City of Basketball Love

By Justin Procope (@1Procope)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2023-24 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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When head coach Trey Morin decided to return to Phelps School earlier this year following two years coaching in Texas, it was not just a basketball program he was returning to, but a home. 

“We all have to go off on our own path in life but when I had the opportunity to come back, I jumped at it,” Morin said. “It’s a special place.. It really truly is the place that I love. I’m excited to be back and get [Phelps] back to where it was.”

Morin is happy to be back in familiar surroundings, this time accompanied by his wife and infant son, who will be living with him on campus. In his first go around with the program from 2019-2021, Morin led the Lions to a 38-19 record over two seasons and reached the PAISAA semi-finals in his first season. 

He was also responsible for the successful recruitment of several Division I talents, including Chas Kelley (Boston College), Isaiah Miranda (North Carolina State) and Devin Butler (VMI). Yet despite the talent that has been through the door in recent years, Phelps is still in search of another PAISAA championship, something the school hasn’t done since 2015. 

There is optimism this group could be the one to break through after coming up short against George School in the PAISAA semifinals last season. Much of that optimism stems from the Lions’ stand out core of juniors, headlined by one of the best players around in Will Riley. 

The 6-foot-9 guard/wing, an Ontario, Canada native, is currently the 29th ranked player in the class of 2025 by ESPN. He saw his recruitment explode over the last year, with offers from Arizona, Alabama and Penn State, just to name a few. Riley offers a blend of size and skill that few players in the country can match. After averaging 24 ppg as a sophomore, the 5-star will once again be the offensive hub of the Lions as he enters his junior season. 

“A kid like Will makes everything really easy.” Morin said. “He’s unselfish, he comes to work everyday ready to get better, so that makes my job a whole lot easier.” 

Fellow juniors Onyx Nnani and Justin Houser make up an intimidating and talented front line for Phelps. Onyx, another versatile 6-9 wing/forward from Edmonton, Canada, will provide length and athleticism, capable of impacting the game on both ends. While Nnani is more comfortable slashing to the rim, he is a confident shooter from the mid-range and from long distance with an improving isolation game to match. Nnani is another player whose stock has been on the rise since arriving at Phelps, as he has picked up offers from Oregon, St. Joe’s and Oklahoma State, among others. 

The 7-foot lefty Houser will once again be a key starter for Phelps after pulling off the unique feat of leading the team in blocks (2.7 bpg) and 3-point percentage (45%). Having a 7-footer with that type of consistency from long range is an extremely rare and valuable asset for any team. That unique skillset has earned him offers from schools like Penn State and St Joe’s, and allows Phelps a flexibility on offense that most teams will not have.  

“We’re very versatile,” Morin said. “With Justin we can play big, or we could put Onyx at the 5 and play a little bit smaller. Offensively, it is really going to be game to game for us. If we can have seven or eight guys with 10 points -- obviously Will is going to get his -- that’s the formula for success for us.”

The starting lineup will be rounded out with two post-grad players in guards Jacob Hudson (6-3) and Jordan Rogers (6-5), who Morin has praised for their performance in this pre-season period. 

“Jordan is a kid who is everywhere defensively. … He’s about as good of a defensive player as I’ve ever had.” Morin said. “[Hudson] in transition is also as lethal as anybody I’ve had, I’ve been really surprised by those guys.”

With Morin returning and an exciting collection of talent at his disposal, Phelps looks primed to make a deep run and challenge for the first championship in almost a decade. Morin knows expectations will be high in the run up to the season opener, but he understands there are many steps they must take between now and then if they want to reach their potential as a group. 

“We can’t get lost in the sauce of the season because it is a long season,” Morin said. “September to March is very long. Ultimately having a chance to win the PAISAA championship and then make the national prep championship is what we would define as successful but we are in step one of the journey.”