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2024 Philly Live II: Day 1 Jefferson Standouts (Fri., June 28)

06/29/2024, 8:00am EDT

By CoBL Staff

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The second session of Philly Live 2024 has more than 220 high school teams playing over the course of three days, with hundreds of college coaches at all levels in town to watch.

Here’s who stood out to the CoBL staff in Friday games at Jefferson University:

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Jaylin Avery (2028 | Archbishop Ryan)
Avery had quite a debut with the Raiders against former Delaware state champions Dover High School. The 6-7 wing dominated in the paint, including multiple and-1 plays. The rising freshman added 16 points and 7 rebounds on efficient 6-12 shooting. Avery, enrolling into Ryan from Baltimore, had it rolling in the second half scoring 13 of his total 17 points as well grabbing many crucial rebounds in the nail-biting exhibition. Avery got lots of his buckets off of rolling off off-ball screens, or backdooring sneakily past the defender. The Raiders have grabbed themselves one of the most promising 2028s in the area.

Deacon Baratta (2025 | Phoenixville)
Baratta is gradually becoming one of the more versatile bigs in the area with his vast skill set from his smooth perimeter shooting to his array of post moves to his ability to run the floor. The 6-6 forward helped put together an absolute rout of Kensington as he hit three straight three-pointers during an early stretch and took advantage of the opposition’s smaller front line. He can grab a rebound off the backboard and get down to the other end before his defender or can even lead the break. He gives the Phantoms an option few teams can match and his rise should continue.

Cherry Hill East (N.J.) 2026 SG Chris Delgado (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Chris Delgado (2026 | Cherry Hill East, N.J.)
The 6-foot-2 guard was lights out in an overtime win over Central Dauphin, finishing with 18 points. He had five threes after halftime, including a clutch corner triple in the final minute of the extra period that put away the win. Delgado has a fluid catch-and-shoot motion and even pulle up off the bounce in transition. 2028 guard Jamieson Young delivered a few really nice looks to him open beyond the arc. Delgado proved himself as a capable passer, picking up three assists, including two big ones in OT.

JayVion Denis (2026 | Dover, Del.)
A bouncy wing with a high upside, Denis showed some real flashes in a 19-point, six-rebound, four-assist, three-steal outing in a loss to Central York. The 6-4 guard is a bouncy slasher with range, which he showed by hitting a pair of deep pull-up 3-pointers, but he’s also got a good handle and court vision, especially in transition. Denis still needs work on some shot selection, as he pulled the trigger a little too quickly at times, but he showed he can get hot and knock down shots in a hurry, while defending multiple positions.

Aiden Derkack (2026 | Colonia, N.J.)
Derkack was on a different type of time when his Patriots faced East Catholic (Conn.). The 6-6 wing used his defensive instincts and cunning to intercept passes, then put two hands on the rim in transition. His opponents had the size advantage in the front court, so Derkack also used his physical tools to alter shots around the basket. A high major recruit, he hit a couple threes off-the-catch, but he made a living in the paint. On multiple occasions, Derkack brought the ball up the floor himself. And if the defense gave him any space, he slashed to the basket and finished through contact. That assertiveness earned him trips to the free throw line, where he went 8-for-9, on his way to 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.

Dominic Downs (2026 | Salesianum, Del.)
The inside-out approach from Downs was essential to Sallies pulling away from Central York. The 6-4 forward established himself in the paint by crashing the offensive boards and scoring on second-chance opportunities. That got him in the zone to space the floor. With his fluid release, Downs cashed in two catch-and-shoot threes from deep, plus a pull-up two. In the end, he tallied a smooth 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Coatesville (Pa.) 2028 SG Colton Hiller. (Photo: Josh Verlln/CoBL)

Colton Hiller (2028 | Coatesville)
Despite not having stepped foot into a high school classroom yet, Hiller was the best player on the floor versus Colonia. The ball came off his fingertips effortlessly as he drained six threes. That was after hitting five threes earlier in the day against Camden. Hiller shot well at Philly Live I, but he looked even more comfortable on Friday night. When Colonia defenders aggressively closed out on him, Hiller simply side-stepped or got to the elbow and pulled up. The rising freshman wing led to a big win with 24 points.

Patrick Jajua (2028 | Pennsbury)
Jajua’s name could be one Suburban One Patriot Division say with ire over the next four years as he gave a glimpse at the problems he could give opponents immediately at the varsity level with a strong outing Friday. The 6-foot-2 guard scored 14 points and added a pair of assists and three rebounds in a 52-51 loss to Immaculata (N.J.). He’s a capable shooter who plays the game in complete control. He has a natural offensive game, getting points within the flow of the offense and creating for himself, and pairs that with good court vision. He’s an engaged defender with a frame that suggests he’ll be a standout on that end as well.

Jerry Johnson Jr. (2026 | La Academia)
It looked like Johnson was going to steal the show with his scoring ability early in a win over Boyertown, showing off a buttery stroke and easy pull-up game. The lengthy 6-foot-3 point guard finished with 13 points but his playmaking and defense are what really stood out. Johnson added four assists, five steals and five rebounds. His long arms helped him create passing angles as well as poke the ball free. He’s got some leaping ability in his wiry frame as well as he showed off with a thunderous dunk to finish off the win in style.

Trey Kern (2025 | Boyertown)
The 6-foot-5 wing/forward is going to have to do a whole lot on both ends for a young Boyertown squad this season. He did his best to keep the Bears in a loss to La Academia with an 18-point outing that made up more than half his team’s points. He has some offensive versatility to use his size down low, put the ball on the deck against bigger forward and even step out to shoot from deep (two threes). He has some playmaking skills as well (two assists) and battled on the boards and down low with 6-foot-7 forward Elijah Perez.

Shawn Lockhart (2025 | Caravel Academy)
Lockhart flat out controlled the game against Wissahickon High School. The 5-10 guard went for 20 points, going 8-11 from the field. The rising senior shot 4-4 from the free throw line, also adding 5 rebounds. Lockhart showed immense understanding of the lanes, scoring most of his points off the ball. Lockhart was not a one sided show, he also was present on the defensive end. He chipped in a block and steal, and was arm's length once his defender was past back court. Lockhart led his young Caravel Academy team to a comfortable win over Wissahickon.

Joey Montalvo (2026 | East Catholic, Conn.)
Montalvo didn’t see a lot of varsity time last season at East Catholic, but he looked plenty comfortable when handed the keys to the offense Friday against a strong Colonia (N.J.) squad. The speedy quick 5-10 guard carved his way into the lane with ease during a 22-point effort. He was effective in the midrange and stretched his game outside the 3-point arc with two long balls late in the tight loss. A pair of assists and a steal helped round out his line.

Central York (Pa.) 2025 G Ben Natal (L). (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Ben Natal (2025 | Central York)
Natal was impressive early Friday afternoon in leading Central York to a 17-point win over Dover (Del.). The 6-1 lead guard, a returning start for the defending PIAA 6A champs, went for 15 points by continually splitting defenders and getting to the bucket, where he scored on a variety of moves, including a couple pull-ups in the lane and showing some post footwork into a floater; he also dished out six assists, including a behind-the-back look to classmate Ben Rill for a layup, and he bothered ball-handlers defensively into coming away with six steals, one of which he turned into a 50-foot hit-ahead pass for an open layup.

Elijah Perez (2026 | La Academia)
Perez quietly put up a dominant 12-point, 13-rebound, two-block performance in a win over Boyertown – well occasionally not so quietly when he found room to rattle the rim with a two-hand slam. But Perez didn’t need to demand the ball to leave a major impact, cleaning up on the offensive glass and making things incredibly difficult for Boyertown’s drivers. He has some length, bounce and lateral ability and two years to continue to develop his game.

Dante Regan (2025 | Immaculata, N.J.)
Even after Pennsbury finally identified him as a shooter, Regan continued to knock down looks. He finished with five threes as part of a 26-point effort in the tight win. Regan is a 6-foot-1 guard, who said Catholic and Scranton are two programs who have reached out. He’s a lethal shooter, needing only a sliver of space to get off a look His bag goes even deeper though, showing off some deft touch around the hoop and knocking down a fadeaway in the midrange.

Brandon Russell (2025 | Archbishop Ryan)
In crunch time, Russell leads the Archbishop Ryan Raiders to a wire to wire win against Dover (Del.). The 6-5 guard led the team with 17 points and eight rebounds, also adding two blocks. Russell had it going in crunch time, knocking two back to back threes to get the Raiders back into the game. The rising senior then ended the game by converting two free throws to give Ryan the one-point win. Russell went 4-8 from the field, while going 5-6 from the charity stripe. Showing off his guard skills, he added four assists to filled out stat line.

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