City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2024 Philly Live weekends have come and gone, giving the CoBL staff our first real look at the area’s high school scene as it begins to prepare for the 2024-25 season. 

Here’s a look at some 2025s, 2026s and 2027s whose play over the last two weekends of June was proof they’re continuing to work and improve at their craft: 

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Syaire Barnes (2026 | Spring-Ford)
It’s not like we had much stock in Barnes to begin with, as the 5-11 guard was stuck at the back end of a deep Spring-Ford rotation a year ago. But with 2024 grad EJ Campbell gone and former starter Matt Zollers (Mizzou) now fully focused on football for his senior year, the Rams need some folks to step up alongside their established rising seniors. Barnes stood out to multiple CoBL writers on multiple viewings with his toughness, ball-handling and shot-making from inside and out.

James Brenner (2026 | Unionville)
Brenner was the utility man for the Longhorns as an underclassman; now he's their workhorse and he excelled in the new role in June. At 6-6, he anchored with blocks and deflections. The biggest improvements from Brenner were the range on his jumper and the distance from which he could attack. His threes found the bottom of the net whether he was shooting off of movement or pulling up. And when he didn't have the look he wanted, Brenner used the threat of his shot to beat his man off-the-dribble and create rim-attempts for himself. 

Drew Corrao (2026 | Archbishop Carroll)
There’s been a lot of promise in Corrao’s frame since the young forward got to Carroll two years ago, and now he’s starting to turn that into potential. Up to 6-9 and 205 pounds, Corrao’s starting to complement his ability to stretch the floor — which he’s doing at a much more game-ready clip — with solid play in the post, his improved physicality and general comfort in his frame an often-played path with young posts, who often come around later in their high school years and continue to progress into college. 

Alantay Dawson (2025 | Constitution)
Coming over from the now-closed MCS, Dawson was already rapidly improving with the Elephants and is now emerging with the retooled Generals. His ability to play both guard spots was crucial in their tougher games. Dawson shot well off-the-catch and got to the basket on his own. 

Luca Foster (2026 | Archbishop Carroll)
Speaking of promising Carroll rising juniors who are really starting to take a step, Foster had a terrific Philly Live. The 6-4 (and change) wing with a silky smooth shot had it working for him on both weekends, drilling all sorts of tough triples off the catch or pull-ups, even with a hand in his face. He also showed his improved handles as he took defenders one-on-one and got into the lane, hit mid-range jumpers and finished at the rim with more aggressiveness than he’s shown in the past. 

Mike Green (2025 | Archbishop Wood)
From shooting specialist off of the bench to bonafide marksman, Green has elevated his game to the next level. The 2-3 triples he occasionally gave the Vikings from the corner is now a regular 4-5 from wherever. He shot it on the move and on quick pull-ups. And when defenders overplayed the jumper, he knew exactly how to get to the cup for a lay. His overall maturation as a guard was one of the underappreciated parts of Wood’s performing June. 

Sammy Jackson (2026 | Roman Catholic)
No longer just Shareef’s little brother, Sammy’s been coming into his own this offseason, becoming one of the area’s top wings regardless of class. The smooth 6-6 wing has a great catch-and-shoot game, knocking down 3-pointers left and right in front of multiple CoBL writers throughout both weekends, and he also knows how to attack closeouts and get to the rim or wind up at the foul line, where he also converts at a high rate. Though he’s not a post like his brother, Jackson also showed he will post up smaller defenders and has good touch around the bucket. There’s no doubt he opened a lot of eyes with his play the last couple weekends.

Danny Keenan (2026 | Bishop Shanahan)
Keenan was an honorable mention in the Ches-Mont last year but he figures to have a much bigger impact for a veteran Eagles team eyeing a big season. The 5-foot-10 guard does pretty much everything a backcourt player is expected to from scoring to facilitating to defending and he’s able to play on or off the ball. Keenan can shoot the ball really well and he’s got a good step to get into the lane. He’s persistent on defense while playing well within the flow of a game.

Christian Matos (2026 | Archbishop Carroll)
It’s not a surprise that Matos has adjusted so well to his new Carroll teammates in such a short period of time, and played well against high-level competition; after all, the then-Methacton sophomore was stellar against Archbishop Wood in an intense environment in the state playoffs, showing he’s got all the moxie needed to play in the PCL. The sweet-shooting lefty’s 

Brady Moore (2026 | Downingtown West)
As a sophomore, Moore started for the Whippets and contributed to winning by doing the little things, like making the extra pass and boxing out to compliment the high-volume scoring they got from Donovan Fromhartz. However, he entered a different conversation based on his play during the Live Periods. The big guard put his full arsenal on display, getting buckets from any and everywhere while still being a team-first player. The Ches-Mont and 6A better not sleep. 

Derrick Morton-Rivera (2026 | Father Judge)
Morton-Rivera showed the city he was one of the best shooters around during his sophomore year, hitting 38.8% of his 160 triples for Judge as the Crusaders’ second-leading scorer (15.3 ppg). Now a whole lot of Division I coaches are aware, as Morton-Rivera bombed away against multiple opponents throughout Philly Live, the 6-3 guard pulling up on top of screens or working free for open looks off the ball. Temple offered him during the second weekend.

Milak Myatt (2026 | Cardinal O’Hara)
A bouncy, hard-charging 6-foot-4 wing, Myatt already looks like he’ll be one of the go-to options for a Cardinal O’Hara group entering a new era of leadership. It’s a new start for Myatt as well, as he comes over from Math, Civics and Science after the school’s closure last month. Myatt brings a ton of energy and effort and he’s got a well-rounded offensive package to go with it. The wing can break down defenders off the dribble, he can take a bump and still finish and his shot is fluid out to the perimeter, so he’ll definitely be one to watch as a PCL newcomer.

Brandon Russell (2025 | Archbishop Ryan)
One can argue that no player has increased more in terms of importance to his team since last season than Russell. With some fine-tuning of his game, he stepped into some big shoes left by the likes of Thomas Sorber and Darren Williams. Russell —a unique blend of size and athleticism — at times initiated offense, was the Raiders go-to scorer, and defended the other team's best player. The talent is there and he still has room to improve if he continues to put in the work. 

Mani Sajid (2026 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
It’s not easy to assume the mantle of a thousand-point scorer so quickly. But Sajid carried it well. Even with opposing defenses locked in on him, he claimed his spots on the floor, getting to pull-up twos and threes. He got to the rim as well. Sajid learned and adjusted on the fly as he created driving angles with and without a screen. And on several occasions, he attacked the basket and dropped the hammer for thunderous dunks. Although he's still getting use to such a high usage, Sajid is blossoming as he figures it out.

R.J. Smith (2026 | Imhotep Charter)
It was already clear from his sophomore year that Smith was going to be one to watch in his upperclassman seasons, the next undersized Philly lead guard (5-9) who doesn’t let his size bother him in the slightest. Smith proved at Philly Live that he can produce against high-major competition, with the best handles in the city and ability to strap down whoever he’s guarding, not to mention a highly-reliable outside shot. He picked up his first two D-I offers last month, and more are sure to come.

Mason Thear (2025 | Devon Prep)
Thear’s really worked on his game and his athleticism the last 12 months, to the point that he’s knocking on the door of being a scholarship-level guard, if he’s not already there. The 6-1 lead guard has really worked on his body to get stronger, faster, and more explosive, and that’s resulted in his ability to not only create his shot against quality defenders more easily, but also his ability to handle physical guards on the defensive end. 

Ayden Wise (2026 | Pope John Paul II)
The younger brother of former Hill School standout Anthony Wise (and son of PJP coach Earl Wise), Ayden looks like he’ll be one of the better players in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this winter. The 6-2 guard is a quality outside shooter who can get to the rim, and he’s got a great ability to change pace in the half court and has a variety of moves to get the ball through the hoop, like a Eurostep and a floater. Continued development could put him in scholarship territory at this point next year.