City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The first CoBL Underclassman Exposure Camp of 2017 hit USciences on Saturday, as about six dozen talented youngsters took to the courts to showcase their abilities in front of the CoBL staff and more.

Here are our standouts from the day of drills and games:

Gary Francis (2019/Pennsbury)
Francis had no trouble finding a rhythm in today’s set of games. With the guards penetrating and kicking Francis the ball at the top of the key, Francis had no problem connecting on several from downtown. Francis was easily one of the best scorers, scoring as high as 28 points at today’s camp, setting up his driving opportunities with pump fakes at the three. The rising junior has a fluid offensive game and will be looked upon to be one of the go-to scorers for Pennsbury in their coming season.

Bo Furey-Bastian (2019/Unionville)
The 6-foot-1 guard showed a variety of offensive abilities during his games Saturday, including a multitude of athletic finishes. Furey-Bastian flashed a consistent ability to shoot mid-range jumpers and displayed a clean quick release on the perimeter. He also showed impressive court vision, passing ability and ball-handling skills in a strong frame. Defensively, the rising junior did a great job of staying in front of his man, and didn’t hesitate to crash the boards when necessary. Certainly one of the bigger surprises of the entire camp.

Jordan Hall (2020/Middle Township)
Hall showed off an impressive outside shot throughout the afternoon, hitting shots from all around the court and creating for himself on numerous occasions. While he had a tendency to lose focus in off-ball defense situations, the 6-foot-3 guard made up for it with his efforts on the glass. Hall could serve to develop more of a distributing ability, but certainly proved that he knows how to put the ball in the basket on his own; as his handle gets tighter, he’ll become a more effective creator and thus better all-around guard.

Will Howard (2020/Downingtown West)
At 6-foot-5, the rising sophomore put a strong all-around game on display Saturday on both ends of the floor. Offensively, Howard knocked down several mid-range shots while scoring off the dribble and through contact throughout the afternoon; he made up for a lack of speed with a strong first step. On the other end, the forward protected the rim well with a few disrupted and blocked shots, played tight on-ball defense and fought hard on the glass. Additionally, Howard showed some range on a few occasions with a decent perimeter shot.

Christian Ings (2019/Neumann-Goretti)
Perhaps the best sophomore guard in Philadelphia, Ings showed why today at USciences, exploding for 28 points in his first game before following that up with a 16-point performance. Standing at 6-foot-3 with explosive athleticism and a slick handle, he was able to get to the rim seemingly at will where he made a variety of acrobatic finishes. While Ings had previously been a bit more of an athlete than he was a basketball player, it was clear today that his skillset is starting to catch up to his physical gifts, which should spell trouble for the rest of the Catholic League.

Caleb Mims (2020/Freedom)
One of the most active and disruptive defenders at the camp, Mims made his presence felt harassing ball-handlers on the fast break and cutting off passing lanes. The rising sophomore was constantly in motion most noticeably on the defensive end, but his motor on the offensive side of the ball allowed him on a few occasions to showcase a smooth outside shot. Currently listed at 5-foot-9, certainly has the intangibles and room to grow into a solid prospect at the guard position.

Taj Montgomery (2020/Roman Catholic)
The rising sophomore at Roman had a good day, using his speed to blow past defenders on his way to the rim; he also knocked down a few pull-up jumpers and spot-up 3s, with a shoulder-launched shot that flew high and true. Though he is certainly not the biggest guard out there at a stout 5-8 and 155 pounds, Montgomery carried himself with a sort of toughness that allows him to play bigger than his size. Montgomery showed that teams can run an offense through him, while also showing he was willing to defend and communicate on that end of the floor.

Allen Powell (2019/La Salle College HS)
The most productive scorer on the day was easily the Explorers’ rising junior, who scored at least 20 points in all three games on the afternoon. An undersized guard as an underclassman, who saw spare minutes as a sophomore backing up Jarrod Stukes, he looks ready to take over lead guard duties, filling nicely into his 5-10 frame. Powell showed the ability to score at all three levels, especially in the mid-range. Powell maintained a consistent shooting stroke throughout the day to go with his solid offensive skillset. Powell will be looked at to run the Explorers offense next season.

Jaquill Stone (2019/Archbishop Ryan)
One of two sophomore guards the Raiders will count on heavily as juniors -- Amin Bryant is the other -- following the graduation of prep-school-bound Brockington, is starting to play like a lead guard should in the Philadelphia Catholic League. The slender-but-strong 6-foot guard has an extra gear most guards can't match, and he delights in bothering his man defensively with quick hands and feet. Still better off the bounce than putting the ball in the air, but getting better at knocking it in from deep.

Chance Westry (2022/St. Theresa)
Westry was one of three current 7th graders who took part in the camp, but he showed he was fearless in taking on kids who were two or three years older. For a player his age, he has a tremendous understanding of proper floor spacing, and directed his team’s offense well whenever the ball was in his hands; he barely scored in his team’s three games, but was his team’s most valuable offensive player for his ability to affect the defense and create shots. Westry was active on the defensive end, getting in the passing lanes, which should carry him a long way as he gets taller with age.

Ke’Shawn Williams (2020/SCH Academy)
One thing that Williams did a lot of today was run. After a missed shot opportunity on the defensive end, Williams was right there filling in the wing on the fast break or getting the outlet pass to push the ball down the court. Williams turned these opportunities into an easy two points on multiple occasions, scoring as high as 22 points on the afternoon. The rising sophomore has a great quickness to his game which helps him get by his opponent and finish at the rim.

Jeff Woodward (2020/Methacton)
The biggest body at the camp, Woodward (6-8, 230) was also one of its most impressive prospects. Methacton's starting center as a freshman, Woodward has a solid frame from top to bottom, and he's clearly developing a strong foundation in his game on both ends. Defensively, he was able to guard bigs and wings, doing an excellent job of making himself low and wide on the perimeter but tall inside, stuffing quite a few shots and grabbing a number of boards. Offensively, he's got the ability to score within 10 feet, but gets most of his production on put-backs and dump-offs at the moment.

Honorable Mentions: Will Bowen (2019/Lower Dauphin), Aidan Carroll (2020/Penncrest), Logan Collins (2019/Littlestown Area), Colin Connor (2020/Pennsbury), Brett Eberly (2020/Methacton) Benjamin Heess (2020/Avon Grove), Joe Glenn (2020/Holy Spirit), Xavier Jones (2020/William Allen), Gideon MacKenzie (2020/Innovative Arts Charter), Dmaio Massey (2020/Bartram), John McNeil (2021/Harrisburg), Malik Mims (2020/Freedom HS), Rey Sierra (2020/Franklin Learning Center), Jarod Thompson (2019/Bishop McDevitt), Justice Williams (2022/St. Francis Cabrini), Malachi Williams (2020/Ridley),