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Philly Live I: Day Three Standouts (June 19, 2022)

06/19/2022, 10:15pm EDT
By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

The first of two weekends of Philly Live’s 2022 edition wrapped up on Sunday, with seven sets running at Jefferson University to close out the three-day event. The CoBL staff was on hand to take in all the action, watching almost every game that took place at the Gallagher Athletic Center over the course of the morning and afternoon.

Here’s who stood out to our staff from Sunday’s games:

Dylan Blair (2023 | Downingtown West)
Blair capped off an impressive scoring outing against St. Joseph’s Prep in exciting fashion when the rising senior buried a buzzer-beater three-pointer in Downingtown West’s 66-65 win. Blair’s strength in the matchup was his speed, and he used it to his advantage the whole game getting downhill quickly off of his opposition's misses and turnovers. The 5-11 guard finished with 31 points in the game, scoring in the lane and from the perimeter, knocking down five treys as Downingtown West completed the comeback against Prep. Blair was also impressive whenever the defense collapsed on his drives to the basket, consistently finding open teammates for shots or hockey assists. There was no official stat keeping but we can be fairly certain he led all players this weekend in charges taken as well. 


Aaron Bradshaw (above) put together a big double-double in Camden's win over Neumann-Goretti. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Aaron Bradshaw (2023 | Camden)
At 6-foot-11, Bradshaw rarely has a physical equal on the basketball court and despite matching up with another high-major forward on Sunday (NG’s Sultan Adewale) that was the case on Sunday in a win over Neumann-Goretti. Bradshaw wasn’t Camden’s leading scorer but his two-way performance was the most dominant in a contest with eye-popping talent all over the floor. He nearly had a double-double by halftime, finishing with 14 points, 16 rebounds (six on the offensive glass) and two blocks. Most of his points came from putbacks and lobs, though he did flash nice form on a 3-point attempt.

Xzayvier Brown (2023 | Roman Catholic)
The Live period allows coaches and players to adjust to their new teams and competition. Brown’s Cahillites will be replacing two Division I players – Khalil Farmer (Hofstra) and Daniel Skillings (Cincinnati) –  from their state championship team, and he looks poised to shoulder the scoring load. In Roman’s 79-68 win over Don Bosco, the rising senior finished with 21 points, consistently knifing through the opposing defense to get inside the paint and finish through contact.  Defensively, his hands were incredibly active, as he knocked the ball off opposing players' limbs for turnovers or disrupting passes to set up Roman’s dangerous transition game. 

Adam ‘Budd’ Clark (2023 | West Catholic)
West Catholic absolutely stomped on Don Bosco Prep, 70-40, in one of the more impressive games all weekend, and Clark was one of two major reasons why. The 5-9 point guard is super-confident with the ball in his hands, getting to wherever he wants on the court, and gets the whole Burrs’ offense into their sets, while also leading them on the break. He’s also capable of getting his own shot, which he shows by going 6-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from downtown, en route to 17 points, with five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the runaway victory. Clark’s already got a Lafayette offer in his pocket with interest from several other schools, and though his size might keep some away, there’s no denying the production, effort and IQ.

Jadin Collins (2023 | Rutgers Prep, N.J.)
Against Roman, Collins could get to the basket at will. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 26 points in his team’s 64-54 loss, the majority of his bucket coming at the rim or at the free throw line, though he did knock down some jumpers. Collins had 18 points in the second half, finishing through contact to get three separate and-one opportunities, keeping Rutgers Prep within striking distance. Collins has numerous Division I offers, and it’s easy to see why.

Jaden Colzie (2024 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
Colzie’s full offensive arsenal was on display during a 30-point effort Sunday in a loss to Father Judge. The wiry 5-foot-11 guard, drew fouls, finished through contact, scored in the midrange and with a floater and also knocked down four 3-point shots. He has a quick release on his shot, which he feels comfortable shooting off the catch or the bounce, doing both against Judge. He isn’t afraid to attack the rim and was rewarded with a number of trips to the line, finishing 10-for-11 from the charity stripe. Along with his scoring, Colzie said college coaches like the way he can run the offense at the point guard position and did a good job making sure other Colonials like Qudire Bennett (20 points) also got involved on offense.


Anthony Finkley (above) looked good in multiple facets in Roman's win over Don Bosco Prep (N.J.). (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Anthony Finkley (2023 | Roman Catholic)
You can’t speak about Roman’s transition game without mentioning Anthony Finkley. The rising senior who did not play last year due to a transfer rule integrated quickly into Roman’s offense both in the half-court but most notably in transition. The 6-7 forward routinely cleared defensive rebounds and made pinpoint outlet passes or could just as easily go coast-to-coast and set up easy offense for himself or his teammates. In their game against Don Bosco, he finished with 14 points. He scored by clearing space when backing down his defender, off-ball cuts for dunks, and even drilled two 3-pointers in the win. 

Dylan Harper (2024 | Don Bosco Prep, N.J.)
There’s been buzz about Harper for quite some time despite the fact that he’s only a rising junior, but that comes with the territory when you’re the son of an NBA player (Ron Harper) and your older brother (Ron Harper Jr.) has his name in the draft after a standout career at Rutgers. Dylan’s right in that category, a 6-5 shooting guard with a scorer’s mentality and ability, including an outside shot he’ll unleash from anywhere. Harper’s got the fluidity, body control, basketball IQ and feel that he needs to score against high-level defenders, doesn’t force the issue and can heat up in a second, which Roman Catholic found out as Harper nearly led Bosco back from a double-digit second-half deficit before the Cahillites were able to close out a win, finishing with 37 points (six 3s).

Jamal Hicks (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast)
In leading Bonner to a 67-47 win over Central Bucks South in the second set of the day, Hicks had himself a game, knocking down five 3-pointers en route to a 22-point outing. The 6-0 combo guard did a great job on catch-and-shoot situations, getting his feet set and squaring up and then releasing in one smooth motion, hitting from multiple different spots on the perimeter. When attacking the rim, he showed the ability to finish with both hands, and wasn’t afraid to invite contact. An active defender, Hicks’ “compete” level was running high all game, even when he was on the bench, where he was plenty vocal in support of his teammates.

Jackson Hicke (2023 | Radnor)
Sunday was a good matchup test for Hicke, going up against a Lincoln squad that presented length and athleticism not seen in the Central League, which Hicke generally thrived against during his junior season. And though the 6-5 wing wasn’t quite able to get to the 37-point effort he dropped Saturday morning, his 22-point, nine-rebound, three-assist, five-steal performance was certainly enough to get him written about again. Hicke’s consistent production can’t be overlooked, as he’s constantly getting well into double figures game after game no matter the atmosphere, by creating his own shot, in catch-and-shoot situations as well as second-chance points. No Division I offers yet, but someone’s going to be smart and be the first eventually.

Josiah Hutson (2025 | Cheltenham)
Don’t let his stature fool you, the 5-9 rising sophomore can play — as he showed many times for the Panthers last season and once again this weekend, particularly in Sunday’s win over Sanford (De.) when he scored 20 points. Hutson is lightning quick with the ball in his hands and when he gets to the basket he is deft at finishing with both hands despite his lack of height. Coach Pat Fleury said Hutson is working on becoming more of a playmaker and he did just that in Sunday’s win over Sanford (De.), setting his teammate up for open looks multiple times after breaking down his defender. It’s easy to see why Cheltenham coach Pat Fleury has him pegged as a Division I recruit down the line.

Jaron McKie (2025 | St. Joseph’s Prep)
McKie was second on an uber-young St. Joseph’s Prep team in scoring last year at 11.3 ppg, and in their game against Downingtown the rising sophomore picked up where he left off, finishing with 17 points and applying constant pressure to the defense, as he got to the foul line seven times (knocking down all seven attempts). He also drilled two triples and was the driving force in Prep’s offense until Downingtown West completed their comeback victory. The son of former Temple standout and current Owls coach Aaron McKie, Jaron is quickly rounding into a Division I prospect in his own right.


Tyler Meinel (above) is an intriguing big wing in the Suburban One League with his skillset. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Tyler Meinel (2023 | Central Bucks South)
Meinel’s certainly one of the more versatile players in all of District 1, and he’s going to play a big role for the Titans this upcoming year after being one of their two leading scorers a year ago along with Michael Farley (Ursinus). The 6-6 wing has to do a little bit of everything for CB South, from bringing the ball upcourt as their point guard with frequency to being their leading scorer, rebounder, and distributor. Meinel’s strong with the ball in his hands, especially attacking the bucket, where he’s got a terrific spin move to finish with either hand, utilizing excellent body control in mid-air, with a solid pull-up jumper as well. Only thing we didn’t see him do today was hit 3s, but if he can do that with regularity too, he’s a scholarship-level ballplayer.

Khaafiq Myers (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)
Bradshaw was certainly the star of Sunday’s marquee game, but Myers wasn’t far behind. The 5-foot-11 guard filled out the statsheet with 18 points, three assists, six rebounds, four steals and a block. There’s really nothing not to like about his game as he showed the ability to finish at the rim or pull-up for a floater and also has a pretty looking jumper. There’s certainly a lot of playmaking ability to his game, even with the ball out of his hands when Robert Wright II runs the show. Like many on the Neumann team, Myers’ toughness shines through in his play, particularly in his rebounding and defensive effort.

Zion Stanford (2023 | West Catholic)
Speaking of that West Catholic win over Don Bosco Prep — Stanford was absolutely on fire. The 6-5 wing guard scored 20 in the first half alone, when the Burrs really had the pedal to the metal, but finished 11-of-15 from the floor for 26 points, hitting one of his two 3-point attempts, and finishing a trio of and-ones in that first half. He was knocking down pull-up jumpers, 3-pointers off screens, buckets in amongst the trees; Stanford was getting whatever he wanted, and knocking them all down with ease. Towson, Drexel, St. Joe’s, Fairfield and Bryant have offered thus far.

Charlie Thornton (2023 | Radnor)
Like Hicke, Thornton’s been having a terrific spring on the back of a strong junior year, and he’s another big reason why Radnor just might be the Central League favorites heading into the 2022-23 season. Thornton stuffed the stat sheet in Radnor’s win over Lincoln, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds, three steals, three assists and four blocks. He knocked down a couple 3-pointers, finished at the rim, hit some mid-range shots, and was a general defensive pest all over the court. Thornton’s playing himself into scholarship territory this spring, as he continues to make the transition from a combo forward into a guard, and doing it well.

Dajuan Wagner, Jr. (2023 | Camden)
The top player in the Class of 2023 got out to a quiet offensive start in Sunday’s win over Neumann-Goretti (six first-half points) before exploding for 16 second-half points to help The High pull away from the Saints down the stretch. Wagner had a cold shooting start, but knocked down four triples to finish off his scoring day and also added a block and a couple of boards to round out his stat line. He is effortless in everything he does on the court, even making a hanging, contested transition finish look easy on Sunday.

Naseem Wright (2023 | Lincoln)
In Lincoln’s 63-54 win against Episcopal (Fla.), Wright took over down the stretch. The 6-6 guard/wing scored his team’s final seven points — a three-point play on a layup, two free throws and a dunk to seal the deal — to finish with a game-high 22 points. Wright showed off his jumper, hitting mid rangers, some off the dribble, and even burying a 3-pointer. He was also able to get to the basket and find open teammates. Wright doesn’t have any offers yet, but Division I schools have been reaching out. 

Robert Wright III (above, with ball) is one of two standout rising juniors in the Neumann-Goretti backcourt. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Robert Wright III (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)
After a big first half (11 point), Wright’s scoring slowed down in the second half of Sunday’s loss to Camden as he finished with 15 in the game. He still found ways to leave his impact, contributing four assists, four rebounds and three steals to the Saints’ cause. His driving ability set up teammate Amir Williams for alley oops a number of times this weekend, including twice in Sunday’s game. Wright’s competitiveness showed through even in a losing effort as he embraced contact and wasn’t afraid to drive into traffic amongst the towering Camden front court.

Honorable Mentions
Ikenna Alozie (2026 | Camden), Zaki Alston (2023 | Sankofa), Qudire Bennett (2023 | Plymouth-Whitemarsh), Jalil Bethea (2024 | Archbishop Wood), Jackson Boone (2023 | Cumberland Valley), Laquan Byrd (2023 | Father Judge), Tristen Guillouette (2024 | St. Joseph’s Prep), DaSear Haskins (2023 | Camden), Kent Jackson (2024 | Episcopal, Fla.), Kodi Johnson (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast), Jermai Stewart Herring (2023 | Roman Catholic), Kyle Jones (2023 | Father Judge), Deuce Ketner (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast), Brady Loughlin (2025 | Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), Cian Medley (2023 | Camden, N.J.), Jake Warren (2023 | Downingtown West), Amir Williams (2024 | Neumann-Goretti), Nasir Williams (2025 | Sankofa)


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