City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) &
Gavin Riley (ByGavinRiley)
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Many of the local independent school teams made their way to the Hun School in Princeton, N.J. this past weekend during the first scholastic live period for the Mid-Atlantic Independent Shootout. The bleachers of the two courts were sprinkled with college coaches throughout all the action. 

CoBL had someone there for all three days. Here is a notebook from the players we talked to on Friday:

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More from the Mid-Atlantic Independent School Shootout: Day 1 Standouts | Day 2-3 Standouts | Day 1 Notebook | Day 2-3 Notebook
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Will Riley & Onyx Nnani (2025 | Phelps School)

Onyx Nnani and Will Riley met for the first time last year when they teamed on UPLAY Canada’s 15U team last spring and summer. After growing up in different parts of the country — Nnani out West in Edmonton, Alberta and Riley more central in Kitchener, Ontario — the two Canadians have come to see a lot of each other in the past calendar year.

UPLAY director Dwayne Washington connected both talented youngsters with Phelps School and after spending the past school year in a different country the two are continuing to travel all over the place together this summer with UPlay.

“We got a lot closer,” Nnani said. “When we joined the 15 UPlay we didn’t know each other, so being able to play with someone you knew from before, you build a better connection, better chemistry on the court and off the court.”

“It would have been hard if we didn’t have each other,” Riley added.

Both Riley and Nnani are very intriguing Division I prospects due to their size, length and abilities. Riley is a 6-9 shooting guard who has the ball in his hands quite a bit for Phelps. Nnani is 6-10 and plays more a forward role, but he has some emerging perimeter skills as well.

Going against each other in practices, they’ve helped each other blossom as players over the last calendar year.

“It’s like mirroring yourself,” Riley said. “You have someone else the same size as you, same length as you and everything. It’s good to practice against someone like that. It creates in-game situations and it’s good to develop.”

Riley held offers from Kansas State and NJIT before the season but he’s season his recruitment explode this spring as he’s starting to be considered one of the top prospects in the 2025 class. Washington, Oregon, Seton Hall, Illinois, Villanova and Arkansas extended offers over the course of the spring with Bryant, St. Joh’s, Penn State and George Mason joining the list this past week. He mentioned Villanova, Oregon, Seton Hall and Kentucky as some the schools that have been in touch since June 15.

“It’s a lot at first, but I’m getting used to it, so it’s good,” said Riley, who recently visited Villanova but didn’t have any other scheduled at the moment.

Nnani also had offers from Kansas State and NJIT before this month and added Oklahoma State and Penn State to his list of scholarships. Ohio State,  Drexel, Temple and Xavier are other programs that have expressed interest. He said he was working on a visit to Temple either this week or next while he was in the area.

“It’s really cool. I’m just realizing like the dream, I’m already here,” Nnani said. “I dreamed about this since I was a kid, so I’m living my dream but I gotta keep moving forward.”

It’s not always easy for two teenagers to live in a different country and to consistently be on the move and away from their families for long periods at a time — though Riley said he enjoys seeing new places.

But having each other has helped as has having the high ambitions they both have, which to start is playing high-level D1 hoops.

“It’s been hard,” Nnani said. “I’ve barely been able to see my family. I live in the West Coast of Canada so that makes it even harder and I get to see my family even less, but just knowing the goal and then having a support system and having the end goal, it makes it worth it.” — Owen McCue

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KJ Cochran (2025 | Perkiomen School)

It didn’t take KJ Cochran long to acclimate to his new high school program. The former West Chester East guard dropped in 20 points on Friday as the Panthers took down Mercersburg Academy in his first competition in the purple and black.

After establishing himself as one of the top players in District 1 during his freshman and sophomore seasons at West Chester East, he heads to Pennsburg with ambitions of continuing to grow his game.

“I’m real excited to be able to play against the guys and they’re older than me and stuff — I’m actually the youngest on the team,” Cochran said. “Just being able to play with these guys in practice and just get acclimated it’s just great.”

Perkiomen, which won its first PAISAA title last season, has turned into a national power and hot bed of talent under director of basketball operations and national team head coach Tom Baudinet’s watch since 2016.

From players like Nick Guadarrama (New Hampshire/Florida International) at the start to the most recent class of Thomas Haugh (Florida), Bobby Rosenberger (Saint Francis) and Preist Ryan (Coppin State) and the likes of Chris Arcidiacono (Villanova), Keeshawn Kellman (Princeton/FGCU), Ryan Dunne (Virginia) and plenty of others in between, many Panthers have seen their games ascend at Perk

“Just getting stronger, higher IQ,” Cochran said of what he hopes to accomplish athletically with the move to Perk. “Coach Baudinet is going to help with that and the staff, so that’s what I want to take out of it, getting stronger and developing my game. In the previous years, they’ve produced guys, and I want to be the next one.”

He’s also ready to embrace the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum and living away from home for the first time.

“My parents are going to miss me, but it’s time for a new step and new level and chapter, so I’m ready for it,” Cochran said.

Locals like Temple, Drexel and St. Joe’s were among a long list of schools to contact Cochran on June 15. The 6-3 guard has had D1 offers from Delaware, St. Joe’s and Temple since the fall and added Drexel and Kent State before the weekend and Towson and Mississippi State after the first scholastic live period. He said his mom went to Kent State and he went there for a team camp earlier this summer, which gave him a chance to also visit both of his parents’ families in the area.

Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State and Virginia were a few schools he was surprised to see reach out.

“Everyone says you never know who’s watching, but that’s actually true,” Cochran said of the schools who have reached out. “I didn’t know. People are always watching, and they’re looking out for you and they’re going to have interest in you, and that’s big so you just gotta keep focused and keep grinding.”

The recruitment is exciting, but he also knows where his focus has to be.

“Just improve my game, I’ll say that,” Cochran said of his summer plans. “Everybody talks about the offers and stuff, but you still gotta have fun and play with it. That’s what my dad and my trainers and my guys emphasized, just have fun and play. You’re working so hard, use it, and you know you can’t get caught up in all that stuff.” — Owen McCue

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Sam Wright (2024 | Hun School, N.J.)

Sam Wright wasn’t quite ready to make a decision about what he wanted to do at the next level at the end of his senior season at Lower Merion.

The 6-3 guard has a pretty jump shot and athleticism on the basketball court that had Division III programs interested had he decided to go that route. He also has an upper-80s fastball-changeup-slider combo and the mound and hit .345 for the Aces in a tough Central League this past season on the diamond, where he thinks he can reach the Division I level.

Wright won’t have to choose either path any time soon as he’s taking a prep year at Hun School next season.

“It’s been lingering in my mind. I wanted the extra year to focus on baseball actually in the summer, but I’m going to play both next year at Hun,” Wright said.

Wright said he didn’t have a lot of exposure as a baseball recruit heading into his senior season at Lower Merion. Without a real chance to showcase himself as a 2023 prospect on the diamond, he’s playing as 2024 with the Keystone State Bombers as a pitcher and outfielder this summer.

It’s paid off thus far with programs like the College of Charleston, James Madison and High Point all showing interest.

Wright said MAPL rivals Hun School and Hill School are both programs that had interest in him playing both sports. His stepdad is from the area near Princeton, N.J. where Hun is located and helped him learn more about the school. 

Hun School baseball won another Jersey prep school championship this past season, so Wright hopes to keep that winning tradition alive as well as help out a Hun School basketball program, led by head coach Jonathan Stone, improve on a 1-4 MAPL record from last season.

“I sent (Stone)  some film, and he just said he’d love to have me,” Wright said. “I’ve been trying to figure out what my purpose or role on the team is going to be, but I’m excited.”

His initial intent of the prep season was to get another summer for college baseball exposure, but Wright is also looking forward to continuing to play both sports next season and keeping a lot of doors open by the time he’s ready to figure out where he heads to college.

“I’m really excited. I still don’t know if I want to play both in college, or even play basketball only,” Wright said. “I’m still trying to figure my way around, but I’m excited for another year.”— Owen McCue

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Noah Payne (2024 | The Peddie School)

When watching Payne’s style of play, there is one thing that is evident — his ability to create scoring opportunities.

That, and the ability to sink the shots he’s creating for himself, continues to be a key-focus of improvement as his tenure with The Peddie School and his AAU team, the East Coast Cyclones, comes to a close.

“[This summer] I’m trying to be consistent in shooting the ball a little better,” Payne said. “I also put an emphasis on becoming a real-real point guard and sharpening my point guard skills throughout the next couple weeks and the whole summer.”

Payne knows as more and more coaches at the next level continue to watch him and decide whether or not to extend a scholarship offer to him, he is going to have to refine certain skills.

This past weekend, Payne fully-displayed those ‘real-real point guard’ skills that he’s been working on as his offensive prowess impressed. Along with his court vision and crafty passing, his ability to change direction mid-air and create open jumpshot looks with his shifty handle stood out. 

Along with his continuous offseason training, the study of players that boast similar traits continues to play a pivotal role in his progression

“I watch a ton of players, players with a lot of pace,” Payne said. “Ja (Morant), Damian Lillard, Chris Paul. I [also] like Anfernee Simons and Tyrese Maxey.”

Those are good footsteps to follow in, as all of them have achieved their fair-share of success at the collegiate and professional level. 

There’s no doubt that Payne can have similar triumph at the next level. As that time approaches, he continues to evaluate his options, discussing opportunities with teams from the Ivy League and Patriot League.

“Recruiting is going better,” Payne said. “I’ve been hearing from some Patriot and Ivy schools. Maybe after this weekend and next I’ll hear from some more.”

“Columbia and Lafayette are my two biggest so far,” Payne said.

He has already completed one visit (Columbia) and in the coming weeks, he hopes to complete some more.

For Payne, finding a campus that feels like home and a team that plays fast is important for him. 

“Campus wise, I’m looking for a place that feels like home,” Payne said. “It has to speak to me and have a home-feel. Basketball wise, I like teams that play really fast, can get out in transition. That’s how I like to play.” — Gavin Riley

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Jayden Forsythe (2025 | Westtown School)

Jayden Forsythe arrived at Westtown from Brooklyn, N.Y. last season thinking he was going to have to wait his turn for a featured role on the Moose.

Instead he was a big part of a Westtown squad that was definitely on the more inexperienced side, especially with upperclassmen Matt Mayock and Se’yphon Triplett going down during the course of the year.

It was a learning experience the 6-4 guard hopes can people him into Year 2 with the Moose.

“It was pretty good,” Forsythe said. “Going into the year, I wasn’t supposed to play as much as I did, so I kind of worked my way up to that role that I had and it was just a good experience, good burn for me learning to play against a more physical and faster game. I think that really helped me a lot, especially going into this summer.”

Forsythe, who spent his freshman season at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, received an offer from Fordham before Westtown season’s began. His recruitment has recently started to pick up.

He picked up an offer from Hofstra in May and last week before competing with High Point and Penn State before adding offers from George Mason and Mississippi State after the weekend.

The Penn State offer was the first high-major school to extend a scholarship to the talented Westtown guard.

“It was pretty surreal,” Forsythe said. “I always worked for it and it’s just coming to fruition now, but I just gotta keep working.”

Forsythe said his phone has been quite busy since 2025 players were first able to be contacted by college coaches. Ohio State, Harvard, Princeton, Penn and Towson are a few of the other programs who reached out.

“They said they liked my pace and the way I move off the ball and shoot the ball,” Forstyhe said college coaches told him they liked about his game. “I feel like I can bring that to any program I go to.”

Westtown is filled with big guards as Cameron Wallace (6-4) and Jayden Kelsey (6-6) return alongside Forsythe in the backcourt and Malik Rasul (6-7) the only forward listed on the roster. Daveyon Lydner, a 6-3 2025 guard from York, Pa., looks like he may join them in the starting lineup.

No one in that group is a true point guard, so they’ll all have turns with the ball in their hands. Forsythe, who showed he is a lethal shooter both on and off the ball, is hoping his playmaking is an area he can make strides in this summer.

“My playmaking abilities, just driving and kicking and stuff like that and just focusing on defense, being in the right spots and making the right play all the time,” he said.

Forsythe will have plenty more time to show what he can do to programs at the next level over the course of the next two years. He described his early experiences in the recruitment process as a “good chaotic” and is excited for what lays ahead.

“I’m just letting it be. I’m just enjoying every moment of it, and I’m looking forward to building relationships with all these coaches,” Forsythe said. — Owen McCue

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Quick Hits

— Kai Shinholster (2025 | Penn Charter) woke up on June 15 to a cell phone full of messages from Division I coaches. The 6-5 guard wasn’t quite sure which schools had been following him throughout the season at Penn Charter and with K-Low Elite this summer but quickly found out it's a pretty widespread list.

“It was absolutely crazy,” Shinholster said. “I woke up the next morning and there were a bunch of texts at like 12 o’clock at night. I remember Ohio State texted me at like 12:10, Michigan texted me at like 7 am, so as soon as I woke up. I was like, ‘Wow,’ that was just unreal. And coaches just kept texting and calling all day, so I was really excited.”

Shinholster had a terrific showing at Hun School and picked up offers from Mississippi State, Temple, St. Joe’s and Radford over the course of the weekend to add to a list that included Penn and Drexel, which offered at the start of the contact period earlier in the week. He now has offers from 10 schools as Robert Morris, Hofstra and UTEP all offered last year and Florida Gulf Coast offered back in May.

Shinholster noted on Friday — even before St. Joe’s and Temple joined the mix — he was happy to have some local schools interested in him.

“I was very excited, especially getting an Ivy League school and a Philly School getting that option to stay local if I wanted to was really good,” Shnholster said.

After two years playing with his older brother Trey and his classmates, Shinholster will be the guy the Quakers look up to this season on a new-look roster under first-year coach Brandon Williams.

“I have been excited for this role ever since I started playing, knowing that after they leave I’m going to have two more years,” Shinholster said. “I’m definitely ready.

— Ryan Williams (2024 | Malvern Prep) received offers from Penn, Drexel, Albany, Fairfield and Towson before his junior campaign and most recently added an offer from Hampton in December. He said he’s heard from a widerange of schools in his recruitment. Penn is a program that’s continued to talk with him and Princeton, FGCU, Fairfield and Columbia are a few others. He has a visit scheduled to Fairfield in August and said he may try to get on campus at Columbia around that time as well.

The feedback Williams has gotten from the next level is that coach’s obviously like his scoring — he filled it up once again in a 2-0 showing for the Friars on Friday — but now they’d also like to see what he can do as a playmaker at the point guard spot.

“I really just have to play like a point guard more, and I feel like at my size I can really be effective as a point guard, especially in high school and hopefully moving forward to the Division I level,” Williams said. “My goal for this summer is mainly get stronger, definitely tightening up my ball handling, work on all aspects of defense too. And on the circuit just finish strong. It’s my last few tournaments with Philly Pride.”

Outside of Williams and Ryan Pegg, Malvern doesn’t have too much production returning from last year’s squad. Five new freshman will have a chance to earn some time, including Marvin Reed and Nick Harken, who showed some good things. Junior McFadden, a 2025 6-5 wing/forward, is another interesting piece. 

Williams said he hasn’t played a lot of point guard in his career while playing with guys like Ty Burton at Philly Pride and Joey Vandergeest at Malvern.

“I’ve always been able to do it, it’s just the circumstances of the teams I’ve been on, we just always have a guy shorter than men and just a natural point guard,” Williams said.

“I feel like I can show coaches that I can play point guard even though it’s not always the first thing I always typically do.”

— Friends Select finished third in the Friends Schools League last season, which included a rare victory over league powerhouse Westtown and marked the program’s highest finish in quite some time.

Even after the departure of Youngstown State forward Christian Kirkland, Friends Select showed they should have a fun group this season. Veterans Isaiah Marshall (2025), Jalen Chiles (2025) and Tiko Morris put on some really good performances on Friday as the Falcons lost a tight one with Malvern Prep before taking down Springfield Commonwealth (Mass.) behind a monster outing from Marshall.

“We have Isaiah back, Tiko back, all energy guys. We all come in, have fun, play defense, play hard and we still can gel together,” Chiles said.

Owen Coughlin, a 6-8 2025 forward, flashed some good things to suggest he can help fill the void left by Kirkland. Laron Smith (5-7) and Pierce Blackwell (6-1) are two fun 2026 guard to keep an eye on as well.

Ultimately, it will be that backcourt trio of Marshall, Chiles and Morris leading the way as the Falcons try to build on last year’s success.

“We all play well, we all can handle the ball and shoot, but the main thing is we all just come together as a team,” Chiles said. “We all hang around with each other outside of basketball, so it’s easier to play off each other. We all just play hard, play defense and we all can score.”