City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The second CoBL College Exposure Camp of the season took place on Sunday, with 100 area high school juniors and seniors coming to Philadelphia University for six hours of basketball instruction and games under the guidance of Division III coaches.

Here are some juniors who really elevated their games this weekend:

Michael Buckmire (G/Germantown Friends)
Buckmire showed a little bit of everything in the three games he played. The 6-0 junior knocked down multiple catch and shoot threes and stood out on the defensive end throughout the afternoon. Numerous time, Buckmire used his long arms to poke the ball free from whoever he was guarding, triggering a breakaway or a two-on-one situation. Buckmire did a superb job of hounding players once they picked their dribble and he generated more than one five second call. If Buckmire can add more to his offensive game, he will certainly be a player to keep an eye on.

Matt Carson (SG/Downingtown West)
An athletic 6-4 guard, Carson has had a tough time finding a way to get his name out on a Whippets team that features two Division I commits and two other scholarship college players, but this could be the year that he starts getting some attention. A solid outside shooter who loves to spot up from the wings, Carson has the ability to finish at the rim in transition. If he can really work on his ball-handling ability and strength and develop a one-dribble pull-up as well as continued work on the defensive end, he could be a scholarship player of his own by this time next year.

Conner Delaney (G/Episcopal Academy)
Despite his commitment to Villanova for lacrosse, Delaney’s still very much working on his basketball abilities, as proven yesterday. The 6-1 combo guard has a solid body and is tough to be pushed off the ball defensively, and he’s got good court vision to boot. Though he wasn’t really called upon to show off his scoring touch too often on Sunday, he did show that he can get rolling, scoring 10 points alone in the second half of his final game of the day, including a pair of 3-pointers. How much basketball is in his future remains to be seen, but he clearly has talent to play collegiately.

Dawson Grinnage (SG/Hodgson Vo-Tech)
At 6-5, Grinnage has an athletic, physical build, and the junior showed an intriguing skillset throughout the day. While he is still fairly raw, Grinnage played with exceptional energy, talking on defense, and wasting no time on offense. He consistently attacked the basket, using his powerful frame to go right at defenders. Occasionally he got out of control, but more often than not he drove in a balanced, calculated manner. He did most of his work near the basket and his jumper needs some work but if he can put it all together, he has the size and athleticism to be an extremely good player.

Dylan Higgins (SF/Bonner-Prendergast)
A versatile, 6-4 wing, Higgins stood out for his two-way play both in terms of offense and defense as well as his ability inside the post and out on the perimeter. Quite a few coaches comment on the Bonner junior’s toughness, as he wasn’t afraid to go down and fight for rebounds with players quite a few inches taller than he, and won a few of those battles as well. His best offensive performance came in the third game of the afternoon, when he had nine points, including a smooth rhythm 3-pointer that showed off his decent form.

Justin Jaworski (G/Perkiomen Valley)
Jaworski showed his ability to shoot from long distance consistently throughout the day. He did a good job of working off of screens and spacing on fast breaks to get himself open to shoot, and wasn’t afraid to dive on the floor and fight for loose balls. While he needs to continue to improve on the defensive end, Jaworski will give Perkiomen Valley a consistent threat from deep this season who can also get to the line and make his teammates better around him.

Christian Lane (PG/Bonner-Prendergast)
Running the point on a team where the players do not know each other too well is no small task, but Lane often made it look easy Sunday. The 5-10 junior from Bonner-Prendergast gave a well-rounded effort in his team’s three games, distributing the ball, playing defense and getting points when he could. Even as one of the smaller players in the camp, Lane was composed with the ball and made his team run smoothly, and he wasn’t afraid to get up in the face of the player he was guarding and bother them with his quick hands and feet.

Ethan Norton (G/Hill School)
The younger brother of recent Hill grad Sam Norton, Ethan brings to the floor many of the same qualities as his older brother, a combo guard with a sweet outside shot. Though they’re listed at the same size (6-2, 170), Ethan certainly looks like he’s quickly growing bigger than his older brother, and used that size to his advantage to see over defenders and make the smart play. Sam ended up walking on at Division I Loyola (Md.) over several Division II and Division III looks; if he ends up at 6-4 or 6-5, Ethan might not need to walk on to play at that level.

Jack O’Connell (SF/Episcopal Academy)
Despite only scoring 12 points over the course of the day, O’Connell displayed an ability to get open on the perimeter and then get off a quick release before the defense closed back in on him. He was able to hit a couple of threes from the corner using that quick release, and even though he needs to continue to improve his foot speed if he wants to play the wing at the next level, O’Connell’s size and shooting ability makes him an interesting prospect to look at.

Cole Storm (G/Germantown Academy)
Despite being on the smaller side for a combo guard, Storm was able to use his shiftiness and overall athleticism to get into the lane at will. When splitting defenders, the 6-foot-tall Storm showed an excellent left-handed floater, which he used to his advantage often, and his slick spin move for a layup was one of the highlight plays of the afternoon. He was able to find the open player at all times and had the ability to pass on the move with either hand. On the defensive end of the floor, Storm was quick to hit the floor and come up with any hustle plays necessary to help his team win.

Billy Warren (F/Neshaminy)
There weren’t too many younger post players at the camp, but Warren managed to make his presence felt against some older forwards. The 6-7 post did a good job of establishing position in the post and his guards fed him when he had, with a steady right hook shot that he utilized a few times. Warren also has the ability to face up with a soft touch from about 15 feet, and he wasn’t afraid to bang bodies in the post and fight for rebounds. If he can continue to expand his shooting range, he will be a coveted stretch-forward next year at the D-II and D-III level.