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2024 CoBL Interstate Shootout: Sunday Standouts (Sep. 15)

09/18/2024, 8:00pm EDT

By Josh Verlin

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2024 CoBL Interstate Shootout, our ninth annual preseason boys’ high school showcase, took place this past weekend, with 116 teams from five different states coming to the Alan Horwitz ‘Sixth Man’ Center over the course of two days, all playing a pair of games against quality competition.

A number of CoBL writers and scouts were on hand throughout the event; though we weren’t able to watch every game, here’s who stood out to the staff throughout the course of the day on Sunday:

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Amir Drummond (2025 | Bensalem)
Drummond was in attack mode all throughout the Owls’ opening game against WC Henderson Sunday. The 5-foot-9 guard hit a pair of threes, the latter on a slick step-back but spent most of the morning driving to the rim and coercing some type of aerial finish. Drummond has great body control in the air, but he’s plenty tough as well and took a few bumps to either net one of those finishes or draw a trip to the line. Bensalem lost a tough one to the Warriors, but Drummond’s 23 points kept them in it.

Korey Francis (2027 | Bonner-Prendie)
Francis led the retooled Friars to victory over College Achieve Gold. He got his squad rolling on the opening defensive position when he deflected a pass, then took it the other way and threw a lob off the backboard to Devon Nelson. A stout, 6-3 combo guard, Francis kept up the intensity on defense as he stonewalled drivers and forced turnovers. All of that carried over to offense where he got to the cup with decisive drives to the cup and scored with touch shots. Add in his two threes and Francis finished with 23 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Naas Hart (2026 | College Achieve Blue, N.J.)
Hart is a 6-foot-9 wing/forward with a wingspan that seems to go on forever. He used his length to score 13 points, grab six rebounds and block a pair of shots against Imhotep in his team’s first game Sunday. Hart cleaned up two or three offensive rebounds with tip-ins that seemed out of his reach. He tossed down a monster jam in transition. Defensively, he displayed the ability and willingness to move laterally on the ball out on the perimeter and use his long arms to block and alter shots down low.

Cory Hogan (2026 | Conestoga)
A 6-3 forward for the Pioneers, Hogan grappled his way to a massive 23 points and 12 boards big win against Pennsauken. His commitment to boxing out and out-hustling everyone else helped set the tone for his team. He's not the bounciest athlete, but he still manages to jump over others for rebounds. As such, they rewarded his selflessness with drop-offs in the paint, in addition to his second-chance points. With his rugged style, Hogan capitalized on all of those opportunities and left none on the table, including a spot-up three.

Izaaz Kornegay (2026 | Samuel Fels)
A lengthy 6-6 forward for the Panthers, Kornegay starred in a loss to Council Rock South, finishing with 20 points - tied for the most for a player on either team, including 12 in the first half alone. Korengay was the main focus of the offense against the Golden Hawks, constantly getting fed for mid and close range shots. Defensively, while making no standout single plays, he made his presence known for the full 40 and gave Council Rock South trouble in executing on the offensive end.

JJ Kelly (2025 | Chambersburg)
The recent Ohio commit finished with 18 points, two assists and two blocks in a loss to Coatesville, shouldering most of the offensive load. Kelly is a 6-6 guard with incredible leaping ability (he’s a state champion triple jumper). He knocked down a three but did the majority of his damage attacking the basket, using his strength to make his way to the hoop and ward off defenders. A chase down block highlighted his work on other end, but he was active throughout the game making sure his physical gives were put to good use.

Matt McCarthy (2025 | Episcopal Academy)
The Churchmen were locked into a back-and-forth match with reigning District 3 6A champs Chambersburg, yet they had McCarthy and the other team didn't. He was the straw that stirred the drink, toggling between creating on-ball and finishing plays off-ball. After driving and scoring off of two feet, McCarthy cashed three spot up jumpers from deep and attacked a closeout to score an and-one layup. With less than 2 minutes left in the game Chambersburg tied the game up at 51. But the senior lead guard came right back at them by getting into the paint, drawing the foul, and hitting what went on to be the two game-winning free throws. He totalled 19 points and 2 steals.

Imhotep Charter (Pa.) 2026 SF Zaahir Muhammad-Gray. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Zaahir Muhmmad-Gray (2026 | Imhotep)
With a few other projected starters sitting out the team’s game against College Achieve Blue in the Panthers’ first game on Sunday, Muhammad-Gray showed what he can do as the go-to guy. He put up 19 points and sprinkled in a handful of rebounds and assists to keep the shorthanded Imhotep squad in the game. Muhammad-Gray had his shot working from deep (three 3s) and the midrange and wasn’t afraid to go toward the hoop — even with the lengthy 6-9 Naas Hart on him.

Rowan Phillips (2028 | Archbishop Wood)
Anticipated to be one of the biggest impact freshmen in the area this season, Phillips showed why in the second half of a win over College Achieve Blue. He had nine of his 12 points in the second half, making some big buckets during a critical stretch that helped the Vikings take control of the game. The wiry 6-3 guard is smooth pulling up either way. He has bounce, runs the floor and can really make things happen around the rim.

Noah Scurry (2025 | Samuel Fels)
Scurry poured in a steady stream of shots and defensive playmaking to help Fels out-last Shipley. A foul magnet, he drew contact seven different times that sent him to the line, where he made 8-of-10 free throws. His ability to generate open looks served the Panthers well as he made his way to the second level for pull-up jumpers and a three. Scurry came away with 15 points, in addition to 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block.

Bell Smith (2028 | Penn Wood)
In the win over Conrad, it was Smith who controlled the game for the Patriots, after being the sole shining star for Penn Wood in a loss to Hamilton Wood. The shifty, pure point guard consistently collapsed the defense with his stop-and-start ability. First, it allowed him to create negative space for a step-back three and separation when driving and finishing with either hand. Then, his off-the-dribble game allowed him to draw extra defenders before kicking the ball back out and forcing rotations. Further, Smith set up his bigs in the post for high-percentage baskets as he totalled 14 points and 5 assists.

Will Spross (2026 | St. Joe’s-Hammonton, N.J.)
Spross was a handful in his team’s first game, a close win over Pennsbury, going for 22 points. The junior guard did most of his damage around the rim, starting the day with a pretty reverse layup and adding another fancy finish on a drive in the second half. Spross plays with high energy and he kept a couple of loose ball plays alive for his team while also showing no hesitation to get into the lane, drawing a couple of and-one plays and two other trips to the foul line.

MJ Thompson (2027 | Council Rock South)
Thompson turned some heads right away Sunday, throwing down a putback dunk to start things off for the Golden Hawks, setting the tone in an eventual win over Samuel Fels. A varsity contributor as a freshman, CR South is thinking a lot more for the athletic 6-foot-2 sophomore guard this season. Thompson is good at attacking the basket, whether that’s on a drive, slicing down the lane on a cut or even soaring above it but he’s also a solid perimeter threat and figures to be a tough cover in the SOL Patriot this winter.

Nasir Williams (2025 | Coatesville)
Despite coming off the bench for the Red Raiders, Williams continued to shine, leaving his imprint all over Coatesville’s wins over Chambersburg and Lansdale Catholic. He had 14 points and four rebounds against Chambersburg before adding 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist against LC. Williams has deep range and can do some wizardry with the ball, which helps him get to the up. Though he didn’t pile up assists, he made a handful of extra passes and nice reads. He has good court vision and anticipatory skills and a willingness to do some dirty work on the glass.

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