City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The second day of the 2024 Play-By-Play Kobe Bryant Classic brought 12 teams to Archbishop Ryan for a day of action, with one girls’ game followed by five boys games. 

Here’s who stood out in the following games:

Archbishop Carroll 50, Imhotep Charter 41 (Girls)
Holy Ghost Prep 73, Eng. & Sciences 69
St. Elizabeth (Del.) 80, St. Andrew’s (Del.) 44
Springdale Prep (Md.) 56, Academy New Church 47
Central Dauphin 78, Archbishop Ryan 64

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CLICK HERE for Day One Standouts

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Fareed Brown (2026 | Eng. & Sciences)
Brown and the Engineers played one heck of an entertaining contest against Holy Ghost Prep early in the afternoon, the junior guard especially wowing the crowd in attendance with his all-around performance. A 5-foot-10 guard, Brown scored 17 points in a variety of ways, adding five assists, five rebounds and a couple steals to his statline. Quick off the dribble, he liked to get into the mid range and rise up for a jumper, several of which he knocked down while he got fouled on a few others. He also used his speed to beat his defender baseline, and kept his eyes open for shooters, making a few good passes on the move to find a quality shot.

Alexis Eberz (2026 | Archbishop Carroll)
The oldest of the now-trio of Eberz sisters who suit up for the Patriots, Alexis led Carroll with 20 points and eight rebounds in their hard-fought win over Imhotep. The 5-9 combo guard, who most recently added offers from Villanova and Marquiette to a well-sized stack of them, wasn’t her usual knockdown self from the 3-point arc, as she only connected once, but she excelled in the mid-range and getting to the line. Eberz is in her first season as Carroll’s primary offensive option, and it’s a role she’s taking to well.

Kayla Eberz (2028 | Archbishop Carroll)
Joining her older sister in the starting lineup, Eberz — a 5-10 wing guard — racked up 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals in a block as she certainly didn’t play like a freshman against Imhotep. Eberz wasn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor and made quick decisions with the ball in general, whether it was to release a shot, swing the ball or attack, and she played aggressive defense as well. Perhaps her best move of the day came in the second quarter, when she poked the ball free from the player she was guarding, scooped it up and two dribbles later, finished around a defender with her left hand. 

Wayne Fletcher II (2025 | Central Dauphin)
Fletcher II led the way as the Rams delivered head coach Wayne Fletcher — you can figure that connection out — his 100th win, doing it on the road against a quality PCL squad. A smooth combo guard with quality size (6-4), the Naval Academy commit went for 23 points, six rebounds and four assists, showing off his ability both to hunt for his own shot when needed as well as work within CD’s offensive flow most of the time. He scored from all three levels, knocking down three catch-and-shoot 3-pointers (on seven attempts), got into the mid-range and to the bucket/foul line. Fletcher’s teammates constantly found him in space, and he showed great natural feel by being able to rise him and knock down shots from different spots.

Anise Geiger (2025 | Imhotep Charter)
A recent Delaware State commit, Geiger was a force inside for Imhotep, racking up 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The 6-1 forward was great around the rim, finishing with both hands, showcasing great footwork to maneuver around defenders and work free; she finished 7-of-10 from the floor, finishing at a good clip. Defensively, she was constantly making life difficult for Carroll players anywhere within 10 feet of the hoop, her blocks only a part of the impact she was having on that end of the floor. 

Kenny Hunter Jr. (2025 | St. Elizabeth, Del.)
Though Hunter, at about 6-4, faced a significant size disadvantage against St. Andrew’s starting frontcourt, which went 6-9 and 6-7. But he was by far the most productive, working his way to a 20-point, six-rebound, three-assist, two-steal effort. Hunter is a mid-range and mid-zone master, constantly getting high-post looks, turning around and burying them without a thought, then taking that shooting and stepping out to hit one from beyond the 3-point arc. He also did a good job of slipping behind the defense for a couple other layups, and worked well in high-low situations as St. E’s waxed its in-state rival. 

Elijah Mobley (2025 | Springdale Prep, Md.)
A 6-4 combo guard with a smooth outside shot, Mobley got his game started against ANC with three early first quarter 3-pointers, spacing the floor from well beyond the arc, with a smooth, clean release that led to a high-arcing shot. He ended up knocking down five triples in Springdale’s win, powering him to a game-high 19 points, along with four rebounds and three assists. A Charlotte native, Mobley said he was injured in the offseason, but has been talking to a variety of Division I schools and junior colleges, and he certainly looked the part.

Kisean Robinson (2025 | Springdale Prep, Md.)
A 6-3 point guard, Robinson showed his ability to impact the game at both ends in Springdale’s win over Academy New Church. Even before his shot started falling, which happened increasingly as the game went on, Robinson was an aggressive defender who kept his man in check; he started getting to the hoop in the second quarter, then knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the third, two more buckets in the fourth getting him to 14 points, along with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Springdale played an aggressive, physical style, and Robinson helped set the tone. 

Sahin Rodriguez (2026 | Eng. & Sciences)
Rodriguez was perhaps the definition of “stat-sheet stuffer” on Sunday. The 6-4 wing/forward scored 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers — he was 3-of-4 from deep and 6-of-9 from the floor, but missed all four of his foul shots. He made up for that though with seven steals, turned a few of those into barrelling layups at the other end, but more often fed it ahead to a teammate, which is one reason he also racked up four assists; he also grabbed six rebounds, putting his good physicality to use. Just at the beginning of his junior year, there’s a lot to like about where he’s headed.

Brandon Russell (2025 | Archbishop Ryan)
The only senior in Ryan’s lineup, Russell came out firing against Central Dauphin, knocking down a couple early 3-pointers. That helped him to a 15-point outing, though he didn’t connect on another triple, as the Rams tried their best to prevent him from getting free from deep; the 6-4 shooting guard got downhill more in the second hald, getting to the line on several occasions. More than just a scorer, he rounded out his stat line with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

Zak Sharlin (2025 | Holy Ghost Prep)
Holy Ghost put on an absolute shooting clinic against Eng. & Sciences, hitting 10 of its first 13 3-pointers and finishing 12-of-21 from deep, 26-of-46 overall. Sharlin, one of seven seniors that Tom Heston rolled out in his 10-man rotation, certainly contributed to that with 17 points on 7-11 FG (3-5 3PT), along with two assists, two steals and a block. What was most notable about the 6-0 combo guard’s game, other than his nifty shooting, was his quick decision-making; whenever he caught the ball, Sharlin knew exactly what he was doing with it and made it happen, showcasing a strong handle and the ability to go left or right or pull up in a blink of an eye.

Cameron Smith (2026 | Academy New Church)
Going up against a towering Springdale Prep (Md.) frontcourt, Smith set the tone early with offensive rebounds on ANC’s first three possessions, the 6-7 wing/forward showing he wasn’t going to back down. Smith proceeded to work his way to 15 points and six rebounds along with three assists and a steal, playing just about every minute in a hard-fought loss. Smith didn’t connect on either of his 3-point attempts, but he showed his ability to put the ball on the floor and direct the offense, then dip into the paint and post up for a bucket.

Shakur Starling (2027 | Central Dauphin)
If you’ve been around enough hoops events, you might know Michael ‘Big Star’ Starling, the big man with a big smile who treks around with a camera. The Harrisburg-area native has been bragging about his second-youngest son’s potential on the hardwood for what feels like a decade, and now that Shakur’s old enough to be starting for CD’s varsity team, it’s easy to see why. An athletic 6-2 guard with upside, Starling poured in 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting (1-1 3PT, 6-8 FT) with five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block, looking every bit like a Division I prospect in the Rams’ win over Archbishop Ryan. 

Ace Varella (2025 | Holy Ghost Prep)
Varella got his outing against E&S going with a trio of first-half 3-pointers, but he really took off after halftime. The solid-bodied 6-3 wing guard got downhill over and over again in the third and fourth quarters, finishing a couple tough layups (including an and-one), then — as E&S was trying to pull off a late-minute comeback — got free late and got to the foul line, going 5-of-6 down the stretch. In addition to his game-high 21 points, he also grabbed 13 rebounds (three offensive), with two assists, a steal and a block. 

Honorable Mention
Kiyen Alexander (2027 | St. Elizabeth’s, Del.), Caden Harris (2025 | St. Elizabeth’s, Del.), Malik Hughes (2026 | Roman Catholic), Shaun Holden (2028 | St. Elizabeth, Del.) Darnell Lloyd (2025 | St. Andrew’s, Del.), Sabria Mann (2025 | Imhotep Charter), Matthew McField (2026 | Eng. & Sciences), Adam McDonald (2026 | Holy Ghost Prep), Tommy Nahill (2025 | Holy Ghost Prep), Masen Price (2027 | St. Elizabeth, Del.), Elijah Proctor-Moore (2025 | St. Andrew’s, Del.), Khalil Roberts (2027 | Central Dauphin), Christian Sagba (2025 | Springdale Prep, Md.), Semaj Stone (2027 | Archbishop Ryan