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Philly Live I: Day Two Recruiting Notebook at St. Joe's Prep (June 18, 2022)

06/19/2022, 10:00pm EDT
By Owen McCue and Matthew Ryan

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) &
Matthew Ryan (@matthewryan02)

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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 some recruiting news from some of those who played well in front of CoBL’s staff during Saturday’s action at St. Joe’s Prep:

Executive Eduaction's Moustapha Sanoh dunks the ball. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Executive Eduaction's Moustapha Sanoh dunks the ball. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Executive Education’s Sanoh a hidden gem thus far

Executive Education head coach Ray Barbosa thinks he has a “diamond in the rough” up in Allentown.

If his 6-foot-10 senior big man continues to put up more performances like Saturday, it won’t be long before he’s mined by a college program.

Executive 2023 forward Moustapha Sanoh put together an impressive two-game slate at St. Joe’s Prep on Saturday playing against Central York and Imani Christian in the Philly Live I showcase event.

Sanoh didn’t start playing competitive basketball until his freshman season and now has Division 1 aspirations.

“The first time we saw him, he was real raw,” Barbosa said. “But the thing about Moustapha is he works really hard. He continued to be in the gym with us, myself and coach (Toomey) Anderson. We helped him get to where he is.”

Sanoh’s father is 6-3 and his mother is 5-6. By the time he was a freshman, he was two inches taller than his dad. His younger brother Lamine, a 6-9 big man for Executive, was not far behind.

Originally from Guinea, their father wasn’t a basketball player but knowing his two kids already had above average height and were still growing, he pushed them into the sport.

“Nobody ever thought I was going to be 6-10,” Sanoh said. “(My dad) started seeing some height on us, so he started telling us to play basketball.”

Executive Eduaction's Moustapha Sanoh grabs a rebound. (Photo: Nicole Ambruch/CoBL)

Executive Eduaction's Moustapha Sanoh grabs a rebound. (Photo: Nicole Ambruch/CoBL)

Sanoh’s skillset looks rather refined for someone with such limited basketball experience. He was an effective rim protector and finished with two-handed slams inside in both games Saturday. 

While having to guard on the perimeter, he moved well and even stepped out for an occasional foul line jumper on offense.

Along with Executive Education, Sanoh is playing for Team Final Red this offseason as he hopes to continue to refine his game and drum up college interest.

“I’m working on gaining some weight and my shot,” Sanoh said. “My shot’s actually been working a little better. I’m knocking some buckets down and I’m also gaining weight.”

It certainly helps that he has a 6-9 practice partner living under the same roof in Lamein — a 2024 big man with interest from St. Peter’s, according to Moustapha.

“To play against another big in practice and individual workouts helps him a lot because usually you don’t see that,” Barbosa said. 

“I think he plays better against guys who are his size.”

Sanoh doesn’t hold any Division I offers at the moment. He said Fairfield and Rider both have interest.

Barbosa is confident it won’t be long before more college coaches start calling.

“He’s long, he has a good wingspan, he has foot speed,” Barbosa said. “I think the kid is a diamond in the rough and he has a lot of room to grow.”

Central York's Greg Guidinger. (Photo: Nicole Ambruch/CoBL)

Central York's Greg Guidinger. (Photo: Nicole Ambruch/CoBL)

Quick Hits

— Central York 2024 wing Greg Guidinger, who plays his AAU ball for Philly Pride, recently picked up an offer from Drexel. It was Guidinger’s third offer along with Toledo and Robert Morris.

Guiding has a list of 11 schools who have been in touch with him that also includes Quinnipiac, Arkansas, Toledo, William & Mary, USC, La Salle, Princeton, Lafayette, Penn and Radford. 

He also noted getting looks from Pittsburgh, Rice and took an unofficial visit to Boston University.

The 6-foot-7 perimeter threat can certainly shoot the rock. Thus far this offseason he’s already seen growth in developing his overall game.

“Playing with Philly Pride has helped my game tremendously,” Guidinger said. “The speed, the skill at that level, playing on the circuit at the highest level, has just improved my games so much. Being able to attack defenders on closeouts and finding open guys and then defensively being able to guard 1-4. All things that have been helped by playing against kids who are the best of the best.”

— Reading 2023 guard Ruben Rodriguez recently picked up an offer from Rider, adding to a list that also includes St. Peter’s, Jacksonville and Drexel. Robert Morris, William & Mary, Fairleigh Dickinson are among the others reaching out to Rodriguez, who recently competed for Puerto Rico’s 18U team in the FIBA Americas Championship June 6-12 in Tijuana, Mexico.

“I’m just trying to become the best player I can be and just try to bring a state championship back,” Rodriguez said.

— With college coaches able to contact rising juniors starting June 15, Nick Coval’s phone has been buzzing. The 6-2 guard from Parkland has picked up three offers — Penn, Drexel and Bucknell — and has heard from Iowa, Air Force, St. Joe’s, William and Mary, Lehigh, Lafayette, La Salle, Harvard, Robert Morris, Delaware, Dartmoth, Columbia and Longwood.

With college coaches in attendance on Saturday, Coval scored 19 points in a blowout over Holy Spirit. He shot 5-for-7 from deep and was also able to score inside. Coval’s shooting ability off the bounce is something he is working on this offseason, and he showed it early on making a step back 3.

“Shooting off the dribble, playing the point guard position, working on my vision, my passing,” Coval said of what he’s working on this offseason. “Playing at different speeds with pace. And just working with my guys with chemistry and stuff like that.”

— Entering his senior season at West Catholic, Zion Sanford currently has five offers — Towson, Drexel, St. Joe’s, Fairfield and Bryant. San Diego State is another school that has shown interest in the wing — and all five schools that have offered Stanford are still in contact with him.

Stanford hasn’t taken any official visits yet, but has taken unofficial visits to Drexel and St. Joe’s. Stanford was able to watch St. Joe’s practice and likes that they play fast pace and hard.

— One of the more physically imposing rising juniors in the city, St. Joe’s Prep 2024 forward Tristen Guillouette has heard from numerous coaches since they’ve been able to contact him directly on June 15. While he doesn’t have any offers yet, Longwood, George Washington, La Salle, Penn and Air Force have reached out to the 6-9 big man.

Guillouette scored 13 points in Prep’s 63-56 loss to Saint Ignatius (Ohio), doing all of his work inside. This offseason, he’s working on getting more comfortable away from the basket, improving his jump shot and getting better overall.

— A 6-6 wing/forward that attacks the basket, 2023 Jackson Tindall from St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) has generated interest from high academic schools, though he doesn’t have any offers yet. The rising senior, who scored 15 points in a 54-47 win over Archbishop Carroll, has heard from Boston University, Princeton, Brown, Holy Cross and Harvard.

This offseason, Tindall said he is focusing on converting to a ‘3’ from a stretch ‘4.’ Some areas he’s working on improving are his ball handling and defense, something that he thinks has gotten better.


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