City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (Owen_McCue) & Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Here’s a recruiting notebook from Sunday’s Philly Live action at Jefferson University and St. Joe's Prep:

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More Philly Live Coverage: Day 1 Standouts | | Day 2 Standouts (Jefferson) | Day 2 Standouts (St. Joe's Prep) | Day 3 Standouts (St. Joe's Prep) | Day 3 Standouts (Jefferson) | Day 1 Local HS Notebook | Day 1 Recruiting Notebook | Day 2 Recruiting Notebook Pt. 1 | Day 2 Recruiting Notebook Pt. 2

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

The Prep big man knows that when he’s on the court, he makes a big difference for the Hawks. And so he’s done all he can to make sure he stays on the court: by getting into continually better and better shape over the course of his two years at the school at 17th and Girard. 

Now down to 230 pounds, 32 less than at his most, Guillouette’s in the best shape of his life, and that means he can play just about every minute, able to make a major impact.

“Being able to be available for my team is the best, I love being able to play for my team and be available, at times, when my team needs me,” he said. “And being able to play the whole game without coming out of the game is very important.”

Guillouette put up big numbers in Prep’s win over Imani Christian on Sunday morning, going for 14-points, 11 rebounds, six assists and six blocks in a strong all-around showing. He credited working out with former La Salle/Coppin State big man and longtime pro Terquin Mott for help with his progress, as well as regular workouts with the Prep coaches.

“School let out early May,” he said, “so I got a chance to get up early in the morning, work out with Coach Terq, and then work out later at the Prep. So it’s a lot of time to get better, but I’ve been taking advantage of it.”

Guillouette has five scholarship offers: Hofstra, Albany, St. Joe’s, Drexel and Seton Hall, and he said he still hears from all five, mentioning that Seton Hall was in touch most often. He did note that St. Joe’s coach Billy Lange and Drexel coach Zach Spiker had both been tracking him throughout the season and into the summer circuit; he’s been to both schools and had positive impressions of both coaches, and staying close to home certainly seemed appealing.

“Home cooking’s always fun,” he said. “Staying close to home [...] I can still come to Prep to work out, when my college is closed or on the holiday.”

Big-picture, Guillouette says he doesn’t yet have a timeline on his commitment, wanting to play the rest of the summer out and evaluate from there. In the meantime, he’ll focus on helping Prep ascend back to the top of the Catholic League, with a strong core returning chock-full of Division I prospects. 

He does, however, know what he’s most concerned with when it comes to the next level.

“Being able to trust my coaches [is most important],” he said. “I feel like there’s going to be ups and downs, highs and lows. You’ve got to trust your coach, know that they got your back and you’ve got their back. I feel like you’ve got to be able to trust your coach with your development. How can I get better and what can I get better on? You’ve got to be honest with them. It’s about trusting my coaches.” — Josh Verlin

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Amir Williams (2024 | Neumann-Goretti)

The Saints’ 6-foot-5 wing had to do a bit of adjusting this spring/summer. After developing chemistry with former N-G guard Robert Wright III (Montverde Academy) in high school and AAU, Williams made the switch to play with the NJ Scholars and Khaafiq Myers this summer and is learning how to play with some of the team’s new pieces at Neumann.

“I just had to adapt,” Williams said. “I got used to it where I’m at. I’m cool now.”

Williams is a terrific defender and that’s what he says stands out most to college coaches. He can switch to multiple positions, has length to get in passing lanes and block shots and said he is really starting to figure out the mental side on defense as well.

Last season, his offensive role was typically catching lobs near the rim and spotting up from deep but as he showed this weekend, he’ll have a little bit more on his plate this season.

“My ballhandling and attacking more,” Williams said of the improvements in his game. “It’s been going good. I feel myself getting better, expanding my game.”

Myers was out this weekend, and while 2026 guard Stephon Ashley-Wright has plenty of experience running the show, Williams also had the ball in his hands a little bit more, whether that was pushing in transition or trying to create for himself in the halfcourt. 

He picked up an offer from Towson after the weekend, adding to a list that already included Hampton, Delaware, St. Joe’s, Drexel and Albany from last season. Williams said he’s continued to receive interest from a number of programs, mentioning Richmond and Brown specifically. Niagara is one of the programs that told him they were coming to watch him this weekend.

He planned on thinking more about planning his visits after the weekend, instead focusing on leading a new-look Saints group (which was without Myers) alongside fellow senior Larenzo Jerkins, who had a heckuva day himself. He’s been really excited to see how young guys like Torrey Brooks, Deshawn Yates, Nazir Tyler (Germantown Friends) and Keon  Long-Mtume (Martin Luther King) consistently compete.

“I feel like it’s getting me and Renzo better. We’re getting more leadership, we’re teaching them as we go,” Williams said. “You see how they play defense. That’s the energy they get from us. We tell them to keep going. That’s how you play.” — Owen McCue

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Matthew Hodge (2024 | St. Rose, N.J.)

If you’ve been paying attention to recruiting news over the last few months, Hodge’s name might be familiar. The 6-8 rising senior from Belgium has been raking in offers over the last few months, hitting double digits during the spring, and he’s got plenty of high-major programs showing significant interest.

Watching Hodge on Sunday afternoon in St. Rose’s final game of the weekend, it was easy to see why. The athletic, versatile wing forward went for 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in a win over Imani Christian, impacting the game all over the court. It’s similar to what he’s shown while playing with the PSA Cardinals on the Nike EYBL circuit, which has helped him pull in offers from Seton Hall, Penn State, Maryland and more.

“I feel like just [the] improvement I’ve been making these last couple months, getting the chance to play EYBL with a great organization was good for me,” he said, “to get to play every game against good people, great players, really helped me in my development.”

“It feels good [to be] appreciated,” he added about the coaches, “to see them at the games, see them looking at me, that’s what I came here for, to get the chance, to get the opportunity to play at the highest level in college.”

His most recent offer was Temple, which offered on Saturday, head coach Adam Fisher watching Hodge earlier that day.

“He called me, offered me straightaway, said I had a great day yesterday, really liked my game, said I’ll fit his style perfectly,” Hodge said, “so that was a really good talk.”

Hodge said he’s waiting until after Peach Jam to start to cut down his list and figure out official visits, noting that he just saw Saint Mary’s and he’s seeing Old Dominion in the coming weeks. He wants to see Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech, which he said were “for sure high on my list,” but also noted recent interest from Villanova, Florida State, Florida and more. 

“(I’m looking for) just a great organization that wins a lot, that trusts their development part, coming in, freshmen having an opportunity to play,” he said.  

In the year between now and college, Hodge said he’s working on continuing to transform from a small-ball ‘4’ into a true playmaking wing, able to play and guard the ‘3’ at the next level and hopefully beyond. His passing skills were on full display against Imani, finding his brother Jaylen Hodge on a beautiful slip screen assist and making other dishes on the move, with confident one-handed passes. 

“(I’m working on) my ball-handling, because I feel like I want to be a natural ‘3’ player where I could use ball screens,” he said, “Put me on the floor, pick-and-pop, those types of things.” — Josh Verlin

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EJ Campbell (2024 | Spring-Ford)

Campbell wasn’t upset with how he played at Rider’s team camp last weekend, where he got in a couple games with his East Coast Cyclones grassroots team, but he didn’t think he was at his best. Then he got called into a meeting with the Broncs coaching staff, where Kevin Baggett told him he was offering him a scholarship. 

“I was shocked,” He said. “Like, you feel like you know when you play really good basketball, and I feel like I played really good but I didn’t bring my best game, so I was surprised. But I knew I put the work in, so I feel like it was well-deserved. 

“I thank God and the people around me…I almost started crying, but I couldn’t start crying in front of them.”

That offer kicked off a flurry of activity for the Spring-Ford rising senior, a 6-2 combo guard who was a major reason the Rams made it to the District 1 6A championship game and into the state semifinals. He’s been up to Army’s camp in West Point and has heard from Holy Cross; quite a few Patriot League types were watching Spring-Ford’s games on Sunday, along with other mid-majors, there for Campbell and Jacob Nguyen, the rising junior who picked up his first four offers this week. 

“Yeah, once I got that Rider offer, some buzz started coming around, got follows from lots of colleges, my high school coach had coaches calling him,” Campbell said. “It was great to see the game against O’Hara, the row was filled with coaches, which is a positive sign, especially because my teammate Jacob picked up some buzz.”

Campbell credits the jump in his stock to Division I level to his ability to play the point, knowing that he won’t be able to be a ‘2’ guard at the next level at his size. He flashed good instincts and passing abilities on Sunday, and he does still have the ability to get a bucket when needed.

He said he’s working on those abilities by playing as often as he can, going to finding pickup games and going 5-on-5 with folks years older to work on what it’ll take to succeed in college.

“Obviously for my high school I’ve got to score, I’ve got to put the ball through the hoop for us to win games, but at the next level I’m going to be a point guard,” he said. “I don’t have the luxury of being 6-4, 6-5 so I can’t really play the ‘2’ at the next level; being a point guard, running the show, is helping my development into the next level and the college scene.” — Josh Verlin

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Kyree Latimer (2024 | Constitution)

Kyree Latimer has a role model for what he wants to become.

As a sophomore at Bonner-Prendergast two years ago, Latimer watched his friend Jacob Beccles at Constitution on his way to becoming the first Public League player in 40 years to head to the Ivy League, committing to Cornell during a prep year at Lawrenceville last fall.

“My sophomore year at Bonner, I sat and I was kind of watching my friend Jacob Beccles and I’ve just been staying under his wing and then I’ve just been in the gym with him,” Latimer said.

Latimer, who grew up with Beccles in West Philly, ended up following in Beccles footsteps at Constitution last season and hopes to continue a similar path to the next level — and pursue a degree in nursing or sports medicine once he gets there.

He said Cal State-Bakersfield is a program that has reached out and Constitution coach Rob Moore has reached out to Cornell. West Chester head coach Damien Blair was one of the college coaches putting eyes on the Generals game against Springfield-Delco on Sunday morning.

Last season, Latimer, a 6-3 guard, had a breakout campaign, averaging 14.5 ppg and 3.0 apg to earn first team All-Public League honors. 

“They like how I attack, how I can move the defense and create for others and stuff like that and how I can run the show,” Latimer said is the feedback he’s gotten from the next level.

Beccles has instilled in him that attack mode and encouraged him to “play as hard as you can,” Latimer said. That’s something he is trying to instill in his teammates as a senior leader at Constitution this season.

Latimer said he shot up from about 5-10 to 6-3 before his sophomore season at Bonner. It took some time to adjust to his new size, which altered his shooting mechanics quite a bit. His focus is on continuing to work on that jump shot this summer, but as he displayed in the Pub last season, he’s figuring out how to use that size effectively as a lead guard.

“I actually had to change my jump shot and learn how to be bigger, take more contact and things like that,” Latimer said.

The Generals advanced to the Public League semifinals last season before falling to West Philadelphia and being knocked out in the second round of states. Latimer has his eyes on carrying his squad to even deeper runs next season.

“I just gotta contribute more because we lost out second leading scorer. Rebound more, just gotta bring a lot more to the table than I did my junior year,” he said. — Owen McCue

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Antwone George (2025 | Conwell-Egan)

Take a look at the Philadelphia Catholic League statistical leaders from last season and a lot of familiar names will stick out … Rob Wright, Budd Clark, Thomas Sorber, Jalil Bethea, etc.

One player with his name scattered all over the sheet who many might not be as familiar with is Conwell-Egan 2025 guard Antwone George.

The Eagles had another tough years in the Catholic League, finishing with just one win for the second year in a row. Still George proved to be a piece to build on moving forward, scoring 25 points in his first game of the season and continuing to excel under first-year coach Tyrone Lewis. 

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 13.8 ppg (13th in PCL), 3.0 apg (24th) 6.7 rpg (10th) and 2.8 spg (second) in a breakout campaign.
“Sophomore year, it was a good year,” George said. “We got a new coach, and he just tried to teach us how to play basketball, do whatever I gotta do to get the game going and stuff like that.”

The Eagles took down Octorara before losing a tight one to Freedom (Va.) that came down to the final possession on Sunday at Jefferson. George and 5-6 2024 guard Aidan Mondragon are the only returning starters for a team that will have to gain experience on the fly once again. 

George also noted 5-8 2024 guard Franz Fabian will be a player to watch and ANC transfer Justin Bobb, a 6-5 2026 forward should be a huge boost down low.

Conwell-Egan hasn’t piled up more than two since grabbing five league wins in 2016-17.

“I’ve gotta encourage them to be confident because a lot of people don’t really expect much from us because of our record and how we played the last few seasons,” George said. “I just gotta tell them to play confident and keep our head held high.”

George said his best asset as a player is his rebounding. Even as a guard, he was the third best offensive rebounder in the PCL (3.3 orpg) last season behind Sultan Adewale and Carson Howard and just ahead of Thomas Sorber and Tristen Guillouette. 

He can also penetrate into the lane and is a willing passer. The hope is to improve his shot next season to make sure defenses respect him as a perimeter threat.

“My jump shot, my 3-point shot and expanding my range,” George said of what he’s working on. “It could do a lot because last year a lot of teams usually sagged off. It could help a lot.” — Owen McCue