City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The final Hoop Group boys’ tournament of the summer is going on at Spooky Nook Sports this weekend, the Summer Finale bringing a good number of the Hoop Group Summer League squads as well as a few Nike, Under Armour and Adidas programs together for a couple days of brackets and showcase games.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff on Saturday:

Teyvien Barbour (2024 | DC Premier UAA 2024)
In a close win against NJ Scholars and many D1 prospects, Barbour looked extremely comfortable. The 6-5 guard never hesitates to shoot the ball from behind the arc when he is given even a little bit of space. In fact, he made 4 threes and ended the game with 20 points. Being big and strong allows him to use the contact as an advantage and get fouled. He was clutch from the FT line at the end of the game to keep the Scholars 2 or 3 possessions away. Barbour, who plays for Patriot HS in Virginia, rarely makes the wrong decision and is a solid defender. The guard holds offers from American, Harvard and Towson among others. 

Aiden Derkack (2026 | NJ Shoreshots Rio UAA 15U)
A rising sophomore and maybe even a rising star. The 6-6 wing already has a lot in his bag and he still has a long way to go. It will be so interesting to see what he can do once he gets bigger and puts on some muscle. Derkack, who won the NJ state title with Colonia last season, scored 16 points in a 62-54 win over the Wildcat Select 3SSB. As shown by the three dunks he had, Derkack is versatile and athletic; he played with heart and tons of energy. He was loud and cheered himself and his teammates, as he already looks like one of the leaders of the team. The wing already received D-I offers such as Merrimack and Bryant. 

Patrese Feamster (2027 | Philly Pride UAA)
“Pat” scored on all levels with ease and as often as he pleased. He demonstrated how very dangerous he is in the catch-and-shoot, and when the NY Jayhawks closed out, he danced down the baseline and feasted in the lane, finishing in multiple ways. His defensive tenacity created repeated transition opportunities in the 3/4 court pressure defense for Philly Pride, and Feamster capped off his offensive display with a one-handed tomahawk dunk in transition. Being active is part of his genetics as a player, as he used his length to get a couple of stops at the rim and created run outs for his teammates en route to a 60-31 victory, Feamster finishing with 21 points and 4 steals. 

Matthew Gardler (2025 | East Coast Power HGSL)
Gardler was terrific in leading ECPower to an overtime win against Global Squad’s UAA 16s. The 6-0 point guard from Marple Newtown scored 18 points and dished out no fewer than seven or eight dimes, continually making pinpoint passes all over the court. Gardler can score at all three levels, making a couple 3-pointers as well as some mid-range shots, and got to the foul line on multiple occasions. The grandson of legendary O’Hara coach Bud Gardler, son of St. Joe’s great Katie (Curry) Gardler and younger brother of Kenzie Gardler (Nova) and Tommy Gardler (USciences/La Salle), Gardler’s next in line to play college ball, though at what level it’s still too early to tell.

Nick Harken (2027 | East Coast Power HGSL 15U)
It was generally a good afternoon for the Harken boys; Jakob Harken (2025 | PSB Philly 16U) knocked down four 3-pointers as part of a 14-point outing in a losing effort, but his younger brother outdid him in a low-scoring win over the NJ Panthers’ 15s to close out the evening. A 6-4 wing guard, Harken certainly opened eyes with a transition dunk between two defenders, rising up for the one-handed slam, the highlight of a 10-point, seven-rebound, three-assist outing. Harken will be a freshman at Malvern Prep this winter, and it’s hard to think he won’t be part of the rotation for a Friars squad that expects to contend for the Inter-Ac title yet again.

Xavier Hazard (2025 | Expressions EYBL 2024)
Hazard went off at the start of the game against a talented Wildcat Select team, and then he clinched the win with five foul shots. Hazard, who plays with a team full of D-I prospects, is able to be impactful even if he doesn’t get many touches. The catch-and-shoot 3 pointer is his preferred option as he showed with his four 3-pointers in the game. His ability to shoot opens the space for the other guards, who are able to attack more easily. The 6-2 point guard can also run the floor really well in transition and is a facilitator for his teammates with the ball in his hands.. 

Nigel James (2025 | Expressions EYBL 2025)
With all of the playmakers in attendance this weekend, James catches the eye. He impacts the game as a true point guard, playing chess with the ball in hand to orchestrate a very athletic Expression EYBL 2025 team. James is on the offensive and defensive glass, he is in the passing lanes, he is finding open teammates on back door cuts and dump off passes for dunks, he is contesting shots and drawing charges. When he’s not doing that, he’s rising up in transition and challenging your heart at the rim because this 6-0 NYC point guard will turn a dunk over on you. His extremely sharp court vision and pinpoint passes make his high IQ basketball play a masterpiece to watch and a headache for all opposing guards. 

London Jemison (2025 | Expressions EYBL 2024)
For someone with that height, it is hard to find limits in his game. The 6-8 wing brings athleticism and versatility at both ends. He is an active defender and is able to force turnovers, while also contesting many shots. In a win over Wildcat Select, Jemison added 18 points and eight rebounds. When he attacks the rim, he is in control and really good at absorbing the contact. He has also shown a little bit of shooting from the outside. After three years at Northwest Catholic (Conn.), Jemison will join St. Thomas More and reclass as a ‘25. While he has two more high school seasons to go, he holds offers from George Mason, Boston, SJU, Rhode Island and many others. 

Mekai Johnson (2024 | Team AKT 17U)
The 6-6 shooting guard from Bishop Ireton is a consistent bucket-getter. He scored nine first-half points displaying his touch and creating opportunities at the foul line through his shifty play. The second half was a mirror of the first with the exception of stepping outside to the 3-point arc, when needed to maintain momentum of the contest when BW Elite was attempting to mount a comeback. Also a staple in the tough and gritty AKT defense, in which Johnson created five steals, and this team does well in converting those opportunities into emphatic fast-break finishes at the rim.

Bahsil Laster (2024 | NJ Scholars EYBL 17U)
Laster did his best to try to bring the Scholars back from a big second-half deficit, scoring 22 of his game-high 24 points in the second half of a narrow defeat at the hands of DC Premier 17U. The 6-5 point guard showed his ability to knock down shots as well as create for himself, including one move where he spun away from a defender on the perimeter and seamlessly pulled up and knocked down a 3-pointer, one of three treys he hit, all in the second half; he was 8-of-11 from the floor in that half, and 9-of-15 for the game, with a couple rebounds, assists and steals as well. Rhode Island offered recently, while others are checking in.

Isaiah Marshall (2025 | Team Final Red HGSL)
The Friends Select rising junior needs one word to describe his game: tenacious. He carved out 14 points all in the paint with eight rebounds in a win over PA Hoops Academy. He continually created chaos for the PA Hoops Academy defense as they couldn’t keep him out of the lane off of the bounce nor could they keep him off of the glass. Listed at 6-2, he plays with the style of a big when he attacks the paint and whatever defender stands in his path, Marshall also locked in on the perimeter defensively and caused several steals leading to transition baskets.

Carter Mungin (2024 | Northeast Revolt)
A 6-7 post, Mungin is doing a postgraduate year at Putnam Science (Conn.) after graduating from Pittsfield (Mass.) High School. He showed off good versatility in helping Northeast Revolt to a 64-58 win over PSB Philly on Saturday afternoon, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), four assists and a steal in what was a great battle of forwards between him and PSB Philly’s Colin Treude (see below). Mungin was a strong passer all game long, a few missed shots costing him a few more dimes, and he played with good patience/tempo with the ball in his hands, as well as a physical brand of defense. 

Chike Ndefo (2024 | Crown HGSL 17U)
The 6-7 wing did it all for Crown in an 80-70 loss to Expressions Saturday night. Ndefo has the size and athleticism to secure rebounds, affect shots defensively at the rim, and stay in front of smaller opponents, but he also has skill and coordination that helps him handle the ball and score offensively from all three levels. Ndefo had 12 points, five rebounds, and a block in the second half alone. He has a slew of Division I offers, including picking one up from Drexel last week.

Amdy Ndiaye (2023 | NY Jayhawks 17U)
With Long Island Lutheran, one of the top prep teams in the country, Ndiaye had a terrific season and now he is giving his best in his last AAU season. Ndiaye makes an impact at both ends and executes really well what is asked. The 6-10 forward can score inside the paint with a good touch, but he also showed that he can catch the ball outside the paint and make something happen with his ball control and passing skills. In a close loss to Philly Pride, he contributed with 11 points and many boards, plus also showed his outstanding defensive positioning, as he took a charge earlier in the game. It’s not clear if Ndiaye will remain a 2023 or go prep as a 2024.

Josh Reed (2024 | Philly Revolution HGSL 17U)
Reed, the 6-3 guard, plays like a battering ram that eventually wears its opponent down. His strength and handling ability makes it effortless to get to the rim and he has the hops and touch to finish with tenacity or softly once there. Reed finished with game-high 20 points in a 62-57 loss to Wildcat Select and also impacted the game on the boards (seven rebounds). Reed added four assists and two steals.

Billy Richmond (2024 | NJ Scholars EYBL 2024)
The Camden star suffered an apparent ankle injury at the beginning of a game against DC Premier, but that didn’t stop him from returning to the game and ending up with 18 points; he added 16 and six boards in the Scholars’ second game of the day. Like he has shown this summer on the EYBL circuit and at Philly Live, the 6-6 wing guard can score whenever and however he wants. Richmond is always in attack mode and it’s hard to stop him, because if he has space he is gonna let it fly from behind the arc, but if the defender is too close to him he will go by. Putting aside his scoring, his court vision is impressive as he always finds open teammates without even turning his head. He is always active on the boards, and when he gets them he pushes in transition. After a successful spring and summer, he has been receiving tons of offers from some of the best programs in the country, like UConn and Kansas. 

Ethan Saccone (2024 | Dragon Army)
Saccone and the Dragon Army pounced on a Philly Pride Aces team that came out of the gates blazing, nailing two 3-pointers and a transition bucket, and from there it was full speed ahead. Saccone made play after play on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. At 6-33 he possesses lead guard intelligence in the body of a decisive wing. He uses his length and body well offensively. Saccone scored at will on pull up 3-pointers and boasted the ability to shoot over defenders with a smooth jumper on the catch and shoot or in traffic. He also uses his length to create deflections and steals on the defensive end which were easily turned into transition buckets. The play of the game defensively came on a monster helpside block during a dragon’s run to pull away in the second half and put the game completely out of reach.

Joson Sanon (2025 | Expressions EYBL 2024)
Even if Expressions was missing arguably the best 2026 in the country, AJ Dybantsa, Sanon took over. Facing Wildcat Select 3SSB’s 17s, he dominated the court as a capable scorer at all three levels. His release is really smooth and he can let it fly from deep. Joining a scoring party alongside London Jemison and Xavier Hazard, the 6-6 guard ended with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Active on the boards, the 5 star guard crushes the glass a lot to get offensive boards and get additional layups. One of the top 20 players in the country for his class, Sanon has great ball handling and touch around the rim. It seems like that when he attacks the rim he doesn’t even feel the contact, as he easily finds his way to the rim. He has high-major offers from the national champions UConn, Georgia Tech, Providence, Georgetown, Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa and many others. 

Lucas Sekasi (2024 | Team AKT 17U)
Sekasi began a game against BW Elite with a downhill and-one off of a designed tip-off play. He quickly followed that up with a monster slam in transition off of a steal he created. A few plays later Sekasi comes downhill through the lane again for a one handed slam in traffic. Physically he is imposing as a guard and poses matchup problems immediately; small guards can not contain him and bigs can not keep up with his foot speed and shiftiness. Lucas also turns defense to offense quickly and finds his teammates in the open court. The 17 points he scored in a 66-49 victory does not do justice to the imprint Sekasi left on this game.

Kyle Shawaluk (2024 | PSB Philly 17U)
The 6-4 wing from Perkiomen Valley scored in a variety of ways in PSB Philly’s 67-52 victory over NJ Panthers Saturday; Shawaluk got to the rim and finished through contact or with finesse utilizing floaters. Shawaluk hit two 3s and scored 19 points in the second half alone. He also chipped in on the boards and occasionally handled the ball while not losing focus or energy on the defensive end. In PSB Philly’s first game of the day, Shawaluk hit three second-half 3-pointers as part of a 17-point, four-rebound effort.

Dillon Tingler (2024 | Wildcat Select 3SSB 2024)
The 6-7 wing from West Virginia started off relatively slow in Wildcat Select’s 62-57 win over Philly Revolution Saturday before heating up to score 19 points. Tingler took the opportunity to have the offense run through him and was rewarded with a W. Tingler handled the ball, attacked the rim and showed he could shoot from deep and the foul line. His ample length and wingspan allowed him to grab nine rebounds and steal three passes on defense. The Huntington Prep product picked up an offer from Illinois State in June following offers from Akron, Bucknell, Marshall, New Mexico State, and Ohio and he’s been in talks with countless mid-majors.

Colin Treude (2024 | PSB Philly 17U)
Treude put together a strong all-around game for PSB Philly as the 17s hung tough with a talented Northeast Revolt squad, falling by six points in a game that went down to the final seconds. The 6-5 post from Springfield (Delco.), going up against a physical post with a few inches on him in Carter Mungin (see above), went right at him on the offensive end, finishing a few early right-hand hooks, and kept up that mindset all game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), four assists and two steals. Treude showed his range with a 3-pointer and then followed that up with a shot-fake where he attacked the bucket; he also had an and-one and his four dimes weren’t an accident; he’s a strong passer from the perimeter or out of the post. A healthy group of D-IIIs are already in touch.

Makhai Valentine (2024 | Wildcat Select 3SSB 2024)
The 6-3 point guard can score the ball and it seems like he is never tired. From start to end, Valentine keeps the scoring wave going. He is already aggressive and looks to make something happen for his teammates and himself. In a loss against Expressions, Valentine scored 22 points, with buckets at all three levels. The point guard, who will play a prep season with Link Academy (Mo.) is also an outstanding athlete that he uses to dunk but also to get rebounds over the opponents. The 3A state player of the year with Steel Valley has earned offers from Toledo this week and earlier from South Alabama. His blocking ability shouldn’t be undervalued, especially for a point guard like him. 

Ryan Warren (2026 | Philly Pride UAA)
Warren led a Philly Pride UAA attack that began in the lane with his relentless play and expanded to strong perimeter defense converted into highlight offense by teammate Patrese Feamster. Warren completely dominated near the basket and was unstoppable from within 10 feet of the goal. He has great hands at 6-6 which serve him well now but his aggressive nature and quick bounce will all combine in an awesome wing package for the Academy of the New Church as the season progresses. He converted nearly every offensive opportunity: with contact, two people hanging from him, and-one, the results were all the same. Made his presence felt with a thunderous dunk in transition to spark a 16-4 run in the middle stages of the first half. Impressively Warren also sits down and guards on the perimeter, which means he can adequately guard 1-5; another attribute which will impress coaches on the next level.

Ryan Williams (2024 | Philly Pride UAA 2024)
Williams isn’t purely a jump shooter, though his inclusion on these lists does tend to be predicated on whether his jumper is falling or not; against the NY Jayhawks in a win Saturday morning, Williams definitely had his shot working for him. The 6-3 guard finished with three 3-pointers as part of a 20-point outing, knocking down back-to-back triples from the wing at one point in the first half, his picture-perfect release the same every time, smooth and in rhythm without being rushed. Williams knocked down a couple one-dribble pull-ups and also attacked the rim a couple times, no easy feat against a physical Jayhawks backcourt. 

Honorable Mention
Bryce Absher (2024 | PSB Philly 17U), Brian Blanchet (2024 | Wildcat Select 3SSB 2024), Bobby Chandler (2024 | Northeast Revolt 17U), Evan Colao (2025 | NJ Panthers Select 16U), Silas Graham (2027 | East Coast Power HGSL 15U), Umeir Graham (2025 | Northeast Revolt 17U), Derek Gomez (2026 | NJ Panthers HGSL 15U), Justin Hanson (2025 | NJ Panthers Select 16U), Brendan Horan (2025 | East Coast Power HGSL), Jeremiah Jenkins (2024 | Expressions EYBL 2024), Deandre Jones (2024 | Wildcat Select 3SSB 2024), JJ Kelly (2025 | Global Squad UAA),  John Kelly (2024 | NJ Panthers Select 17U), Devon Nelson (2025 | PA Hoops Academy HGSL 16U), Emmanuel Okitondo (2024 | DC Premier UAA 17U), Kameron Tinsley (2024 | DC Premier UAA 17U), Dellquan Warren (2024 | Wildcat Select 3SSB 2024)