City of Basketball Love

By Chad Graham (@CGraham_Hoops)
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Post & Pivot hosted their Spring Fling Finale over the weekend at Jefferson University’s East Falls campus, featuring 15U-17U grassroots programs from across southeastern PA and the Lehigh Valley. Here's who stood out:

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Su'Meer Alleyne (2025 | Penn Warriors 17U)
A do-it-all positionless player from Friends Central, Alleyne excelled at the little and big things to push his team past Role Model Elite. He out-muscled guards as a help defender and used his agility to rebound over bigs. As soon as he grabbed a board, Alleyne launched the ball down the court to initiate fastbreaks. The rising senior at Friends’ Central slashed to the basket and popped a three for 13 points, in addition to his 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. 

Justin Armstrong (2027 | PA Coalition 15U)
Armstrong gave teams fits all weekend. The 5-6 matchup problem exploited the smallest of creases to get into the lane and score. In the 15U championship game against BW Elite, Armstrong used his speed to slip under the outstretched arms of bigger guards, bend the defense off-the-dribble, and make plays. A point guard from Muhlenberg High, his size-speed combo at the point-of-attack also assisted him on defense as he limited BW’s ability to create advantages. PAC 15s came up short, but his 13 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals kept them in it until the very end. 

Shizz Banks (2027 | BW Elite 15U)
As the first man off of the bench, Banks gave his squad exactly what they needed to get them over the top. It was creating paint touches in the semifinals versus Penn Warriors. With strength and quickness, the rising sophomore from Imhotep got into the teeth of the defense for 12 points and three assists. Then in the finals, they needed him to step up on the other end. Banks only scored nine points, but he stripped PAC’s point guard twice. His on-ball defense and the turnovers he forced were the difference in the game. 

AB Coulibaly (2025 | BW Elite 17U)
On Saturday against Philly Soldiers, Coulibaly wreaked havoc on the opposing offense with 2 steals, 2 blocks, and countless deflections. That allowed him to get out in transition, where he put his twitchy movement skills on full display with aerial assaults on the rim. Coulibaly, who’s going to do a post-grad year at Avon Old Farm (Conn.), did more of the same with 2 steals in the title game, this time as part of the bench unit. His rebounding and acrobatic dunks helped provide the necessary momentum to seal the victory. 

Blake Hargrove (2026 | PA Coalition Mills 17U)
Although Hargrove began the event as their spark plug off of the bench, his role expanded as the team advanced through the playoffs. His coach let his junior from Liberty High spin and Hargrove didn't let him down. In the second half of the semis against PAC Edwards, Hargrove erupted for 9 of his 14 points and 4 assists with pull-up jumpers and attempts at the rim. Then, with only five players in the chip, he took the game into his hands with another 14 and 4. Hargrove created scoring opportunities and had 3 steals to give them the lead at one point and a shot to win with a few minutes left. 

Jalyn Hopkins (2026 | BW Elite 16U)
West Philly’s Hopkins pulled down eight rebounds in each of the playoffs games on Sunday. Yet despite his irreplaceable work on the boards that propelled BW 16s past Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs and aided them versus PBL Elite, his biggest contribution in the title game didn't show up in the stat sheet. In the second half, PBL’s guards kept drawing the 6-6 forward into ball-screens to open the middle of the defense. But Hopkins hedged and switched the screens, forcing the ball-handler to retreat his plus wingspan and delaying the pass to the roller. His play in space hindered PBL’s ability to create open threes and allowed BW Elite to surge back and win the game. 

Xavier Howard (2026 | Brad Wanamaker 16U)
A hyper athlete also from West Philly, Howard had the highlight of the 16U semifinals when drove down the middle of the defense and threw down a monster dunk on his way to seven points and seven rebounds. After blocking a shot from behind against PBL in the championship, the West Philly guard paced his team with 13 points and an additional 5 boards. He played well off-the-catch, drilling two spot-up threes and attacking closeouts. At the end of the game, Howard closed out crucial defensive possessions by leaping through the air for must-get rebounds. 

Josiah Hutson (2025 | BW Elite 17U)
In the squad’s first two games and in the opening half of the 17U championship, the 1,000-point scorer from Cheltenham deferred to his teammates, opting to set the table for them rather than hunt for his own shot. But down by 4 going into the second, he needed to take back control of the game if they were going to win; so he did. Going one-on-one from the top of the key, Hutson dribbled back-and-forth between his legs, then crossed over behind his back before bursting to the rim for a right-hand reverse lay on the left side plus the foul. From there, he plucked four steals, all in the second half, to retake the lead and deliver his 17U squad the dub.

Matt Johnson (2026 | BW Elite 16U)
Facing Mt. Pleasant in the semifinals on Sunday, Johnson was the straw that stirred the BW drink. His court vision was 20/20 as he fired passes through the defense. The Archbishop Ryan rising junior sprinkled in timely buckets as well by playing off of two feet on his way to 11 points and six assists. Then, in the final round versus PBL Elite, he had to find another way to pull his team out of an 8-point halftime deficit. After a tough lay-up with his inside hand, Johnson got it going from behind the arc. Scoring all 11 of his points in that stretch, his trio of catch-and-shoot threes were huge.

Modibo Kouyate (2026 | Shawn Warren Elite 16U)
Stretching the floor and attacking the basket with his face up game in the first half against PA Swarm on Sunday morning, Kouyate’s real flashes came in the second and on the opposite end. He used his long arms to put a lid on the rim. The 6-7 forward from Samuel Fels blocked 3 shots that gave drivers second thoughts about attempting to score in the paint. His hand usage also got him 10 boards and two steals. Just shy of a double-double, Kouyate's ability to anchor the defense gathers intrigue when realizing that he could've done even more damage. 

Will Lesovitz (2026 | Penn Warriors 16U)
Lesovitz was the glue for the Warriors on Saturday afternoon as they defeated SW Elite. He showed tremendous effort on the offensive glass, scoring on a couple putbacks and generating other second chance points. The St. Joe’s Prep wing’s rebounding was a product of him ceiling and boxing out bigger players. Lesovitz also made the right passes and scored inside the arc against mismatches. He finished with 14 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists as the 16U Warriors  gritted out the win. 

Ibrahim Mahmoud (2026 | Shawn Warren Elite 16U)
A stocky 5-9 lead guard from Friere Charter, Mahmoud routinely created advantages off-the-bounce. Defenders bounced off of him on his drives to rack. That skill aided him versus PA Swarm as he dished out a few assists. However, things finally turned the corner once he locked in on defense. With his quick hands, Mahmoud swiped the ball away from the Swarm guards three times, disrupting the opposing offense and getting his team out on the break for easy buckets. 

Matt McField (2026 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs 16U)
Leading his team to a 2-1 record over the weekend, McField had his thumb on the pulse of the Bulldogs in every game. He knocked down threes, facilitated, and stole the ball when the moment called for it. Versus BW Elite in the 16U semis, the Carver E&S guardsimply made plays. McField attacked the basket, playing with pace before finishing through contact. He even got a mid-air tip in. His squad couldn't overcome the eventual champs, but McField put up 14 points, 5 boards and 2 steals in the hard-fought game.

Max Okebata (2027 | BW Elite 15U)
Okebata was a bully on defense against Penn Warriors. A rising sophomore at La Salle his help defense on the wing and at the nail can't be overstated. With strong hands, he forced one turnover after another with digs and back-taps, then converted them into powerful dunks. Okebata led his team with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and a whopping 7 steals. He followed that up with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in the chip game, hitting two big pull-up threes to boost his team. 

Zaire Smaltz (2024 | PA Coalition Mills 17U) 
Smaltz anchored PAC’s second units on defense and found a few occasions to score, but he really went off in the 17U semifinal game. The unsigned senior from Parkland had the speed advantage inside, so he got up multiple touch shots of his own around the basket and erased whatever his opponents could get off. Feeling himself, Smaltz cashed in three spot-up triples. He tallied 19 points and 3 blocks to lift them to the finals. 

Jake Sniras (2025 | PA Coalition Mills 17U)
The 6-4 swing man displayed versatility and toughness Saturday and Sunday. Versus SW Elite and BW Elite, Sniras mixed it up around the basket for 10 and 9 rebounds, respectively. He defended well on the block and forced turnovers too. But in the semis, the Garnet Valley rising senior found success as a scorer. Sniras went to work from the elbow, creating space for his jumper, and set up on the low post to get buckets down there as well. He had 16 points in that match. 

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Honorable Mention
Hashim Batson (2027 | Role Model Elite 16U), TJ Bryson (2025 | BW Elite 17U), Buddy Denard (2027 | PBL Elite 16U), Brendan Gaines (2025 | PA Coalition Mills 17U), Ben Harrison (2025 | PA Coalition Mills 17U), Keith Jackson (2025 | PA Coalition Mills 17U), Jacob Manigault (2025 | BW Elite 16U), Stephen Mayo (PA Coalition Edwards 17U), Ahmeil McLaurin (2026 | BW Elite 16U), Jack McMullin (2028 | PBL Elite 16U), Sim Mitchell (2027 | BW Elite 15U), Kam Randolph (2025 | Philly Soldiers), Parker Scoz (2025 | PA Coalition Edwards 17U), Reeve Sysko (2025 | Penn Warriors 17U), Jasir Tyler (2026 | Mt. Pleasant Bulldogs), Emmanuel Vonhm (2024 | Role Model Elite 17U), Malakhi Warren (2027 | BW Elite 15U), Kam Waters (2025 | BW Elite 17U), Brandon Williams (2025 | BW Elite 17U)