City of Basketball Love

By Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports)
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Urban Sports Rescue hosted its boys Unsigned Senior Showcase at Imhotep Charter on Saturday with five games featuring about 90 college prospects. Here are the standouts from the event:

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Sa'ir Alsbrooks (2024 | Math, Civics, & Sciences)
Coming out the gate, Alsbrooks played with an unmatched sense of urgency. He snatched rebounds off the glass then immediately went coast-to-coast, beating everyone down the court for dynamic finishes. As a 6-5 wing, his ability to play off of closeouts made him hard to contain and made his teams better. Alsbrooks stretched the floor too, knocking down triples from the corner and slot. 

Zach Campbell (2024 | Murrell Dobbins)
With his fair share of splash plays, Campbell did a good job operating at different speeds. On more than one occasion, he darted to the paint and effectively read misses coming off the rim for mid-air putbacks. When it was time to be more patient, Campbell relocated to open space for spot up threes and used pump fakes to counter hard closeouts. His offensive highlights were backed up by blocks and steals on defense. 

Naeem Colston (2024 | Samuel Fels)
For a showcase game, Colston had his team connected defensively as if they had multiple practices together. The 6-5 wing called out coverages and assignments to keep everyone solid. Next, he deflected the ball at the point-of-attack and from one-pass-away, before taking it the other way for two points. He literally had a sequence where he got a lay-up and two dunks off of three consecutive turnovers that he forced. 

Hasan Dawson (2024 | Samuel Fels)
Dawson's motor ran extremely hot in the two games he appeared in. He used his hands to disrupt entry passes. Everytime he made a play on defense or got a defensive rebound, he made an outlet pass then hustled up the floor and was rewarded with a transition bucket. Dawson dunked every chance he got, but he finished below the rim in the halfcourt on putbacks and post ups, as well as hit a mid-range jumper. 

Jabrelle Dennison (2024 | Simon Gratz)
Dennison was quite literally everywhere. On defense, he generated deflections, steals, and blocks with his constant activity. Those plus his defensive rebounds resulted in transition dunks for him and his squads. On the other end, Dennison outworked everyone for offensive boards. He had several second-chance points and flashed some touch from deep with a couple threes. 

Malachi Montgomery (2024 | Lincoln)
With explosive moves in the halfcourt and on the break, Montgomery zeroed in on the rim. The physical slasher got his man leaning one way with jab steps, then burst into the lane the other way for high-percentage looks. He also used his handle to drive and dish to teammates. When Montgomery had a full head-of-steam, he took flight and threw down some powerful dunks. 

Aaron Nathan (2024 | Harry S. Truman)
Efficient movement skills from Nathan made the difference for him and his team. Whether it was a baseline out-of-bounds play or an entry pass into the post, the 6-7 forward maximized his touches with quick catch-and-finishes off of the glass. And when he needed to create the angle to score himself, Nathan went to his footwork to get the job done. His most impressive play was when he caught the ball in the corner, drove baseline, and made a reverse lay-up around a defender. 

Nasseem Wright (2024 | Math, Civics, & Sciences)
Wright made a living by getting to the rack and the free throw line. Without dominating the ball, he got himself involved by cutting when someone else drove and by setting ball-screens. This allowed him to attack open space and get the ball in advantageous spots near the hoops. With the game tied at 50 with under a minute left, Wright beat his man off-the-bounce, drew a foul at the cup, and made the two foul shots to take the lead. Then, on the following defensive possession, he stole the ball, got fouled, and again made both shots to secure the victory. 

Honorable Mention

Xavion Ayala (2024 | Leap Academy), Jon Clark (2024 | Rocktop Academy), Ameen Conway (Philadelphia E&T), Abdrahaman Coulibaly (2024 | West Philly), Jahsir Dean (2024 | Early College, Del.), Eli Ephraim (2024 | The Heights School, M.D.), Darius Frazier (2024 | Hill Friedman), Kendall McCray (2024 | Constitution), Damon Rawls (2024 | Abington), Luis Torres (2024 | Phil-Mont Christian), Jasir Walker