City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Archbishop Ryan played host to the inaugural CoBL Tip-Off Showcase on Friday night, with a trio of Catholic League squads taking on three public schools, including two from the Philadelphia Public League and a visitor from the ‘burbs. 

It was a terrific trio of games in front of a packed house, with energy flowing throughout Ryan’s South Gymnasium for the return of spectators at high school hoops after COVID kept most people away during the shortened 2021 season. 

CoBL Tip-Off Showcase Results
Father Judge 72, Engineering & Sciences 64
West Catholic 72, Abraham Lincoln 62
Archbishop Ryan 69, Downingtown West 43

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff on Friday night:

Isaac Cole (Fr./West Catholic)
With Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui and Zion Stanford out, Miguel Bocachica needed to lean into his bench a little more than he may have planned on in Friday night’s season opener, but Cole provided a much needed spark, particularly when the Burrs were trailing. The 6-5 freshman guard hit the biggest shot of the game to that point when he nailed a corner 3-pointer to give West Catholic a two-point lead with 1:39 left in the third quarter. He drilled two more treys in the final quarter, the latter of which led to West Catholic’s final run to put the Railsplitters away. On a team loaded with versatile guards, Cole, who finished with nine points, made a name for himself in his debut and that bodes well for him and the Burrs moving forward.

Denzel Figueroa (Sr./Engineering & Sciences)
The Engineers are going to rely heavily on Figueroa, and his presence on the court was obvious in the opening game: when Figueora was playing, E&S was in front, going up by eight early in the fourth quarter; then, when cramps took him out for the last stretch, Judge was able to turn the tide and come out with the win. A 6-5 forward, Figueroa had 20 points, 13 rebounds and three steals, plus a few assists in the mix, doing most of his damage attacking the rim from the top of the key, though he also knocked down a 3-pointer to show his face-up range. Long, versatile and athletic, Figueroa’s going to have a ton of small-college attention this season.

Jalen Flowers (Sr./Father Judge)
Judge trailed for most of the opening game against E&S, and they certainly wouldn’t have made their fourth-quarter comeback were it not for Flowers. The 6-2 senior guard scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter alone, with his 3-pointer followed by a steal and a layup putting Judge in front by five in the closing minutes, another steal helping them stay in front. Flowers ended up hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the game, part of a strong overall barrage from deep by the Crusaders, who made Chris Roantree a winner in his head coaching debut. After averaging a tick over 5 points as a junior, this was a significant step forward for Flowers.

Nasir Griffin (Sr./West Catholic)
The East Stroudsburg commit made one basket after the next during a stretch where the rest of the Burrs lineup couldn’t buy a basket. The 6-7 senior forward finished with a team-high 17 points and corralled seven rebounds. All of his points in the second half were 3-pointers with the last one putting West Catholic up, 57-52 and moving the momentum back to his side. Griffin has been a member of the Burrs rotation since his freshman season and he was not afraid of the moment in front of a raucous crowd that had not been seen in nearly two years. His confidence grew over the course of the game and it should continue his senior season rolls on.

Jaden Murray (Soph./Archbishop Ryan)
Playing behind Aaron Lemon-Warren and Christian Tomasco a season ago, Murray played sparingly on a team that made a run to the PIAA Class 5A title game. The 6-6 sophomore forward showcased the hidden potential that made him part of the rotation last season, tallying nine points and seven rebounds in Ryan’s win. He did a phenomenal job of working the high post, finding teammates for open threes or dumping it down to fellow bigs, like Thomas Sorber. He made his presence felt when he stole the ball from Jake Warren and turned it into a ferocious throwdown. The Raiders were at their best last year when their two starting forwards were in sync (just ask Chester), and if Murray can consistently post a stat line similar to this, they will be in good shape once again.

Thomas Sorber (Soph./Archbishop Ryan)
Sorber (above) does so many little things that big men at his age are just beginning to learn or become comfortable doing. The 6-9 sophomore forward is patient in the post as evidenced by his four-dribble drop set into the lane followed by a smooth sky hook for two. He has soft hands and is confident in his arsenal when he has back to the basket. He does well when sealing his name on the offensive end and had very little resistance when boxing out at the other. He’s turning into a solid rim protector (three blocks), which gives him a lethal combination of size, skill and ability in the middle of Raiders defense. He could be the difference between a short postseason or a deep state tournament run. 

Taimar Stubbs (Sr./Engineering & Sciences)
A 5-10 left-handed guard, Stubbs had his jumper working all night long for E&S, finishing with 21 points in the close loss. A master in the mid-range, Stubbs knew exactly where he wanted to get to on the floor, using a crossover and a head of steam to get a step into the defense, where he knocked down several pull-up jumpers in traffic while drawing contact on several others. Stubbs has great elevation on his jumper, able to hang for just that extra second to avoid a defender or wait to get fouled. Though he was certainly left-hand dominant, it was tough for Judge to stop Stubbs from getting his shot off with a clean look at the rim. 

Aymere Thomas (Sr./Abraham Lincoln)
Thomas was the first player to appreciate having an amped up crowd back. The 6-7 senior lefty finished inside past the Waston twins and made sure they knew about it. He scored nine of his 14 points in the first half. His 3-pointer at the 2:26 mark of the second quarter put the Railsplitters up 27-25. He controlled the glass with seven rebounds, outjumping several West Catholic defenders for huge boards. He made it a point of emphasis to play to the crowd and put Lincoln in the driver seat early in the game.

Aymere Thomas (above) is new to the Lincoln rotation after transferring in from Sankofa Freedom this summer. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Jameer Trout (Jr./Abraham Lincoln)
While Thomas played his game inside or in the corner, Trout came off the bench and delivered three-pointers on his way to 18 points. The 6-3 junior guard hit his first trey with 2:34 left in the opening quarter to give the Railsplitters one-point advantage. He moved well without the ball, putting himself in position to catch immediately off the pass and knock down jumpers. He got hot early with two threes and 12 points in the first 16 minutes. Thinking back on recent Lincoln teams, players like Tyree Corbett and Emeul Charleston were spark plugs off the bench with a knack for lighting it up and Trout could play that very same role.

Kaseem Watson (Sr./West Catholic)
If West Catholic wants to reach its ultimate goal this season, the 2022 class, which has been integral to the program's return to prominence, will have to play with a killer instinct and Watson did that on Friday night. The 6-7 Cal State-Bakersfield commit started his senior campaign off strong with a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds). He chipped in five assists and three steals in an emphatic effort. He found his brother, Kareem for an and-one with 4:09 left to play then hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Burrs an eight-point lead. His vision and assertiveness to find his opportunities were the two biggest facets of his game to stand out in the opener and that could mean bigger things for West Catholic down the road.

Darren Williams (Soph./Archbishop Ryan)
Williams is reminiscent of another Raiders lefty who is having a terrific season at Iowa State. Williams’ game mirrors that of Izaiah Brockington, the former standout who led Archbishop Ryan to the PIAA Class 6A semifinals as a senior. The 6-4 lefty poured in a game-high 16 points to go along with three steals. His first career 3-pointer came on a drive and kick to the corner and he added another trey in the third. He picked the pocket of a Downingtown West player and took it coast to coast for a huge dunk at the other end. The praise Williams has received from head coach Joe Zeglinski this offseason is warranted, and he will be a major key to the Raiders success.

Honorable Mention: Dylan Blair (Jr./Downingtown West), Marcus Branker Jr. (Jr./West Catholic), Adam ‘Budd’ Clark (Jr./West Catholic), Kyle Jones (Jr./Father Judge), Nile Mosby (Jr./Engineering & Sciences), Tearran Peete (Jr./Father Judge), Tamir Powell (Sr./Abraham Lincoln), Aidan Primanti (Sr./Downingtown West), Jake Warren (Jr./Downingtown West)