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Verlin: Which local HS players have taken a jump this season?

01/27/2023, 11:00am EST
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)

After seeing more than 70 high school games already this season, I figured it would be a good time to mention some players who I felt have taken a significant step forward over the last year.

Keep in mind: this isn’t every player I’ve liked this year, or anything like that. I tried to limit it to players who felt in a specific range: someone I’d seen play previously (in the summer or beforehand), and have now seen again recently, who have clearly made steps in their progression as a player. 

(It goes without saying this doesn’t include players I haven’t yet seen this year, players I felt were already performing at a high level, or players who I don’t have a point of comparison with from earlier in their high school careers.)

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Jalil Bethea (2024 | Archbishop Wood)
Let’s start off with an obvious one — okay, it’s in alphabetical order, but still. Bethea’s rode a strong summer right into a big-time junior year, where he’s become every bit the high-level lead guard that the Vikings’ coaches expected. Already a strong 3-point shooter as a sophomore, he’s become so much better as a facilitator and shot-creator, as a rebounder, and his leadership skills are improving, too. Bethea’s gone from unknown to borderline elite as a college prospect in about 2.5 years, which isn’t an easy trajectory for a teenager, but so far he’s handled it really well.

LaQuan Byrd (2024 | Father Judge)


LaQuan Byrd (above) has really stepped up as a shooter this season. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Byrd impressed as an underclassman with his physicality, the 6-3 wing guard looking like a senior as a muscular freshman, with his ability to play above the rim. But he’s really rounding out his game to support his athleticism, including — most importantly — becoming a consistent 3-point shooter when I’ve seen him play, in addition to staying strong on the glass and attacking the rim. He’s certainly in scholarship territory at this point, and it’s not out of the question that he becomes a Division I recruit if he keeps it up on the grassroots circuit. 

Luke Bevilacqua (2025 | George School)
Bevilacqua has bounced back in a big way after a disappointing sophomore campaign, to the point where he might not even need the extra year of high school he planned on when he transferred from Neumann-Goretti to George this past offseason. Playing with a newfound energy and confidence, Bevilacqua is getting the most out of his 6-10 frame, becoming a force on the glass on both ends, scoring with both hands and showing an ability to stretch the floor. He and Xavier commit Kachi Nzeh are the best frontcourt duo around, and it’s not really close.

Quinn Boettinger (2025 | Perkiomen Valley)
Boettinger was instantly noticeable last year, the 6-3 post tough to miss as a freshman starting for the Vikings, and she’s taken a big step forward this season as one of Perk Valley’s featured sophomores. Boettinger has terrific hands and footwork, but what’s most stood out to me this year is her ability to run the offense out of the high post — knocking down open jumpers, feeding shooters, knowing when to post up, etc. Her basketball IQ is terrific, and she can score in all sorts of ways, too. Throw in the fact that she’s a great quote, and she reminds of another recent PAC post player — Methacton’s Jeff Woodward, now at Colgate. 

Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Butts (2026 | Haverford School)
Got my first look at Butts this summer and he was a fairly skinny 6-6 post with a bright upside. Even in less than a year his physicality has changed quite a bit, now north of 6-7 and with a clearly more muscular frame than he had before his high school years, and his presence in the post has been a significant one for a young Fords’ squad, a strong rebounder and finisher who runs the court really well and has a developing jumper. Even if he doesn’t get any taller, it seems clear that Butts will be a high-level high school hooper who no doubt will have the opportunity to play in college; if he keeps growing and working on his game, he could be a real problem over the next few years and beyond. 

K.J. Cochran (2025 | West Chester East)
After a strong freshman campaign, Cochran has taken all the steps forward you’d hope to see for a developing Division I talent: he added another couple inches to his frame, now a legit 6-4 (or pretty close to it), and he no longer looks like the scrawny freshman who didn’t quite fill out his jersey. He’s got great body control and natural athleticism, able to square up and get off a good release even on difficult shots, and his ability to convert tough finishes at the rim has improved as well, and he continues to be a consistent outside shooter. He should add significantly to his two D-I offers by the time he makes a college decision.

Josh Coulanges (2023 | Cardinal O’Hara)


Josh Coulanges (above) has become a featured scorer for O'Hara as a senior. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

While Izaiah Pasha’s been having a strong senior year — he actually might deserve a spot on here, but he’s been playing that way for close to a year and he’s committed to Iona, and there’s a few other O’Hara kids to mention — Coulanges has been a major reason the Lions have been competitive in the PCL, the 6-1 senior guard playing easily the best ball of his career. Tough with the rock, Coulanges is excellent at getting into the teeth of a defense and either hitting shots or finding teammates, and he’s been a good 3-point and defensive threat as well. Keep seeing him play well (and hard) on multiple occasions.

Donovan Fromhartz (2025 | Downingtown West)
Like Cochran, Fromhartz is one I’m not surprised to be putting on this list, as he had the makeup of someone who was going to take that step forward, and indeed he’s become ‘the guy’ for Downingtown West, even while senior point guard Dylan Blair (West Point) is also ‘the guy,’ and they share it well. Fromhartz, a 6-4 wing, is a knockdown outside shooter who’s gotten much better with the ball in his hands, and he loves to attack the rim and finish through contact. Really like his competitiveness and aggressiveness, and those traits should drive him to keep improving. 

Duce Jackson (2023 | Collegium Charter)
Jackson was one of the featured pieces on Collegium’s District 1 4A championship squad last year, the 6-6 wing giving them a nice inside-out presence, but due to graduation and transfers, he’s had to shoulder a lot more of the responsibility for the Cougars this season. And Jackson’s been able to show a much wider skill set than he flashed as a junior, including hitting all sorts of mid-range pull-up jumpers, creating off the bounce and getting to the rim, and even stretching the floor. He’ll benefit in college from having much more talent around him. 

Logyn Greer (2025 | Friends’ Central)
Only saw Greer for the first time early in the fall, but even from then until now, she’s clearly taken big steps in her ability to impact a game. The 6-4 wing forward flashed her potential often enough early in her development, hitting 3-pointers and blocking shots with equal measure, but she’s come such a long way in terms of her overall smoothness on the court, her shot getting more consistent, as she’s now hitting mid-range pull-ups with regularity, and she’s a more assertive defender who’s turning up her aggressiveness on the court. If she can continue to refine her handle and shot-creating ability against high-level defenders, the sky’s the limit. 

Tristen Guillouette (2024 | St. Joseph’s Prep)


Tristen Guillouette (above) has emerged as the man in the middle for the Prep. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Guillouette has really settled in in his second year at the Prep, becoming the post player the Hawks needed him to be in the middle of all their talented young guards. (Speaking of those guards, all of Olin Chamberlain, Jaron McKie, Jalen Harper and Jordan Ellerbee all keep improving, and they were all in consideration for this list, but none of them have made a singular jump in the last six months, they all just keep getting better). He’s become an excellent post finisher, the Hawks’ guards getting increasingly good at getting him the ball in spots, and gives good second and third effort on the glass; his conditioning is also much better, and he’s in the best shape of his career.

Carson Howard (2023 | Archbishop Wood)
Howard has kept things simple this season for Wood, and it really seems to be paying off: the bouncy 6-8 post just runs the floor, gobbles up rebounds, and finishes at the rim, while tossing in the occasional blocked shot and assist. The only returning senior in the starting lineup for the Vikings, and one of the few pieces with significant PCL experience, he’s had to step up and be a leader, a significant change from a year ago, when he was still new to the program and finding his way. Looks like East Stroudsburg got a good one. Well, another good one.

Pearse McGuinn (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara)
McGuinn’s been a real eye-opener for me this season, taking a big step forward after a sophomore year where the potential was there but never quite seemed to turn into production, at least not in front of my eyes. The 6-7 stretch ‘4’ has been hitting outside shots at a good clip, but more than that, he’s banging around inside and posting up at a far higher rate, scoring on hook shots and slipping screens for layups. He also doesn’t try to do anything too fancy, and there’s value in limiting mistakes; he’s also become a more aggressive post defender.

Logan McKee (2023* | Garnet Valley)
The asterisk by McKee’s year is that he’s fully expected to do a postgraduate season and enter college in the class of 2024, even if he hasn’t made that move just yet. The 6-5 wing forward is a tough inside-out presence, liking to battle around and score at the rim, though he’s also a capable 3-point shooter, especially when he has that split second to set his feet and square his shoulders. If he keeps working on his quickness, handle and wing abilities, moving from a small-ball ‘4’ to a combo wing/guard, he could be in scholarship territory by next year.

Michael Zaire Paris (2023 | Archbishop Ryan) 


Michael Zaire Paris (above) has been impressive as Ryan's starting point guard. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

I like a bunch of the guys on Ryan, so if you'd asked me prseason who'd have ended up on this list, I would have said Darren Williams or Thomas Sorber, both of whom have been playing well their junior years. But the real eye-opener for me has been Paris, who has really stepped up on point for the Raiders, the senior playing like the most experienced member of the rotation. Paris is really quick on a solid-built frame, and he’s great in transition or when he’s got a step on a defender, getting to the rim and finishing with aplomb. He’s the engine driving the train right now, and they’re in the top four in the PCL.

Andrew Phillips (2023 | Malvern Prep)
Phillips gave up football after his junior season to focus on basketball, and he’s clearly benefited from the attention he’s giving the sport, as he’s become a real problem to guard for the Friars. Phillips is a bit of a tough player to put into a box: a broad-shouldered 6-4 wing guard, he’s kind of a small-ball stretch-4, kind of a combo guard, kind of a playmaking wing. Though he can sometimes settle for overly-tough shots, he’s got the ability to make them, and he knows how to take advantage of mismatches and use ball screens. Going to be interesting to see where he ends up in college; even I’m not quite sure what the right level is for him. 

Molly Rullo (2025 | Cardinal O’Hara)
The older Rullo sister was the fifth starter on a senior-laden O’Hara squad that won the Catholic League and PIAA Class 5A state championship a year ago, though you could tell the 5-10 wing guard had plenty of potential. The daughter of two Drexel ballplayers, she’s stepped into a starring role this season on a much younger Lions squad, and hasn’t really missed a beat. Rullo really excels from 15 feet and in, a high-level finisher who can hit mid-range jumpers; though she’s capable from 3-point range, she’s not yet a knockdown shooter.

Kai Shinholster (2025 | Penn Charter)
All of the Penn Charter seniors — Mark Butler, Trey Shinholster, Isaiah Grimes and Keith Gee — have had good senior years, but it’s the younger Shinholster that’s really taken a leap since last season, where he mostly was a spot-up 3-point shooter; he’s now creating his own shots, getting to the rim, handling the ball with much more assertiveness, and more. While he’s also getting physically stronger as well, his frame still looks like he could keep growing, and certainly could fill out quite a bit. All good things.

Jake Sniras (2025 | Garnet Valley)
The most impressive thing I saw Sniras do this season was play really strong defense on Radnor’s Jackson Hicke during a Radnor win earlier this month, the 6-3 sophomore not backing down against the 6-5 Princeton-bound senior, and handling his physicality quite well. Sniras has also helped round out his offensive game by becoming a better distributor; he’s still a potent shooter from all over the court in both catch and pull-up situations, and he’s taking better shots this year, too.

Joanie Quinn (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara)
Quinn’s stepped into a big role with the Lions this year, one of their primary ball-handlers and shot-makers, and she’s also had to be an on-court leader even in her first year as a starter. She’s done all of it, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime against Rustin as the most memorable moment so far, but in general she’s been consistent with her shot, limits her turnovers, and plays hard for as long as she’s on the court (which is to say, the vast majority of the game). 

Charlie Thornton (2023 | Radnor)
Radnor’s been arguably the story of the area this season, the Raptors 17-0 and sitting atop the Central League after putting their foot down against Lower Merion this week. Thornton’s been a major reason why, the 6-4 senior wing playing at a high level, hitting shots at a good clip and also showing his abilities to read the defense and make the right pass, while his ability to play above the rim doesn’t hurt either. 


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