City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) +
Antonello Baggi (@AntonelloBaggi)
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Hoop Group helped kick off the July live periods with the start of the AC Jam Fest this week, a three-day tournament to set up the final Hoop Group Summer League events of the season. A couple hundred teams and a couple thousand players filled the 30-plus courts at the Atlantic City City Convention Center throughout the day in front of all levels of college coaches.

The CoBL staff was on hand throughout the day to take in some of the action. Here are our standouts from Day 2 in AC:

Azmar Abdullah (2024 | BCRI HGSL 17U)
An unbelievable performance for the 6-3 point guard against Penn Warriors, as Abdullah ended with 31 points and six 3-pointers. The D-I prospect uses his outstanding ball handling and hesitations to go by defenders and uses creative finishes or creates separation with the defender to shoot a 3. Abdullah is rarely stopped by defenders because he is able to protect the ball in air and just get enough space to let the ball fly. Abdullah, who is the Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island and won three state championships so far, plays with confidence and never gives up defensively. His achievements this past season helped him to get a lot of recognition from D-I schools as he received offers from Boston University, American University, NJIT, New Hampshire, FDU and Southern New Hampshire so far.

Khalil Badru (2024 | Team New England HGSL 17U)
Athleticism is Badru’s biggest weapon. The 6-5 guard uses his explosiveness in many ways such as getting to the rim, scoring with contact, getting defensive stops and blocking shots. Badru plays like a winner and never stops being aggressive . In a win over a talented Caveman academy, he scored 19 points. Badru likes to get down-hill and use his strength to score over defenders. Badru is an above average defender and a few times he got a steal and made something positive happen in transition. During a successful first season with the Newman School, Badru received his first D1 offer from Central Connecticut state. It is likely that after the results he has been having this spring, he will get even more offers. 

Duke Cloran (2025 | PA Hoops Academy HGSL 17U)
Cloran and PA Hoops Academy pulled off an impressive come-from-behind, 60-50 win over Ohio Buckets’ 17s on Thursday afternoon, falling behind by double digits early and trailing by 10+ at halftime before holding the Ohio squad scoreless in at least the final four minutes of the game to close strong. The 6-2 point guard from The Haverford School went for 17 points, knocking down a multitude of contested mid-range pull-ups, while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out three assists and grabbing two steals, with a good heaping of low-to-mid-majors watching.

Jeremy Clayville (2024 | All-In Beasts HGSL 17U)
Clayville’s one of the most confident shooters on the HGSL, the 6-1 guard needing just about zero space or time to launch one from deep, with a quick trigger that seems to go up in one fluid motion; he took 11 triples against Baltimore Basketball Club, knocking down five of them to power the way to a 25-point outing in the 17U showcase game. The sharpshooter has a strong handle and was also the Beasts’ primary ball-handler, and he also showed the ability to blow by slower defenders and get to the rim, going 4-of-4 from the foul line; he also doesn’t give up on loose balls or offensive rebounds, grabbing six boards (three offensive) with four assists and a steal. St. Francis (Pa.) has offered, with other high-academic low-to-mid-majors keeping tabs.

Naeem Colston (2024 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 17U)
Colston finds himself on this list for the second day in a row, as the 6-5 wing/forward from Samuel Fels led Mt. Pleasant with a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double in a win over East Coast Power-Danzig in a 17U bracket second-round game. Colston was a monster on the offensive glass, grabbing seven of his teammates’ missed shots (well, maybe including one or two of his own), and got a good bit of his production on stick-backs, not that they were easy, as ECP was throwing everybody at him on the glass. Colston said he wasn’t talking to any schools yet, but with the production we’ve seen of him the last couple months, it shouldn’t be long before a host of local small-college types are all over him.

Luke Fryer (2024 | East Coast Power-Danzig 17U)
Fryer got off to a lightning-hot start in Danzig’s game against the Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs, knocking down three different left-wing 3-pointers as part of hitting his first five shots. He cooled down thereafter but still finished with a team-high 21 points along with four steals and three rebounds. The shifty 6-0 guard can truly score from all three levels, which he showed by hitting those three 3-pointers but also some tough mid-range jumpers, including a contested baseline pull-up, and getting to the rim as well as to the line. He’s already got a healthy group of D-III colleges on his trail.

Munir Greig (2027 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U)
Get ready to read this name on this website quite a bit over the next four years. Greig is a 6-6 wing who’s already garnering college buzz, with an offer from Villanova coming after a few standout performances at Philly Live last month. He kept it rolling with a 19-point outing in a 20-point win for the Scholars on Thursday evening in a consolation game. Greig’s an above-the-rim athlete who threw down two big transition slams, but he also swished his only 3-pointer and got to the line five times (8-10 FT), using his handles to get into the lane and draw contact. He also grabbed six rebounds, with two assists and two steals. 

Charles Hare (2024 | PTT HGSL 17U)
The 6-10 center can definitely improve his skills in many ways, but he is well aware of his potential and his limits. Hare knows how to be helpful for his team and plays his role in the best way he can. He knows how to get open in the paint to complete his teammates’ assists with a layup or get an offensive rebound. With his screens, he facilitates the offense and helps his teammates go by defenders more easily. In the paint he can use both hands for the layup. He also showed he can pass the ball from the post or the elbow. Against Jersey Force, he contributed with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a few blocks. In fact, he is also a good rim protector and communicates constantly.

Brady Loughlin (2025 | Jersey Force HGSL 17U)
Even if he may not get the most touches on the team, Laughlin is the most efficient on the court. Against PTT, he contributed with 18 points and three 3 pointers. It is clear that when he lets it fly, the ball will probably go in. When he attacks the basket, he is able to get layups after layups with outstanding ball handling and hesitations. But he is not only a scorer, the 6-5 guard stays in control and is able to find his open teammates. Loughlin, who will only be a junior for Don Bosco next season, was selected to the All-Big North-United Division 1st Team and will once again have a big impact for one of the best teams in New Jersey.

Chike Ndefo (2024 | Crown HGSL 17U)
The Crown took the win against a terrific Jersey Celtics Elite team and Ndefo was the key for the victory. The 6-7 forward plays with patience and never seems to rush. Even if everyone is aware that he is one of the best players on the floor, he is unselfish and plays for the team. Ndefo plays with toughness and gets buckets when it matters the most. In fact, most of his final 18 points came at the end, when the Crown needed to clinch the game. He made three 3 pointers and his shooting form looked solid. Ndefo, who plays for Vermont Academy, has D-I offers from Fairfield, Siena and Iona. 

Santana Sinvilcin (2024 | Jersey Force HGSL 17U)
Santana can be an intriguing profile for coaches at different levels. His body structure and strength make it hard for the defense to guard him and defensively, he gets the job done. The 6-5 shooting guard from Frederick Gunn School (Conn.) scored 23 points in a win over PTT. While he was getting buckets offensively he had to guard the biggest guy on the opposing team and did a pretty good job trying to limit him. He is quick to score in transition after getting steals and is able to use his explosiveness to finish at the rim. The guard is also an outstanding shooter, as he showed by making three 3 pointers in the game. Sinvilcin, who averaged 20 as a junior, will be able to play and guard multiple positions in college. 

Luke Skaljac (2024 | Ohio Buckets HGSL 17U)
Skaljac’s impressive floor game was on full display for Ohio Buckets in a loss to PA Hoops’ 17s. The 6-3 lefty point guard really excels in utilizing screens, making the right read almost every time, whether that was to attack, shoot, swing or chuck one of several bullet high-low passes to a cutter, all of which helped him rack up eight assists to go along with 10 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Skaljac showed he can pull up and knock down shots from distance, but it was his pace, feel, and athleticism at the ‘1’ that really stood out. 

Cameron Smith (2026 | Philly Revolution HGSL 16U)
Smith’s versatility at the ‘4’ spot was evident as Philly Revolution took down Young & Reckless (Ill.) in a 16U bracket game on Thursday afternoon. The 6-6 forward does good post things, like getting to the hoop out of the high post and finishing around the bucket with either hand, showing great touch and feel around the rim, but he’s more skilled than purely a back-to-the-basket presence; he knocked down multiple 3-pointers in the win, creates for himself and others in transition and ranges well for boards. It’ll be interesting to see what position he plays a year and two from now.

William Sydnor (2024 | Jersey Celtics Elite HGSL 17U)
The 6-8 wing showed his remarkable talent against Crown Basketball (N.Y.), even in a losing effort. He doesn’t lack confidence and his height allows him to shoot from the spots where he feels more comfortable without being too worried about being contested due to his high release. For his upcoming senior year, the wing will play with NJ powerhouse The Patrick School and will have an immediate impact on both ends. In the game facing the Crown he scored 22 points, added two blocks and a lot of boards. Especially in the first half, he preferred to take mid-range shots by slightly fading away. Around the rim he has a nice touch, but his 3-point shot looks solid as well. Defensively, he gets steals and dominates the boards.

Benjamin Troyer (2024 | LA ELIT3 17U)
In a 59-44 win over Central PA, Troyer had everything under control. The 6-4 wing scored 24 points and made it look pretty easy. He never forced any shots and used the glass efficiently with a sweet touch. The wing, who had a successful season with Hempfield, uses the shot fake before dribbling the ball or to make the defender jump, which helps him score at all 3 levels. In the second half, Troyer also showed athleticism with two dunks in transition. On the defensive side he is solid and even contributed with a block. 

Honorable Mention
Jalen Baker (2025 | Baltimore Basketball Club 17U), Ethan Benne (2024 | LA Elit3 17U), Remi Black (2024 | Caveman Academy 17U), Alex Bruskotter (2024 | Ohio Buckets HGSL 17U), Emeer Coombs (2024 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 17U), Ben Costello (2024 | PA Hoops Academy HGSL 17U), Miles Demby (2024 | Penn Warriors HGSL 17U), Bradyn Foster (2024 | Caveman Academy 17U), Mason Gorham (2024 | PTT HGSL 17U), Chaz Gray (2027 | All-In Beasts HGSL 15U), Josh Herr (2024 | Central PA Elite 17U), Owen Kelly (2026 | Philly Revolution HGSL 15U), Miles Longacre (2024 | East Coast Power-Danzig 17U), Lateef Lorenzano-White (2026 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U), Corey Meade (2024 | PA Hoops Academy HGSL 17U), Luke Melniczak (2025 | Philly Revolution HGSL 16U), Kirby Mooney (2024 | Penn Warriors HGSL 17U), Christian McClease (2024 | PTT HGSL 17U), James Pardon (2024 | Ohio Buckets HGSL 17U), Jordan Rogers (2024 | All-In Beasts HGSL 17U), Blake Smith (2024 | PTT HGSL 17U), Eze Wali (2024 | BCRI HGSL 17U), Rocco Westfield (2026 | Philly Revolution HGSL 15U), Jaysean Williams (2025 | Jersey Celtics Elite 17U), Deon Wingfield (2024 | Baltimore Basketball Club 17U)