City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The April live periods have come and gone, with Division I coaches spending the last two weekends getting out on the road to see hundreds of high school prospects at events in New York City, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas and more.

Here’s a look at some of the area’s major AAU programs’ oldest (17U) squads and how the first two major weekends of their summers went:

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Jersey Shore Warriors (Elevate Hoops/Hoop Group)

It’s been a good two weekends for the Warriors, who went 12-0 in the two live periods, taking home the Elevate Hoops’ Spring Showdown and Hoop Group Pitt Jam Fest titles along the way. And that success has resulted in a bunch of new offers for several players on the roster: Spring Grove (Pa.) 2017 G Eli Brooks picked up his first high-major (Kansas State) and now boasts 13 offers; Archbishop Carroll (Pa.) 2016 G Ryan Daly picked up Holy Cross, Morgan State, Niagara and NJIT; Parkland 2017 F Sam Iorio (Pa.) is up to six offers now after Brown and New Hampshire extended scholarship opportunities.

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K-Low Elite (Adidas Gauntlet)

The team formerly known as Team Philly is off to a solid start on the Adidas circuit, going 6-2 through the first two events in Dallas and then Atlanta. Their best win so far was a 52-50 victory over a talented Indiana Elite squad to end the Atlanta session, and they should be safely in the field for July’s gauntlet championships in South Carolina in July. Leading the way in the scoring column has been Imhotep Charter 2017 wing Koby Thomas at around 16 ppg, and he’s picked up offers from Rider, Duquesne and Saint Louis over the last few days. Also playing well has been Mastery North wing/forward Daeqwan Plowden (11.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), who’s been offered by NJIT, Fairfield and New Hampshire--his first three D-I offers. Archbishop Ryan wing Izaiah Brockington also got his first two offers: NJIT and Coppin State.

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Philly Pride (Under Armour)

It’s been an interesting two weekends for Philly Pride, which didn’t play a single game within single digits before a 77-75 loss to KC Run GMC left its record at an even 4-4 through two events. They’re still tied for the eighth spot in the “Hungry” division, meaning with a solid showing in Los Angeles in May they’ll be able to qualify for the finals in Atlanta this July. High-major 2017 target David Beatty (13.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) has led a rather balanced group, but he was especially strong in Indianapolis this past weekend, averaging 16.8 ppg. Six other players are averaging 5.0 ppg or more, including LaPri McCray-Pace (10.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Jaquan Arrington (7.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg).

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South Jersey Jazz (Under Armour)

One of the most pleasant surprises on the UAA circuit has been this group, coached by former La Salle star and NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler. The Jazz went 2-10 on the 16U circuit last year but bettered that with three wins in the opening weekend, cooling off somewhat to a 2-2 mark in Indy. At 5-3, they’re in control of their own destiny but will need to beat some good teams in LA to earn a trip to the July championships. Seton Hall-bound guard Myles Cale has provided the scoring punch at 20.9 ppg, second-best in the entire 17U circuit, and his Appoquinimink (Del.) teammate Kristian Alexander, a 6-5 wing, has been a great addition at 10.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg; six other players are chipping in right around five points per contest.

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Team Final (Nike EYBL)

Led by future high-major 2017 guards Lonnie Walker (18.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), Daron Russell (14.1 ppg, 5.0 apg) and 2018 stud Cameron Reddish (15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Team Final is 6-1 and sitting atop its Division in the EYBL after two events. There are still nine games to be played in the EYBL’s regular season, with events at Boo Williams (Va.) and Suwanee (Ga.) in May, before July’s Peach Jam championships, but so far the only Nike-backed squad in the area is well on its way towards making it there for the 10th time in 11 summers. Walker, who looks like he’ll rival former UConn/NBA forward Donyell Marshall for best player to ever come out of Reading, is staking his claim as one of the best guards in the country, making 51.1 percent of his shots and 48.7 percent of his 3-pointers.

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WeR1 (Under Armour)

Of the three UA-sponsored programs in the CoBL region, WeR1 had the strongest opening two weekends, going 7-1 to sit atop the “Humble” division along with a Team Charlotte squad it beat this past weekend. The nation’s top-ranked point guard, Advanced Prep International (Tex.)’s Trevon Duval, has been as good as advertised (17.2 ppg, 4.6 apg), but they’ve also been getting stellar play from St. Benedict’s (N.J.) big man Bourama Sidibe (10.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Putnam Science (Conn.) 2018 guard Eric Ayala, who’s shooting a nifty 43.3 percent from 3-point range to average 11.8 ppg. They’ve got a tough slate ahead in LA, but shouldn’t have a problem advancing to the UAA championship in July.