City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The 19th annual Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic returns to Widener University this week, as a pair of six-game affairs bring plenty of talent to Chester on Thursday and Saturday.

Here’s the full schedule for the event; scroll down for a closer look at each game; admission is $15 for each day.

Thurs., December 28
Friends’ Select vs. Parish School (Tex.) (11:30 AM)
Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. West Chester Henderson (1:15 PM)
Parkland vs. Camden Eastside (N.J.) (3:00 PM)
Unionville vs. Central Dauphin (4:45 PM)
Spring-Ford vs. Coatesville (6:30 PM)
Friends’ Central vs. Archbishop Ryan (8:15 PM) 

Sat., December 30
Episcopal Academy vs. Parish School (Tex.) (11:15 AM)
West Chester Henderson vs Garnet Valley (1:00 PM)
Rutgers Prep vs Camden Eastside (N.J.) (2:45 PM)
Bonner-Prendergast vs Parkland (4:30 PM
Haverford School vs Marple Newtown (6:15 PM)
Unionville vs Plymouth Whitemarsh (7:45 PM)

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Friends’ Select vs. Parish School (Tex.) (Thurs., 11:30 AM)
There’s no doubt that Parish School made the furthest trip of anybody, the Dallas-based private school traveling further than the rest of the participants combined for a good pair of games. The Panthers, who play in the TAPPS (Texas non-public) 6A division under the direction of fourth-year head coach Ahmad Ajemi, come in already 16-5, the Texas season starting in early November; they’re led by 6-4 sophomore wing Antoine Almuttar, who has one D-I offer (SC State), as well as 6-3 senior Harris Dar, who plays the ‘1’ offensively and ‘5’ defensively. Friends’ Select has come oh-so-close in some big games already this season, the junior guard combo of Isaiah Muhammad and Jalen Chiles and forwards Scottie Aaronson and Owen Coughlin give them a nice core, while freshman Reggie Moore appears to be next up.

Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. West Chester Henderson (Thurs., 1:15 PM)
This could be a preview of an important District 1 6A playoff game, as PW is the defending district champ and Henderson is currently third in the district rankings, 8-1 entering the weekend. The Colonials (4-3) have taken it on the chin with a couple losses before the holiday, but they’re still quite dangerous with senior guard Jaden Colzie (6-0) leading the way, sophomore wing Mani Sajid (6-3) breaking out and a good cast around them including senior wing Jahsier Sayles (6-4) and seniors Ben Marsico and Josh Harris. Henderson counters with its own senior-lead group including 6-4 wing Nyle Ralph-Beyer (Sacred Heart), 6-0 guard Connor Fleet and 6-7 wing forward Nelson Lamizana.

Parkland vs. Camden Eastside (N.J.) (Thurs., 3:00 PM)
The only matchup on Thursday that doesn’t technically have any CoBL-area squads, though both Parkland and Eastside are from close enough that local fans are familiar with the names. Coming down from Allentown, the Trojans feature senior guard Nick Coval, a 6-2 Davidson commit who played on Philly-based Team Final, though senior guard Jayden Thomas is having a breakout year and they’ve got good size overall. Eastside’s balanced attack features seniors Jahaan Green (6-4), Jalen Long (5-10), Mahdee McNair (6-4) and others on a team loaded with upperclassmen.

Unionville vs. Central Dauphin (Thurs., 4:45 PM)
A great battle of District 1 vs. District 3 here, as Central Dauphin comes in with a 7-1 record and Unionville 8-1, tops in the District 1 5A rankings. CD’s led by the coach’s son, as Wayne Fletcher II is a high-scoring 6-3 junior guard who can fill it up from all over the court. Then there’s some exciting youth: sophomore Jelani Easter (6-5) and freshman Shakur Starling (6-1) are both players to watch. Unionville’s attack features senior guards Ryan Brown, James Anderson and Charlie Kammeier plus a talented sophomore in wing James Brenner (6-5), with forward Nick Diehl (6-6) in the post. Expect shots to fall from all over the court.

Spring-Ford vs. Coatesville (Thurs., 6:30 PM)
Another potential District 1 6A playoff matchup here, as both the Rams (6-3, No. 9) and Raiders (7-2, No. 11) enter the weekend in the mix near the top of the district rankings, the winner of this one picking up some useful points to make a jump up towards the top eight. Spring-Ford’s top group is terrific, led by senior guard EJ Campbell (6-0) and juniors Jacob Nguyen (6-3), Tommy Kelly (6-5) and Matt Zollers (6-4). Coatesville’s attack is led by seniors Dior Kennedy (6-3), Marquis Peoples (6-2) and Zuri Harris (5-11); look out for a good battle of sophomores in the post between Coatesville’s Larry Brown (6-7) and Spring-Ford’s Oben Mokonchu (6-6).

Friends’ Central vs. Archbishop Ryan (Thurs., 8:15 PM)
The night ends with a good Catholic League vs. Friends’ Schools League matchup as Ryan, a late addition to the field, takes on FCS. Ryan’s squad is built around senior center Thomas Sorber, a two-way terror, with senior guard Darren Williams (FGCU) enjoying a strong start to his season as well; senior guard Rocco Morabito (Gannon), senior wing Jaden Murray and others add quality depth that has them considered one of the PCL favorites going into 2024. FCS’ balanced attack features senior guards Fazl Oshodi, Reid Belcher and Muhsin Muhammad, with junior forward Nigel Pierman giving them some size up front. And watch out for freshman Patrese Feamster, a sharpshooting 6-3 guard.

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Episcopal Academy vs. Parish School (Tex.) (Sat., 11:15 AM)
The Panthers get the Churchmen in their second game in Philly, another good private school matchup for the visits. A much-improved EA squad features senior guards Kevin McCarthy (West Point) and Tyler Beaulieu, junior Matt McCarthy (no relation), and sophomore forward Timmy Dennis, a 6-7 two-sport standout; another sophomore, wing guard Reggie King, has taken some nice strides forward as well. 

West Chester Henderson vs Garnet Valley (Sat., 1:00 PM)
Henderson’s back for another good District 1 6A matchup; Garnet Valley (4-3) is currently No. 25 in the district rankings but it’d be a shock if they stayed down there. Junior guard Jake Sniras is one of the best scorers in District 1, and he’s rounding out his game as a passer; senior guard Quinn O’Hara and brothers Jack and Brady Krautzel are all quality options, and freshman forward Grayson Golek is an intriguing young talent who can impact the game in a lot of ways. The matchup of Sniras and Ralph-Beyer is sure to be a good one, and it’ll be interesting to see how Golek handles himself against a big Henderson frontcourt that also includes 6-8 senior Evan McFadden.

Rutgers Prep (N.J.) vs Camden Eastside (N.J.) (Sat., 2:45 PM)
It’s a Garden State battle in Saturday’s only non-local matchup, but this should be a good one. Rutgers Prep is led by former Penn manager and La Salle DOBO Matt Bloom, and he’s got a group filled with young talent; freshman wing Andrew Kretkowski is a future high-major talent at 6-6 and 7-0 sophomore Logan Franz has a ton of upside, while 6-1 freshman Jacob Canton is up there as well; junior Myles Parker is currently leading them in scoring. 

Bonner-Prendergast vs Parkland (Sat., 4:30 PM)
Bonner’s an interesting mix of young and old. Billy Cassidy’s got a good group of seniors, led by Deuce Ketner (6-7), Kevin Rucker Jr. (6-4), Reggie Selden (6-2) and Kyree Womack (5-10). Then there’s his freshmen: Korey Francis, Kameron Jackson and Kenjai Gaitling have all been seeing good minutes for the Friars, and are a strong core for Cassidy to build around. Expect Cassidy to throw everything at Coval and make the rest of the Trojans beat them.

Haverford School vs Marple Newtown (Sat., 6:15 PM)
It’s a Delco battle as the Fords and Tigers meet up for a public vs. private matchup. Marple Newtown’s led by junior guard Matt Gardler, the latest standout ballplayer in his family, but he’s got experienced help in the form of senior P.J. Esposito (5-10), senior Steven Tansey (5-11), junior Ryan Keating (6-4) and more. The Fords, who’ve lost two projected starters to ACL injuries, have a freshman to watch in 6-4 Silas Graham, the point guard for a group that also features junior guard KJ Carson (6-1), senior Billy Rayer (5-10), and junior forwards Leo Becker and Jacob Becker, both 6-5.

Unionville vs Plymouth Whitemarsh (Sat., 7:45 PM)
Should be a fun one to cap off the event. Unionville’s already knocked off one District 1 6A contender, beating Spring-Ford back at the beginning of the month, and now have a chance to prove themselves against another. There’s key matchups all over the court here, but this one might come down to as simple as who can hit shots; Brenner can be a mismatch problem for Unionville, but PW’s guards are a load to handle for anyone.