City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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With the regular season wrapped up and playoffs set to begin on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Catholic League announced its 2023-24 all-league selections and awards on Tuesday. Here are the lists and the award winners:

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Co-MVPs: Thomas Sorber, Archbishop Ryan & Jalil Bethea, Archbishop Wood

Bethea won the award last season and was the favorite to repeat with Sorber the top contender to knock him off. The AAU teammates shared the award as the league’s first co-MVPS since Neumann-Goretti’s Lamin Fulton and Carroll’s Juan'ya Green shared the award in 2011. They’ve both dominated the league the past two seasons, each becoming the program’s all-time leading scorers at their schools.

Bethea, a Miami (Fla.) commit, averaged 22.8 ppg in league play and helped the Vikings to an 11-2 mark that tied with Roman Catholic and Neumann-Goretti for best in the league. He’s the first back-to-back PCL MVP since Wood’s Rahsool Diggins in 2021 and 2022. Sorber is Ryan’s first PCL MVP since 2008, when Andrew Rogers was the Northern Division MVP. The Georgetown commit averaged 19.1 ppg

Speedy Morris Coach of the Year: Chris McNesby, Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic lost four starters this past offseason from last year’s PCL champions. With junior forward Shareef Jackson and senior guard Robert Cottrell the only main holdovers from the rotation, McNesby guided the Cahillites to an 11-2 mark and the top seed in the league tournament. Even with Jackson missing some time, Roman matched the same record as last year’s squad.

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First Team

Jalil Bethea, Sr., Archbishop Wood (22.8 ppg)
Bethea led the league in scoring for the second straight year at 22.8 ppg to grab his second consecutive MVP award. He also broke the all-time scoring record at Wood, previously held by the school’s last two-time MVP Rahsool Diggins.

Torrey Brooks, So., Neumann-Goretti
Brooks filled in admirably for injured Khaafiq Myers this season, averaging 15.1 ppg in league play to help the Saints finish 11-2 and grab the second seed in the PCL tournament. He’s the only sophomore on the list.

Jordan Ellerbee, Jr., St. Joe’s Prep
Ellerbee, who was not on any of the All-PCL teams last season, averaged 14.7 ppg as the Hawks went 10-3 for a fourth place finish in the PCL, the program’s best since 2015. 

Shareef Jackson, Jr., Roman Catholic
Jackson, a third team selection last season, averaged 17.3 ppg and was the only first team all-league player for a Roman squad that finished 11-2 and grabbed the league’s top seed. 

Larenzo Jerkins, Sr., Neumann-Goretti
The West Chester commit, who had to sit last season due to PIAA transfer rules, averaged 14.5 ppg on the league’s second place team in his first season in the PCL.

Kevair Kennedy, Jr., Father Judge (17.1 ppg)
Kennedy is the first Judge player to make the All-PCL first team list since 2017, averaging 17.1 ppg and guiding the Crusaders to a 9-4 finish that marks their best in seven years.

Jaron McKie, Jr., St. Joe’s Prep
After earning first team All-PCL honors as a sophomore, McKie was one of four back on the list this season along with Bethea, Sorber and Ryan’s Darren Williams. He averaged and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career.

Khaafiq Myers, Sr., Neumann-Goretti
Myers, a St. Joe’s commit was averaging 16.9 ppg before he went down with an injury two games into league play with his team out to a 2-0 start in PCL play. 

Josh Reed, Sr., Archbishop Wood
Reed, a Drexel commit, wasn’t honored on any of the all-league teams last season but averaged 20.2 ppg during a breakout senior campaign to help Wood to a third-place finish.

Thomas Sorber, Sr., Archbishop Ryan
The Georgetown commit averaged 19.1 ppg to become the first Ryan player in 16 years to win league MVP, helping the Raiders to a fifth-place finish in the process with a 10-3 mark.

Darren Williams, Sr., Archbishop Ryan
Williams, a Florida Gulf Coast commit, is one of four players back on the All-PCL first team list, averaging 14.7 ppg to lead the Raiders alongside Sorber once again.

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Second Team

Aasim “Flash” Burton, Sr., Cardinal O’Hara
Laquan Byrd, Sr., Father Judge
Olin Chamberlain, Jr., St. Joe’s Prep
Zane Conlon, Jr., Devon Prep
Jalen Harper, Sr., St. Joe’s Prep
Deuce Ketner, Sr., Bonner-Prendergast
Derrick Morton-Rivera, So., Father Judge
Nick Parisi, Jr., La Salle
Travis Reed, Sr., Roman Catholic
Kevin Rucker, Sr., Bonner-Prendergast
Ian Williams, So., Archbishop Carroll

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Honorable Mention

Stephon Ashley-Wright, So, Neumann-Goretti
Robert Cottrell, Sr., Roman Catholic
Luca Foster, So., Archbishop Carroll
Pearse McGuinn, Sr., Cardinal O’Hara
​​​​​​​Jaden Murray, Sr., Archbishop Ryan