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Pete + Jameer Nelson PBP Classic: Day One Standouts (Dec. 28, 2022)

12/29/2022, 1:30am EST
By Josh Verlin & Chad Graham

Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

The first day of the Pete + Jameer Nelson Play by Play Classic brought six games to Widener University on Wednesday, with 12 teams from the area (including one from N.J. and one from Delaware) playing over the course of the day and well into the evening. 

Here are links to the game coverage, and our staff’s picks for standouts:

Plymouth Whitemarsh 60, Salesianum (Del. 44)
George School 63, SCH Academy 41
Lower Merion 81, Germantown Academy 34
St. Joseph’s Prep 73, Malvern Prep 64
Cardinal O’Hara 70, Rutgers Prep (N.J.) 53

Chester 69, Coatesville 64

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Qudire Bennett (2023 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
Bennett kicked off the event by putting on an off-ball scoring clinic. Without taking many dribbles, all of his 28 points came within the flow of PW’s offense. He seemed to float to open spaces in the defense, making four shots from deep. He also scored on putbacks inside. The 6-4 unsigned senior would be a great addition to any number of small colleges.


Sam Brown (above) was one of Wednesday's stars, with 29 points despite sitting much of the 2nd and 4th quarters. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Sam Brown (2023 | Lower Merion)
After a quiet summer and fall since committing to Penn (due to injury), Brown reminded everyone why he’s one of the best marksmen in the region. The 6-3 guard opened the Aces’ game against Germantown Academy with 14 points on four 3s in the first quarter. Whether it was spotting up or running off of screens, Brown sunk his shots while barely grazing the rim. He also handled the ball and moved it well in the halfcourt. The future Quaker finished with 29 points on seven 3s in just three quarters of action.

Chase Coleman (2024 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
Coleman’s 11 points don’t tell the story of how he played versus Salesianum (Del.): he was a menace on defense. As an off-ball defender and at the point-of-attack, he gave the offense problems when getting into their sets. Coleman had three steals and several deflections, showcasing his quick hands and good anticipation. The turnovers he forced kept the momentum in PW’s favor all game long.

Tristen Guillouette (2024 | St. Joseph’s Prep)
Guillouette has had some big scoring games this season, but he didn’t really need to put the ball in the hoop to have a monster game against Malvern Prep. The 6-foot-9 post took advantage of being the biggest body on the floor, racking up a massive day on the glass with 14 boards (four offensive), even as Malvern was throwing body after leaping body after him; he was also an imposing force in the paint with six blocks, several Malvern players daring to try him from up close; offensively, he had five points but also dished out four assists, including a few impressive backdoor feeds (and a dribble hand-off or two).


Pearse McGuinn (above) had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Rutgers Prep. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Pearse McGuinn (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara)
McGuinn garnered some intrigue as an underclassman as a young face-up forward, but on Wednesday, it was his post abilities that were more on display. The 6-7 junior finished with a 16-point, 10-rebound effort in a fantastic team win against Rutgers Prep; he was catching and finishing everything with ease, including a bunch of put-backs, as well as post feeds and lobs, showing great touch around the rim with both hands.

Jaron McKie (2025 | St. Joseph’s Prep)
McKie was the day’s high scorer with 34 points and he certainly worked for it, taking all sorts of punishment from the Malvern Prep defense, including several hard (unintentional) fouls that left him with blood on his jersey (and a new jersey for the second half). The 6-3 guard was 10-of-18 from the floor (3-6 3PT) and 11-for-11 from the line, his one-dribble pull-up in good use, and his shot with his feet set is almost automatic. 

Kachi Nzeh (2023 | George School)
Bound for Xavier after this season, Nzeh was relentless against SCH. Four of his first five made field goals were dunks. He capitalized on his size advantage by imposing his will around the basket, coming down with 8 rebounds, in addition to the dunks. Nzeh made the most of the fouls he drew by going 4-of-4 from the line as well. The 6-8 big man totalled 16 points to go along with the eight rebounds and four assists.

Izaiah Pasha (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara)
O’Hara’s star wing and Iona commit was at the center of the Lions’ big win, though it wasn’t as the team’s dominant scorer. Instead, it was his all-around outing that really popped: every other play, it seemed, was Pasha grabbing a rebound, blocking a shot, or making a pass to an open teammate for an assist, along with the occasional bucket, attacking the rim with abandon to collapse the Rutgers Prep defense. Pasha finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Andrew Phillips (2023 | Malvern Prep)
Phillips got off to a hot start with a few tough buckets against St. Joe’s Prep, muscling his way inside as he scored nine first-quarter points; he wound up with 18 points and eight rebounds (five offensive), plus three assists and a steal in the loss.The 6-4 wing often found himself going up against Guillouette in the post, which didn’t always go his way, but when he stayed in the mid-range he was effective, hitting a few jumpers and one 3-pointer, as well as completing one of his two three-point play opportunities. 

Anthony “Tookie” Smith (2026 | Salesianum, Del.)
The freshman guard for Sallies gave them a much needed spark in the loss to PW. Smith generated four steals which he used to jump start his offense. In the halfcourt, he got to the cup and to the line where he went 3-of-4. His passing was impressive too. Smith led Salesianum with 14 points.

Dante Weise (2023 | George School)
Weise’s the type of player that you really have to focus on to appreciate, because he’s constantly doing the right thing even if it’s not the splashy thing — directing traffic off-the-ball, keeping his team together, settling the offense, playing the back end of the 1-3-1 zone. The 6-1 senior guard only took four shots but finished with seven points, nine rebounds, four assists and a steal in George’s win. 

Kyree Womack (2024 | Chester)
Womack closed the night strong with a 24-point outing, the junior guard hitting three 3-pointers on six attempts, knocking down jumpers in catch and pull-up situations, in addition to dribbling his way through all sorts of Coatesville pressure, finishing a few acrobatic layups up and through traffic. 

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Honorable Mention
Alassane Amadou (2023 | Springside Chestnut Hill), Luke Bevilacqua (2025 | George School), Christian Bliss (2024 | George School), Aasim Burton (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara), Cam Burns (2024 | Springside Chestnut Hill), Christian Cervellero (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara), Olin Chamberlain (2025 | St. Joseph's Prep), Josh Coulanges (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara), Jadin Collins (2023 | Rutgers Prep, N.J.), Jalen Harper (2024 | St. Joseph’s Prep), Justin Hinds (2024 | Salesianum, Del.), Miles Johnson (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara), RJ Johnson (2025 | Salesianum, Del.), Dior Kennedy (2024 | Coatesville), Jeremiah Marshall (2023 | Coatesville), Carson Mastin (2023 | George School), Jaren Morton (2023 | Springside Chestnut Hill), Ryan Pegg (2024 | Malvern Prep), Justin Poles (2023 | Lower Merion), Jahseir Sayles (2024 | Plymouth Whitemarsh), Ryan Williams (2024 | Malvern Prep), Sam Wright (2023 | Lower Merion)


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