CoBL Interstate Shootout: Sunday 2027 standouts

City of Basketball Love hosted its 10th annual Interstate Shootout this past weekend, bringing in over 100 teams from across the Philly tri-state area and beyond. After a productive day taking in the action on Sunday, we'll continue coverage with a recap of several juniors who made noteworthy impacts.    An experienced contributor and now the unquestioned leader of high-octane Abington lineup as an upperclassman, Grasty set the tone from the outset with a dynamic two-way effort at the point of attack in the Ghosts' resounding win over Sterling (NJ). A jet-quick floor general, he was impossible to keep from getting downhill before showing off his developing bounce on multiple explosive dunks. When scoring himself at the rim, he was mixing it up with his smooth 3pt stroke or touching the paint and kicking out to his shooters. On the other end, Grasty shined at the point of an Abington press that forced numerous turnovers and sped up the tempo going the other way. There may not be a more complete and impactful floor general in District 1 this season, with scholarship-level programs looking increasingly likely to come calling before too long.     Lee broke out in a smaller junkyard role last season, but on Sunday showed real progress toward being able to shine under the spotlight of being an offensive focal point. He got started with an emphatic dunk on the first possession of the day, impressing from there while patrolling the paint on both ends with his length, athleticism, motor, and burgeoning skillset. He's always been able to control the rim and backboards, but the junior workhorse showed nice growth on a series of scoring moves via both postups and faceups, even drawing double-teams and hitting open teammates with timely reads. Young for his grade with a D1 physical profile, Lee could be knocking on the door of that level with further steady progress over the next year.     As West Catholic looks to maintain its culture of intense, high-octane play under new coaching leadership, Scott's returning presence and growth at the point of attack looks to be a major key. An experienced starter in the backcourt, Scott is back to help run the show, and he shined in a runaway win on Sunday with his ability to get to downhill at will off the dribble and pester opposing guards on the other end. He heated up early with some easy buckets at the rim, including a "pick six" layup, and displayed his improving perimeter stroke later on while confidently knocking down a trio of catch-and-shoot attempts. While a bit undersized, Scott makes up for in heart, moxie, and toughness. If he can continue to reign in his decisionmaking and limit turnovers, an All-PCL type season and scholarship-level recruitment could be waiting on the horizon.     Another piece of a dynamic multi-pronged Abington backcourt, Pickron caught the eye immediately with his explosiveness and versatility in a utility role. A bursty athlete with a steady bounce in his step, Pickron thrived attacking the cup for a series of acrobatic finishes above the rim. He flashed as a jump shooter off the catch as well but maybe impressed most notably on the defensive end, flying around within the Abington press to force turnovers and create transition scoring chances going the other way. If he can continue to refine his skillset over the next couple years in order to catch up to his instincts and athleticism, Pickron could find his way onto scholarship-level radars with the Ghosts slated to contend within the SOL and District 1.     While South River was sent back to Maryland with a tough setback at the hands of West Catholic (PA), Oxendine was still able to impress with his flair and versatility in the backcourt. A slender wing guard with intriguing athletic flashes, he showed a diverse skillset whether he was navigating traffic off the bounce, knocking down shots from the perimeter, or getting out in transition for athletic finishes. We'll look to see more moving forward of how he fares within structure, as he found most of his success within more wide-open situations, but Oxendine certainly caught the eye with his aggressiveness and natural ability.

City of Basketball Love hosted its 10th annual Interstate Shootout this past weekend, bringing in over 100 teams from across the Philly tri-state area and beyond. After a productive day taking in the action on Sunday, we'll continue coverage with a recap of several juniors who made noteworthy impacts.