City of Basketball Love

By Sean McBryan (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM — The final Hoop Group boys’ tournament of the summer took place 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 Sunday:

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Summer Finale Coverage: Day 1 Standouts | Notebook Pt. 1 | Notebook Pt. 2

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Vere Anthony (2025 | LABC 17U)
Anthony, a 6-0 pure point guard from Saint Francis Prep (N.Y.), showcased his tight handle and aggressiveness offensively that propels him to the basket for layups or kickouts to open teammates. Anthony played up on LABC’s 17Us, which won the Platinum 1 Championship 53-47 over York Ballers Sunday afternoon, and was the primary floor general. He impacted the game on both ends by scoring nine points and picking up four assists and four steals. Anthony received an offer from Robert Morris last summer and picked up another from Manhattan in late June.

Tristen Guillouette (2024 | NJ Scholars EYBL 17U)
The 6-9 post from St. Joe’s Prep sparked Scholars’ second-half comeback bid in a 61-59 loss to K-Low Elite in a Sunday morning game with rebounds, rim protection, and low-post offense. Guillouette’s height and strength was frankly too much for any opposing player to effectively guard or box him out and that was a big reason why Scholars came back from a 13-point deficit at halftime. The big man has clearly been working on his footwork as he also had a few nice low-post moves that got him easy finishes. Guillouette has picked up offers from North Carolina A&T, St. Bonaventure, Towson, and Fairfield this summer to go along with previous offers from St. Francis, Hofstra, St. Joe’s, Drexel, and Seton Hall.

Carnell Henderson (2025 | BW Elite HGSL 16U)
Henderson, the 6-2 guard from Imhotep, scored a game-high 26 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two assists for BW Elite in its 65-56 victory over NY Jayhawks Sunday afternoon to capture the 16U Platinum 1 Championship. Henderson took BW Elite’s goal of winning a trophy — which was ingrained in the players’ minds after a run to the title game (a 59-55 loss to Middlesex Magic) the previous weekend at the Summer Jam Fest — to heart and became the primary offensive weapon. He scored by getting to the rim, making putbacks, hitting outside shots (four 3s), and finishing the game with clutch free throws.

Sebastian Henson (2024 | York Ballers HGSL 17U)
The 6-3 combo guard from Manheim Township High — a brief 15-minute drive from Spooky Nook in Lancaster County — showed his athleticism and pure jumper that helped him average 17.4 points per game last season for the Blue Streaks, who after a down season continue to aim for their first Lancaster-Lebanon League title since 2019 and first District 3 playoff appearance since 2021. York Ballers lost 53-47 to LABC in the 17U Platinum 1 Championship, but Henson’s offensive firepower kept his team close. The rising senior scored 20 points and hit four 3s — three of which came in the second half — to account for nearly 43% of York Ballers’ offense. Henson elevates high both on his jumper and drives to the basket making his shot difficult to block. 

Tajae Jones (2025 | LABC 17U)
A 6-7 wing from Conn., Jones had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds as LABC defeated York Ballers 53-47 for the 17U Platinum 1 Championship Sunday afternoon. Jones is active on the boards on both ends using his athleticism and length to reach rebounds before his opponent; those traits also allow him to guard all positions. He hit a 3-pointer and also scored seven of his points from the foul line showing a diversified skill set offensively. Jones announced he was transferring from Notre Dame-West Haven to St. George’s and reclassified into the 2025 class. He picked up an offer from Northern Illinois a few weeks later.

Josh Rivera (2027 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U)
The 6-6 wing hasn’t seen a minute on the hardwood of a varsity game yet, but appears to be ready after scoring a team-high 18 points for NJ Scholars EYBL 2026s in a 62-51 victory over Philly Pride in the 15U Platinum 1 Championship Sunday. The rising freshman at Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) hit three 3s and also found his way to the basket — where he either converted or was fouled and made his free throws. Rivera has the height to already chip in on the boards (four rebounds) and as he gets bigger throughout his career that will only develop more.

Honorable Mention

KJ Cochran (2025 | K-Low Elite 3SSB 17U), Abdurahman Coulibaly (2024 | BW Elite HGSL 16U), Elijah Espinosa (2024 | York Ballers HGSL 17U), Mitchell Kalu (2024 | Crusader Nation 17U), Michael McLean (2024 | NY Jayhawks 16U), Ethan Mgbako (2026 | NJ Scholars EYBL 15U), Billy Richmond (2024 | NJ Scholars EYBL 17U), Ryan Warren (2026 | Philly Pride UAA 15U), Darren Williams (2024 | K-Low Elite 3SSB 17U)