City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
—

The first-ever Post & Pivot Spring Fling Invitational brought together grassroots programs from the tri-state area for a Friday evening and Saturday packed with action, all four courts at Jefferson University showcasing plenty of talent in the 15U, 16U and 17U divisions.

Here’s Part Two of who stood out to the CoBL staff this weekend; CLICK HERE for Part One:

~~~

Isaiah Marshall (2025 | Team Final Red 16U)
The guard from Friends Select was not playing around throughout the tournament as he knew how to get past defenders or shoot from behind the 3-pt line with good percentages. Marshall scored 14 points in one of the games, but most importantly he once again showed his full potential. When he is not with the ball, the guard is always moving trying to make his teammates’ life easier or tries to get open. He is also a great passer and threw a few no look dimes for his teammates. 

Rocky Mason (2027 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 15U)
Mason may not be the biggest, but he’s a tough guard. He wasn’t afraid to initiate contact or receive it when driving to the rim. He has a lot of natural talent as a playmaker too. His vision and feel are his best assets. Not only did Mason drive and kick out to shooters, he also made some great interior reads, knowing when to throw bounce passes and when to throw quick dump offs. He was clutch for the Bulldogs in their second game on Saturday. Mason made play after play down the stretch to help them come away with the W.

Josh Reed (2024 | Philly Revolution 17U)
Reed showed physical and mental toughness over the weekend. Opposing players couldn’t drive on him because of how strong and quick he is laterally. The 6-2 combo guard picked a few pockets, intercepted passes and deflected a few more. As a slasher, he showed great feel. Reed played with pace, starting slow and knowing exactly when to hit the gas. And even though he can play above the rim in the halfcourt, he understood when to finish with craft versus when to go up with bad intentions. His ability to simply play his game and not force anything throughout a couple tight games was noteworthy.

Aris Rodrigues (2024 | PMT Warriors 17U)
The 2023 Reading grad is doing a prep year at SPIRE Academy (Ohio), and he showed why he’s a Division I level talent in a 18-point outing in a win over PSB Philly on Saturday afternoon. The 6-4 guard is a smooth, athletic combo guard, hitting four 3-pointers, most in pull-up situations, and he’s got the ability to glide to the hoop in a stride or two and lay it in with ease. Rodriguez also showed his versatility, coming up with a couple blocks, steals, assists, and rebounds, showing his ability to be effective with or without the ball in his hands.

Mason Thear (2025 | PA Hoops Academy 16U)
Thear started all season at point guard for Perk Valley, and that experience paid off as he generally handled himself well against a high-level NJ Scholars 16U backcourt on Friday night. The 6-0 point guard has a great first step and used that to get by defenders on numerous occasions, and he knows how to use his body to shield defenders during layups; he also has a nice 3-point shot, and was a fearless rebounder, throwing himself at missed shots on both ends, coming up with eight rebounds (two offensive) plus three assists in addition to seven points. 

Kareem Thomas (2024 | WeR1 HGSL 17U)
Thomas had a strong game as WeR1 beat PA Coalition 49-40 on Saturday afternoon, leading the way with 21 points. The 6-4 wing guard hit a couple wing triples and otherwise slashed to the hoop, where he could finish at or above the rim; he also grabbed six rebounds, and made all eight of his foul shots. Thomas has one Division I offer in his pocket, from Rider, and said he’s hearing from a half-dozen more low-to-mid-major Division I types. 

Cam Wallace (2025 | Philly Pride UAA 16U)
Pushing 6-6, Wallace continues to make strides as a primary option on offense. His scoring was particularly impressive. He showed versatility as a slasher. Once Wallace got a step on his man, he was able to use his burst and bend the corner like an edge rusher to get all the way to the basket. Alternatively, when he didn’t have a clear path to the rim, he put guys on his hip and played off of two feet or posted them up to get the looks he wanted. Even as defenders tried to push him to bump him in the air and contest his shots, Wallace used his length to finish around them.

Josh Washington (2023 | PA Coalition Mills 17U)
Blocks, more blocks and much more. Washington, a 6-4 forward, demonstrated a unique ability to block shots. In the game where PAC was facing Penn Warriors he had at least five blocks and it became very challenging for the Penn Warriors to get layups if Washington was nearby. He had a few chase-down blocks with great timing. But that wasn’t all: the forward from Friends Select also added up 18 points. He showed a great touch around the rim with both hands and had so much confidence in the paint. His great footwork helps him go by the defender and get to the rim with only one dribble from the 3pt line. His athleticism helps him get dunks easily and from the post it is hard to guard because he also has a good spin move. 

Ian Williams (2026 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U)
The South Philly native played with skill and poise. Only about 5-9, Williams was a menace when he got into the paint. He finished through contact when he drove straight to the rim and, even when he got cut off, he played off of two feet and found angles to still score. Williams calmly ran his team. Despite getting picked up 94 feet at times and being guarded tight once he crossed halfcourt, he couldn’t be sped up. He got off the ball at the right moments when help came and made one unselfish play after another. A starter all year at Archbishop Carroll, he’ll be one of the top pure point guards in the PCL the next three years.

~~~

Honorable Mention
Junior McFadden (2025 | PSB Philly 16U), Josh McCoy (2024 | PMT Warriors 17U), JJ McKie (2026 | WeR1 UAA 15U), Kirby Mooney (2024 | Penn Warriors 17U), Rocco Morabito (2024 | Philly Revolution), Jaden Murray (2024 | Philly Revolution 17U), Jayden Myers (2025 | NJ Scholars EYBL 16U), Amir Nelson (2025 | Philly Revolution), Marquise Newson (2027 | Philly Pride 302 15U), Masen Price (2027 | Philly Pride 302 MHC 15U), Jaasin Sabb (2026 | BW Elite 15U), Cole Santiago (2025 | Philly Revolution 16U), Kyle Shawaluk (2024 | PSB Philly 17U), Calvin Smith (2025 | PA Hoops Academy 16U), Cam Smith (2026 | Philly Revolution 16U), RJ Smith (2026 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U), Amir Speights (2024 | Philly Blue Magic 17U), Jahsir Tyler (2026 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 15U), James Walker (2026 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 15U), Brandon Williams (2025 | BW Elite 16U)