City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The Select Events Prime East tournament’s high-level, two-day affair concluded on Sunday, with teams from Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Select Events and the Hoop Group Summer League all battling for titles in action from 17U down on through middle schoolers

CoBL had staff around the facility at Spooky Nook throughout the weekend taking in the action. Here’s Part 4 of our notebook items, focusing on some local storylines from the course of the weekend:

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More coverage from Prime East: Day 1 Standouts | Day 2 Standouts / Notebook Pt. 1 | Notebook Pt. 2 | Notebook Pt. 3

Germantown Academy’s Apponik twins get rare opportunity

Jenna and Jess Aponik had a rare, but welcome, opportunity this weekend.

The twin sisters are teammates at Germantown Academy but on the AAU circuit, they play for different organizations. Jess currently plays for Philly Rise’s 17U National  team while Jenna is with Heat Hoops’ 17U team, so most weekends, they’re in different places with their respective squads.

With both their teams in the Prime Events East field, and on different schedule blocks, the Aponiks were not only in the same place but they were front and center for each of the others’ games.

“This was the only tournament where we really got to watch each other play,” Jess Aponik said. “With my team, I’m traveling a lot, we’ve been to Orlando and Texas, so it was my first time seeing Jenna play and her first time seeing me with my new team.”

“I love watching her play,” Jenna said. “Even though I’m not out there, I still feel like I’m playing with her in a way.”

Twin sisters Jess Aponik (2024 | Philly Rise National 17U) and Jenna Aponik (2024 | Heat Hoops 17U) had the rare chance to watch each other player this weekend. (Photo: Andrew Robinson/ CoBL)

The twins split up on the AAU circuit back in middle school before coming back together two years ago with the Philly Belles before going separate ways again. It’s not that they don’t like playing together, their favorite part of playing at GA is getting to share the floor together, but they just needed something different for their travel seasons.

Jess is in her first season with Philly Rise, where she plays with GA teammate Jess Kolecki on the 17U National roster. A 5-foot-11 guard/forward, she has a handful of opportunities spread between the D-II and D-III level.

Jenna, a 5-foot-7 point guard, has found a good spot with Upper Makefield’s Heat Hoops. She’s fielding interest at the Division III level and had a nice weekend as a distributor and shooter for her team at the Nook.

While the Aponiks are used to being on separate rosters by this point, it still comes with some challenges.

“I think it’s harder for our family, splitting up every weekend,” Jess said. “It used to be easier when we were younger because we’d be at the same place but it’s who we are as people. We’re going to grow as individuals with our different teams because we’re different players.”

Jess, who lost a month and a half of her junior season due to a severe ankle sprain, has been a fixture in GA’s starting lineup when she’s healthy and has played about every role from point guard to off-guard, wing and post in three years with the Patriots. Jenna has been a key reserve for GA and gave the team some needed extra minutes in that mid-season stretch where her sister and a few other teammates were all out injured at the same time.

They get a good amount of playing time together too and it doesn’t take long to see there’s a definite connection between them.

“Twin telepathy,” Jess and Jenna said together.

Sunday, Jess was camped out right on the sideline for both of her sister’s games and said as she watched Jenna, she knew exactly what her twin sister was thinking or would do on a given play. Jenna felt the same when she watched both of her sister’s game with the Rise and it was a safe bet that if her sister made a mistake, she’d be the first to let her know about it.

“We’re very competitive,” Jess said. “We’re always bugging each other, saying what we did wrong and messing with each other, but it’s all out of love.”

They don’t currently have any overlapping offers, but it’s not like they don’t have any experience being on separate teams if that’s where their respective next stops take them.

“We definitely want to play together, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s just the way it will be,” Jenna said. — Andrew Robinson

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Westtown’s Palmer takes talents to national stage

As an 8th grader playing high school basketball, Jordyn Palmer is already on the national radar. Not only did she earn a varsity spot in one of the best teams in the country at Westtown, but she contributed as a starter against some of the toughest teams in the nation like Montverde Academy. 

This is why the 6-2 wing/forward was invited to the USA U16 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs this past May. Among the 52 players who were expected to attend, Palmer was one of the only four players from the class of 2027 who were invited.

Palmer joined another local player at the U16 trials in Logyn Greer, a 2025 wing/forward from Friends’ Central. Another familiar face was present as well as Ursinus College women’s coach Bobbi Morgan is an assistant for the U-16 squad.

Out of the original 52-player group, Palmer was one of the 22 finalists for the 12-player roster

“Just being an 8th grader playing [at the national team trials] was great. I had fun. We had an hour and a half workout in the morning and tryouts in the afternoon,” Palmer said. “I made the first cut. I’ll be back next year though [...] I feel that I will probably make the team next year.”

Fresh off the first call from Team USA, Palmer is playing her first season with the Philly Rise. The forward led the team to the 16U championship this weekend. The Rise team have plenty of talents as they are competing with success in the EYBL circuit. As a matter of fact, they won the Dallas Platinum championship at the end of May.  

“It’s fun to play. This is my first time playing in the EYBL.The season is going pretty good,” she said about her first year with the Rise. 

Similarly to her dominance with the Rise, Palmer created a lot of problems to the opposing teams playing Westtown this past season. She led her team in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and 8.5 rebounds a game, but she also averaged 3.0 assists per game. Defensively, she can guard all positions and contributes with blocks and steals.

Palmer played a huge role in Westtown’s FSL and PAISAA titles, but she was also recognized at the GEICO Nationals. She earned first team All-Friends Schools League selection and CoBL’s Non-PIAA Player of the Year. 

Even though college is far away, many college programs are already in line for Palmer. Penn State, Louisville, Arizona State, Arizona, Florida among others have been reaching out. She already went on a visit to Louisville but she is planning on more visits to big schools. 

“Definitely making Team USA next year, just continuing to get better, destroying teams at a young age,” Palmer said on her upcoming goals. — Antonello Baggi

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Shipley’s Bair gets chance to see Gators in action

Ellen Bair had herself quite a busy weekend up in Spooky Nook.

Along with assisting the Philly Rise 16U group to a Platinum championship from the bench, the Shipley girls basketball coach had the chance to see some of her Gators in action — something that’s been rare as the Rise travel around the country.

“This is the first time the Rise played at Spooky Nook, so this is the first time seeing the majority of my team play,” Bari said. “There’s been some overlap, like I had three kids at Boo Williams when I was there, I had one kid in Dallas when we were there, so there’s been some opportunity, but this is really nice because everyone’s here.”

Bair didn’t know her team at this time last season. She wasn’t officially announced as the head coach at Shipley until June 23 last year, leading the program after a successful run at Linden Hall School for Girls in Lititz, Pa., which is about 10 minutes from Spooky Nook. 

Bair said she got to see some of her future players in action at the Nook last summer, but this weekend provided much more of a challenge. Luckily, the schedules aligned so she could catch all of them in action before Rise’s second game on Saturday.

“It’s actually been amazing, it’s been 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and then I had two hours off, then (Rise) played, then I have two kids in this game and a kid in the game after this,” Bair said.

Bair led Shipley to the Friends Schools League semifinals and the second round of the PAISAA tournament in her first season. It was a young group and will still be relatively young next season as well.

The Gators get together for open gyms two to three times per week, but the weekend provided and opportunity to watch players like Anna Pascale and Ani Proper (2025 | LGB Select 16U), Taylor Lasky (2026 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels 15U), Rikai Williford (2026 | iamBASKETBALL G!Rls 16U) and incoming eighth grader Cidney Stanfield (2028 | Exodus NYC 13U) in a different setting.

“It’s always nice to see your kids play for somebody else, in a different style, different philosophy, see how they’re doing, keep tabs on them,” Bair said. “I think that’s always fun.” — Owen McCue

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George’s Martinez and Johnson teaming up this summer

Prior to last season at George School Sophia Martinez and Gianna Johnson didn’t have a whole lot of reps playing together.

Johnson, a 6-5 forward, arrived from Conwell-Egan along with several other transfers, joining Martinez, a 5-6 point guard, and 6-foot wing/forward Priyanka Ponnam as a captain last season. 

Things will be different by the start of their senior seasons together next season at George.

Johnson and Martinez are getting some extra reps in together this summer while playing for New Heights NYC’s 17U squad.
“We kind of figured it out because in the beginning of the school season New Heights reached out to us,” Martinez said. “They had been watching us for a while. We just kind of decided together that it’s a good situation and it would be great for us to play together.”

“I think it will definitely help us a lot into the school season,” Johnson said.

Martinez, a Westhampton, N.J., native followed in her older sister Alexis’ footsteps in attending George. Alexis just finished her second season playing at D-III Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sophia is a quick guard who can also shoot it and said Division I and II programs have reached out this spring/summer.

“I just try to lead our team and talk us through situations that are tough, like when we’re down a lot just bring us up,” Martinez said of what she brings to the team.

Johnson had quite a start to the live periods in April and May as she announced high-major offers from programs like St. John’s, Syracuse and Seton Hall to a list that’s about 20 deep now. She hopes to get on some college campuses for college visits in August and September before the school year starts, noting Ole Miss, Georgia and Delaware in particular as three schools she’d like to visit.

“It was kind of shocking the amount of schools that reached out when spring ball started but when you put in the work that’s rewarded,” Johnson said.

“I’m still trying to gather a lot of information, but ultimately I’m trying to look for a school that I’m going to love regardless of basketball or not,” she added. . … The location of the college didn’t really matter to me. I just want to play.”

With the arrival of coach La'Keisha Sutton, the Cougars’ program has ascended toward the top of the Friends Schools League, finishing behind Westtown and Friends’ Central last season.

Along with Johnson, Martinez and Ponnam (Exodus NYC 17U), others like Basha Harrington (Delco Goats-Stackhouse 17U), Sylvie Harrington (Lady Runnin’ Rebels 15U) and Carissa Frederick (New Heights NYC 16U) are also playing high-level grassroots hoops. Martinez noted there will be even more help incoming this season. 

“Now, it’s a full team of basketball players,” Martinez said. It’s going to be fun.”

The two captains hope they’re tighter bond can transfer over to the high school season. While George will once again have to work in some new talent, the Cougars will have almost everyone back.

“I think we need to play more together,” Johnson said. “Playing together was the big part of winning games last year, so I think we need to continue to build on that this year.” — Owen McCue

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Davis, Nasr getting ready to team up at Notre Dame

Part of the future for Notre Dame Academy basketball is getting a head start this summer.

Guard Riley Davis and forward Grace Nasr, both in the Class of 2027, will join the Irish next fall a little more familiar with each other after playing this AAU season with the Comets-Githens 15U group. 

“They moved a lot and played at a faster pace, so I’m really excited for that,” Davis said.

Davis, a 5-foot-8 guard, has a great jumper with a lot of range and she’s far from a standstill shooter. While she also plays lacrosse, Davis knew she wanted to play for a higher level AAU program and came over to the Comets this year.

It’s a decision she feels is already paying off.

“The comparison is so different, it’s much, much faster, which I like,” Davis said. “As soon as I joined this team, it really encouraged me to work harder at it. This team just makes me love the sport more.” 

Davis described herself as more of a two-guard right now, so she’s emphasizing ballhandling, passing and reading the floor as some areas to improve this summer.

“I like being on this level, the competition makes it that much more fun,” Davis said.

At 6-foot-3, Nasr will give Notre Dame some size that not many Inter-Ac teams possess but she’s tempering expectations and is just looking forward to learning as much as she can.

“I’m excited to play with Riley and players who I’ve known, but haven’t really played with before,” Nasr said. “I’m definitely looking forward to trying new things. I just want to show what I can offer and do my best.”

Not only are Davis and Nasr getting a jumpstart on being teammates, they’re getting some good tests this summer. Their team is playing up a year and matching up with plenty of players who have already been through a high school season.

Saturday, they went up against the NJ Gemz EYBL 15U team, a really solid group that had a lot of size and strength. It was an especially good matchup for Nasr, who showed some good instincts defensively while meeting some resistance trying to score under the basket.

“I’m trying to play my hardest and always telling myself you can’t get everything just because you’re tall,” Nasr said. “I’m trying to work on my perimeter game instead of just posting up.”

Nasr said she enjoys playing with Davis due to the way the guard sees the floor and doesn’t think about only looking for her shot. Likewise, Davis said she already thinks Nasr and her are building a chemistry together that should only grow stronger the more they play together.

“I’m really excited, the next four years are going to be a lot of fun,” Davis said — Andrew Robinson

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Upper Dublin’s Ngo returning to form

When it comes to ACL injuries, regaining pre-injury can be a challenge. Amy Ngo made her first return to the court for Upper Dublin in January but playing on the AAU circuit with the Comets 17U group she is closer to feeling like her pre-injury self.

“Every tournament it gets better obviously but with the long weekend’s hard and playing like four games in two games is difficult,” Ngo said. “But I've seen a lot of progress. My confidence in my knee is growing as I keep playing more and more.  Every weekend is a step forward.”

Ngo, who announced her commitment to Holy Family on Monday, is also looking to work on her speed as she works her way back to 100% and takes her shooting and ball handling to another level. 

On Saturday in the Prime Event East at Spooky Nook, Ngo’s confidence in her knee looked solid, especially closing out on defenders or sliding into the wing on offense for a three. 

If the 5-6 guard ever needs motivation before or after her injury, all she has to do is look around the kitchen table at sister Megan, a rising sophomore point guard at Upper Dublin or mom, Jen Zenszer, a Big 5 Hall of Famer with La Salle. Both provide plenty of inspiration and motivation for Ngo; a third sister, rising eighth grader Lexi, looks up to all of them.

“Playing with Megan was good,” Amy Ngo said. We’re very competitive so we have a lot of back-and-forth fights at the dinner table. But it’s good and it’s definitely nice and I’m watching her play here this weekend and I’m looking forward to the high school season.” 

Her mom is her sounding board, her cheerleader, her critic and it all helps inform and improve Ngo’s game.

“My mom has always been the one who after every game in the car rides home would talk about it, good or bad. She always helps me, either pregame she hypes me up  or tells me what to do or when I’m down on myself tells me I’m fine.”

While Ngo is following in her mother’s footsteps, she’s not sure she will follow her mother into a career in the FBI. There’s time for that, but for now, Ngo is looking to regain her form on the court. — Matt Gaffney

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Quick Hits

— One of the 16U semifinals matched up two of the area’s top 2027 players as Philly Rise and Jordyn Palmer (Westtown) and Exodus NYC and Ryan Carter (Penn Charter) squared off for the second time this summer. Palmer (10 points, six rebounds) and Rise took down Exodus and Carter (10 points) before winning the championship later in the day. The two youngsters also faced off in the PAISAA championship game this past season. It’s a matchup local girls hoops fans certainly hope to see at least annually for the next several seasons as that duo, who are both playing two age groups up on the EYBL circuit this summer, still has four seasons of high school left.

Another fun side story of the locally-infused matchup was Carter going up against Quakers teammate Kaylinn Bethea once again this summer. Bethea’s teamed with both of the rising ninth graders this calendar year. She said the matchups against Carter are always fun.

“It’s fun playing against your high school teammate,” Bethea said. “She gives me work, I give her work and we’re just making each other better. But I know soon when the high school season comes and we’re going to be on the same team, it’s just going to be a dominant team.”

“It’s fun playing with Jordyn,” she added. “It sucks when you have to play on the opposite team because I didn’t really know her, but now since I get to know her playing on this team, it’s great. We built a bond, so I know when I got to the high school season and I end up playing her, it’s going to be like, ‘Ah gotta play Jordyn again.’ It’s going to be fun.”

— Just eight months off a torn ACL that sidelined her for her junior season at Spring-Ford, Aaliyah Solliday (2024 | K-Low Elite 17U) made her return to game action on Saturday.

Solliday played in both of her team’s games on Saturday then took Sunday off, following her doctors’ instructions. CoBL wasn’t able to catch up with Solliday in person, but she did offer a quick assessment of her first action in a while.

“I played really well considering it was my first games back,” Solliday said through a direct message. “I have a lot I still need to work on but overall I shot the ball really well and played solid defense. Just excited to be back.”

Solliday added she plans to be back with Spring-Ford for this coming weekend’s live period at the Best of Maryland event in Frederick.

— The flow of the offense is not an issue when Sofia Vitucci (2024 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels 17U) steps on the court. She is a dynamic point guard who controls the game with accurate ball-handling and throws dimes to her teammates or just makes the right play. Vitucci, who has been playing for the Lady Runnin' Rebels for 2 years, said she is having fun this spring season and likes how they play fast and push the tempo. The 5-7 point guard had to take on to a bigger role this past season at Pennsbury as the primary ball-handler with a few key players graduating, but she said their season went well and better than most expected. Pennsbury made a good run in states and next week’s summer league will help them prepare for next season. Vitucci, first team all league, wants to get the most out of her last AAU season and get in shape before one last run with the Falcons.