City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The Pete & Jameer Nelson Play-By-Play Classic is one of the longest-running annual holiday events in the Philadelphia region, a multi-day event taking place at Widener University, honoring two of the best to ever play in the area by hosting some of the current top teams around on the boys side.

Many of this year’s participants — St. Joseph’s Prep, Malvern Prep, Coatesville, Lower Merion, Chester and Plymouth Whitemarsh —  will play on both Wednesday and Friday, while a few others stop by for just one game. 

It’s a total of 12 games, six each day; here’s a brief look at each of them:

Weds., December 28
Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Salesianum (Del.) (11:30 AM)
One of the top teams in the Suburban One takes on one of the top teams in Delaware to open the event, as PW and Salesianum should provide for some sparks to get things started. Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-1), which just got the 500th career win for longtime head coach Jim Donofrio, features senior guard Qudire Bennett, a 6-foot-3 sharpshooter, as well as junior guard Chase Coleman, a 6-2 slasher, and 5-11 junior Jaden Colzie, a volume scorer; while 6-4 Jahseir Sayles gives them additional length on the wing. The Colonials like to press and run, and they’ve got a number of different pieces who can really score the ball. 

The Sallies, who can run-and-gun too, are based around their junior class, led by 6-4 Isaiah Hynson, a strong-bodied guard with a couple D-I offers; Kareem Thomas (6-3) and Justin Hinds (6-2) are two more juniors that give them length and ability, while sophomore Robbie Johnson and freshman Anthony Smith are two more big-bodied guards with high upsides, Smith scoring 13 off the bench in a recent game against Roman Catholic.; senior Brandon Baffone is a 6-1 shooter who gives them another capable ball-handler in the starting lineup. To win this one, Salesianum’s going to have to control the tempo and force PW into a bad shooting day from the outside.

George School vs. SCH Academy (1:15 PM)
Two league favorites meet up in the second game, as Friends’ Schools League hopeful George School matchup with one of the Inter-Ac favorites. They’re two teams that have been off to hot starts, too: George comes in at 7-1 and SCH at 8-1, living up to that preseason status, and both have rosters stocked with talent. SCH coach Julian McFadden has a Division I committed senior in 6-9 Alassane Amadou, but the Blue Devils also feature 6-3 senior Jaren Morton, 6-2 junior Camden Burns, and 6-1 junior Ronald Brown III, all of whom have big-time scoring potential, while freshman guard Patrese Feamster (6-4) has a ton of promise; 5-11 sophomore Keni’ Williams, a point guard, helps make things happen, and 6-6 junior Caleb Alston-Nelson and 5-10 junior Ryan Kull 

George School’s one of the biggest teams you’ll see around, with 6-11 sophomore Luke Bevilacqua and 6-9 senior Kachi Nzeh in the frontcourt, Nzeh bound for Xavier and Bevilacqua with a bunch of high-major offers and playing quite well to begin the season, the two of them a major problem whether they’re on the floor together or just one at a time. On top of that, Ben Luber’s Cougars have a high-major lead guard in junior Christian Bliss (6-3) and a does-the-little-things point guard in senior Dante Weise (6-1), plus two versatile wings in Carson Mastin (6-4) and Ivan Ryabov (6-4). That top six, plus sophomore Luke Melniczak and freshman Max Kipper, will provide a more physical challenge than any that SCH will face in the Inter-Ac.

Lower Merion vs. Germantown Academy (3:00 PM)
This one should be a bit of a change of pace from the one that came before it, the Aces and Patriots both capable of playing uptempo but not ones to complain about slowing things down somewhat — especially Lower Merion, which under Gregg Downer has never been one to push matters too much, even if it can play that way. Lower Merion features senior guard Sam Brown, a Penn commit who’s led the Aces (6-1) to the last two Central League titles, the sharpshooting lefty a well-rounded lead guard by this point in his high school career; senior Sam Wright is a capable No. 2 scorer, and there’s quality around the pair in senior guards Justin Poles and Teddy Pendergrass III, junior wing John Mobley and senior wing Jordan Meekins.

The Patriots (2-5) are relatively young, but haven’t shied away from competition to start the season. Guard Bryce Rollerson, a sophomore named as one of the team’s captains by his teammates, makes everything go with a nice blend of shiftiness, midrange game and a reliable outside shot. While Rollerson can fill it up, he’s always looking to pass with fellow captains in senior Luke Topley and sophomore AJ Towsen filling in as the auxiliary scorers and sophomore Tyler Nolan a solid spot-up shooter. Sophomore big man Ellis Johnson has floor-stretching capability and freshman Bryce Presley is an athletic presence at forward.

Malvern Prep vs. St. Joe’s Prep (4:45 PM)
This is a neat game, because the winner owns the rights to call itself “The Prep” for the next 12 months. (Okay, not really. But it’s an idea.). St. Joe’s Prep (3-1) was one of the youngest teams in the area last year and though the Hawks are still far from ‘old,’ they’re much more experienced than a year ago, and Jason Harrigan has a lot to work with: junior forward Tristen Guillouette (6-9) is a space-eater in the middle with great hands and footwork, and around him is a terrific group of guards; sophomores Olin Chamberlain (5-10) and Jaron McKie (6-3) play beyond their years, their classmate Jordan Ellerbee (6-1) gives them a spark off the bench, and juniors Jalen Harper (6-3) and Matt Gorman (6-2) round out the starting five. 

Malvern Prep (6-2) has won its last four games, its only two losses to Abington Friends and Archbishop Ryan, the first by two points and the latter by nine; last year’s co-Inter-Ac champs return senior wing Andrew Phillips (6-4) and junior guard Ryan Williams, who’ve had several games where they’ve both had 20+, and plenty others where just one of them did it. Junior wing Ryan Pegg was the hero in a three-point win over Middletown (Del.) last week, hitting the game-winning shot and also coming up with a game-saving block; his older brother, senior wing Hayden Pegg, is another key piece for the Friars, as are 6-5 senior Charlie Oshell and 6-4 junior Tague Davis.

Cardinal O’Hara vs. Rutgers Prep (N.J.) (6:30 PM)
The second interstate matchup of the day should be a great one, as both O’Hara and Rutgers Prep have a good deal of firepower, each driven by one fun-to-watch Division I senior. For Rutgers Prep (4-1), it’s speedy 6-0 lead guard Jadin Collins who’s the name to know, and the Marist commit is averaging 21.0 ppg plus 7.6 rpg, 6.6 apg and 4.0 spg. His classmate, Cameron Piggee, is also averaging 21.0 ppg and has 18 3-pointers in five games; after them, 6-7 junior wing John Kelley and senior guard Jordan Atkins are averaging more than 8.0 ppg, with further contributions from seniors Franklin Jones and Jonathan Nsenkyire. It’s a multi-faceted, guard-oriented, five-out attack under the direction of former La Salle men’s basketball staffer Matt Bloom.

O’Hara (5-2) is led by 6-5 wing Izaiah Pasha (Siena), a do-everything type who’s often O’Hara’s leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, etc. And it’s not as if the Lions don’t have talent around him: 6-7 junior Pearse McGuinn, 6-0 senior Josh Coulanges, 6-2 junior Aasim ‘Flash’ Burton and others will all be playing college basketball at different levels; Burton, who was previously at Math Civics & Sciences, has been playing at a high level early in the season as a point guard, helping Coulanges, McGuinn and Pasha put up some big scoring numbers early.

Coatesville vs. Chester (8:00 PM)
This is a fun one to close out the first day, two District 1 6A schools with a lot of pride and hoops history behind them, both schools in the “Philadelphia area” but representing cities of their own, though the game’s in Chester’s backyard. Coatesville (6-2), which is one of the four contenders in the Ches-Mont National, is under the direction of first-year head coach and Coatesville alum John Allen, the former Seton Hall standout proving to be a success so far in his new position. He’s got a lot of interchangeable pieces to work with including senior Jeremiah Marshall (6-3), junior Dior Kennedy (6-2), junior Zuri Harris (6-0), sophomore Amon Fowlkes (6-2) and more, with Harris — a transfer from Cardinal O’Hara — giving them a really nice pop from the 3-point arc and as a facilitating scorer.

Chester (3-3) beat three Delaware teams in a row and then had its winning streak spoiled by Reading, and has now had a week off to prepare for Coatesville. The Clippers, like Coatesville, go about 8-9 deep and have a number of different options who can go off on any given night, though senior sharpshooter Terrence Cobb, junior point guard Kyree Womack and senior guard Breilynd White are the three most likely options; 6-5 junior Dominic Toy gives them a presence inside. Expect this one to come down to deep in the fourth quarter, as neither side will give up easily.

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Fri, December 30
Malvern Prep vs. Bonner-Prendergast (Noon)
As if Malvern Prep’s “Battle of the Preps” on Wednesday wasn’t big enough, now it gets a “Battle of the Friars” on Friday. Bonner’s 5-0 under first-year head coach Billy Cassidy, though that’s partly due to strength-of-schedule; Malvern Prep will be one of if not the toughest team Bonner’s faced thus far. Bonner boasts two big junior wings in Nelson Lamizana (6-7) and Deuce Ketner (6-6), two talented junior guards in Reggie Selden Jr. and Kevin Rucker Jr., a tough senior wing in Brady Eagan, and a few other pieces. This one should be a good battle with two evenly-matched squads, as long as Malvern can handle Bonner’s advantage in the ‘length’ department.

St. Joe’s Prep vs. Friends’ Central (1:45 PM)
Mike Cook’s Phoenix are guard-oriented with some real depth and talent from ‘1’ through ‘3’ spots: senior wing Collin Bowman (6-3) is a strong-bodied, sharpshooting left-hander, junior guards Fazl Oshodi, Muhsin Muhmmad and Reid Belcher are all talented future collegiate players, and senior guard Joe Green gives them some nice pop off the bench. Friends’ Central has the perimeter depth to match up with St. Joe’s Prep, but it doesn’t have a post in Guillouette’s mold, and that could be the difference-maker here. If the Phoenix can’t stop Guillouette from getting to his spots, with the Prep guards’ ability to feed him, he’ll be tough to stop around the bucket.

Coatesville vs. Garnet Valley (3:30 PM)
Expect a high-scoring affair here, with no shortage of shots early in possessions, as both Coatesville and Garnet aren’t shy about putting the ball in the air. The Jaguars (6-1), one of the top teams in the Central League, is led by a senior core including York-bound guard Max Koehler (6-2), wing forward Logan McKee (6-4) and wing Ryan Faccenda (6-3), though sophomore guard Jake Sniras (6-3) is a high-level scorer as well, and a few other-sport stars (like Drew Van Horn) give them some additional toughness in the rotation. Coatesville’s pressure shouldn’t faze Garnet too much, but this could come down to who’s in better shape and has the legs in the fourth quarter.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh vs. WC East (5:00 PM)
This is a matchup of two teams in the hunt for their respective district championships, as PW should be in the mix in 6A and East in 5A, and they present good matchups for one another. East’s star is sophomore K.J. Cochran, a 6-3 lead guard with a couple Division I offers, including St. Joe’s, but four-year starter Jack Kusher (6-3), lefty guard Jose Ramos (6-0), junior sharpshooter Ryan Price (6-3) and more give Tom Durant plenty of weapons to work with. This has the potential to be a close, high-scoring game between two teams that don’t expect to do much losing the rest of the season.

Lower Merion vs. Chester (7:00 PM)
There’s a long history here between Lower Merion and Chester, the two proud programs having matched up in numerous District 1 title games and several PIAA state championships, most recently in 2013, when the Aces reversed the district final result and topped the Clippers when it mattered most. Today’s players might have only been in elementary school when that happened, but they’ll no doubt hear from the coaches what this game means. Lower Merion already showed when it handled Coatesville that it can play at that pace, and it has the best player on the court in Sam Brown. Like the ones before it, though, expect a game that isn’t decided until well into the fourth quarter, unless the Aces go bananas from deep (it’s happened). Though, Chester should be able to hit enough shots to keep it close even if that does occur.

Neumann-Goretti vs. Rutgers Prep (8:30 PM)
Rutgers Prep has a lot of firepower, but few teams around have the pieces to match up with the Saints. Fresh off an impressive title win in the Iolani Classic, Neumann-Goretti (6-0) is playing like the favorites in the Catholic League, behind its stellar junior group of Baylor commit Robert Wright III, point guard Khaafiq Myers and wing Amir Williams, plus senior forward Sultan Adewale and more. They can shoot from deep, create for each other, score inside, defend, etc. Wright III against Jaden Collins is an electric matchup at lead guard, but the Saints have just so many other pieces. Rutgers Prep is no stranger to high-level games, however, so we expect it to stay competitive.