City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2023 Kobe Bryant Classic took place over two days this weekend, with a pair of games at Lower Merion High School on Saturday before a quintuple-header at Widener on Sunday.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff:

Jalil Bethea (2024 | Archbishop Wood)
Huntington Prep’s length and height advantage loomed over Wood the entire game on Saturday afternoon, so Bethea had to find solutions if the Vikings were going to have a chance to win. He did so by putting on the rim. Using the threat of his jumper, the future Hurricane compromised the defense with his off-the-dribble game to draw fouls (13-of-14 FT) or draw help, creating space for someone else to get a clean look. In the third quarter, Bethea went back to his bread and butter by drilling two pull-up threes and a corner three to keep his team alive. They came up short, but he finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.

Torrey Brooks Jr. (2026 | Neumann-Goretti)
Brooks Jr. is more known for his smooth and cerebral off-the-dribble game. But with no Khaafiq Myers in the lineup against Salesianum, the two-way guard had to adjust in order to help the Saints come away with the victory. And he did just that by delivering 22 points to lead all scorers. Down eight points after the first quarter, Brooks Jr. raised his level of play. He was elusive inside the arc, getting to the cup almost at will, in addition to popping a three for nine points in the second quarter to put NG up by one going into halftime. In overtime, Sallies tied the game up with 5.7 seconds left on the clock. Then, without hesitation, Brooks Jr. received the in-bound pass, swerved his way the full length of the court, hit a step-through, and made the game-winning layup as time expired.

Jaden Colzie (2024 | Plymouth-Whitemarsh)
Even on a day when his Plymouth-Whitemarsh squad struggled to keep up with a high-powered and hard-nosed Sanford squad, Colzie was able to find his rhythm. The senior finished with 17 points, three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. It felt as though whenever PW was falling out of the game, Colzie was there with the pick-me-up. The 6-1 guard highlighted his performance with some tough shots; a few deep fadeaway threes and some top-of-the-key jumpers. Colzie helped to lead PW back into the game in the second half as the Colonials gained the lead for the first time in the third quarter and held onto it into the final few minutes of play before eventually falling to Sanford 59-55. 

Jordan Ellerbee (2025 | St. Joe's Prep)
Getting his fair share of on-ball reps, Ellerbee wasted no time getting his game off. He turned speed to power on drives, using his burst to create the initial advantage, then initiating contact to sustain it before laying the ball up. The way Ellerbee cradled the ball with one arm and kept a low center of gravity allowed him to fend off or evade the opposite while keeping his eyes on the prize. And over the course of the game, he showed he could finish with either hand. The 6-2 combo guard racked up 16 points and 3 assists. 

Tristen Guillouette (2024 | George School)
Guillouette is starting to look comfortable in the Cougars’ green and white. He shined defensively with how active his hands were versus Life Center. The unsigned senior big man poked the ball away or outright swiped it for 4 steals and contested shots to come away with two blocks. On offense, he operated as the high man and the low man alongside Luke Bevilacqua, generating efficient offense with their height advantages. In the fourth quarter, George School went four-out and fed Guillouette in the post. He bullied his way to clean looks at the hoop with simple catch-and-finishes and with quick drop-steps to bury his defender under the basket, on the way to 9 points in the period. The 6-9 center totalled 19 points and 8 rebounds to go along with the steals and blocks.

Adam Herrenkohl (2024 | Lower Merion)
After the Aces went down 26-24 at the end of the first quarter and the Warriors tried to take away Owen McCabe, Herrenkohl took over. He capitalized on the tremendous spacing his teammates provided by relentlessly getting to the cup. Likewise, the three triples he hit spaced the floor for everyone else and halted Methacton’s attempts at going on runs of their own. Finally, in the fourth quarter alone, Herrenkohl pulled down 5 crucial defensive rebounds to close out possessions and get the ball back to his team. He totaled 26 points, 9 boards, and 2 steals in their big win at home, Saturday night. 

Sal Iemmello (2024 | Methacton)
Emblematically scoring his first bucket on a putback, Iemmello went on to do most of his damage inside the arc. The senior guard routinely bumped and bolted his way to the paint before playing off two feet and finding the perfect angles for layups. He went to the charity stripe as well, making all 5 attempts. His ability to collapse the defense didn’t lead to many assists for him, but it often forced rotations and eventually led to points for the Warriors. Iemmello knocked down a few jumpers (1 mid-range and 2 threes) to contribute a team-high 23 points and 8 rebounds.

Marquis Newson (2027 | Sanford, Del.)
In the first game of Sunday’s slate against Plymouth Whitemarsh, Newson made his presence felt from the opening tipoff. A big guard doesn’t need a screen, he slashed to the basket in the halfcourt and in transition then finished above the rim with finesse. His capacity to bend the defense off-the-catch added a constant flow to the Warriors offense in the first half. PW blitzed Newson when he caught the ball in the second half, but it didn’t stop him from affecting the game. The true freshman used his physical tools to grab 1 steal and recover to block 3 shots in the final quarter. He put up a loud 17 points and 6 boards to get his team a hard-fought win.

Jahmare Memphis (2025 | Westtown)
A last-minute change to the starting lineup resulted in Memphis playing one of his best games in a Moose uniform. Not the tallest in Westtown’s regular rotation, he was huge for them at the defensive point-of-attack. His strong upper body allowed him to push drivers off their lines and his stout lower half helped him fight through ball-screens. Most of all, Memphis used his quick hands to strip the ball away from his man. On three separate occasions, he forced the turnover then took the ball coast-to-coast for two. His 8 points, 2 assists, and 5 steals were one of the driving forces in the team winning big. 

Darryn Peterson (2025 | Huntington Prep, W.V.)
He wasn’t flashy, but Peterson was as advertised. The 6-5 shooting guard effectively got wherever he wanted. It didn’t matter if there was a hand in his face. His fadeaways and pull-up middies were money. The majority points came before the fourth quarter. Even with foul trouble, Peterson was just as dialed in on defense as he was on offense. He uses his length and quick hands to deflect the ball away from whoever he was assigned to. The 4 steals he grabbed as a result made for quick transition buckets and prevented Wood from stringing together quality offensive possessions. He also blocked 3 shots, 1 of which was a chase-down on a fastbreak. In his subtly dominant performance, Peterson racked up 31 points and 6 rebounds.

Honorable Mentions

Sair Alsbrooks (2024 | Math, Civics, & Sciences), Stephon Ashley-Wright (2026 | Neuman-Goretti), Luke Bevilacqua (2025 | George School), Olin Chamberlain Jr (2025 | St. Joe's Prep), Mason Conrad (2026 | Methacton), Stephen Conway (2025 | Sanford School, Del.), TJ Crumble (2026 | Richmond Heights, Ohio), Anthony Daddazio (2024 | Methacton), Jayden Forsythe (2025 | Westtown), Anthony Gilkes (2024 | Huntington Prep, W. Va.), Jalen Harper (2024 | St. Joe's), Alex Hermann (2024 | Methacton), Justin Hinds (2024 | Salesianum, Del.),  Isaiah Hynson (2024 | Salesianum, Del.), Larenzo Jerkins (2024 | Neuman-Goretti), Jayden Kelsey (2025 | Westtown), Ben Marsico (2024 | Plymouth Whitemarsh), Christian Matos (2026 | Methacton), Owen McCabe (2024 | Lower Merion), Jaron McKie (2025 | St. Joe's Prep),  John Mobley (2024 | Lower Merion), Azeem Murphy (2024 | Math, Civics, & Sciences), Milak Myatt (2026 | Math, Civics, & Sciences), Malik Rasul (2024 | Westtown), Josh Reed (2024 | Archbishop Wood), Mekhi Robertson (2027 | Life Center, N.J.), Jayden Robinson (2024 | Lower Merion), Mani Sajid (2026 | Plymouth Whitemarsh), Jordan Spencer (2024 | Sanford School, Del.), Hosea Steele (2024 | Richmond Heights, Ohio), Jayden Taylor (2025 |[Sanford School, Del.), Kareem Thomas (2024 | Salesianum, Del.), Dillon Tingler (2024 | Huntington Prep, W.V.), Micah Tucker (2025 | Huntington Prep, W.V.), Cam Wallace (2025 | Westtown), Rasheem Yon (2026 | Life Center, N.J.)