City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

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The first weekend of Philly Live 2022 continued on Saturday with action taking place on four courts at Jefferson University and three at St. Joe’s Prep. The CoBL staff was on hand all day long 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 Saturday’s action at St. Joe’s Prep:

Alier Maluk (2025 | Imani Christian, Pa.)

It doesn’t take much for Maluk to show why coaches from around the country are already coveting his future services after only one season of high school basketball. The 6-foot-11 forward was impressive in both games Saturday, finishing with 19 points in a win over Scranton Prep. Maluk showed off an impressive offensive arsenal, using his size to score through and over defenders as well as reject/alter shots throughout the day. He even knocked down a jumper over the defense of Executive Education’s 6-foot-10 forward Moustapha Sanoh (more on him later). Maluk won’t be mistaken for a point guard with the ball in his hands, but he wasn’t afraid to start the transition offense or put the ball on the floor to get to the basket. He also  stepped outside to knock down multiple 3s.

Kyle Jones (2023 | Father Judge, Pa.)

Jones was in complete control of both ends of the floor during Judge’s dominating win over Bishop Eustace. He is listed at 6-foot-3 but looks a lot bigger out on the court. He has a pretty looking jumper and creates for himself by knocking shots down off the bounce. Jones showed great court vision and passing ability to set up his teammates for looks. The zip he gets on his passes is next level stuff. Jones was also engaged off-ball defensively, showing a good feel for the court and getting into the passing lanes, which often led to fastbreaks.

Moustapha Sanoh (2023 | Executive Education, Pa.)

Sanoh is somewhat new to basketball, only starting to play as a freshman. The lanky 6-foot-10 big man is proving to be a quick learner, playing well in games against Central York (Pa.) and Imani Christian (Pa.) on Saturday. Sanoh threw down powerful two-handed slams in both games. The lefty looked comfortable posting up and making moves inside, and even knocked down a foul-line jumper to show off some range. Sanoh scored 15 points in the win over Central York, and when the double teams started to come late in the game, he made a few nice passes rather than getting rattled. Matching up against someone of similar stature when he faced Maluk and Imani Christian, Sanoh still more than held his own.

Nick Coval (2024 | Parkland, Pa.)

In Parkland’s 46-25 romp over Holy Spirit, Nick Coval was on fire from three-point range. The 6-foot-2 guard made three 3s in Parkland’s 17-0 run to start off the game and finished with five makes from deep. Coval finished with 19 points, also doing a good job getting to the rim, showing out in front of numerous Division I coaches. A finish late in a win over Central York to close the day’s action would have made the highlight reel for top plays of the day.

Adam ‘Budd’ Clark (2023 | West Catholic, Pa.)

Up by five in the final minutes against Saint Ignatius, Clark took two separate trips to the free throw line, making all four of his attempts to close out West Catholic’s 59-50 win. Clark finished with a game-high 16 points, doing most of his damage at the rim, while also making eight free throws. The 5-10 point guard for the Burrs has an offer from Lafayette heading into his senior year. 

Ace Buckner (2024 | Saint Ignatius, Ohio)

The long trip from Ohio was worth it for Buckner, who already came into Saturday with offers from George Mason, Albany and Cleveland State. In the closing minutes of Saint Ignatius’ 63-56 win over St. Joe’s Prep, Buckner came up clutch, knocking down a 3 to put the Wildcats up by three and made a tough layup to extend their lead to five. He finished with 13 points, 11 coming in the second half, with eight made free throws. Earlier in the day, against West Catholic, the 6-2 guard scored a team-high 14 points, scoring inside while also making two 3s.

Jackson Tindall (2023 | St. Peter’s Prep, N.J.)

Tindall and St. Pete’s split their two contests on Saturday, but the 6-foot-6 wing left his impact on both contests. In a physical game against Downingtown West to start the day, Tindall finished tough inside and was aggressive on the boards. He wasn’t afraid to use his physicality to post-up smaller defenders. Later in the night against Archbishop Carroll, Tindall showed his impressive ability to score inside, leading St. Peter’s Prep to a 54-47 win with a game-high 15 points. He had nine points in the first half and used his strong frame to attack the basket.

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Honorable Mention

Kevin Addison (2024 | Cheltenham, Pa.),  Dylan Blair (2023 | Downingtown West, Pa.), MJ Branker (2023 | West Catholic, Pa.), Laquan Byrd (2024 | Father Judge, Pa.), Ethan Dodson (2023 | Parkland, Pa.), Greg Guidinger (2024 | Parkland, Pa.), Matthew Kinzler (2023 | St. Peter’s Prep, N.J.), Khaafiq Myers (2024 | Neumann-Goretti, Pa.), James Pettinato (2023 | Scranton Prep, Pa.), Jalen Pichardo (2023 | St. Thomas Aquinas, N.J.), Terrell Pitts (2023 | St. Thomas Aquinas, N.J.), Nasir Ralls (2026 | Archbishop Carroll, Pa.), Reuben Rodriguez (2023 | Reading, Pa.), Seamus Rogers (2023 | Archbishop Carroll, Pa.), Kevin Rucker Jr. (2024 | Chester, Pa.), Avery Wesley (2024 | Imani Christian, Pa.),  Amir Williams (2024 | Neumann-Goretti, Pa.), Kyree Womack (2024 | Chester, Pa.), Robert Wright (2024 | Neumann-Goretti, Pa.).