City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
__

The 2022 Pangos All-East Freshman/Sophomore Camp brought some of the East Coast’s top young talent to Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday.

Was on hand for Sunday’s morning slate of games and the ensuing Top 60 and Top 30 Cream of the Crop games at St. Joe’s Prep.

Here are the standouts from the event:

Nate Ament (2025 | Colgan, Va.)

Ament is a lanky 6-7 wing with lots of room to fill out. He still played physically, finishing through contact a handful of times in the Top 60 game. He can really shoot the ball, looking most comfortable off the ball though he did pull-up from outside. He looked in control with the ball in his hands, able to get by smaller defenders to get inside where his size was a major advantage. His long arms came away with a block on defense, where he also held his own defending more traditional forwards. NJIT, Bryant and George Mason are those who have offered Ament thus far.

Jack Bailey (2025 | Blair Academy, N.J.)
Bailey announced offers from St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island this summer and visited Stanford in late August. At a legitimate 6-9, Bailey has some great coordination for a young player his size and prefers to play out on the wing. He handled the ball in transition and attacked off the bounce from the outside. He didn’t get any looks from deep in the game watched but ran the floor to find spots to spot up. Bailey is also a willing passer who appears to have good court vision and good grow as a playmaker from outside.

Desmond Bellot Jr. (2026 | Cats Academy, Mass.)
Listed at 6-3 with a likely longer wingspan, Bellott has really good potential as a two-way player. He’s a strong ball handler, able to withstand double teams in the backcourt and penetrate in the halfcourt. Bellot is a smoother finisher near the basket, where his length helps as well. He knocked down shots with a pretty stroke off the bounce and catch-and-shoot. He moved well laterally and has a long wingspan, hinting at strong potential on the defensive end as well.

T.J. Crumble (2026 | Lutheran East, Ohio)
Crumble has offers from Missouri, Ohio, Kent State and Jackson State before beginning his high school career. It’s hard to believe the 6-8 forward is a freshman given his control and composure on both ends. He is decisive with the ball inside, caught the ball well and had a good feel for his body positioning. Crumble also looked comfortable taking a midrange jumper, which would certainly raise his stock if he can knock down that shot consistently. Like on offense, Crumble has a good feel for his body for a young big and stayed straight up to contest without fouling. Probably most impressive was his ability to guard out on the perimeter.

Badara Diakite (2025 | Northwest Catholic, Conn.)

There’s certainly still some rawness to his game but the 6-10 forward brings quite a bit to the table. A bouncy 6-10 athlete (he almost hit his head on the rim on a dunk attempt), Diakite use his athleticism as a rebounder and shot blocker on defense. On the offensive end he preferred to play more like a wing, putting the ball on the deck and pulling up for jumpers or getting to the lane where he can hang in the air unlike most players his size. Diakite holds an offer from Penn State with many more surely to follow as 247 Sports has him ranked as the No. 26 player in the Class of 2025.

AJ Dybantasa (2026 | St. Sebastian, Mass.)
Dybantasa was named MVP of the camp, and it’s easy to understand why. During a morning contest, the lanky 6-foot-7 forward threw down dunk after dunk then showcased even more of his offensive game in the Top 30 contest. Dybantasa is fantastic in transition, whether with the ball in his hands to make a play or running with one of his guards for an easy dunk or alley oop. His length on defense (6-11 wingspan) is ridiculous, certainly providing an uncomfortable experience for opposing opponents on offense. He earned a Boston College offer last month and his list of high major schools is sure to pile up before too long. 

Osa Idada (2025 | Cats Academy, Mass.)
A powerfully built 6-7 forward/wing, it’s hard to believe no one ever coaxed Isada into playing football. He is an explosive athlete and physically looks the part of a next-level player already, making for a scary sight for defenders when he gets going toward the rim, which he did on multiple occasions on Sunday. Idada has harnessed that physicality into a refined game, however, he can shoot it from deep and has a tight handle. That applies to his defense as well, where he can use his body to play physically but also has enough footspeed to guard.

Shareef Jackson (2025 | Roman Catholic)
Jackson’s game is already unbelievably crisp for a sophomore big man. While most post players his age are still trying to figure out things like coordination and foot work, the solid 6-7 forward appears incredibly polished, leading to a lot of big performances, especially against kids his own age. He is pretty much automatic when get gets a touch inside, using both hands to finish softly around the basket or from short in the lane. He’s similarly efficient on the boards. Jackson attempted a three and also handled the ball in transition on Sunday. Finding a way to do some more of that as he develops will determine how high his upside ends up being.

Barrett Loer (2025 | St. George’s, R.I.)

Loer was one of the MVPs of the Top 30 game. At 6-5 he’s got some good size at the combo guard spot and has a terrific shooting stroke that is a major weapon. Loer glides on the court, effortlessly moving from one spot to another and he is a bouncy athlete as well, which showed leaping for boards, rim-rattling dunks and a swat on the defensive end. He showed off some impressive defensive instincts as well, jumping into passing lanes and was a playmaker in transition. The most impressive part of Loer’s standout performance was his feel for how to play the game, making a significant impression by just naturally playing the game.

Jacob Nguyen (2025 | Spring-Ford)
Nguyen rarely missed on Sunday from multiple spots on the court. He can fill it up from deep, but has a good inbetween game as well, knocking down a fadeaway jumper as part of a hot stretch in the game. Nguyen's on-ball skills continue to impress as well as the 6-4 guard played a lot at the point guard spot on Sunday. He is strong with the ball in his hands and can get to the basket but doesn’t  force anything if it’s not there.

Chidi Nwigwe (2026 | Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
The CoBL staff’s been able to get eyes on Nwigwe a handful of times before the official start to his high school career, and he continues to impress. Nwigwe does things with the ball in his hands that 6-7 freshman likely shouldn’t be able to do. He constantly breaks down his man and seemingly never has the ball stripped as he makes his way to the basket. Nwigwe knocked down some shots and as he smoothes out his shooting stroke and other parts of his offensive game he has the potential to be one of the top players in his class. Despite offers from Illinois, Georgia Tech and Rutgers amongst others he seems to play hard every time out and that shows up in his aggressiveness on the glass and the defensive end.

Meleek Thomas (2025 | Lincoln Park)
Thomas simply couldn’t be stopped in the Top 30 Cream of the Crop game. Despite some really good defense at times, the wiry 6-4 guard made shot after shot. Thomas, ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, is a knockdown shooter with a quick release, evening when pulling up off the bounce. He’s incredibly smooth and able to change pace but also has quickness and burst. He can jump with the best of them as well, contesting AAU teammate Diakite (6-10) successfully on multiple occasions on the defensive end. Missouri and Indiana joined the list of big-name schools to offer him earlier this fall.

Jake West (2025 | Archbishop Carroll)
West has opened some eyes with his play this offseason, looking ready to take a big jump heading into his sophomore year. He was the best player on the floor in an all-around effort early Sunday then left his imprint on the Top 30 game as well. West’s playmaking stood out as he piled up assist after assist while also taking care of the ball. He doesn’t just find open players, but passes the ball in the right spot as well. The 6-1 guard also did some scoring, mostly with his pure shooting stroke from outside and the midrange.

Honorable Mention

Dior Anderson (2026 | Monsignor Scanlan, N.Y.), Keiner Asprilla (2026 | Don Bosco Prep, N.J.), Danny Carbuccia (2025 | Archbishop Stepinac, N.Y.), Olin Chamberlain Jr.  (2025 | St. Joe’s Prep), Vincent Chaudhri (2025 | Trinity Pawling School, N.Y.), Yancarlos Cueto (2025 | Central Pointe Christian, Fla.), Sebastian Edwards (2025 | Roman Catholic), Amari Evans (2025 | Our Savior Lutheran, N.Y.), Preston Fowler (2025 | East Catholic, Conn.), Academy Lewis (2025 | Sidwell Friends, D.C.), Brendan Oliver (2025 | Blair Academy, N.J.), Adam Oumiddoch (2026 | Bishop O’Connell, Va.), Kaley Popotte (2025 | Monsignor Scanlan, N.Y.), Jordan Randolph (2025 | Christ the King, N.Y.), Richard Roche (2025 | Urbanna, Md.), Ashley Sims II (2025 | Riverdale Baptist, Md.), Christian Thomas (2025 | SEED School, Md.)