City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
—

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 Convention Center throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday  in front of all levels of college coaches.

The CoBL staff was on hand throughout checking in with some potential recruits. Here's the first part of our notebook from the event.:

~~~

More from the AC Jam Fest: Day 1 Standouts | Day 2 Standouts | Day 3 Standouts
~~~

Jake West (2025 | Team Final Red EYBL 16U)

Jake West has seen quite a bit of change during the last couple of months.

The now 6-2 guard has seen himself get stronger, taller, bouncier. He’s also found a new home to finish off the last two seasons of his high school career at George School.

“(Coach Ben Luber), I’ve known him for a long time, he’s been trying to get me to go there for a while,” said West, who lives in Plymouth Meeting and previously attended Archbishop Carroll. “It was pretty far away, so I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do and I just felt like the opportunity was there and it’s a better step to college to be honest because the school in general, everything it preps you better for college.”

Another big change for West is the fact that as of June 15 he can hear directly from college coaches for the first time — like the rest of the 2025 recruiting class.

The first day was a big one for West as he picked up offers from Drexel, Fairfield and Lafayette.

“It was one of my best days of my life because you work hard for stuff like that,” West said. “You dream to go D1. Just hearing from any school, to be honest, is just a dream come true.”

West knew Drexel had been tracking him and had a relationship with Lafayette’s Mike McGarvey when he was an assistant. Fairfield assistant James Johns led Team Final to a Peach Jam title in 2021, so there was some connection there as well.

“They said I make others better,” West said about what college coaches like about his game. “That’s the thing I try to do. I just try to make others better because when I’m on the court I like to make reads and get other people open shots that are better shots for them.”

Delaware has been talking to him a lot. American is reaching out as well, and UConn checked in. 

West played with George during the June live periods, going down to the DMV for stiff competition during the first week. He said he fit in with his new teammates, particularly jelling on the court with talented 7-foot forward Luke Bevilacqua.

He’s back with Team Final Red for July, helping his team capture a 16U Platinum championship at the AC Jam Fest. The playmaking point guard also hopes he can help himself raise his recruiting profile.

“The athleticism definitely came, and I feel like handling pressure better,” West said of his improvements. “I feel like when I was younger maybe I let pressure get to me. Now, I’m more confident with the ball. My physicality is getting better. It’s not where it should be, but it’s definitely getting better from where I was before.”— Owen McCue

~~~

Bowen Gugger (2024 | PA Royals 17U)

For the past two or three seasons, Bowen Gugger has been waiting for “the year” — for both himself and the Central Bucks West program.

A C.B. West program that traditionally was a District 1 and SOL contender or dark horse under coach Adam Sherman put together another four-win season last year, unable to surpass that total for the third straight season. Gugger, who thought he had the potential to be an all-league player, never quite got going as well as he’d like.

There are signs of growth for both Gugger and the Bucks this offseason that give him optimism things are finally about to change. The Bucks have had a successful offseason, racking up wins at various events and Guggers is figuring out how to use his talents on the floor.

“I don’t want to get too hyped up because every year, I’ve said, ‘This is the year.’ But I think this is the year,” said Gugger, who tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a win Friday morning for the Royals.

Gugger is a 6-foot-4 guard/wing whose athleticism is eye catching when you first watch him play. He’s really effective in transition and get by defenders and to the cup in the halfcourt as well as contribute on the glass.

The seven assists on Friday stood out, and Gugger said that’s not coincidental. Matt Engle, who typically runs point for both C.B. West and the Royals, has missed time recently with knee problems putting Gugger into the role of playmaker more often. He can definitely handle the rock well, particularly for a player of his size and said he’s starting to figure out how to play at the point.

“I’ve had to adjust to being more of a point guard and that’s kind of a difficult jump,” Gugger said. “I knew I always had guard skills but sometimes they go away if I’m not using them, so I’ve had to adjust to handling the ball every possession. That’s been a bit of jump and I think I’m doing really well with that.”

Gugger also has some intangibles that stick out as a constant communicator, whether that is directing traffic on defense or encouragement after a play — good or bad.

“I think I bring a lot of leadership,” he said. “If you listen to the game, I’m talking on every possession, talking everyone through making sure everyone is matched up. … And I’m just overall a team player.” 

Gugger said a big reason he didn’t have the individual success he wanted to last season was team’s pinching in and preventing him from driving. He said he’s seen improvements in his jumps shot to try and keep team’s honest. 

He wants to play at the next level and was encouraged to hear from Juniata and Keystone recently.

“I’ve always wanted to,” Gugger said about playing in college. “When schools reach out, it means a lot to me, especially I watched guys come out of West like Teddy Spratt and Colin MacAdams and I’ve always looked up to those guys and the fact they’re playing college basketball. I’ve always wanted to too. It’s a real dream to play college basketball.” — Owen McCue

~~~

William Sydnor (2024 | Jersey Celtics 17U) 

Sydnor hopes his new change of scenery will further his recruitment. After playing at First Love Christian Sydnor recently transferred to the Patrick School in New Jersey, a school known for churning out high level D-1 talent. 

Sydnor was introduced to the coaches through family friends and from there things progressed and they asked him to play for them. Sydnor has enjoyed the competitiveness of the practices, going up against players like Ike Alozie, Iafola Fawaz, Jaiden Glovers and others who are highly-touted college prospects. 

“The practices are long and they're hard. We go hard for three hours everyday and if you don’t give enough effort our coach will restart practice.”

With the Patrick School playing a national schedule, Sydnor is looking forward to traveling with his new team and getting his name out on the national stage. He knows the history of the Patrick School and that they’ll always get other teams’ best shot. 

“It feels like everybody hates us, because we have a really big name.” Sydnor said. “You have to play hard every single game or else you might get blown out.”

Since joining the Patrick School, Sydnor’s recruitment has been picking up steam. During the June Live Period he gained offers from Manhattan, Rhode Island and Bryant. Sydnor also said he’s been talking to Maine, Iona, St. Bonaventure and bigger schools like St. Johns and Providence. 

“My confidence boosted a lot because I know I’m prepared for the division one level, I just hope people believe in me and give me the chance to play to prove myself.”

His newfound confidence is clear on the court with Sydnor dropping 22 points in a tough loss to Mass Rivals. Sydnor was aggressive on all fronts, using his6-7 frame to get downhill, blowing past slower defenders and finishing over smaller ones. Even when he missed, his long arms allowed him to pull in offensive rebounds. He also wasn’t afraid to let it fly from deep, going 3-of-5 from downtown, showing off his versatility. 

Right now Sydnor plays as a three, but feels he can move to the power forward position if a team needed him to. He knows he’s a talented offensive player, mentioning that it comes “easy to him”, but he wants to improve on the defensive end and become more of a two-way threat. 

“Defense keeps you on the floor while for me the offense just comes naturally.” — Zak Wolf

~~~

Brady MacAdams (2026 | Team Final Black 15U)
There aren’t many minutes available in the Archbishop Wood rotation this season. Starting forward Carson Howard and guard Gus Salem both graduate but a core led by Jalil Bethea and also including Josh Reed, Milan Dean, Deuce Maxey and Michael Green don’t leave many holes to fill

Brady MacAdams hopes he can find a way to help the Vikings in their chase for a PCL title this season. The younger brother of former C.B. West standout Colin MacAdams  — who was watching his little brother courtside on Friday — made his “varsity” debut with the program during the Philly Live periods and looks like a player to keep tabs on throughout his career.

“I think I’ll be great coming off the bench … shooting threes and handling the ball,” MacAdams said. 

“(Coach John Mosco) just wants me to be ready, be strong and play with confidence.”

MacAdams said he’s always been a point guard with shooting ability. He can really handle the ball and showed off his court vision and good form from beyond against Team Final Red on Friday.

He said he sprouted up about three inches over course of the past year, which has helped him get that shot over defenders. 

The experience at Philly Live, watching playing against talented high school programs like Camden (N.J.) and St. Rose (N.J.) was an eye-opener as he hopes to carve out a spot in a PCL rotation by the winter.

“It was just super fast my first time, but I’m getting the hang of it,” MacAdams said.

“It’s great playing with them,” he added.Very unselfish team, nice kids, great players, so I can learn a lot.”

MacAdams’ older brother started his career in the PSAC at California (Pa.) and played last season at D-II Southern New Hampshire, but he’s back in the area getting ready to use his last two years of eligibility at Del-Val. So Brady has a training partner, and sometimes like Friday an extra spectator.

Any advice from big bro?

“Be strong, play with confidence, play your game,” MacAdams said. — Owen McCue

~~~

Quick Hits

— Jordan Ellerbee (2025 | NJ Scholars 16U) had a pretty special start to his June when Albany head coach Dwayne Killings offered him a scholarship on June 15.

“I was kind of surprised,” Ellerbe said. “It was an exciting moment. It was my first D1 offer. I was really excited.”

Ellerbe, a 6-2 guard, is a part of pretty deep backcourts both with the Scholars and at St. Joe’s Prep. He can certainly make things happen at the offensive end, but he said what makes him stand out is his work on the other side of the court.

“I’m a defense first kind of person,” Ellerbe said. “I like to hustle a lot and always play hard.”

“I think it makes a huge impact. I lead mostly on defense with my hustle plays and all that.”

Along with Albany, Penn, Lafayette, La Salle and Holy Cross all reached out at the start of the contact period, which was exciting for Ellerbe who was somewhat surprised by the interest after struggling with injuries this spring.

He had an ankle injury early in the spring, missed all of May with a knee injury and was just coming back to the court during the Philly live sessions. He said he’s starting to feel more himself now and hopes to continue to leave a strong impression on those who see him play.

— Milan Dean (2025 | Team Final Red EYBL 16U) is another Philadelphia Catholic League guard whose recruitment is just starting to pick up. Quinnipiac, Manhattan and Fairfield all reached out on June 15 and have been in touch to say they’d be checking in.

“It was a good experience,” Dean said. “It just opened up my eyes to how serious this stuff is. There’s other people's jobs on the line. It makes it more serious.”

Manhattan extended the 6-foot-3 shooting guard his first Division I offer.

“I was happy, I was excited for myself,” Dean said. “It just made me want to keep going and get more and more. It made me want to go harder.”

Dean is one of the area’s best athletes and threw down quite a few monster slams at the AC Jam Fest. He’s tough to stop when pushing the ball toward the basket, particularly in transition. His leaping ability also makes him a really strong rebounder at the guard spot.

He hit an impressive stepback three in Final Red’s win over Philly Revolution on Friday. He hopes knocking down shots is something he can continue to do more consistently. He said his father his helping him with his jump shot as welling as working out with Martin Luther King head coach Sean Colson.

Along with making himself a better college prospect, Dean also wants to make sure he’s better to help a talented Wood team chase a PCL title this season.

“I feel like we should win the Palestra,” Dean said. “I’m saying that now, we’re going to win the Palestra.

— Samuel Akot (2024 | Red Rush 17U) wants to fulfill his longtime dreams of playing college basketball in America. Hailing from Ontario, Akot started playing basketball when he was young with his brother, never playing another sport. Basketball was Akot’s first love and he stuck with it. 

“I grew up around basketball.” Akot said. “I would always go outside with the ball and I just fell in love with it.”

Akot now plays for Canada Top Flight Academy, a basketball academy in Ottawa. Even with hockey being the main sport, Akot feels people forget that there’s still a strong basketball culture up north. With NBA players like Andrew Wiggins, Jamal Murray, R.J Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander there’s no shortage of talent. 

“Basketball is the same in Canada. It’s high level, it's very competitive and everyone wants to get their’,.” Akot said

Akot said he loves coming to the States to show what Canadians have to offer. Despite not getting the result his team wanted in the 17U Platinum championship against Mount Pleasant Bulldogs falling 43-36, Akot was proud of his team's effort. 

A lengthy guard who has the ability to knock down the 3-ball and defend at a high level, Akot has yet to receive a Division 1 offer, but has interest from Stonehill and Indiana State. To enhance his game and get to the next level Akot wants to get stronger. With his size he has the versatility to guard multiple positions, but wants to build up muscle so he won’t get bodied down low.