SEPA Fall Ball Prospect Report: Week 2 Standouts
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[player_tooltip player_id="991172" first="Neel" last="Beniwal"] from the Phelps School. Photo: Phelps School Athletics It was another extremely busy weekend for basketball here in southeastern Pennsylvania. Area grassroots teams were in Downingtown for the Zero Gravity Fall Ball Opener. High School squads…
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Continue ReadingIt was another extremely busy weekend for basketball here in southeastern Pennsylvania. Area grassroots teams were in Downingtown for the Zero Gravity Fall Ball Opener. High School squads from SEPA were at West Chester University and the Glen Mills School for one of the marquee events of the fall – the Big 64 Showcase. Meanwhile numerous elite prospects from the region were participating individually at the Made Hoops East HSA Camp.
Below is a look at SEPA prospects who performed well during the second weekend of fall ball events taking place across the region.
Neel Beniwal Neel Beniwal 6'5" | SG Phelps School | 2022 State PA – 6’5” / Senior / Phelps School / Rhode Island Elite / Shooting Guard: We have no idea how a long, athletic, lethal 3-point shooting prospect like Beniwal remains uncommitted, but DI college coaches need to wake up and send him offers ASAP. On Sunday at the Big 64 Showcase Beniwal was simply automatic from deep. Beniwal got his day started by draining 5 threes in the first half vs. Bonner-Prendie and his high percentage shooting continued all day (at least 12 3PM on Sunday). He can hit spot up threes, transition threes or off the dribble threes. In addition to his high percentage perimeter shooting, Beniwal owns a fantastic basketball IQ, a non-stop motor and is a tenacious competitor. Last week Beniwal took a visit to Siena.
Sam Brown Sam Brown 6'3" | CG Lower Merion | 2023 State PA – 6’3” / Junior / Lower Merion / Philly Pride Gold / Shooting Guard: Once known as just a spot up three-point shooter with deep (like half-court logo deep) range, Brown continues to prove that his game is evolving. At the Big 64 Showcase Brown scored at all three levels on his way to 19 points vs a Westtown roster which boasts numerous major DI prospects. Brown’s dribbling skills looked much improved which will help ease the loss of LM’s talented Class of 2021 backcourt players who graduated back in June.
Blake Deegan – 6’5” / Junior / Archbishop Carroll / 610 City Elite / Wing: Deegan’s reputation as a talented perimeter shooter proceeds him. However, at the Big 64 Showcase Deegan posted a huge Saturday for Carroll and showed he owns a well-rounded skill set. Deegan possesses particularly good instincts for the game, excellent court vision / passing skills and exhibits the much sought-after team first mentality. When he was looking to score, Deegan excelled in pick-n-roll / pick-n-pop action. Of course, he frequently knocked down stop-n-pop mid-range jumpers and threes. Expect Deegan to see significant minutes for Carroll this fall/winter.
Matt Gilhool Matt Gilhool 6'10" | C Long Island Lutheran | 2024 #254 Nation NY – 6’9’’/ Sophomore / Elizabethtown / Philly Pride National UAA / Center: Gilhool is another prospect who saw his stock skyrocket this summer and he will be a force to reckon with for years to come. During the Made Hoops East HSA Camp this athletic and long prospect proved again that he runs the floor extremely well. He is very coordinated and quick for his size so when catching on the move in transition he can easily avoid defenders. Gilhool finishes around the rim with both hands and can stretch the floor with the occasional three. At the defensive end he is active on the glass and contests shots. This weekend Gilhool was an Made Hoops East HSA Camp all-star selection.
Gestin Liberis – 6’10” / Senior / George School / Freedom Thinkers / Power Forward: For the second weekend in a row Liberis, a 6’10” wide body athlete with an enormous wingspan, has impressed. Last weekend at the CoBL Interstate Shootout he posted an eye catching 14 & 11 double-double in a win over St Peter’s Prep (NJ). His offensive skills were once very raw, but in the last year and a half Liberis has shown significant improvement in that area and his upside is tremendous. This past weekend at the Big 64 he showed glimpses of being able to dominate the paint at both ends of the floor. He continued to score and rebound but also showed that he is an elite shot blocker. Keep an eye on this big fella as he continues to develop.
Michael Miller – 6’3” / Freshman / Bangor / Lehigh Valley Force / Small Forward: Running with the LV Force 15U team at the Zero Gravity Fall Ball Opener, Miller netted 20+ points in their first game on Saturday to push the Force to a nice win. Miller is an athletic prospect who flashed the ability to stretch the floor with his perimeter jump shot. This 2025 prospect is effective with putting the ball on the floor and driving it to the cup as well. In addition to his proficient scoring this weekend, Miller crashed the glass and at the other end of the court was a solid rim protector.
Aris Rodriguez Aris Rodriguez 6'6" | SG Reading | 2023 State PA – 6’3” / Junior / Reading / Reading KTB / Shooting Guard: Rodriguez is coming off a monster summer in which he grabbed the attention of college coaches and scouts. At the Made Hoops East HSA camp he showed no signs of letting up. Rodriguez is a knock down shooter who can drain threes and pull up mid-range jumpers all day. Rodriguez plays with pace and thus puts consistent pressure on defenses. Basically, he is a nightmare to guard and often requires more than one defender to slow him down. The extra attention he draws creates space for his teammates and Rodriguez will not hesitate to move the ball to an open shooter.
Jaylen Shippen Jaylen Shippen 6'2" | PG Lower Merion | 2022 State PA – 6’3” / Senior / Lower Merion / JohnJay Spartans / Combo Guard: Shippen (6.8 ppg & 4 apg. in 2020-21) is a bouncy and long athlete who boasts a reputation as a playmaker with the ability to find open teammates. But make no mistake about it, this 2022 prospect is very capable of getting buckets for the Aces. He proved that again at the Big 64 Showcase by scoring 32 points across two games. Shippen is not LM’s primary 3-point shooter, but he was an impressive 5/10 from behind the arc on Sunday. Additionally, he scored the ball in transition where despite his wiry frame, he is fearless on his way to the tin. As a bonus to his offensive skills, Shippen is an excellent defender
Caleb Zavertnik – 6’4” / Sophomore / Pope John Paul II / Eastern PA Elite / Wing: At the Big 64 Showcase, PJP was missing a couple key players, so Zavertnik stepped into the starting five ad played well. Offensively Zavertnik is an excellent three-point shooter who plays mostly as a pick-n-pop guy / floor spacer. Still, he has respectable versatility to his game and can attack out of control closeouts with a ball fake and then a dribble drive. Zavertnik will even post up from time to time. This 2024 wing appears to have a solid basketball IQ as well. Zavertnik should see minutes for PJP this winter as a scoring punch off the bench. Once he adds muscle to his frame and improves his rebounding as well as his defense, Zavertnik will be a tremendous prospect.