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2022 Luv1ne Classic Standouts (Oct. 22)

10/25/2022, 10:45am EDT
By Chad Graham

Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports)
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TOWNSEND, Del. —  TVT Sports hosted the inaugural Luv1ne Classic at Odessa High Schoo this past weekend. Ten teams from Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland put on a high-level basketball exhibition, showcasing some of the area’s best players against other top high school in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Here are some of the standouts from the event:

Stephon Ashley-Wright (2026 | Neumann-Goretti)


Neumann-Goretti freshman guard Stephon Ashley-Wright was one of the standouts at the inaugural Luv1ne Classic on Saturday in Delaware. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

In the second matchup of the day, the Saints were down a starter, making Ashley-Wright the first man off the bench. The 5’10 freshman was aggressive on defense, picking up Rosedale Christian ’s point guard fullcourt and staying in his hip pocket down the floor. NG would get an eight-to-10 point lead, but couldn’t put their opponents away, then Ashley-Wright, better known as “Munchie”, went on a run in the second half. His activity on defense powered his offense. He got a number of opportunities in transition including an and-1 (5-for-6 from the foul line). He attacked open space by getting to his 1-dribble pull-ups and driving to the basket. His game-high 17 points were capped off with a bangout. From there, the Saints went on to win, 70-43.

Adam “Budd” Clark (2023 | West Catholic)
West Catholic versus Middletown (Del.) was the main event, and it didn’t disappoint. Middletown threw haymakers from the jump. The turnovers, threes, and fastbreak dunks they gave up had the gym rocking as they took a double-digit lead. But Budd Clark. The senior point guard kept his crew steady with floaters and pull-up twos in the paint, forcing his opponents to take the ball out of the basket. Then he locked in on defense to take away Middletown’s momentum. Clark nabbed three steals and blocked another two shots to get the Burrs some transition points of their own. He controlled the game with 24 points as West Catholic won, 63-53. After unofficial visits to Coppin State and Delaware State this past week, the word is starting to get out on the best available point guard in the Mid-Atlantic.

Jordan Earl (2024 | Odessa, Del.)
As the hosts, Odessa (Del.) tipped off the event with a 48-45 win against Cape Henlopen, led by Earl. As their conductor on offense, the junior guard collapsed the defense with his handle and his moves in the paint. He had double-digit foul shots, converting the majority of them. Cape Henlopen keyed in on him as they staged a comeback in the second half. But Earl countered by passing to open teammates. He finished with a game-high 14 points in the 48-45 win.

Jaiden McGhee (2023 | Middletown, Del.)
Middletown gave West Catholic everything they could handle in the first half, and McGhee was a major part of that. With his signature lion’s mane of an afro, he was constantly in the air, throwing down dunks and laying the ball in for a total of 14 points. McGhee’s bounce was on full display on the break, but he showed it in the halfcourt too. He created second-chance opportunities for his team and converted a couple putbacks himself. Defensively, he flew around contesting shots and grabbing rebounds to close out possessions. Kutztown was first to offer the 6’5 forward and with a 3.8 gpa, more could be on the way.

Pearse McGuinn (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara)
O’Hara versus Salesianum (Del.) was arguably the best game of the day because of how well the teams matched up and how hard they fought. McGuinn’s name is still rising locally but he made  a huge difference in Saturday’s win. As his teammates spread the floor, the junior forward feasted from the high post and in. He was more than agile enough to face up and attack with one or two dribbles. He also caught it down on the block and went to work, using his touch and kissing shots off the backboard. His best sequence came in overtime when he punched someone else’s shot on defense and then sprinted down to the other end for a transition dunk. McGuinn totalled 16 points as O’Hara won 69-63.

Izaiah Pasha (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara)
Pasha himself was another reason O’Hara/Salesianum was such a great game. He had a masterful display of feel, making plays on- and off-ball, on both ends. In the first half, he took on the role of a distributor, setting up McGuinn in the pick-and-roll and dishing the rock to shooters after pressuring the rim. That’s also when he picked up two of his three steals, disrupting the point-of-attack on defense with his smooth feet and active hands. Pasha took over as a scorer from the second half on. When he wasn’t cutting or pulling up in the mid-range, he was slashing to the hoop, using his length to pick up the ball low then finish high off the glass. Salesianum forced the game to overtime, but that’s when the 6’5 guard turned up even more. He went on a run of his own, scoring seven of O’Hara’s nine OT points to seal the victory. Pasha finished the game with an efficient 20 points, four/five assists, three steals and a block.  He recently took an official to Iona and has additional offers from mid-majors up and down the East Coast.

Kevin Rucker Jr (2024 | Bonner-Prendie)
The Friars took home a 54-42 win in their game versus Howard (Del.) that got a little tight late. Rucker Jr., aka “Pop” was literally the driving force behind Bonner building a big lead. He got downhill for high-percentage looks off the bounce, which drew defenders away from his teammates in the mid-range and behind the arc. His secondary creation ability was an asset down the stretch. As Howard started pressing and fighting their way back, he gave them some stability, making two clutch shots from the charity stripe (6-of-8). His 13 points led all scorers.

Kareem Thomas (2024 | Salesianum, D.E.)
Thomas is usually used to working on the second-side or off-ball, where he can catch-and-fire from three. Instead, he was thrust more into a primary role against O’Hara and showed out. His shot wasn’t quite falling from deep, so he deliberately got to his spots inside the arc. When he wasn’t getting to his mid-range pull up, Thomas was creating angles for himself to get all the way to the rim, using his wiry frame and extension finishes. His long arms helped him shoot over defenders and around contests in the paint. The natural two-guard got to the line at a high volume (14-of-16 FT). Late in regulation, Sallies was down three with about 10 seconds to go with the ball under its own basket. They inbounded the ball to Thomas coming off of a screen and picked up the foul on a 3-pointer. He proceeded to make all three free throws to send the game into overtime. They weren’t able to pull out the win, but his 33-point performance caught the attention of everyone from Delaware to Philly. Kareem Thomas is name to know.

Honorable Mention

Sultan Adewale (2023 | Neumann-Goretti), Josh Coulanges (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara), Amir Cunningham (2023 | Middletown, D.E.), Brady Eagan (2023 | Bonner-Prendie), Markus Edmonds (2023 | Middletown, D.E.), Donovan Flamer (2025 | Rosedale Christian, M.D.), Zuri Harris (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara), Tariq Jennings (2024 | West Catholic), Larenzo Jerkins (2024 | Neumann-Goretti), Marcus Johnson (2023 | Howard, D.E.), Nelson Lamizana (2024 | Bonner-Prendie), Deuce Mutts (2024 | Salesianum, D.E.), Quinn O’Hara (2024 | Salesianum, D.E.), Reggie Seldon (2024 | Bonner-Prendie), Bryan Sowell (2024 | Rosedale Christian, M.D.), Zion Stanford (2023 | West Catholic), Amyr Walker (2023| West Catholic), Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui (2024 | West Catholic), Amir Williams (2024 | Neumann-Goretti), Robert Wright III (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)


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