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MADE Hoops East Warmup Notebook (April 7, 2023)

04/07/2023, 10:00pm EDT
By Jared Leveson

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) &
Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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In preparation for the live periods later this month, MADE Hoops brought together some of the top grassroots programs in the region for the East Warm Up on Friday and Saturday at Sportika in Manalapan, New Jersey. There were six courts in action from a little before 10 a.m. well past 8 p.m. CoBL took in some of the day’s loaded slate of action on Friday. Here is a notebook from those we talked with:


Ty Burton had a strong junior season in his first year at IMG Academy. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Burton rises ranks at IMG Academy

Ty Burton (2024 | IMG Academy, Fla.) found out quickly last summer that the stakes had been raised.

The former standout at Lampeter-Strasburg transferred to prestigious prep power program IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. before his junior season. During his first weekend, the team’s incumbent point guard was giving him bucket after bucket in a pickup run.

“My coach was like, ‘If you’re gonna play, you gotta play defense.’ That just kind of startled me,” Burton remembered. “I was like, ‘Wait, you recruited me for your team.’ I kind of had to learn certain stuff. That was Week 1 when I got down there. I had to earn everything. By the end of the season I was playing 28, 29 minutes. I had to earn every single minute. It was kind of one of those things when it hit me, that was like my ‘Welcome to IMG’ moment. You either do this or you get out of here.”

Burton, who played with Philly Pride 17UAA squad on Friday, got the message clearly early in his tenure at IMG and worked his way from the bottom of the rotation into a key piece by the end of the season.

He turned in an impressive junior campaign during his first year at IMG that caught more than a few eyes at the next level as he’s had about a dozen schools reach out this year, noting Coastal Carolina, Columbia, Elon and Saint Francis (Pa.) in particular among the low to mid-major programs who have expressed interest.

“It was amazing,” Burton said. “Battle everyday. We played a national schedule, so we played some of the best teams in the country. You get that experience that you can’t really get anywhere else, especially going down there, I had to start from the bottom and work my way up through the rotation. It taught me a lot of life values that are preparing me for the next level.”

The 5-10 guard said he bulked up about 10-15 pounds and focused on turning himself into a point guard when he got down there. He took his coach’s criticism to heart after that early pick-up game as well, significantly improving his defense.

With his height stacked against him, the goal is to be a pest for 94 feet however long he is out on the court. Early this spring that’s exactly what he’s shown.

“Honestly, it’s gonna get to a point where that probably has to be just as good as my offensive game,” Burton said. “It’s gonna come down to where, I’m not 6-3, I’m not 6-5. I’m not going to be able to block shots. I gotta scrap down. I gotta get ball slaps, I gotta get steals, I gotta force five-second calls, I gotta take charges, everything like that. And more importantly, I gotta rebound. Good thing about me was I think this year I averaged about four or five rebounds. I gotta do the little things that can impact winning.”

Burton is traveling back and forth on the weekends from IMG back to the area this spring. He said when the live periods begin he’ll be back for a week or two at a time to take some of the stress off. Like the rest of the 2024 class, this is a big spring and summer for him, which he is looking forward to but not worried about.

“Really though, if I have a good AAU season, it should look good for me,” Burton said. — Owen McCue

Malvern Prep’s Phillips decides to play this spring

Andrew Phillips, the 2023 Inter-Ac MVP, wasn’t planning on playing in the spring live period with East Coast Power HGSL, but he figured that playing couldn’t hurt his chances of playing hoops in college next year. 

The Malvern Prep senior stalwart didn’t plan on playing because Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby has offered Phillips a preferred walk-on spot. The 6-foot-4 wing got accepted into the university but still wants to see what other options might arise by playing. 

“I was more learning toward (Delaware),” Phillips said. “But a lot of people wanted me to play AAU this spring because I know I can get something out of the April live period so (East Coast Power) reached out and I was like, ‘Why not? There’s nothing I can lose from playing.’ 

“I think I'm gonna give it a go for two live periods, Pittsburgh and Spooky Nook. If I don’t get anything then, I think I'm going to Delaware.”

Phillips likes the Blue Hens’ style of play and the fact that Malvern Prep head coach Paul Romanczuk and Ingelsby are familiar with one another. He got the opportunity to walk-on at Delaware after his senior season that saw him average 18.6 ppg. 

Ingelsby’s program isn’t the only school to approach Phillips with preferred walk-on opportunities. He’s heard from Colgate, George Washington, and Mount St. Mary’s too. Division II programs like Bentely, West Chester, and Pace expressed interest as well, but with the transfer portal’s existence, scholarship money for incoming freshmen is scarce. 

“With all those guys leaving, coming in and out, it's tough to give someone like me a scholarship when they can go get a 24-year-old,” Phillips added. “I was talking to Bentley last week but they just don't have enough money to fund someone, a senior [in high school] right now.

“It's been tough.”

He is staying positive though and is looking forward to showing coaches his versatility on both ends of the floor and maybe find his way onto a Patriot League roster for next year. 

“I’m trying to aim for the Patriot League,” the senior said. “I’ve talked to some schools earlier, like last summer. I can fit into their style of play. I can guard probably two through four, sometimes five. I think I can fit really well in that league.” 

 “If I don’t get anything, there’s nothing I can do. I came out here and played.” — Jared Leveson


Paul VI senior Josh Eli isn't quite sure what his plans are yet for next season. (Photo: Jared Leveson/CoBL)

Cyclones’ Eli still unsure of next step

Joshua Eli will graduate from Paul VI (N.J.) later this year. Right now, he’s not sure yet where he’s headed after that.

Eli has an offer from Army West Point dating back to October, but he’s returned to the grassroots circuit for the spring with the East Coast Cyclones.

“Army is a great school,” he said at the Made Hoops Northeast Warmup at the Sportika complex in Manalapan (N.J). “I have an offer from (there) but it's just a big commitment. [It’s] a lot to think about”.

The 6-foot-7 senior is hoping to pull-in more Division I offers. The Deptford (N.J.) native has garnered interest from Hampton, Rider, Wagner, Monmouth, and Columbia but no offers or opportunities have been extended. 

“I’m just trying to turn those interests into offers this spring AAU season and see where that leads to,” Eli added.

If he doesn't get an offer from the right fit, then Eli will attend either the Lawrenceville School (N.J.) or the Hun School of Princeton (N.J.) as a postgraduate student.  

“My AAU coach [Mike Cervellino] referred those schools to me,” Eli said. “He had former players play there like Jacob Beccles. He went to Lawrenceville, got three offers and ended up committing to Cornell. He had former players that went (to the Hun School) and the coaches have a lot of connections and put their kids in the best position to get them through.” 

Eli plans on making his decision sometime in between the end of the spring AAU period and the beginning of the summer high school live period. Until then, he hopes to show college coaches his versatility and improve his leadership skills on the court. 

“[I want] to show that I make an impact on the court every time I step on it,” he said. “[I] can play many positions on the court, one through four.”

“I played on this team last year [at] 16 years old, playing 17U. I played with a lot of older dudes and now coming on as the older veteran, I just need to take that leadership role [and] be more vocal on the court.” — Jared Leveson

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Bergen Catholic’s Benjamin trying new sport

Brandon Benjamin (2024 | Bergen Catholic) was headed out the door, ready to make his way home from school earlier this spring. Little did the star basketball forward know he was soon about to add another sport to his resume: volleyball.

“It was after school and the coach basically hunted me down,” Benjamin said. “She was like, ‘I need you to come out for tryouts.’”

“It’s actually really fun,” he added.

The 6-foot-7 forward said the sport has come easy to him, playing as a middle blocker and outside hitter for the Crusaders. Things like the jump timing of the sport are also helping improve his hoops game, as highlighted by a few rejections while playing for the Shoreshots Rio 17UAA team on Friday. And he’s still getting his work in on the court, hopping on The Gun for shots or getting a workout in after volleyball practice and playing with Rio on the weekends.

Benjamin had quite a few teams drum up interest at the end of last summer’s UAA circuit. He mentioned Fordham, George Washington, Albany and Fairfield extended offers with Georgia Tech and Temple also expressing interest. Over the course of this past season, Benjamin, who is trying to extend his game outside so he can play as a ‘3’ or ‘4’, heard from St. John’s, Rutgers, Pitt and Seton Hall, which is about five minutes away.

“They really like my energy. I just don’t get tired,” Benjamin said of what has college coaches interested. “And my efficiency getting rebounds, just nonchalant, it just happens. It just keeps coming.” — Owen McCue

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Episcopal Academy 2024 guard Kevin McCarthy took a step forward as a leader as a junior. (Photo: Owen McCue/CoBL)

Quick Hits

Kevin McCarthy (2024 | Episcopal Academy) put together a second straight first team All-Inter Ac campaign at EA this past season. The 6-foot-4 guard is a terrific shooter who can put the ball on the deck and make plays. He said his defense is growing as well. The biggest step he took forward this season under EA interim head coach Taylor Wright was his leadership.

“He really kind of forced me to be a leader for the team,” McCarthy said. “Sophomore year, I was still an underclassmen and there were senior captains. This year, I kind of grew into that role, even at times when I felt uncomfortable doing it, he forced me to become a leader.”

McCarthy secured a Division I offer from Florida Gulf Coast last summer. (EA assistant Paul Chambers is the brother of Eagles head coach Pat Chambers.) He said he’s been in touch with the Eagles as well as Princeton, which reached out a month ago. McCarthy is back playing with Philly Revolution’s 17U group — it’s a squad that has most of the core back from a strong showing last summer.

“Last year, we were just building that chemistry and this year, I feel like guys like me, Josh (Reed) and Devon (Wright-Myles), we already have that chemistry build so we can just build upon that.”

Muhsin Muhammad (Friends Central | 2024) was not satisfied with how his junior season ended. 

“I wasn’t aggressive enough and could’ve gotten in the gym a little bit more,” he said. “So right after the season, I was in the gym every single day just grinding and working on my handle, and working on the things that I need to work on.” 

The 6-foot-4 guard got an offer from Division II West Chester University last October, but hasn’t received anything similar since from other schools. He’s focused on putting in the work this AAU season so college coaches see a scholarship caliber player every time he’s on the floor. 

“I just want to show that I can be a lead guard,” Muhammad added. “That I can play hard, that I’m not gonna back down from anybody, and contribute to winning.”

The 2021 All-FSL first team honoree believes his AAU season got off to a good start. Playing for the East Coast Cyclones, Muhammad had 10 points, dished out a couple of assists, and attacked the glass in their 10-point loss to Philly Revolution.

 “I felt like I moved the ball pretty well, got a couple of assists, trying to get people involved. Of course like scoring and going down hill, but I feel like I talked pretty well, felt like I hustled and played hard, I don't want to make it all about scoring. I try to think about other things.

“So to come out here today against good talent and being able to see where I’m at it was good but you always want to finish with a win so it was kind of like bitter sweet.” 

Anthony Akande (2024 | Arts High School, N.J.) is a talented scorer who is looking to gain exposure from college coaches and improve his jump shot. 

The Jersey Force guard got his first Division I offer last summer from Iona when Rick Pitino was still the head coach. His offer to play for the Gaels in the MAAC is still on the table, even though Akanda mentioned that Pitino is still interested after taking the head coaching job at St. John’s. Akanda also holds an offer from Siena and has garnered interest from other DI programs. 

“I’m trying to get more college coaches to get a look at me in this event,” the 6-foot-4 guard said. “I’m always gonna leave my options open, [but] I really wanted to play under Rick Pitino. I’ve heard so much great stuff from him. He’s a great coach.” 

Jersey Force 17U head coach Joe Stein is pushing Akande to improve his skills and the junior guard is responding. 

“My shooting,” he said about Stein’s critiques. “He always on (me) about my shooting.

“I'm getting at least 500 hundred shots a day after school. We just got this new shooting machine at Arts. At least 200 hundred makes out of the 500 [shots].”


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