City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Folks in Northeast Philly won’t have to go far to take in some quality hoops on Monday. 

The first-ever Rare Footage Holiday Classic brings six games to Archbishop Ryan to help wrap up 2024 — four boys’ games and two girls’ contests, featuring a mix of local competition and some quality out-of-area teams. 

Admissions will be $20 for the day; $15 for students with valid ID. 

Here’s a look at all six contests; CoBL will also provide in-person coverage of the event:

Boys: Muhlenburg vs. Bensalem (12:00 PM)
This matchup of 6A public schools pits District 1 against District 3. Muhlenberg High comes down from Reading with a 6-3 record, having beaten crosstown rival Reading a couple weeks ago, along with several other programs from the central part of the state as well as two others from District 2 (northeast PA). The Muhls, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Matthew Flowers, feature one of the top underclassmen in Berks County in 6-foot-3 sophomore wing Eli Hemmings, a confident combo guard with an outside shot, along with senior Shemar Killen, a crafty point guard who can fill it up as well. Bensalem (5-1) counters with senior wing Amir Drummond to lead the way offensively, but the Owls have also been getting quality contributions from junior Aidan Mayfield, senior Mike Kramer and junior Jacob Eberhardt, among others. 

Boys: West Catholic vs. Reading (1:30 PM)
Speaking of Reading, the Red Knights themselves make an appearance at Widener to take on a Catholic League opponent in what should be an uptempo, high-energy affair between two teams that really like to get after it. The Burrs (2-4) have opened up their season with a tough slate of non-local prep/private teams, most recently beating City College (Baltimore, Md.) in a showcase last weekend. West Catholic features senior guard Saaid Lee and junior forwards Jalyn Hopkins and Kingston Wheatley plus talented sophomores including Jayvon Byrd, Eric Scott and Rahmir Speaks. Reading (1-6) coach Francis Camara has a pair of sophomores leading the way in Jeremiah Camara and Jostin DeCastro, plus senior point guard Weshly Rosario and senior wing Kahlil Samuel. 

Girls: Audenried Charter vs. Ursuline Academy (Del.) (3:00 PM)
The defending Philadelphia Public League champs take on the defending Delaware state champions in this powerhouse battle, which features a terrific matchup of lead guards. Ursuline brings in sophomore Jezelle ‘GG’ Banks, a five-star point guard who was on the short list of contenders for a spot on the USA U-17 squad this summer; Audenried counters with Shayla Smith, a Penn State commit who recently surpassed the 2,000-point barrier and has the likes of Dawn Staley in her sights on the city’s scoring list. Both have quality supporting pieces as well: Ursuline has juniors Jasmine Butler and Naiya Murphy plus senior Katherine Lange (Goldey-Beacom); Audenried has seniors Raynah Rattliff and Senaya Parker along with talented 6-3 sophomore forward Nasiaah Russell, who’s already got numerous high-major offers.

Girls: Friends’ Central vs. Elizabeth Seton (Md.) (4:30 PM)
In terms of pure Division I talent, there isn’t a game in the event that can hold a candle to this one. Both FCS and Elizabeth Seton are absolutely stocked with future D-I ballplayers, from committed seniors through promising underclassmen. Elizabeth Seton’s committed seniors include Ma’Kayla Johnson (George Mason), Nadeya Regala (Towson), Emma NuQuay (Howard) and Kaliyah Murphy (Texas State), with juniors Jaila Lilly, Reneyia Pickering and and Zoey Osby all right behind them. FCS counters with the senior quartet of Logyn Greer (Colorado), Jordyn Adderly (Coppin State), Kaiya Rain Tucker (Siena) and Nal’La Bennett (Stony Brook) plus a high-major target in sophomore Zya Small. 

Boys: Imhotep Charter vs Conwell-Egan (6:00 PM)
Back to the boys’ side, with two Public League vs. Catholic League matchups to close out the day. Imhotep (7-3) comes back to the area after a trip out to Hawai’i for the ‘Iolani Classic, where the Panthers split four games, Andre Noble’s squad playing some of the top programs in the country. The three-time defending Public League and state champions in multiple different classifications, Imhotep features junior point guard RJ Smith, senior wing guard Carnell Henderson, sophomore wing forward Zion Green and junior wing Latief Lorenzano-White, among others, though they’re without junior wing Zaahir Muhammad-Gray (knee) for the remainder of the season. The Eagles (5-1) face their biggest challenge of the year as they get ready for PCL play under first-year head coach Sean Tait, whose leaders include seniors Antwone George and Isaiah Johnson, plus junior wing Justin Bobb and sophomore guards Brayden Martin, Myles Moore and Cole Zalewski. 

Boys: Audenried Charter vs. St. Joe’s Prep (7:30 PM)
Don’t let the records fool you. Both St. Joe’s Prep (2-4) and Audenried Charter (2-6) are quality squads, though both have played tough schedules out of the gate. Prep’s got eyes on breaking a decade-plus Palestra drought thanks to its all-senior backcourt of Jaron McKie (Dayton), Jordan Ellerbee (FGCU) and Olin Chamberlain Jr. plus stud sophomore Mekhi Robertson, a burgeoning Division I prospect in his own right. Audenried features twin seniors Isaac and Israel Cole, plus junior guard Uthaymin ‘Uthy’ Laws and sophomore Nathan Lee as the Rockets aim to return to prominence in the Public League after a few down years.