City of Basketball Love

Chad Graham (@CGrahamSports)
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Just ahead of Christmas, the All-City Classic’s Philly vs. Everybody event brought together three local squads with three out-of-state teams for a Saturday tripleheader. 

Here’s who stood out at the event:

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Math, Civics & Sciences 51, Holy Cross (N.Y.) 48
Eagle Academy (N.Y.) 63, Cardinal O’Hara 59
Bonner-Prendergast 57, King’s Fork (Va.) 54

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Sa’ir Alsbrooks (2024 | Math, Civics & Sciences)
After not playing in the first quarter and getting his legs under him in the second, Alsbrooks locked in to help MCS pull out the win against Holy Cross. The combo forward flew around grabbing rebounds and creating turnovers. When one of HC’s wings took off from outside the paint for a head-tap, Alsbrooks met him at the rim to send it back. Offensively, he got a putback and a catch-and-shoot three that were essential in the Elephants comeback victory. The 6-4 senior posted nine points, five boards, two assists, two steals, and a block. 

Aasim Burton (2024 | Cardinal O'Hara)
The Lions ran everything through Burton in their matchup with Eagle Academy and it worked for the most part. Signed to attend Rider next fall, the future Bronc got his points off the bounce, catching his man off-balance with hesitations before dashing by him to the cup or getting to his mid-range pull-up. Even when the defense started picking him up full-court and doubling him on the catch in the half, they only slowed him down a little bit. The extra attention allowed him to pepper in some playmaking with entry passes into the post on offense and steals on defense. Burton tallied 26 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Jahzir Crawford (2026 | Holy Cross, N.Y.)
The Holy Cross point guard scored just 6 points of his own, but he helped two teammates reach double figures with his distributing against MCS. Crawford spoon-fed his big man in pick-and-roll and set his shooters up nicely on drive-and-kick opportunities. He also came away with four rebounds and two steals, allowing him to push the tempo in transition for more scoring opportunities. Then promising sophomore dished out 10 assists to go along with the rest of his stats. 

John Harrington (2024 | Eagle Academy, N.Y.)
Without any dribble combos or highlight reel plays, Harrington nickel and dimed his way a 29-point double-double and the win for Eagle Academy over Cardinal O’Hara. He routinely made himself available. Only 6-3, Harrington scored around the hoop with perfectly timed cuts and duck-ins. And he got loose for threes simply by relocating to open space. Not to be overshadowed by his scoring, his work on offensive glass (three putbacks) and on defense were vital to their success too. 

Kam Jackson (2027 | Bonner-Prendergast)
Cold off the bench, Jackson came in to give Bonner’s starters a spell in the second quarter, but he wound up playing the rest of the game. The freshman points guard knocked down a three and got a steal to give his team a spark when they urgently needed it in the fourth quarter. Then, in the extra period, he stepped up two more times. First, while defending off-ball, Jackson snuck behind the opposing ball-handler, picked his pockets, and got the scoop finish. Lastly, with his pops cheering him on in the stands, he put the game on ice with two makes from the charity stripe. 

Dashawn Lucas (2024 | King's Fork, Va.)
As a perimeter defender, Lucas definitely looked the part, and he played it too. Lucas, a 6-5 wing, did his best to curb some of Bonner’s momentum after they got off to a hot start. In the second quarter, he jumped a pass and took it the other way for a huge transition dunk. His production picked up from there, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points. His 10 points in the fourth helped the Bulldogs storm back into the game and push it to overtime, as he finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.

Kevin Rucker Jr (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast)
Rucker Jr started how he finished — getting to the rim. His points inside the paint and mid-range jumpers pushed the Friars to a double-digit lead after the first quarter. Battling foul trouble in the second and third, they turned to him again in the fourth, down two with less than ten seconds to go. The 6-4 senior beat his man off the bounce, then finished through contact with an inside hand lay-up to tie the game and send it to overtime. There, he did it one final time. Rucker Jr attacked the rim, got fouled, and cashed in two free throws. He notched 16 points, three steals, and block, as Bonner won 57-54.

Honorable Mention
Zekhi Darden (2024 | King’s Fork, V.A.), Korey Francis (2027 | Bonner-Prendergast), Kenny Gatling (2025 | Bonner-Prendergast), Daye Kaba (2025 | Eagle Academy, N.Y.), Deuce Ketner (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast), Pearse McGuinn (2024 | Cardinal O’Hara), Maliq Miller (2024 | Eagle Academy, N.Y.), Jacob Moreno (2024 | Holy Cross, N.Y.), Azeem Murphy (2024 | Math, Civics & Sciences), Milak Myatt (2026 | Math, Civics & Sciences), Jack Quinn (2026 | Cardinal O’Hara), Zion Robinson (2026 | Math, Civics & Sciences), Dylan Stanley (2025 | Holy Cross, N.Y.), Elijah Walker (2024 | King’s Fork, V.A.), Kyree Womack (2024 | Bonner-Prendergast)