City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The inaugural Philadelphia All-Area High School Awards were handed out last week, as 30 area high school boys and girls were honored in a brand-new ceremony put together by several area media members.

Imhotep Charter senior Ahmad Nowell and Westtown School freshman Jordyn Palmer were honored as boys and girls’ Players of the Year, headlining the area’s First Team selections; five players each made all-area First, Second and Third Teams. It’s a group that includes 13 players committed to Division I programs, three freshmen, and a mix of players from inside and out of the city.

Nowell, a unanimous pick as the city’s Player of the Year, is headed to the University of Connecticut later this year, the 6-1 guard leading the Panthers to three-peats in the Public League and PIAA Class 5A championships.

Palmer, a 6-1 wing forward, is one of the brightest young stars in the game, selected to compete at the latest USA Basketball junior team minicamp after leading the Moose to title defenses of both the Friends’ School Leagues and Pennsylvania Independent School (PAISAA) crowns.

These awards were voted on by a panel of five voters, all of whom cover the city’s grassroots scene: City of Basketball Love’s Josh Verlin, The Miller Report’s Randy Miller, Philly Hoop Group’s Mike Brooks and Taylor Bailey, and RareFootage’s Shawn Rodgers. 

Eligible players were picked from schools in District 1 and District 12, as well as schools from the Inter-Academic and Friends’ Schools Leagues. Post-graduate players were not eligible for selection.

Each voter ranked their top 15 boys and top 15 girls; players were assigned points from 15 (top pick) to 1 (last pick), and points were added to get the final teams. Awards were handed out last week in a private ceremony at Mitchell & Ness’ corporate offices in Center City. Voting was held at the conclusion of District 1 and PAISAA tournaments but before the PIAA tournament, so selections only take those results into account. 

A special thank you to the Chosen League’s Rahim Thompson for organizing the ceremony, as well as the fine folks at Mitchell & Ness for hosting and sponsoring the awards ceremony, and to the 76ers’ Matt Cord for emceeing the ceremony.

Here are the selections for the inaugural Philly All-Area Awards; year and school, as well as college commitment (where eligible), are in parenthesis:

2024 Philadelphia All-Area Selections
Girls’ Player of the Year
Jordyn Palmer (Fr. | Westtown School)

Boys’ Player of the Year
Ahmad Nowell (Sr. | Imhotep Charter | UConn)

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A group of the 2023-24 honorees pose for a photo during the ceremony on March 26, 2024. (Photo: Immortal Vision Studios)

Girls’ All-Area First Team
Ryan Carter (Fr. | Penn Charter)
Jordyn Palmer (Fr. | Westtown School)
Ava Renninger (Sr. | Archbishop Wood | Fairleigh Dickinson)
Shayla Smith (Jr. | Audenried Charter)
Brooke Wilson (Sr. | Archbishop Carroll | West Point)

Boys’ All-Area First Team
Jalil Bethea (Sr. | Archbishop Wood | University of Miami)
Matt Gilhool (Jr. | Penn Charter)
Shareef Jackson (Jr. | Roman Catholic)
Ahmad Nowell (Sr. | Imhotep Charter | UConn)
Thomas Sorber (Sr. | Archbishop Ryan | Georgetown)

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Girls’ All-Area Second Team
Kaylinn Bethea (Jr. | Penn Charter)
Quinn Boettinger (Jr. | Perkiomen Valley | Naval Academy)
Logyn Greer (Jr. | Friends’ Central)
Emily Knouse (Jr. | Archbishop Wood)
Jessie Moses (Fr. | Westtown School)

Boys’ All-Area Second Team
Larenzo Jerkins (Sr. | Neumann-Goretti | West Chester)
Kevair Kennedy (Jr. | Father Judge)
Jaron McKie (Jr. | St. Joseph’s Prep)
Nyle Ralph-Beyer (Sr. | West Chester Henderson | Sacred Heart)
Ryan Williams (Sr. | Malvern Prep | Northeastern)

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Girls’ All-Area Third Team
Anna Azzara (Sr. | Spring-Ford | Wright State)
Isabella Casey (Sr. | Germantown Academy | Bucknell)
Riley Davis (Fr. | Academy of Notre Dame)
Grace Galbavy (Jr. | Perkiomen Valley)
Olivia Jones (Jr. | Westtown School)

Boys’ All-Area Third Team
Jordan Ellerbee (Jr. | St. Joseph’s Prep)
Max Lebisky (Sr. | Phoenixville | Scranton)
Kevin McCarthy (Sr. | Episcopal Academy | West Point)
Josh Reed (Sr. | Archbishop Wood | Drexel)
Darren Williams (Sr. | Archbishop Ryan | Florida Gulf Coast)