Early July SEPA Grassroots Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the last six days grassroots teams from the SEPA region traveled all over the country to participate in marquee events that featured fierce competition. Of course, the sidelines at those tournaments were filled with college coaches taking in all the action and making notes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is a review of several grassroots teams from southeastern Pennsylvania (and beyond) who made serious noise on the circuits over the last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>17U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Down in Atlanta this talented [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] team posted a 4-3 record at the UAA Finals. They were eliminated from the tourney in the Round of 16 by Arizona Select. Along the way [program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] 17s received contributions from everyone, but the efforts of stretch-4 [player_tooltip player_id='1281777' first='Greg' last='Guidinger'], shooting guard Jermai Stewart-Herring, point guard Izaiah Pasha and big man [player_tooltip player_id='1153953' first='Luke' last='Bevilacqua'] were extraordinarily impressive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final'] EYBL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TF 17s came up short on their goal of winning the 2023 Peach Jam. They finished with a 4-2 record, losing in the quarterfinals. [player_tooltip player_id='1189096' first='Jalil' last='Bethea'] continued to prove he is one of the top 2024 players in the country. Combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1281786' first='Ahmad' last='Nowell'] averaged 6 dimes per game, showing once again that his versatility is underrated. Georgetown commit [player_tooltip player_id='1213553' first='Thomas' last='Sorber'] was a force on the interior. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MPB 17s ran the table at the AC Jam Fest. They defeated Red Rush Ontario in the championship game of their “Platinum Division” bracket. [player_tooltip player_id='1477735' first='Naeem' last='Colston'] posted three double-doubles before getting injured. [player_tooltip player_id='1678657' first='Nate' last='Townsend'] was a beast all tourney and posted his own double-double in the championship game. [player_tooltip player_id='1477751' first='Emeer' last='Coombs'] provided extraordinary point guard play throughout. [player_tooltip player_id='1990916' first='Anthony' last='Lily'] assembled an excellent stretch of games as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>16U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brad Wannamaker Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the Hoop Group Summer Jam Fest, BW Elite 16s lost in the 16U HGSL Championship game to Middlesex Magic (MA). The squad received tremendous wing play [player_tooltip player_id='1188626' first='Keon' last='Mtume-Long'], [player_tooltip player_id='1466558' first='Brandon' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1850270' first='Abdurahman' last='Coulibaly']. Floor general [player_tooltip player_id='1486773' first='Saaid' last='Lee'] ran the show at a high level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final'] E16</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TF16s added another piece to their trophy case by winning their “Platinum Pool” at the Atlantic City Jam Fest. This squad then went 2-1 at the Summer Jam Fest (Manheim, PA), losing in the semifinals. Combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1382983' first='Deuce' last='Maxey'], shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1136565' first='Jake' last='West'] and 6'7” forward Khalid Ousmane did the bulk of the damage for [program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2078697' first='Philly' last='Pride'] 16s produced a 5-2 record at UAA Finals in Atlanta, Georgia. The backcourt trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1197608' first='Kevair' last='Kennedy'], [player_tooltip player_id='1460771' first='Jacob' last='Nguyen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1383005' first='Cameron' last='Wallace'] made major contributions. Stretch-4 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1379429' first='Donovan' last='Fromhartz'] continued to impress. Bigs [player_tooltip player_id='1118630' first='Nelson' last='Lamizana'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1865346' first='Nigel' last='Pierman'] produced on the big stage too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Philly Revolution</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rev's 16s registered a 3-1 record at the AC Jam Fest. The team's only loss came in semifinals of their “Platinum Division” elimination bracket to eventual tourney champion [program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final']. Forward [player_tooltip player_id='1865294' first='Cameron' last='Smith'], wing [player_tooltip player_id='1197606' first='Kevin' last='Beck'], shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1865350' first='Luke' last='Melniczak'] and combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1279655' first='Michael' last='Green'] grabbed the attention of college coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>We R1 UAA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We R1's top 16u team had a tremendous run down in Atlanta. They assembled a 4-1 record at the UAA Finals. We R1 16s only loss came in the semifinals to eventual champion Team Thrill. The team received fantastic guard play from [player_tooltip player_id='1187873' first='Gabriel' last='Tanner'] and Robbie Johnson. The Sanford HS (DE) duo of Tommy Vaughn and Jayden Taylor also turned heads. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>York Ballers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This underrated YB group racked up a 4-1 record at the AC Jam Fest. Their only loss was to the above-mentioned [program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final'] squad in their division title game. Power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1287318' first='Carter' last='Wamsley'], center [player_tooltip player_id='1271440' first='Ben' last='Rill'] and elusive point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2047667' first='JoJo' last='Woodyard'] led the way. Going forward Azmir Ludvig is a prospect to watch closely. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>15U</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final'] Red E15</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TFR's youngest EYBL squad won their pool championship at the AC Jam Fest (NJ). They followed that up by making a run to the title game at the Summer Jam Fest (Manheim, PA) where they lost to NJ Scholars EYBL. Over the two events, this TF group recorded a 7-1 record. The backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='1611931' first='Kody' last='Colson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1411663' first='Torrey' last='Brooks'] was stellar across the two tourneys. [player_tooltip player_id='1576722' first='Kingston' last='Wheatley'] was outstanding as well. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PA Coalition</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This PAC team survived a brutal schedule to capture their AC Jam Fest “Platinum Division” hardware down in Atlantic City. Scoring guard [player_tooltip player_id='1890473' first='Reece' last='Brown'], combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1454311' first='Jelani' last='Easter'], slasher wing [player_tooltip player_id='1454310' first='Alijah' last='Cooper'] and small forward Hayden Lay all boosted their recruiting stock. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Philly Revolution</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philly Rev's 15u team lost in semifinals of their AC Jam Fest “Platinum Division” bracket. They shook off that loss quickly and went 3-1 at Summer Jam Fest. Their only loss out at Spooky Nook came in the HGSL Championship game. The play of combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1888864' first='Owen' last='Kelly'], point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1888851' first='Kobe' last='Bazemore'] and wing [player_tooltip player_id='2121579' first='Brian' last='Donahue'] stood out. As the July circuit continues, keep an eye on guard [player_tooltip player_id='2525533' first='Rocco' last='Westfield'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PMT Warriors</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was strong showing by PMT 15s over the last five days. First the team went 3-1 at the AC Jam Fest, losing in semifinals of their “Platinum Division” bracket. Then out at the Spooky Nook facility, PMT 15s ran up a 4-0 record and brought home their Summer Jam Fest division title. Stock rising guard [player_tooltip player_id='2400185' first='Dawson' last='Brown'], small forward Joe Terreri and wing [player_tooltip player_id='1588135' first='Kingston' last='McKoy'] led the way for PMT during this recent stretch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->