Team Final EYBL 15U: Team Preview

Chad Graham April 1, 2024 @ 06:21 PM

The premier grassroots program in the Philadelphia area is officially back and ready to take on the EYBL circuit. Putting together 15U rosters is hard, but the program managed to assemble a talented group who all can play with or without the ball. Here's an overview of Coach John Brennan's “Iron 8”:   After starting the entire season for the Friars, [player_tooltip player_id='1406896' first='Marvin' last='Reed'] (5'10 Malvern Prep ) will use his maturity and battle experience to be the tip of the spear for this 2027 team. Not only can Reed use his speed to lock down ball-handlers and to get wherever he wants on the floor, he can shoot off-the-catch as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1406790' first='Patrese' last='Feamster'] (6'3 Friends Central) and [player_tooltip player_id='2398422' first='Korey' last='Francis'] (6'2 Bonner-Prendie) are the other guards on the roster. Having been a go-to scorer for the Friends League runner-up, Feamster can be a shooting specialist on the move or get to his spots off-the-bounce. Francis, the first man off the bench for Bonner, is an all-around hooper. He can be a connector — defending stronger guards and providing secondary playmaking — and/or moonlight as a primary initiator.   Final has a rangy crop of wings who can slide up or down the lineup. [player_tooltip player_id='2194375' first='Nick' last='Harken'] (6'4 Malvern Prep) is a physical defender who can push around wings and smaller bigs, in addition to being a great rebounder and capable shooter. [player_tooltip player_id='2364681' first='Marquis' last='Newson'] (6'5 Sanford School) has the tools and talent to carry heavy usage as a perimeter scorer and even scale down his game to focus on off-ball defense and spacing the floor. With the ability to jump out the gym, [player_tooltip player_id='1962882' first='Mekhi' last='Robertson'] (6'3 Life Center) plays bigger than he is. Robertson can and will fly around wreaking havoc on defense, while finishing plays above the rim and knocking down the deep ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='2397565' first='Daniel' last='Gilhool'] (6'10 Elizabethtown) and [player_tooltip player_id='2397578' first='Jaydn' last='Jenkins'] (6'8 Archbishop Wood) should have somewhat of a breakout grassroots season, while holding down the painted area. As a legit stretch five, Gilhool is one of PA's best kept secrets, despite his older brother Matt being a HM prospect. And Jenkins was tucked away on JV, but he's a rangy forward who can add some rim-running.

The premier grassroots program in the Philadelphia area is officially back and ready to take on the EYBL circuit. Putting together 15U rosters is hard, but the program managed to assemble a talented group who all can play with or without the ball. Here's an overview of Coach John Brennan's “Iron 8”: