City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The opening day of Philly Live’s second weekend of 2023 continued on Saturday with games at both Jefferson University and St. Joseph's Prep, dozens of teams from up and down the East Coast playing multiple games in front of Division I coaches.

Here's who stood out to the CoBL staff during games we watched at St. Joseph's Prep:

James Anderson (2024 | Unionville)
The do-it-all 6-3 guard finished a 58-54 victory over College Achieve Saturday with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Unionville continues to churn out impressive performances this summer as it gears up for a repeat appearance in the District 1 Class 5A championship game. Anderson can finish strong drives to the rim against taller opponents — like the 6-9 post he converted against Saturday — and can also make all the gritty plays needed for his team to win.

Ryan Brown (2024 | Unionville)
The 6-3 senior — although it looks like he might have an inch on classmate James Andreson — lit it up from 3 in the first half for Unionville, which picked up another impressive victory Saturday in a 58-54 victory over College Achieve. Brown finished with 18 points (four 3s), three rebounds, and two steals as the Unionville seniors showed out without sophomore James Brenner, who was out with a broken finger. Brown had a four-point play in the first half which was one of many outside jumpers that forced College Achieve to stretch its defense.

Kenny DeGuzman (2024 | Potomac)
DeGuzman and the rest of the Potomac squad were not intimidated having to face PIAA 6A state champions Reading. They came out with an intensity on defense that allowed them to create turnovers and get out on the break, somewhere DeGuzman was comfortable. The lightning quick 6 '0 guard led the way offensively for the Panthers, finishing with 20 points and two 3-pointers in a 57-34 blowout victory. Deguzman was a blur in transition as he made sure to take advantage of the easy opportunities his defense provided him. In the halfcourt, he showcased a deep bag of dribbled moves, a quick first step, and an ability to find his teammates that gave Reading problems all game. 

Preston Fowler (2025 | East Catholic, Conn.)
A night after impressing in a win over Archbishop Wood, Fowler was even better in a 48-33 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh, the 6-8 wing/forward going for 24 points and 12 rebounds (plus two assists, steals and blocks) as he was impactful throughout. Fowler showed off his shooting touch with a 3-pointer and a few mid-range jumpers, including a smooth one-legged fadeaway from 14 feet; he also hit his last six shots and eight of his last nine, closing strong as he got free in transition and finished around the rim, including a nice change-of-speed Eurostep. Fowler already has a healthy assortment of mid-major offers, and his stock is rising.

Nas Hart (2025 | College Achieve, N.J.)
The 6-9 post with bouncy athleticism made a ton of flashy plays at the rim in College Achieve’s 58-54 loss to Unionville Saturday afternoon. Hart gathered 17 points, 11 rebounds, a block, and two steals in the game while making the defense think about putting shots up at the rim and finishing above the rim himself offensively. The rising junior still has room to improve in his post footwork and shooting — he took two 3’s that missed with good form and rotation — but is already a plus player regardless.

Matthew Hodge (2024 | St. Rose, N.J.)
Hodge has been on an absolute tear this entire offseason, and that continued on Saturday evening for the 6-8 wing from Belgium. WIth a good bevy of high-level Division I coaches watching, including Temple head coach Adam Fisher and assistant Michael Huger, Hodge went for 29 points in a 73-63 win over Archbishop Ryan. He was spectacular from deep (7-9 3PT), finished around the rim, battled with Ryan’s Georgetown-bound big Thomas Sorber, crashed the offensive glass and more. Hodge is a no-doubt college-ready player who’s playing with a high motor and has a terrific basketball IQ. 

Kevair Kennedy (2025 | Father Judge)
The 6-2 point averaged 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals for Judge in the two games CoBL had eyes on Saturday. Both games ended in victories for Judge, with a 63-56 win over East Catholic (Conn.) and a 66-45 throttling of Coatesville. Kennedy was the primary ballhandler both games and dealt with full-court pressure from teams that thought it’d be easier to rattle him. He didn’t react when things got chippy and just went about his business. 

Andrew Kretkowski (2027 | Rutgers Prep)
It’s always impressive whenever a rising freshman can contribute anything other than a few high fives and maybe a towel to clean up a wet spot. But when they are running the show on a team already full of serious young talent, it is bound to turn heads. Kretkowski has been doing just that over the live period with a frame (6-6) and game well beyond his years. Finishing with 12 points (two 3s) and nine rebounds (four offensive) in a low scoring affair with Math, Civics, & Sciences, Kretkowski showed off his pretty jumpshot to the tune of two 3-pointers and sprinkled in excellent hustle plays along the way. 

Jaron McKie (2025 | St. Joseph’s Prep)
McKie came out on fire for Prep and didn’t slow down, scoring 21 of his game-high 31 points in the first half as the shorthanded Hawks beat Payne Tech (N.J.), 70-55. The 6-3 combo guard was 6-of-9 from 3-point range, missing his first in the first half and then hitting his next five, his teammates continually finding him in catch-and-shoot situations. He added an old-fashioned 3-point play to start off the second half, showing great body control on a finish in the lane, but generally kept it simple, one of the biggest positives of his offensive game. And that wasn’t his only big game of the day.

Gio Panzini (2024 | St. Rose, N.J.)
Panzini had himself a quietly big game for St. Rose in its win over Ryan, overshadowed by the monster game Hodge enjoyed. The 6-4 shooting guard, playing with a brace on his right knee, only took five shots but he hit all of them, including a trio of 3-pointers, to get to 13 points; he also grabbed six rebounds, dished out a couple assists, grabbed two steals and even blocked two shots, showing that he wasn’t bothered at all by his old injury. Panzini has a gorgeous jumper that he can unleash in catch-and-shoot or pull-up situations, and he’s a good secondary ball-handler who keeps his head up on the move.

Brant Rath (2024 | Boyertown)
Squint your eyes and you would swear you saw Andrei Kirilenko running the floor for the Bears; Rath not only has the same floppy haircut as the do-it-all forward, but he has the versatile game to match. Sure, he may be three inches shorter at 6-4, but he knows how to use his strong, lanky frame to impact the game in a multitude of ways. He was a constant threat from the perimeter, hitting three 3-pointers en route to a 15 point showing. When defenders closed out he was comfortable finishing in the paint or dishing to a teammate, as he had several impressive passes that created plenty of open looks for his teammates. On the defensive end, he is sturdy enough to hold his own and has good instincts when deciding when to be aggressive. 

Samson Reilly (2024 | East Catholic, Conn.)
If you’re the coach’s son, it’s a pretty good bet that you’re going to be a fundamentally sound player. Reilly — head coach Luke Reilly’s son — is certainly that although sometimes the ability to make shots just comes down to the player. Samson Reilly, a 6-2 guard, was a flamethrower with his jumpshot in a 63-56 loss to Father Judge Saturday scoring 26 points on 4-for-7 shooting from two-point range, 4-for-8 shooting from 3, and 6-for-6 shooting from the foul line. Reilly converted a four-point play and drew multiple fouls on long-range attempts with his craftiness.

Eunique Rink (2024 | Payne Tech, N.J.)
Payne Tech’s 6-10 post drew two tough assignments on Saturday in Prep’s Tristen Guillouette and Ryan’s Thomas Sorber, two of the best bigs in the region, and he certainly held his own on both ends of the floor. Rink especially impressed defensively with six blocks against the Prep, using his strong frame, good reach and timing to hold his ground in the paint and deliver some forceful rejections of guards and bigs alike. Offensively, he didn’t hit double figures in either viewing but flashed all sorts of different moves, including a smooth backhanded layup, a high-arcing right hand hook, and a high-flying dunk attempt that showed some real vertical.

Thomas Sorber (2024 | Archbishop Ryan)
Sorber was doing his thing in two separate watches on Saturday: first, he went for 20 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive) with two blocks in a win over Payne Tech (N.J.), then followed that up with a 27-point, seven-rebound, one-block outing against St. Rose (N.J.). The Georgetown commit has continued to refine his footwork and finishing moves around the rim, maneuvering his way around several tough post defenders to score around the bucket, flashing a face-up game and generally putting in a terrific effort on both ends, competing on the glass and getting to the line with frequency.

Andrew Stiegleman (2025 | Haverford)
John (Franklin & Marshall) and Googie Seidman (Catholic) are gone; it’s time for another -man to step up. Andrew Stiegleman did Saturday in a 64-31 victory over Alliance Christian with 22 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, a statistical line that would’ve been even more gaudy if he didn’t leave the game earlier after getting poked in the eye. Haverford head coach Keith Heinerichs said Stiegleman was one to watch out for following the game and the potential is certainly there; the rising 6-2 junior did everything from scoring, rebounding, handling the ball, and guarding the best player albeit against an inferior opponent.

Michael Van Raaphorst (2024 | Delbarton School, N.J.)
The most astonishing part of the 6-4 guard’s 18 point, six rebound, two assist performance in a 66-38 victory over Bethlehem Catholic was his posterization attempt late in the game that drew gasps from several areas of the spectator bleachers. The vertical wasn’t something the crowd expected after seeing Van Raaphorst pick apart the defense with crafty drives, finishes and passes and a shooting touch that allowed him to go 6-for-6 from the foul line and hit two 3s. The rising senior had a nice coast-to-coast layup after picking up one of his two steals and he also had the height to pick up a block defensively.

Jamir Westry (2025 | Payne Tech, N.J.)
Westry was solid in Payne’s first game of the day, a loss to Archbishop Ryan, but really shined in the loss to St. Joe’s Prep. The 5-9 lead guard has the ball on a string and seems to dance on the floor, tantalizing defenders with jab steps and feints, then whipping a cross-court pass or using a quick first step to blow by defenders when they stood up for a half-second, getting to the rim or dishing off to a big. He finished with 11 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a steal, though it was his ball-handling and passing abilities that stood out beyond anything else. Westry played with a ton of energy and clearly enjoyed setting his teammates up for open shots and dunks.

Honorable Mention
Josh Benka-Coker (2026 | Bethlehem Catholic), Larry Brown (2026 | Coatesville),  LaQuan Byrd (2024 | Father Judge), Jacob Canton (2027 | Rutgers Prep, N.J.), Olin Chamberlain Jr. (2025 | St. Joseph’s Prep), Alantay Dawson (2025 | Math, Civics & Sciences), Reese Fitzgibbons (2025 | Haverford), Tristen Guillouette (2024 | St. Joseph’s Prep), Matthew Hodge (2024 | St. Rose, N.J.), Jabron Harris (2026 | College Achieve, N.J.), Charlie Kammeier (2024 | Unionville), Trey Kern (2025 | Boyertown), Will Lesovitz (2026 | St. Joseph’s Prep), Derrick Morton-Rivera (2026 | Father Judge), Darren Williams (2024 | Archbishop Ryan), Lincoln Zimmerman (2024 | Delbarton School, N.J.)