CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The second weekend of Philly Live continued on Saturday at Jefferson University with eight sets of games on four courts running from noon until about 9 p.m. 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 afternoon and evening.
Here’s a notebook featuring recruiting coverage from Saturday’s action:
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Cameron Piggeé (2023 | Rutgers Prep, N.J.)
Cameron Piggeé heard some of the biggest news of his life from someone who isn’t even a decade old.
Cameron Piggeé picked up his first scholarship offer on Saturday. (Photo: Matthew Ryan/CoBL)
Following a 37-point explosion on Friday night by Piggee, Rutgers Prep head coach Matt Bloom and his coaching staff got word that Lafayette was offering Piggee a scholarship, the first of his career. But, it wasn’t Matt who would share the good news with Piggee, but rather his son, Eli Bloom.
“My nine-year-old son ran over to Cam, and I actually wasn’t there to see it,” Matt Bloom said. “So I heard it was pretty exciting, but it was definitely a cool moment.”
“It’s an amazing feeling, especially all the hard work when you realize it’s paying off. It’s a great feeling,” Piggee said. “I work really hard, and it was exciting. I shed a couple tears. And I’m just really grateful and thankful for God [...] because he put me in this position. I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Piggee’s big night didn’t stop there, though. A little while later, NJIT offered the 6-foot-2 guard a scholarship.
Given the current landscape of college basketball, with fifth-year seniors and the transfer portal, Piggee said “recruitment has been a little rocky.” But now, he has two scholarship offers.
“Nobody works harder,” Bloom said. “He’s got work ethic, character. He does everything right. He lives life the right way. I’m just super proud because it was such an emotional moment. But it’s all that hard work coming together, and good things happen when you put the work in.
“What I’ve always told Cam is that if you keep working, good things are going to happen, and whatever is meant to be will happen for you because he legitimately puts in the work every single day, in the classroom, on the court. He’s a great teammate. [...] All you need is one good fit and one coach to fall in love with him. And I think a lot of coaches should fall in love with him because he’s that great of a teammate.”
He has heard from programs across all three divisions of college basketball, including D-Is Lafayette, NJIT, Albany and Colgate, D-IIs Caldwell and East Stroudsburg and D-IIIs such as Babson, Gettysburg, Springfield and Amhurst, amongst others. Piggee is going to take a visit to Albany and hopes to visit Colgate, too.
Piggee has a versatile, all-around game. He can score inside where he finishes around bodies and can also shoot from mid-range and three. He’s a solid defender and is fast in the open court.
This offseason, Piggee is looking to show his potential as a two-way team leader with the ability to shoot, distribute and defend multiple positions.— Matthew Ryan
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Khaafiq Myers (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)
Khaafiq Myers may not be blessed with the size that other high-major Division I caliber guards might have, but he makes up for it with his grit and determination. This has allowed the guard, who’s listed as 5-11, to get the attention of a number of Division I programs. Myers has offers from Drexel, North Texas, Wichita State, Temple and most recently NJIT which he picked up yesterday. There is also interest from Marquette, George Washington, Hofstra and Delaware.
Myers has an official visit to Temple planned for September along with Bingamton which will be either in August or September.
The point guard knows that he’s undersized, but it doesn’t matter to him because he sees smaller guards like Chris Paul succeed in the NBA.
“He’s playing against 6-4 guards like Russell Westbrook, but he still gets his job done when he needs to,” Myers said. “I feel like I could do the same thing, at this level.”
Myers plays bigger than his size indicates and isn’t afraid to mix it up, battling for rebounds under his own basket against guys who in some instances tower over him. Myers can attribute his toughness to his family, who he grew up playing basketball with at the local parks. His uncle played at Drexel and his cousin played at Division I programs like Texas Tech, Rhode Island and Wright State. Playing against bigger and stronger players is nothing he isn’t used to, not backing down from any fight.
“Just growing up how I grew up in the neighborhood, playing with the big boys, getting toughened up by my older cousins. I’m used to it,” Myers said.
Myers had to show his toughness on Saturday against Gonzaga Prep, when he re-rolled his ankle that he had tweaked the day before. Myers was able to stay in the game, finishing with seven points, three assists and three rebounds almost helping Neumann to a comeback win, but falling just short, losing 68-63.
Myers along with his backcourt mate Robert Wright III grew up together throughout the season and got better as each game went on. The two came up huge in the Catholic League playoffs and were the driving force behind Neumann’s two wins against Roman and Ryan at the Palestra to help capture the PCL crown. They didn’t stop there, as they went on to win the 4A state championship, defeating Quaker Valley in the championship.
Myers had to adjust to being the leader from the point guard spot, but improved later in the year. In year two of being in a starting role, Myers wants to be a leader all the time instead of picking and choosing when to be one.
“Last year I was a half leader, as coach Carl would say. This year I’m going to help my teammates. If they miss a layup or make a mistake, I’m going to pick them up.” — Zak Wolf
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Lewis (above) is already emerging as one of the top 2025 prospects in the DMV area. (Photo: Zak Wolf/CoBL)
Quick Hits
— Nykolas Lewis (2025 | Gonzaga Prep) showed off his bucket-getting ability in a big way, scoring 22 points in a battle against Neumann-Goretti in which his team came out on top 68-63. Lewis’ ability to score in bunches is what’s allowed him to start getting the attention of colleges like George Mason, Norfolk State, Bryant and most recently Maryland. Getting offered by the Terrapins is what excited Lewis the most, considering they are one of the biggest colleges in the D.C area.
“After the game I just felt very blessed,” Lewis said with a smile on his face. “Coach Turner told me and it felt like all my hard work paid off.”
The rising sophomore knows he can facilitate and get his teammates involved while being able to knock down open shots, but he also sees himself as a leader. He likes taking on the leadership role, despite not being as experienced as some of the other guys on his team. He mentioned that he wants to get better on the defensive side of the ball, specifically with helping on the weak side.
— After recently picking up his first Division I offer from Fairfield, Dean Coleman-Newsome (2023 | Archbishop Carroll) has new found confidence in himself. The rising senior has been putting the work in and college coaches are finally noticing. The combo guard has yet to pick up a second offer, but there is interest from other D-I schools like Boston U, Princeton and Binghamton. Coleman-Newsome has been through a lot over his high school career, having to fight through injuries in both of his knees which required procedures.
Coleman-Newsome is a well-rounded guard who stuffs the stat sheet with his fundamental play style. He finished with 23 points, nine assists and six rebounds, scoring in a multitude of ways, knocking down two threes along with getting to the rim with ease. Coleman-Newsome has the scoring ability to play the ‘2’ but the vision and unselfishness of a point guard which will allow him to be versatile at the next level.
— Jalen Rougier (2025 | Sidwell Friends) picked up his first offers over the past couple of weeks after competing at the D.C Live event. The offers came from Marquette, George Mason, Norfolk State and NJIT all within quick succession of each other. Rougier also has interest from power 5 schools like Boston College and West Virginia.
“It’s cool getting offers now because you know that you have to build on your game knowing that coaches are seeing the potential in you and some coaches are willing to offer you at an early stage,.” Rougier said.
Rougier showed off his combination of size and shooting ability in Sidwell Friends’ double-digit win over Camden. The 6-4 wing knocked down three triples and scored a team high 16 points in the win. The rising sophomore has good genes, with his mother playing D-I basketball at Temple and his dad playing D-III ball in Alabama. Rougier is thankful for the good support system put in place for him.
“My mom, my teammates, they make this whole process a lot easier. When your parents and teammates have confidence in you, it feels like you can do anything.”
— Before every game, there is a sense of nervousness for Jack Swider (2023 I Phil-Mont Christian), playing in front of so many college coaches. With a lot on the line it can be a lot to handle, but once Swider steps on the court all the nerves go away. Swider gets more comfortable and confident, using his sweet stroke from three point range to his advantage. His combination of shooting ability and size (6-5) is what’s garnered the attention of a few D-III schools like Washington College (Md.), DeSales, Penn State-Brandywine and Lancaster Bible College.
— Not only is Donnie Freeman (2024 | St John's College HS, D.C.) considered one of the better players in the DMV area, but he’s also one of the better players in the country. Freeman is ranked as one of the top power forwards in the country and a consensus top 25 player in his class no matter what ranking website you look at. Standing at 6-8, the wide-shouldered big man already has the body of a division one player and is getting looks from plenty of power 5 programs.
He currently holds offers from Marquette, Texas, Georgetown, Syracuse, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Maryland. There is also interest from LSU and Louisville who have been in contact with the 5-Star player recently. Next week he’s looking forward to going on an unofficial visit to Maryland as well.
Freeman only scored eight points in St John’s one point loss to Imhotep, but his impact was felt on the defensive end, using his long arms to pin shots to the backboard. Freeman was a big fan of the high level intensity and atmosphere playing against a powerhouse like Imhotep brought.
“There’s no other place I’d rather be,” Freeman said. “Any time I get the chance to play in a game like this with that high level competition in an environment like this, I’m going to take advantage of it.”
Tag(s): Home Matthew Ryan Zak Wolf High School Ty Daubert Boys HS Phil-Mont Christian Neumann-Goretti