NJ)
This young man had himself a GREAT day and is my other co-MVP. What he lacks in on-ball creation, he more than makes up for in feel and off-ball movement. Gio found gaps in the defense from the dunker spot and cut from the wing. Gio sunk a couple threes too. His athletic pop showed on defense too, as an opposing guard tried to throw down a highlight dunk on a fastbreak but Panzini recovered to block it. The head-to-head between he and Bethea in a different game was one to watch. I look forward to seeing how he develops out in Jersey.
Jacob Cummiskey | G 6'3 Central Bucks East
Cummiskey's size and handle combination was incredible. A legit 6'3, he stayed low to the ground as he dribbled through traffic on his way to high percentage looks. CB East has a good one.
[player_tooltip player_id="1136566" first="Kaydin" last="Ford"] | G 5'8 Abington Friends
Kaydin shot the lights out all day. His jumper was potent in each of his team's three games. But instead of jacking shots whenever he had a look, Ford always made the right play. His decision-making showed why he's a true PG. His personality on & off the court were entertaining too.
Tristen Guillouette | C 6'9 St. Joe's Prep
The big fella is NICE. His timing as a shot-blocker was excellent. Tristen was able to alter shots while keeping the ball in-bounds. He even covered ground well to block a long mid-range jumper.
[player_tooltip player_id="1202209" first="Jalen" last="Harper"] | G 6'2 St. Joe's Prep
Jalen was effective offensively when others created for him and when he had to create for himself. He demonstrated combo guard ability within the flow of the game, never forcing up shots.
[player_tooltip player_id="1123922" first="Ty" last="Mishock"] | G 5'10 Devon Prep
Mishock is one of the best 2024 point guards in the area. And despite not playing with his guys (DP and [program_tooltip program_id='2078678' first='East' last='Coast Power']) or consistently being the primary ball-handler, Ty's quick decisions and smart ball-movement were crucial to his team's success.
[player_tooltip player_id="1119136" first="Trey" last="O'Neil"] | G 6'1 Hill School
Every time I saw his team play, Trey was instant offense in the halfcourt. His burst was noteworthy but so was the way he got to his spots using his strength.
[player_tooltip player_id="1153989" first="Philip" last="Unangst"] | F 6'5 St. Thomas Aquinas (NJ)
Philip has the beginnings of a tough shot-maker. With his smooth jumper, Unangst rained down a barrage of threes on the day. Even his misses looked good.
[player_tooltip player_id="991421" first="Ryan" last="Williams"] | G 6'2 Malvern Prep
Ryan continued on the pace he started on as a (soon to be) elite three-level scorer in the spring and hasn't looked back. He didn't look for his shot from deep as much at the camp, but he did display his interior scoring ability without simply jacking up shots.
<strong>2025</strong>
[player_tooltip player_id="1188621" first="Olin" last="Chamberlain"] Jr | 6'0 G St. Joe's Prep 2025
This kid was as advertised. He shared the ball with his teammates, never really trying to run the show. But he still positively affected the game by making timely passes, moving without the ball and communicating on defense.
[player_tooltip player_id='1230538' first='Zane' last='Conlon'] | F 6'4 Devon Prep
Conlon made his presence known at both ends of the court. He played physical defense and rebounded all day. From there, he faced up and attacked off the catch. Expect him to contribute early on a talent DP team this season.
[player_tooltip player_id='1271429' first='Kai' last='Shinholster'] | G 6'3 Penn Charter
He still has awhile before he grows into his body like his brother Trey, but Kai's skills and basketball feel were apparent. When he called his own number, slashing ability wasn't hard to see, showing craft as he got to the rim.
[player_tooltip player_id='1173447' first='Dwayne' last='Snead'] Jr | G 6'0 Pennington School (NJ)
I enjoyed the competitiveness DJ brought to the camp, especially on defense. His competitiveness on-ball either forced turnovers or other campers to raise their games. When the former happened, Snead Jr got easy offense for himself and teammates.
[player_tooltip player_id="1188625" first="Micah" last="Waters"] | 6'0 G West Catholic
Micah's pace was nice to see from a rising freshman. He would create advantages with his handle/burst, but then sustain them by slowing down. West Catholic got themselves a good one.
[player_tooltip player_id="1136565" first="Jake" last="West"] | 5'10 G Archbishop Carroll
Jake was fun to watch. He used his quickness to zip up-and-down the floor and from side-to-side. Despite that ability, he primarily looked to get open shots for others.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Honorable Mention:</span>
[player_tooltip player_id="1187931" first="Devin" last="Booker"] | 6'4 G Imhotep 2024
Anthony Brown Jr | 6'2 W Engineering & Science 2024
Luke Brown | 6'7 F St. Joe's Prep 2024
[player_tooltip player_id="1123891" first="Laquan" last="Byrd"] | G Father Judge 2024
[player_tooltip player_id="1173983" first="Amari" last="Dow"] | 6'1 G Cristo Rey 2024
Mathew Gilhool | 6'10 F/C Elizabethtown 2024
[player_tooltip player_id='1460803' first='Paul' last='Glants'] | 6'3 G Abington 2025
[player_tooltip player_id="1137668" first="Hunter" last="Johnson"] aka "Juju" | 6'1 G Cardinal O'Hara 2024
[player_tooltip player_id="1153996" first="Jaden" last="Kelly"] | 6'3 G St. Thomas Aquinas (NJ) 2024
<a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/touari-deuce-ketner/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="1116025" first="Touri" last="“Deuce” Ketner"]</span></a> | 6'6 F Bonner-Prendergast 2024
[player_tooltip player_id='1486773' first='Saaid' last='Lee'] | 5'10 G Bonner-Prendergast 2024
Destined McCray | 6'0 G TBD 2024
Drew McKenna | 6'7 F Glenelg (MD) 2024
[player_tooltip player_id='1460793' first='Devon' last='Nelson'] | 5'10 G Pope John Paul II 2025
[player_tooltip player_id='1460771' first='Jacob' last='Nguyen'] | 6'2 G Spring-Ford 2025
[player_tooltip player_id="1173986" first="Fazl" last="Oshodi"] | 6'3 G Friends Central 2024
Haze Puttlitz | 6'6 C Solebury School 2024
[player_tooltip player_id="1188624" first="Ben" last="Rill"] | 6'7 F/C Westtown 2025
[player_tooltip player_id='1601167' first='Zeke' last='Staz'] | 6'5 C Downingtown West 2025
[player_tooltip player_id='1874234' first='Nasir' last='Williams'] | 5'9 G Sankofa 2025
[player_tooltip player_id='2763435' first='Dasir' last='Williams-Bey'] | 5'10 Cardinal O'Hara
For continued coverage of Philly basketball, follow me on twitter @CGraham_Sports
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in