City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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There were 34 courts going at Spook Nook this past weekend as the Select Events Live! At the Nook and the first Girls Under Armour Association took place from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon.

There were plenty of local squads in attendance to check out as well as out-of-area talent to get a look at, giving CoBL a chance to catch up with some players. Here’s the third part of our notebook from the event:

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GUAA/Live! At the Nook Coverage: Standouts | Notebook Pt. 1 | Notebook Pt. 2 | Notebook Pt. 3

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Grace Galbavy (2025 | Comets GUAA 17U)
Grace Galbavy moved into the Perkiomen Valley school district two offseasons ago and quickly jelled with her new group of teammates.

During the past two winters, Galbavy and the Vikings have captured a pair of Pioneer Athletic Conference and District 1 championships together. 

This summer Galbavy and three of those teammates — Lena Stein, Bella Bacani and Quinn Boettinger — will compete against some of the best in the country on the Girls Under Armour Circuit with the Comets 17U squad.

“I just decided I wanted to play my last 17U with my Perk Valley girls,” Galbavy said.

“Hopefully we can get better for next year.”

Galbavy played with the Philly Rise on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit the last two summers. She was a role player on the 16U Rise team last season that captured the EYBL championship.

She is already playing a bigger role on the Comets this summer along with the likes of Archbishop Wood’s Emily Knouse and Cardinal O’Hara’s Molly Rullo. The core of the Comets 2025 group, including Bacani and Boettinger, went to the GUAA 15U championship two years ago and followed with a ninth place finish at the 16U level a season ago.

The Comets have played the last two weekends, getting the chance to play in front of Division I coaches for the first time this weekend when they went 4-1, winning four in a row after dropping their first game of the GUAA season.

“It’s definitely cool playing against new players, different gyms, just different offenses and stuff like that,” Galbavy said. “I think it’s so cool getting the chance to play on both circuits. It’s not an experience a lot of people get.”

“The Rise 16U season was probably one of the most fun seasons I’ve ever had with the players, the coaches, everything like that, but I feel like this year I can really lock in on everything I can do (with the Comets), and they’re reminding me of my bad habits all the time I can consciously work on it in game,” she added.

Galbavy, a 6-foot-1 guard/wing, mentioned those “bad habits” are on the defensive end where she often comes up with multiple highlight plays like a block or steal but can also be a little too casual at times and play too straight up.

“I gotta be better on defense at the next level,” Galbavy said. “I think that’s going to be the biggest transition. I’d rather be ready to guard somebody.”

Galbavy’s recruitment hasn’t changed much in the last few months with most of the same programs continuing to talk with her. She mentioned the Atlantic 10 and Patriot League are the levels she is hearing from most.

The plan is to get to some schools for second visits at some point this offseason and narrowing down her list as she continues to figure out what she wants from her college program, though she hasn’t given herself any type of time table yet. 

“I think I’ll get seen a little bit more (schools interested) because I’m playing more, but I’m happy with where I’m at, not looking for anything crazy,” Galbavy said. “I just want to get better and play at the next level. … And being a part of the win, being able to play defense in the last few minutes it’s something I missed last year.” — Owen McCue

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Jess Lockwood (2026 | Comets GUAA 16U)

This summer is a whole new level for Lockwood. 

Her first year with the Comets has seen her first exposure to the highest levels of grassroots basketball: in a warm-up tournament last weekend, she went up against an EYBL program in the Philly Rise, then jumped right into Girls’ Under Armour Association play this weekend.

She’s on a Comets’ rising junior squad that’s playing with just seven girls; Megan Ngo (Upper Dublin) and Colleen Beshacio (Upper Dublin) will both miss the summer recovering from ACL injuries, and Bryce Stryckning is out for the foreseeable future with a leg injury of her own. That means Lockwood has been starting and playing big minutes right off the bat.

“It’s been really fun, it’s been a lot of competition and I think I see myself really improving when I play with them,” she said. “I’m seeing that I need to be a lot stronger, we need to be stronger in the paint. I need to get myself in and out of the paint and focus on defense and hitting my shots.”

Lockwood’s coming off a big sophomore year with CB East, the Patriots making it to the first round of the PIAA Class 6A state tournament. With a few key seniors graduating, she’ll be tasked to provide an even bigger offensive role as a junior as her team tries to build on a 20-win season.

A 5-10 combo guard, Lockwood impressed in a one-point loss to the Rise last weekend, going for 17 points, including a couple big 3-pointers in the game’s final couple minutes against arguably the top team in her age group in the region. More than just a sharpshooter, the strong-bodied guard got to the rim and finished and handled the ball well against pressure, while helping facilitate her Comets’ teammates.

That performance showed her that she’s capable of getting it done against anybody.

“Yeah, it gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. “It showed me that I have the ability that I have deep down, to go from the outside and finish inside and be there for my team.” — Josh Verlin

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Maggie Warpus (2026 | NEPA Elite 16U)

Warpus is in a good spot with the NEPA Elite’s second-oldest group.

Not only is the 6-foot-2 forward one of the featured players on the group from the Scranton area, but as a rising junior on a team of mostly rising sophomores, she gets to work on her leadership, too. Warpus is one of just two 2026s on the squad along with fellow forward Addison Kilmer (Mountain View), with six 2027s around them.

“It’s really nice, because normally I’m one of the younger ones on the team,” Warpus said, “but now I’m able to be one that they look up to, or just can count on if we need something here and there.”

The only New Yorker on the team, Warpus plays for Chenango Forks High, which she helped lead to its first-ever sectional championship this past season. She showcased her versatility in a Friday-morning win over a Bay State Jags squad, knocking down three 3-pointers as part of a 13-point, seven-rebound outing that also saw her grab three steals and dish out three assists.

“I feel like just seeing the court and my court vision is one of the better parts of my game,” she said. “I’m working on my 3s, definitely. They’re very inconsistent game-to-game, but today was a good game.”

That ability to pick-and-pop and facilitate out of the ‘4’ position, combined with her length and athleticism up front, has already helped Warpus land four Division I offers: St. Bonaventure, Binghamton, Siena and Le Moyne, all of whom came in this past season. 

Warpus said it’s only been in the last couple years, when she started playing AAU and got to high school, that she realized how good she could be, and started taking seriously the idea of playing college hoops. She’s visited all four schools to offer her so far, starting to develop a feel for what she’s looking for, though she’s still early in that part of her recruiting journey. 

“Coaching is really important to me, liking the coaches,” she said, “and then also the players and how they work together. [...] (the college attention) definitely makes me feel really good, but also makes me want to work hard just so I can get more.” — Josh Verlin

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Zaniyah Williams (2025 | West Virginia Thunder-Riego GUAA 17U)
Since she stepped onto a basketball court, Zaniyah Williams has constantly made things happen.

Dating all the way the back to fourth grade, her many abilities on the hardwood earned her a nickname that has continued to stick through an already accomplished career.

“People would walk up to my parents and go, ‘Oh my god, she’s a problem out there,” Williams said. “I don’t know if it was my mom or my dad, but they came up with ‘Z the Problem.’”

Williams has continued to be a problem for most opponents she faces and that doesn’t look like anything that will change for a long, long time.

The 5-foot-9 point guard can do a little bit of everything on the court, using her physical gifts and court savvy combined with a non-stop motor to impact the game in multiple ways.

“It’s all important, offense, defense,” Williams said. “You gotta assist and you gotta get yours too, you gotta be an all-around player, especially being a point guard and being a leader on the team, you’re the key factor. You need to be able to do all those factors and take pride in every single one of them — no slacking.”

Williams played up two age groups last summer with Kentucky Premier's 17U EYBL team. She was a first team all-state player at Catholic (Va.) this season as a sophomore and is still technically one of the youngsters on the GUAA 17U circuit this summer on a talented Thunder team.

She grew up playing with her older brother, which she points to as the reason she’s been able to play against older girls throughout her life.

“When I was younger, like sixth grade, seventh grade, we battled all the time,” Williams said. “He’s a big reason I’m tough now and physical now. I played with boys. I played with my brother. These girls out here aren’t going to bully me and push me around. That’s not gonna work.”

Williams has been on college radars since middle school, receiving her first Division I offer back in 7th grade. She has piled up close to 30 of them over the last several years, most recently receiving an offer from West Virginia earlier this month.

“It’s very exciting. I just want to give thanks to God because a lot of people out here don’t have half of what I have, so I just want to give glory to him,” Williams said. “These offers mean a lot. I’m grateful for every single one of them, and I’m excited to pick where I want to go and be happy there.”

The Thunder have a loaded roster that’s considered one of the best in the country and should have plenty of coaches courtside throughout the offseason like they did this weekend. They started the first GUAA session with a 5-0 record.

“I can’t wait to see our team elevate more and more and by the end of July, I want to win it all,” Williams said. — Owen McCue

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Logan Langel (2026 | Syracuse Nets 16U)
Langel doesn’t really remember too much of her life in Philadelphia. 

She was born in the City of Brotherly Love, but was just three years old when her father, Matt Langel, got the head coaching job at Colgate in 2012. So she’s grown up a Philly sports fan — though not a rabid one —  in Hamilton (N.Y.), getting a first-hand look as her dad’s built the Raiders into the Patriot League’s premiere program, with five of the last six league titles. 

“It’s just brought into our family a winning atmosphere,” she said. “We’re super competitive, so we get happy when we win. But it’s also like, to see a level of basketball like that, it’s kind of inspiring, as a younger player.”

Both of Langel’s parents played at Penn. Her mom, Tara (Twomey) Langel, runs the Hamilton Hoops youth basketball league and development program. Her father was  a 1,000-point scorer for the Quakers who went on to coach at his alma mater and at Temple under Fran Dunphy before getting the Raiders job. Langel might not have specific memories, but she’s seen pictures, and heard stories.

“I’m told that I was scared of the mascot, I was scared of the Owl,” she said, “and I went to a ton of games. There’s pictures of me on the court.”

That basketball background has paid off for the 5-6 guard, who’s been playing varsity ball since eighth grade, a strong outside shooter with a high IQ and even-keeled on-court demeanor matching her dad’s. 

Langel was a third-year starter this winter for Hamilton Central (N.Y.), helping her team to a Section III Class C championship and into the regional round of the New York state playoffs, hitting four clutch foul shots in the sectional championship win. 

Going out into the grassroots landscape is a far different proposition than small-school central New York hoops. She mentioned the physicality and pace of summer ball as an adjustment for her, something she’s trying to work on along with her ball-handling and defense. 

It also forces her to be tough mentally, an important trait as she wants to continue her basketball career at the next level — perhaps at a school in her original hometown. To that regard, she dropped her other favorite sport, soccer, to work on hoops full-time.

“I think I’m working and have been working on the mental side of my game for a while, it’s something I need to improve on always, I think everyone can improve on that always,” she said. “Becoming more confident in myself, and knowing that to get to the next level, you need to have that confidence sometimes, even when things aren’t going your way. That’s a big thing we talk about.” — Josh Verlin

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Morgan Stewart (2026 | Germantown Lady Panthers GUAA 16U)
The St. John’s College (D.C.) girls basketball program is saying goodbye to another standout senior class this spring with the senior backcourt of Kyndal Walker (Maryland) and Tatum Greene (Boston College) heading to the Division I level.

They are leaving the program in capable hands of Morgan Stewart, who’s already shown signs she is next in line to star at SJC.

Stewart was an All-Metro and All-WCAC honorable mention for the WCAC and D.C. state champions as she averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.1 apg and 4.5 rpg during her sophomore year and is ready to take the reins.

“I’ve talked to my coaches and stuff, and they expect really highly of me next year, filling Kyndal, our other point guard’s role,” Stewart said. “I’m excited.”

Stewart is getting prepped for the new role at SJC with the Germantown Lady Panthers this summer, playing a featured role

“This group, I feel like it helps me prepare for the school season because I have a big role on this team scoring and getting my teammates involved and I think that’s what I have to do next year too,” Stewart said.

Stewart’s ability to take over a game was on display in a win over the Comets on Saturday, scoring, distributing, collecting rebounds and wreaking havoc defensively. College interest started to pick up last summer and continued into this school year. 

Open gyms at SJC have had programs like Baylor, Kentucky and Marshall recently reach out. 

Stewart is working on her pull-up jumper and her rebounding this offseason, using both skills in the big outing against the Comets.

Then it’s back to SJC, where she travels an hour to school everyday — though she’s allowed to sleep in the car on the way.

“I love it there,” Stewart said of SJC. “I’m so glad I went there.” — Owen McCue

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Brigidanne Donohue (2027 | Comets GUAA 15U) 

Brigidanne Donohue got thrust into a bigger role than expected midway through her freshman year when senior guard Joanie Quinn went out for a month with a broken hand, but the 5-9 freshman filled in admirably for the La Salle commit with a number of double-digit outings, then continued her sharpshooting confidence when she went back to the bench. 

“It was a great time to step up and show my team what I can do for next season coming up,” she said. “During practices, the seniors were able to push me a lot. And because of that, because of all the pressure they put on me, I was able to use that and bring it into the game and feel confident.”

Donohue showed that confident stroke this weekend by going 5-of-5 for 12 points in a Friday afternoon win for the Comets, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, a mid-range jumper and a couple layups. It was a positive first showing for the Comets’ 15s, who are going to have to get used to playing in front of a lot more coaches this year than a season ago, more than a dozen D-Is courtside for their opener.

Her grandfather, Steve Vassalotti, played at St. Joe’s in the 1970s; she’s hoping to follow in his footsteps by playing college hoops, though she hasn’t yet started hearing from coaches just yet. That seems due to come in time, following in the footsteps of Quinn and fellow Lions Molly Rullo (Drexel) and Megan Rullo, who all also played for the Comets. The 2027 group, which returns almost entirely intact from a year ago, went 4-1 in its first GUAA weekend.

“It’s a really fun experience, it’s so exciting to be able to have this opportunity in front of all of these college coaches,” Donohue said. “We’re able to connect in a way that many other teams aren’t able to. We already know all of each other’s moves so it’s easy to connect on the court and find open passes.” — Josh Verlin