City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) +
Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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ATLANTIC CITY — The 2023 grassroots season is almost at an end, but not before the girls’ edition of the Hoop Group Showcase League closes out its action with this weekend’s championships at the AC Convention Center. The four-day event got underway Friday with afternoon and evening rounds of pool play for teams who aren’t playing for HGSL titles, as well as showcase games for those who are (along with a few shoe company programs who are in town for the weekend). 

Here’s the first part of our recruiting notebook with features from players we talked to on Friday and Saturday:

Lauren Greer (2024 | Heat Hoops 17U)

Greer is finishing out her first and only summer with the Heat Hoops program, playing on a team full of familiar faces from Bucks County (and a couple from Montco), where she’s had no trouble becoming one of the leaders of the group.

That’s been good training for her senior year at Wood, where the 5-foot-8 guard is going from a deeper reserve spot on the Vikings’ bench right into a major leadership role. That was clear to her when Wood traveled down to the Best of Maryland event for the scholastic live periods, where she got her first “varsity” start of her career.

“I was definitely a little nervous but I think I did pretty good,” she said. “It’s kind of like this AAU team — the team connection, team energy is like no other team. Having that, it helped me not be as nervous, so I went in there and I just played.”

Gone from last year’s Vikings squad — which fell to Lansdale Catholic in the PCL championship game but bounced back to take home District 12 and PIAA Class 5A titles — are Deja Evans (Albany), Kara Meredith (Holy Family) and Delaney Finnegan (St. Thomas Aquinas) and the rest of a seven-girl senior class. Senior Ava Renninger and sophomore Emily Knouse return as starters, as do Greer and classmate Alexa Windish off the bench.

Greer looked ready to contribute in a big way on Friday afternoon, as she scored 15 points with five rebounds, three assists and three steals in a 55-16 win over the Albany Capitals in a pool play game for Heat Hoops. Knocking down one 3-pointer, she otherwise got to the rim and was confident with the ball in her hands.

She gave a lot of credit to Wood coach Mike McDonald for getting her ready for the moment over the last three years.

“He’s been definitely helpful,” she said. “At the end of the year we have meetings, and he told me I need to work on my dribbling, which I have throughout the years. Coming into Wood, I could barely dribble with my left hand, so I’ve made a really big improvement, I feel like, and it has a lot to do with him and our practices — they’re intense, focused a lot on skill work.”

Greer said her dream has always been to play college basketball, and she certainly seems to be headed that way. Gwynedd Mercy head coach Keith Mondillo was among those watching on Friday afternoon, as was Arcadia assistant Jim Ricci; Greer said that Gwynedd, Arcadia and Neumann had all been involved, with a recent visit to Gwynedd and upcoming ones to Arcadia and Neumann scheduled for August.

“That team connection that I’ve been talking about this whole time,” she said, “because that’s something I’ve always had, playing basketball. And that helps me, as a player, perform best when I have a team I can connect with easily, it helps me not only off the court but on the court.” — Josh Verlin

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Jezelle “GG” Banks (2027 | Team Durant EYBL 16U)

The Jr. NBA Showcase event would have already been an incredibly special moment for Jezelle Banks. The 5-foot-8 point guard who played at Ursuline Academy (Del.) as an eighth grader attended the global youth basketball event in Las Vegas with other top 2027 and 2028 players from around the world, including locals Ryan Carter (Penn Charter), Jordyn Palmer (Westtown School) and Tyler Sutton (George School).

She won the girls 3-point contest, played with coaches and players from around the world, met  Brittney Griner, and played on ESPN. She also got a call and offer from South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley — something she told CoBL back in January was her dream.

“I was in the middle of Vegas. I had to step out from Jr. NBA and go to the bathroom and talk,” Banks said on Friday. “I got a text from (Team Durant Director) Coach Cortez (Quarles) that said you got a call with Dawn Staley. My face dropped. I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’ It’s crazy now. It still didn’t hit me, but I was like speechless. When I talked to her, I could barely talk. I just said, ‘Thank you.’ I’m just thankful and grateful.”

“It was like dreams come true all in a span of four days,” she added.

Banks picked up offers from Texas, Marquette, Delaware, Jacksonville, Richmond, Louisville, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Penn State, Columbia and Harvard throughout the high school season. Temple, George Mason and Providence followed suit in the spring. After the first July live period, high majors South Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida also joined her list of schools.

Banks said Staley watched her play in Chicago against eventual champion Philly Rise at the Nike Girls EYBL championships. She noticed a South Carolina assistant sitting courtside earlier in the game then saw later saw Staley too.

“It was about halftime,” Banks recalled. “I was taking the ball out and she was right behind me.”

“It was a tough loss, but I played good and got the offer. … She said she liked that killer mentality that I have. They’re a fast breaking team, they like to play fast and they have killers, so she liked me.”

Even playing up two age groups against some of the top competition in the country, Banks has continued to shine this summer. She’s not satisfied yet with her game, however. Banks is a wizard with the ball in her hands to create for herself and others and has plenty of range — as showcased during the 3-point contest at the Jr. NBA showcase.

She takes pride defensively, which is something coaches have taken notice of, particularly putting pressure on the ball. She said staying attached to her opponent off the ball on defense and continuing to improve her midrange are two things in particular she’s focused on.

“Once I get the midrange after the ball screen, I feel like my game’s going to be there,” Banks said. “Out of 1-10, I feel like I’ll give my game a 3. I still got work to do. I still got a lot of work to do. I only touch high school next year. We’re just going to have to keep working, but I’m putting on for the city.” — Owen McCue

Addison Levensten (2026 | Lady Runnin’ Rebels 15U)

Levensten spent her first year of high school hoops mostly learning and watching. Now she’s ready to put her game on display, in a new-yet-comfortable environment. 

The Lower Merion native spent her ninth grade year at Germantown Academy, part of an experienced and veteran Patriots squad led by Binghamton commit Kendall Bennett, plus a strong junior class. She still managed to find some minutes under legendary head coach Sherri Retif, who retired after the year, getting a chance to experience the high school varsity level.

“I learned how you’ve got to advocate for yourself and you’ve got to get a voice,” she said, “and just like, learn, because you’re the youngest person on the team [...]  and you’ve got to (become) close with your teammates.”

She’s more comfortable with the Rebels, where she’s playing for the third summer in a row with her teammates, many of whom have stuck with that group over that time. No reserve in the offseason, she’s one of the team’s best players, which she showed in a 23-point outing Friday night during pool play.

A 5-10 combo guard, Levenstein can score from all three levels, put the ball on the floor and attack the rim and is a problem in the open court on both ends, picking off a number of passes and making things happen for her teammates or herself.

“It’s definitely totally different than school basketball, because I feel like you have more freedom on the court,” she said. “I came to a new school for high school and it was different for me — different coach, different kids, new community, different school-wise — so I like the freedom of AAU.”

After her first and only year at GA, she decided she’d prefer being back in the public school ranks, and so she’ll be a sophomore at and suiting up for Harriton this winter: “I’m very excited to go back to Harriton, to be with the kids I grew up with,” she said. 

She’ll immediately become one of the better prospects in the league, along with Conestoga’s Ryann Jennings and Garnet Valley’s Haylie Adamski, both of whom have Division I offers. That’s something Levensten is hoping for at some point in her high school years; she’s already been to Villanova’s elite camp, and is going to Delaware and Penn State’s in the near future.

Levensten said she hasn’t gotten to play much with her Rams teammates outside of a few workouts, but plans on talking to second-year Harriton coach Brian McCloskey soon to discuss plans and expectations for the season. In the meanwhile, she said, she’s “working on being a knockdown shooter, being consistent with my shot, and breaking my old habits.” — Josh Verlin

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Alicia Mitchell (2024 | iDream Black 17U)

It’s pretty easy to see why college coaches are so interested in Alicia Mitchell. It’s a little harder to see what took them so long to find out about the talented forward..

Mitchell, an athletic, high motor 6-foot-4 forward with touch and skill, became a 1,000-point scorer this January during her junior season at Springfield International (Mass.). She helped her team to its first state championship in March. A month later she had her first Division I offer from Cincinnati.

“It’s definitely new. I just got my first offer when we went to Virginia for the Boo Williams tournament,” Mitchell said Friday. “It was definitely validating and it let me know the work I’m doing, somebody sees it and appreciates it. It’s definitely a good feeling.”

St. John’s, Memphis, South Carolina Upstate and most recently San Jose State are schools that have also offered her this grassroots season. She talked to Yale once or twice and Maryland and Wichita State have both been in frequent communication. 

“I like to think I’ve handled it well,” Mitchell said. “It’s definitely something new and different. I’m really not used to it, so at times it can be a little overwhelming, but obviously my coach helps me and my other coaches and sometimes even my teammates. It’s really a team effort and honestly it’s been really rewarding.”

After a tough outing Friday, Mitchell and her teammates bounced back with wins over Lady Runnin’ Rebels and BBA Elite on Saturday, in which she impressed.

Along with her offensive skill set inside — she also has a jumper that could turn into a midrange weapon —- her ability to anchor a defense stands out.

“I definitely think it’s my communication on the court,” Mitchell said of what’s drawn interest from college coaches. “Typically that’s what I do, but I feel like sometimes when I go to new teams I’m more nervous and I’m shy but I think even in the beginning here I was shy, but I wa still trying to talk — in a polite way obviously — but let everyone know what’s going on out on the court and just be talking all the time.”

“I really think it’s mostly my role considering I’m always in the back, I can see the whole court most of the time and I need to help my teammates who can’t see and if they get a screen I need to let them know before it happens. I try to let everyone know what’s going on before it happens to them, so we can all move on.”

Mitchell plans to take a visit to Cincinnati some time during the season to get a good feel for what the campus and program are like. She’s always wanted to me a psychologist so finding a good place to pursue that major and career path is also on her list when trying to figure out where she wants to play at the next level.

It’s certainly nice to have a few options now.

“Honestly, I need to know more about what I want from a future school,” Mitchell said. “But I definitely want them to have a good psychology program and find out how many people in the psychology major get internships and how many go on to pursue that career and become successful.” — Owen McCue

Kelsey Rhyne (2026 | Boo Williams EYBL 15U)

It’s no accident that Kelsey Rhyne has a knockdown jumper. After all, she learned from the best…kind of. In a roundabout way.

Decades ago, her father went to a basketball camp where he was taught to shoot by none other than Wardell ‘Dell’ Curry Sr. — former first-round NBA Draft pick, 16-year NBA pro and father of the best shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry. 

“(My dad) went to a camp when he was younger, and (Dell) taught him how to shoot, and he just kind of perfected it,” Rhyne said. “[Then] he taught me, and I just put the work in and I’m able to perform.”

The 5-foot-9 left-hander showed off her shooting prowess on Saturday afternoon, knocking down six triples in a win over NEPA Elite’s impressive 14U group to stay unbeaten in 15U pool play. That’s the same number of 3s she hit in the North Carolina 4A (big-school) state championship game, though her Lake Norman squad fell just short of the title. 

It’s been a big summer since then, playing with Boo Williams on the girls’ EYBL circuit, and college coaches have noticed. She picked up her first Division I offer, from Siena, just two days ago, after playing with Boo Williams in the Nike championships in Chicago earlier this month; Seton Hall and Towson have also reached out to her coaches.

“I was in like, shock,” she said of her first scholarship offer, from Siena’s sixth-year head coach Jim Jabir. “I couldn’t even speak. It was very exciting.”

Rhyne said the scholarship offer gave her a little boost of confidence — but, she added, “my confidence really comes from practicing.”

This offseason, she said she’s working on going from being a pure shooting guard towards being a point/combo by the time she gets to her collegiate years. That means working on her ball-handling and court vision, as well as her on-ball defense. She looked the part of a developing combo guard in the win over NEPA Elite, dishing out three assists including a couple dimes through the defense, playing with the ball in her hands a good bit in Boo Williams’ talented backcourt. 

Rhyne’s certainly on pace to far outshoot her father’s hoops career, which didn’t last past high school — but he’ll always have the Dell Curry advantage.

“Yeah, he likes to keep that in his back pocket,” she said with a smile. “Whenever I get a little too cocky.” — Josh Verlin

Madison Miller (2024 | Rise As One17U)

Madison Miller was still trying to draw the attention of college coaches the last time she was in Atlantic City — back in May for the Atlantic City Showcase.

She received her first Division I offer after the event.

Miller returned to the Convention Center two months later with her recruitment process much further along, now trying to narrow down her options. The 6-foot-3 power forward picked up a total of 12 offers in the last few months and has Aug. 8 as the date she’d like to pick her future college home.

“It’s been kind of crazy,” Miller said Friday. “I’m just really trying to focus on this plast basketball period because it’s the lat one that I’ll be in for AAU. After that, it just comes down to visits and figuring out what’s going to be the best opportunity for myself as a player, person and academically.”

Miller, whose mother’s uncle Mike O'koren played at UNC and then was an NBA player, coach and broadcaster, averaged 11.5 ppg and 10.2 rpg at Pope John (N.J.) this past season. She will finish her high school career at Morris Catholic (N.J.), along with former Pope John and current Rise As One teammate Kennedy Brown. 

She received her first offer from Manhattan on May 25. She was busy visiting campuses in June and added offers from Seton Hall, Fairleigh Dickinson, Siena, Lafayette, St. Peter’s, La Salle, South Carolina Upstate, Gardner Webb, Radford, and Bucknell before the first July live period.

St. Bonaventure and St. Joe’s extended offers after a strong showing at the Tournament of Champions in Chicago two weeks ago. Both were in attendance along with a number of other schools for Rise As One’s game against the Boston Showstoppers on Friday. Even with her shot not falling, Miller finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks in a tight loss.

“I think that my shot has gotten better,” Miller said of what’s drawn the attention of college coaches. “My shots weren’t going in last game, but that happens, it’s basketball. The aggressive level. Our team, we’ve been together since we were freshman, so I think that plays a part.”

“They like how I can shoot the three,” she added. “They definitely like how I communicate on defense and my energy level and picking up my teammates and high-fiving on foul shots.”

Miller is still trying to fit in a few more college visits before making her decision. She’s visiting St. Joe’s on July 25 and has an official visit to Seton Hall scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2. 

She said as an only child she’s looking for a program that feels like “family” and a campus that feels like “home”. Miller also has interest in working in the FBI when her basketball career is done, so she wants to go to a place she can study criminal justice and psychology and be in position for internships and post-college opportunities.

“I want to commit by Aug. 6. I know it’s pretty early but I figured that I’ve been talking to the schools that I really like for quite a bit of time, so I think that makes it easier,” Miller said. “But the top schools right now, they kind of offer different things, so I have to narrow down what I really want in a program.”

There’s a few more chances to compete with her teammates before that, however.

“This program means a lot to me and this is going to be our last time together,” Miller said.’ My team’s been together since freshman year and I’ve been with the same AAU program since fifth grade. It’s exciting. It’s bittersweet.” — Owen McCue