City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The first session of Philly Live 2024 saw dozens of teams from around the Northeast (and beyond) kick off the June Scholastic Live Period in front of equally as many college coaches.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff in games we watched at Philly Youth Basketball’s 6th Man Center on Saturday: 

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2024 Philly Live Session I Standouts

Jefferson Day 1 | PYB Day 1 | Jefferson Day 2 | PYB Day 2 | Jefferson Day 3 | PBY Day 3 |

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Syaire Barnes (2026 | Spring-Ford)
Barnes finds himself on the list for the second day in a row, a good sign for a rising junior who only played on the JV squad this past season. The 5-11 point guard brings a good change-of-pace ability on the ball, able to get into the lane and finish through contact, which he showed in a 14-point game against La Salle. A strong defender with great physicality, Barnes guarded the point of attack really well, and also rebounded at a high rate for a guard, especially one under six feet. On a team that’s going to have to replace EJ Campbell and Matt Zollers, his production will be a necessity.

Isaac Cole (2025 | Audenried Charter)
Cole spent his first two years at West Catholic, starting seven games as a sophomore, but missed his entire junior year due to offcourt issues. Now headed to Audenried for his senior year, the 6-6 guard looked rejuvenated this weekend, including during a close loss to Muhlenberg High on Sunday afternoon. Cole’s contribution of 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block was highlighted by his vocality and leadership on the defensive end; he was constantly pointing out positioning to his teammates (including twin brother Israel Cole). He showed his shooting range with two deep 3-pointers as well.

Donovan Fromhartz (2025 | Downingtown West)
Fromhartz tore up Rahway (N.J.) in the final game set of the weekend. The Whippets’ four-year starter and Division I recruit was easily knifing his way to the bucket for layups, or just getting into the lane and making plays for teammates, while gobbling up rebounds on the defensive end of the floor. Fromhartz was 7-of-12 from the floor (1-5 3PT, 3-3 FT), grabbed 13 rebounds and had six assists, all of that despite sitting all of the final 10 minutes of a game that was running clock shortly into the second half. 

Tommy Kelly (2025 | Spring-Ford)
Kelly was terrific as Spring-Ford ran past La Salle in the second half, though he was strong throughout. The 6-5 wing was active around the rim and getting to it from the perimeter, using a variety of moves to get some open space and attack the bucket, He was nearly perfect from the floor, going 6-for-7 (1-2 3PT) and a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line for 21 points, plus five rebounds (three offensive), two assists and a block. Kelly’s a versatile athlete with good length, and he’s improving his ball skills, especially when matched up against forwards, who he can get by with a good first step and slash to the rim. 

Shemar Killens (2025 | Muhlenberg High)
An all-Berks County selection as a junior, Killens showed why as he got stronger and stronger during the course of leading Muhlenberg to a 61-57 win over Audenried Charter. Killens was aggressive attacking the bucket, scoring 23 points, going 8-of-8 from the foul line, with 17 of those in the second half; he also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists along with a steal. A solidly-built 6-2 wing guard, Killens was tough to get off his spot when he was bulldozing down the court, and he was able to absorb contact well to adjust and finish around the bucket with both hands. 

Niquan Lee (2027 | Caravel Acad., Del.)
Lee finished with 21 points in a loss to St. Joseph’s Academy-Hammonton (N.J.). He’s a 6-foot guard with speed and quickness who really works well in tight spaces — helped by a terrific handle. He has a pretty stroke and pull-up ability and was unafraid to work his way to the line (5-of-6). Lee rounded out his performance with some playmaking and defensive instincts, piling up a handful of assists and steals as well.

Brady Moore (2026 | Downingtown West)
Moore started all sophomore year for Downingtown West, and it looks like he’s making strides in his game as he prepares for his junior year. The 6-5 wing is still a strong outside shooter, which he showed by going 3-of-3 from deep to pace him to a 18-point game against Rahway (N.J.). But he’s also really improved his ability off the bounce as well as his overall foot speed and athleticism, which he showed with a smooth spin move into a layup, and he toughed out a few other close-range buckets even with a few defenders around him; he also grabbed five rebounds (three offensive) and a steal. 

Jacob Nguyen (2025 | Spring-Ford)
Nguyen looked like a veteran on the court this weekend for Spring-Ford. The rising senior guard had it going against Bishop McDevvit (Harrisburg) pitching in 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. The 6-4 shooting guard dominated inside the three point line, hitting fade-away midrange shots and being physical in the painted area. Nguyen’s playmaking stood out to me, the natural scorer got everyone involved by finding shooters and cutters around him. Jacob also shot efficiently for the Rams, going 5-10 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Nguyen plays a big role for Joe Dempsey’s Spring-Ford squad. 

Markus Polite (2026 | Cedar Creek, N.J.)
Polite put on a show in his team’s 67-62 victory over Abraham Lincoln on Saturday. He finished with 27 points, three assists, nine rebounds and a pair of steals in an effort that was somehow more impressive than the numbers. The 5-10 guard had the hot hand throughout, burying five triples. He did some damage in the midrange and attacking the basket as well. Even though it seemed he couldn’t miss he played the “big man” role on his guard-oriented team’s zone defense and did his best to hold his own against Lincoln’s 6-6 big man Javere Russell down low — including a big steal late. 

Javere Russell (2025 | Abraham Lincoln)
Looking for a potential breakout player in the Philadelphia Public League next season? Look no further. Russell, a 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 1.2 ppg for the Railsplitters season but signs point to having a much bigger role in 2024-25. He was dominant in a tight loss to Cedar Creek (N.J.), finishing with 28 points and 13 rebounds against the much smaller lineup. Russell has a strong frame he used to bully his way inside. He pair that with a strong motor and some soft touch, unable to be slowed Sunday until Cedar Creek finally started collapsing on him late in the second half. 

Mani Sajid (2026 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
Sajid is PW’s no-doubt top offensive option this year, the 6-4 rising junior wing going from ‘prospect to watch’ to ‘standout player’ over the course of the last two years. Taking about as many shots as the rest of his teammates combined, Sajid poured in 32 points as PW beat Union Catholic (N.J.) by 11, shooting 10-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-12 from 3-point range. Sajid is strong pulling up from deep or on the catch, though early in the game he settled for a number of long, contested two-point jumpers. He was much more efficient in the second half, with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting (4-4 FT), and flashed a little playmaking with a couple assists.

Chanse Salone (2026 | Souderton)
The 5-foot-10 lefty guard was a two-way force in a win over Smyrna (Del.) as he compiled a statline of 12 points, five assists and six steals. Souderton’s floor general was dishing dimes on the money — left hand, right hand, full court, half court, everything perfectly placed. Salone went and got his own too. Though not his best shooting day he knocked down a pair of triples and finished on both sides of the rim. He’s an anticipatory passer and used that court vision on the defensive end to jump into passing lanes and get his team going the other way in transition.

Will Spross (2026 | St. Joseph’s-Hammonton)
Spross took over late in the second half to help his team finish off a comeback win over Caravel Academy (Del.) on Sunday. He had 19 points in the game with 10 of those coming in the second half. The 6-foot-3 guard has good size for the point guard spot and a penchant for breaking down the defense. He’s quick, strong and athletic and has an array of shifty moves — the spin move often on display Saturday — to help him get to the bucket. He made tough finishes look routine inside. Spross generated good looks for his teammates with his drive and kick ability as well (though his younger brother Donovan displayed some passing chops and toughness that might rival big bro). 

Jayden Taylor (2025 | Sanford School)
It is obvious that Jayden Taylor controlled the game against Mechanicsburg. The 6-8 wing pitched in 12 points and 11 rebounds consisting of 5 offensive rebounds. Taylor excelled on pick and roll reads, either cutting hard for the rim or going to set up his teammates for down-screen opportunities. The rising senior used his size and athleticism to set himself for multiple alley-oop dunks, also on every rebound. Taylor was on both sides of the ball, making a presence in the paint by adding in 3 blocks. The vocal senior was a selfless player, taking high quality shots. He went 6-8 from the field, all being close range and midrange shots. There is no question that Division 1 schools are in his future.

Trevor Webster (2026 | Sanford School)
The dominance that Webster showed against Mechanicsburg made his basketball future look pretty bright. The 6-3 guard dropped 15 points and five rebounds, shooting 6-8 from the field. His outside shooting was impressive as he was shot ready, shooting 2-4 from three points shots. Webster really excelled at the rim though, hammering a posterizer dunk over the Mechanicsburg defenders. The rising junior has a well-rounded game; he was able to create for himself and for others by using his crafty moves. Webster understands his role on the team, and looks for the winning play. 

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Honorable Mention
AJ Altobelli (2025 | Union Catholic, N.J.), Yaw Ansong (2025 | Union Catholic, N.J.), Frenchmon Bethea (2025 | Cedar Creek, N.J.), Israel Cole (2025 | Audenried Charter), Eric Conicello (2026 | Plymouth Whitemarsh), Jayden Dixon (2025 | St. Joseph’s-Hammonton, N.J.), Eli Hemming (2027 | Muhlenberg), Marice Kilgoe (2026 | Smyrna, Del.),  Sabree Rafi (2025 | Abraham Lincoln), Luke Schorr (2025 | Union Catholic, N.J.), Logan Shaw (2026 | Smyrna, Del.),  Prestin Washington (2025 | La Salle), Nolan Watkins (2025 | Souderton)