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Philly Live II: Day Two Recruiting Notebook (Jefferson Pt. 2 -- June 25, 2022)

06/26/2022, 8:45am EDT
By CoBL Staff

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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Isaac Cole (2025 | West Catholic) 

The irony was laughable.


Isaac Cole (above) picked up his first offer on Saturday afternoon. (Photo: Dan Hilferty/CoBL)

During an interview on Saturday, Cole was asked about his college interest, and his response was that there wasn’t any. Then, West Catholic head coach Miguel Bocachica came over and let Cole know the news: Hampton University had just offered him a scholarship, his first.

“[It] felt good,” Cole said. “I still can’t believe it. It’s crazy. But I gotta stay humble, though. Keep working. First of many. I want more, so I just gotta keep working.”

During Philly Live, the 6-foot-6 Cole has been a key part of West Catholic’s rotation. Last season, he played sparingly for the Burrs, only averaging nine minutes per game, but with the graduation of Kareem and Kaseem Watson and Nasir Griffin, Cole will likely play a big role this coming season.

Although he spent a lot of his freshman year on the bench, Cole learned from his teammates’ experience, particularly the senior trio.

“I had three seniors in front of me, so [...] their experience changed me. I learned from their mistakes, and I just took what they did wrong. They were three good seniors that really showed me a lot.

“It was everything, like not even basketball,” Cole said about what last year’s seniors taught him. “On and off the court, like being on time, everything. [...] Talking, communicating, all that stuff. The mistakes in basketball like they were important, but it was like the bigger picture they really showed me. [...] They all told me, [including] Coach (Bocachica), like your mental [is the] biggest thing. You got to keep fighting, there’s going to be ups and downs.”

The senior experience surrounding Cole isn’t something that will soon change. He has been starting with four seniors at Philly Live — Budd Clark, MJ Branker, Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui and Zion Stanford.

“I got four seniors with me now, so I’m not by myself,” Cole said. “I got good teammates, Ileaders.”

Cole is a wing/forward that can score down low but also looks for his shot from beyond the arc, something he showed when he knocked down a catch-and-shoot three in West Catholic’s 56-49 win over Manasquan (N.J.). He is trying to show coaches that he is a good teammate who talks, plays hard, makes plays and has skill, and he can shoot the ball and play defense.

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Spencer Joyner gets back on the floor

Following a lost high school season, Spencer Joyner (2023 | Arts HS, N.J.) is excited to be back on the court for Arts this summer.


Spencer Joyner (above) is getting back on track after missing the season with a shoulder injury. (Photo: Ty Daubert/CoBL)

“I’m just trying to get back in the flow of things,” he said. “Keep getting my name out there.”

Last summer came to an abrupt halt for Joyner as he fell directly directly on top of his right shoulder, tearing his labrum. He’d later require surgery, which kept him out of his entire junior season. It was an unfortunate development in his career, but he chose to remain focused on the long-term journey.

“Missing a year out, not playing with my teammates, that was tough,” he said. “But I had to be a leader still — be with my team, encourage them and still help them and be around.”

A dynamic combo guard, Joyner was attracting a great deal of Division I attention before the injury, racking up over 10 offers from schools including Robert Morris, LSU, Texas A&M and Iona. Fortunately, the shoulder setback did not seem to impede his recruitment, with programs inquiring about his health and encouraging to just get healthy.

“That was a blessing, to still have colleges reaching out to me and still checking up on me,” Joyner said. 

Back on the floor at Jefferson in just the second event since the injury, the rising senior flashed what has made him such a coveted recruit. He dazzled in transition, pushing the pace and converting on a number of creative finishes. Joyner also set up teammates nicely, hit from the outside and showed off some versatility on the defensive end.

Since starting to ramp back up, Joyner has been hearing from a lot of interested schools, such as George Washington, Boston University, Rutgers, UCLA, Maine, the Big East’s Creighton and St. John’s and the Ivy League’s Princeton, Yale and Harvard.

He’s taken unofficial visits to Iona and George Washington, hoping to make a few more in the near future. Joyner isn’t ready to make a commitment anywhere just yet as he’s just glad to be feeling good and able to put his talents on display again as he prepares for the end of his high school career.

“I’m super happy,” Joyner said. “Excited to continue my next chapter of basketball.”

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Quick Hits
Michael Paris (2023 | Archbishop Ryan) emerged as a key contributor late in Ryan’s run to the Philadelphia Catholic League title game this past season. The guard’s performance at the Palestra sparked some Division I interest, with Rider getting in contact with the rising senior.

“Last season, I didn’t play that good until the playoffs.” Paris said. “Now, I’m trying to play well (in the summer) so I can get an offer.”

Reggie Selden (2024 | Bishop Eustace, N.J.) is a 6-foot-2 guard that doesn’t have any Division I offers yet, but is certainly on the radars of numerous colleges. Selden has heard from high-academic programs such as Lafayette, Columbia, Brown and Boston University. 

The rising junior is great at driving to the basket, and this offseason is working on his pull up game, shooting the 3-pointer consistently, his defense and his all around game. 

— The sharp-passing Kyle Jones (2023 | Father Judge) has had interest from a number of D-I programs such as Arkansas, St. Joe’s, Drexel and La Salle. But coaches want to see what the 6-foot-3 guard could bring with some added intensity when it comes to defense and rebounding.

“Really, they just want to see me play harder,” Jones said of what could help him get an offer. “They want to see me play harder, be vocal on the court and see what I can do.”


Jeremy Clayville (above) is hearing from numerous Division I programs. (Photo: Matthew Ryan/CoBL)

— A six-foot guard that can attack the basket and make shots from the perimeter, Jeremy Clayville (2024 | St. Joe’s (Metuchen), N.J.) has piqued the interest of multiple Division I programs, hearing from schools such as Columbia, Boston University, Fairfield, Cornell and Longwood, amongst others. A couple months ago, Clayville took visits to Navy and Holy Cross.

— A dual-sport athlete in basketball and football, where he is a quarterback, KJ Cochran (2025 | West Chester East) has garnered some interest on the hardwood from Division I programs such as Hofstra, William and Mary and Temple. The 6-foot-3 guard is working on his all-round game this offseason, including his defense, athleticism and strength, which he is focusing on the most.

Israel Bosenge (2024 | Archbishop Caroll, D.C.) showed toughness and rebounding prowess in his performance at Jefferson. The 6-foot-6 guard has D-I interest from Longwood and Mount St. Mary’s.


D-I Coverage:

HS Coverage:

Small-College News:

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