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Philly Live I: Day One Standouts (June 17, 2022)

06/18/2022, 1:00am EDT
By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

The first weekend of Philly Live 2022 tipped off Friday at Jefferson University, with all four courts going from 12 PM until well into the evening. The CoBL staff was on hand for every set, checking out a mix of some of the area’s local talent as well as some teams from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond who came to town to show off their stuff in front of dozens upon dozens of college coaches, from Division I through Division III and more. 

Here’s several prospects who played well in front of CoBL’s staff during Friday’s action; click here for coverage of some area high school teams


Rahmir Barno (above) picked up an offer from Rider on Friday night after a strong game against Bergen Catholic. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rahmir Barno (2023 | Imhotep Charter, Pa)
In a matchup of two heavyweight programs between Imhotep and Bergen Catholic, the 6-0 Barno found a way to stand out. Barno is an uber-athletic guard who is a blur in the open court. He was using his speed and tight handle to get by defenders and get into the lane to create for himself and his teammates against high-level competition all afternoon. The rising senior who holds offers from Virginia Tech, VCU, and Temple amongst others picked up an offer from Rider Friday night. Barno is one of the best on-ball defenders in the area and is a constant pest on that end of the floor.  

Dylan Blair (2023 | Downingtown West, Pa.)
In Downingtown West’s 86-61 loss against Father Judge, Blair was nearly unstoppable on the offensive end. He finished with a game-high 27 points, including 16 in the second half. Blair, a 5-11 guard, knocked down four 3s, three coming in the second half. He also did a good job scoring inside and getting to the free-throw line, making seven of his eight attempts at the charity stripe. Blair is on the hunt for his first Division I scholarship offer, and a few more outings like that one will help him get close.

Terry Copeland (2024 | Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
Copeland is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. The 6-9 forward is at least a solid 225 pounds and it’s seemingly all muscle, and even against an Imhotep squad that was seemingly throwing the entire roster at him, Copeland was still able to pile up a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double, with a few blocks in there for good measure. Copeland does a great job of establishing position on the low block and has strong touch around the rim, making five of his six two-point attempts and missing his only 3-point shot. He’s certainly looking like a no-brainer high-major post, with Big East offers already in his pocket. 

Sean Curley (2023 | Neshaminy, Pa.)
While he doesn’t have eye-popping athleticism, Curley is a very savvy and efficient player on the court. In a close loss to SLA Beeber Friday afternoon, Curley put his full offensive arsenal on display. He was able to score from all three levels and get to his spot on the offensive end of the floor. Curley showed the ability to create his own shot and was able to play off two feet in a controlled manner, allowing him to use a nice reverse pivot move a few times for a midrange jumpshot. The rising senior averaged 13 ppg during his junior season and looks poised to be one of the top players in the Suburban One this winter. 

Justin Edwards (2023 | Imhotep Charter, Pa.)
Edwards is one of those players who you can almost pencil in to be on this list if we’re watching, because he hasn’t had many bad showings in front of our staff over the last year-plus. The five-star 6-7 wing has so many tools that he brings to the table, but he’s well-coached and generally plays within himself, almost to the point where sometimes you want him to be more aggressive — and then he’ll rise up and throw down on someone. Edwards gets smoother and smoother with the ball every time we see him, and his pull-up jumper has come a long way in the last couple months. His 15-point, four-rebound, three-assist effort against Bergen Catholic almost seemed too easy.

Preston Fowler (2025 | East Catholic, Conn.)
Going up against Salesianum (Del.), Fowler, who is just a rising sophomore, had an all around strong performance on both ends. The 6-7 wing/forward scored at least 16 points, while showing off his range by making at least two 3s. Fowler didn’t do all of his work on the outside, though. He was able to get to the basket and make his presence felt down low. On the defensive end, he made his presence felt, blocking at least three shots in his team’s blowout 65-50 victory.

Joe Giordano (2023 | Central Bucks East, Pa.)
Giordano was the motor behind the Patriots’ 58-47 win over Timber Creek, coming up with a game-high 19 points on an efficient and effective night from the floor. The 6-0 guard provided great energy on the defensive end, coming up with a good handful of steals thanks to his on-ball pressure against a good TC backcourt, and did a good job of getting the ball ahead on the break to teammates. He also displayed a good outside shot, a floater, and a pull-up jumper or two along with a couple takes to the rim, and was good on all of his foul shots. A strong student, Giordano said he’s still waiting to hear from college coaches. 

Chidi Nwigwe (2026 | Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
Nwigwe didn’t have the most outstanding overall performance that we saw on Friday, finishing with a modest five points and four rebounds in Bergen’s close loss to Imhotep. But there’s no doubt that he was an eye-opener, a 6-7 wing who’s only an incoming freshman for Billy Armstrong’s program. Yet to play a high school game, Nwigwe came off the bench for the Crusaders but earned a bulk of the minutes, showing an intriguing mix of ball-handling and playmaking ability, plus knocking down a 3-pointer and hitting a pair at the line. There’s a lot of upside there, for sure, and he’s not the only impressive young prospect on the Bergen roster.


Kevin Rucker Jr. (above) went for 29 points in Chester's win over Constitution, getting to the rim in a variety of ways. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Kevin Rucker (2024 | Chester, Pa.)
Rucker had the highest scoring total we saw on Saturday, with a 29-point effort against Conestoga in a runaway win for the Clippers. A 6-4 guard with length, Rucker plays something of a swing role for a somewhat-undersized Chester squad, doing a decent bit of posting up and working in the high post. But he’s a natural wing guard who plays best facing up, where he can get into the lane and hit mid-range jumpers or get to the rim. Rucker’s going to have to shoulder a much bigger scoring load for Chester next year, and he looks ready to do it. 

Mazen Sayed (2023 | Chichester, Pa.)
One of four key seniors on a Chichester roster looking to build off of their first ever PIAA state playoff berth, Sayed drives the car for the Eagles’ offense. In an 80-70 victory over North Penn, Sayed dropped in 18 points and also contributed several eye popping paases. Chichester plays at an uptempo pace and Sayed was leading the break all afternoon. He uses his eyes well to fool defenders before firing passes to his streaking teammates. Sayed also was able to use crafty moves to get to the bucket and finish in traffic throughout the contest. 

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Honorable Mention
Brandon Benjamin (2024 | Bergen Catholic, N.J.), Kyle Berndt (2023 | Central Bucks East, Pa.), Laquan Byrd (2024 | Father Judge, Pa.) Brady Eagan (2023 | Bonner Prendie, Pa.) Ahkir Keys (2023 | Chichester, Pa), Hunter Johnson (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara, Pa.), Nayeem Johnson (2023 | MCS), James Jones (2023 | East Catholic, Conn.), Kyree Latimer (2024 | Constitution, Pa.), Haron Morgan (2023 | Mastery North, Pa.), Antonio Morris (2024 | Bensalem, Pa.), Ben Robinson (2025 | Conestoga, Pa.), Googie Seidman (2023 | Haverford HS, Pa.), Amir Speights (2024 | Constitution, Pa.), Bryan Warren (2023 | Timber Creek, N.J.), Brian Wiener (2023 | Haverford HS, Pa.), Vince Wildrick (2023 | Chichester, Pa), Kyree Womack (2024 | Chester, Pa.)


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