City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) +
Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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The 2025 edition of the Donofrio Classic, the 63rd annual spring boys’ basketball all-star tournament in Conshohocken, continued on Thursday night with two more first-round playoff games at the Fellowship House. 

Here’s a report from the evening:

Game One: K-Low Elite 92, Keystone Blazers/Philly Blaze 76

The chemistry between all of K-Low Elite’s graduating seniors, most of whom have been playing together for quite a few summers, was apparent as they pulled away from Philly Blaze for a convincing first-round game. The team’s quartet of Division I commits led the way: Perkiomen School’s K.J. Cochran (Santa Clara) led the way with 29 points, Cristo Rey’s Devin Booker (George Mason) scored 21 and Hill School’s Jacob Meachem (Bucknell) scored 14; Kai Shinholster (Minnesota) rounded out the group but twisted his ankle and sat for most of the contest. Keystone Blazers, which featured an Archbishop Wood core, got 25 points from junior Brady MacAdams, 13 from sophomore Caleb Lundy and 10 from sophomore big man Jaydn Jenkins, all Vikings.

Game Two: Hunting Park I 91, Keystone Blazers/Difference Makers 86

New uniforms, same results for the Father Judge trio of Kevair Kennedy, Everett Barnes and Naz Tyler doubling as the core of Hunting Park I’s roster. Just five days after leading Judge to its first state title, Kennedy (Merrimack), Barnes (Loyola MD) and Tyler each made some clutch plays late to fend off a talented Difference Makers roster. Kennedy posted 29 points, going 8-of-9 at the line, while Barnes had 12 including two pivotal late dunks and Tyler added 13. Jordan Dill was in a groove offensively too, adding 24 points for Hunting Park to help offset 29 points from Colonia (N.J.) junior Aiden Derkack (five 3s) and 15 from St. Joe’s Prep sophomore Mekhi Robertson for Difference Makers.

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Sukaly firm on Rosemont commitment despite pending merger

Robbie Sukaly wasn’t expecting what greeted him on his friend’s cell phone screen.

The Dock Mennonite senior was met by a social media post stating that Rosemont College – the school he’d pledged to play basketball at next year in February – had agreed to enter into a merger agreement with Villanova. That announcement, which came on Monday, March 31, caught a lot of people off guard but Sukaly isn’t planning on going anywhere else next year.

It’s been a turbulent week, but Rosemont coach Ryan McGee hasn’t wavered on Sukaly either.

“It was definitely crazy,” Sukaly said. “Coach Ryan has been talking to my dad about it, I’m going to talk with Coach about it (Friday), either way, it’s tough but I have full trust in Coach Ryan.”
Sukaly committed to Rosemont based on the strength of the relationship he built with McGee.

As of now, the Ravens will have a season next year and Sukaly plans to be there.

“I’m still going,” Sukaly said. “Some people think I shouldn’t, other people think I should. At the end of the day, Coach Ryan showed me the most love and he has all my respect.”

Sukaly said he’s not trying to look too far into it. His plan is to play out the next year, see how it goes and where it leads. Optimistically, he’d like to follow McGee to wherever his next stop is but the Dock senior recognized there are a lot of moving parts before any of that happens.

Some of those moving parts are already in motion. Sukaly said he knows of a couple players already looking to transfer out but he was confident the Ravens, thanks to a sizable group of incoming players, will have a season next year.

“I know Coach Ryan, he’ll figure it out,” Sukaly said.

Sukaly was grateful to finish out his high school career with a playoff appearance. The senior, who spent his first two years in high school at North Penn, was ineligible for districts and states as a junior after transferring to Dock.

Pioneers coach Mike Fergus has built Dock into one of the strongest small school programs in District 1 and they were able to get back to the PIAA Class 2A playoffs again, giving Sukaly a chance to play in his first ever postseason games.

While his Philly Blazers team bowed out of the Donofrio Classic on Thursday, Sukaly won’t be taking much time off from the gym over the next couple months and through the summer.

“High school ball, it’s completely different,” Sukaly said. “College, they’re freaks out there, so I just have to keep shooting every day and then my body, I’m going to hit the weight room a lot.”

While an unexpected twist came his way earlier this week, Sukaly never once thought about wavering on his commitment to McGee or Rosemont for one simple reason.

“Honestly this might be a boring answer, but just playing college basketball,” Sukaly said. “It’s been my dream since I was little, just to be in that environment. So I’m excited for the chance to be a part of that.” — Andrew Robinson

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Dunphy makes return to Donofrio

Fran Dunphy couldn’t remember the last time he was at the Donofrio Classic, but he did remember the first. 

“I think I was a sophomore in high school, and somebody asked me to be on a team,” he said. “I want to say it was Wayne Sporting Goods was the team — and we lost the game, and I stunk, and I always regretted how poorly I played. 

“[It was a big deal] but I didn’t realize it at the time. I just thought I was going to play ball somewhere and I did, and I didn’t play very well. There was a guy [...] that picked me up, I can still remember driving on Conshohocken State Road and figuring out how to get here and where I was, because I was living in Delaware County at the time."

If Dunphy's accurate, that would mean he played in 1964, just the third annual tournament in an event now in its 63rd edition, having taken two years off for the pandemic.

The Big 5 legend made his return to the Fellowship House for the first time in decades on Thursday night, his retirement from La Salle a few weeks back freeing him up to watch games wherever and whenever he likes for the first time in a long time. He stuck around for the first game, wearing a La Salle hat, chatting with longtime Philly-area scout Allen Rubin and a few others who stopped by to greet one of the area’s most recognizable hoops figures.

Division I coaches haven’t been allowed at the Donofrio Classic since the early 00s, when Dunphy was still the head coach at Penn. They used to be a regular presence at the Fellowship House, photos in the lobby showing the likes of Speedy Morris, John Chaney and many others in baseline seats or standing courtside. Dunphy said he was there often, sometimes to track a specific recruit and others just to see who was there.

“It was a chance to see guys play and maybe get that one kid that wasn’t found yet, and you would have been the guy that discovered him,” he said. “You always had that hope and dream.

“Typically we’d all stand in that corner over there,” Dunphy added, gesturing to the corner in front of what’s now a large window into the Fellowship House’s lobby. “We’d invariably go grab a cheesesteak — I can’t remember the name of the cheesesteak joint but we’d always gather there afterwards to talk about the game. 

“It’s a classic place, classic tournament, it’s awesome that this many people come out and watch it, and I’m glad I now have a chance to come back.” — Josh Verlin

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Shinholster sticking with Minnesota through coaching change

Kai Shinholster knew the landscape of college basketball means that nothing is guaranteed. Still, when the Penn Charter senior found out that the coach he’d committed to, Ben Johnson, had been let go after four years at Minnesota, that didn’t mean it was easy.

“I was prepared a little bit, but when it happens to you, it’s still always a shock,” he said. “When I first got the text that Ben Johnson and his staff were gone, my heart sunk a little bit, a little feeling of uneasiness and everything.” 

It didn’t take too long for him to feel better. Just 11 days after Johnson was removed, Minnesota hired former Colorado State coach Niko Medved as his replacement. Medved had spent the last seven years at CSU, making three NCAA Tournaments in the last four years and winning the Mountain West tournament this year before upsetting Memphis in the first round of March Madness. 

Just a few days after that, Medved connected with Shinholster over the phone. 

“We had a great conversation, he said he still wants me to come, still wants me to be his guy, and he thinks I can develop and thrive in his system,” Shinholster said. “I was able to watch a little Colorado State in the tournament and I saw the same, so we were able to have a mutual understanding. I’m confident going in there now.”

Shinholster said that he hasn’t yet had a chance to talk to Medved about specific expectations for his freshman year, but he did add that he was the only one of three former Minnesota commits to stick around through the coaching transition. 

He did say that he’s been talking to the team’s strength and conditioning coach, with a workout and nutrition plan already in hand. Currently 175 pounds, Shinholster said he’s hoping to get up to about 190 by the time the preseason is in full swing; he’s heading up to Minnesota in June for two three-week summer periods, with a week off for the Fourth of July in between. 

Before then, he’s enjoying this last run with his K-Low teammates that he’s spent the last few summers playing with, even if he might have to sit out the next couple games depending on how badly he sprained his ankle. 

“It’s definitely fun [...] we haven’t played with each other since almost a year ago and it just continues to click,” he said. “Been playing with each other for so long, (it doesn’t) matter how long we don’t play in between, so it’s amazing to be out there with those guys and have a lot of fun.” — Josh Verlin

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First offer in hand, MacAdams aims to keep pushing himself

Brady MacAdams doesn’t duck the work.

The Archbishop Wood junior was one of the Philadelphia Catholic League’s breakout players this past season, emerging from role-playing reserve to a First Team All-Catholic selection. It wasn’t an overnight transformation, MacAdams putting in untold hours behind the scenes to expand and grow his game.

That work is starting to pay off.

“I got offered by Boston U a few weeks ago,” MacAdams said. “It was my first offer. It felt great, I put a lot of work in but I’m not satisfied.”

MacAdams, who scored a team-high 25 for Philly Blazers on Thursday, is also testing himself on the travel circuit this summer. The 6-foot-4 guard is playing with Team Final and hoping his continued work and growth earns him a spot on the EYBL roster.

Class 6A in the PCL is like a pit of vipers and escaping it to reach the PIAA playoffs is anything but a guarantee. A state semifinalist in the 2023-24 season, Wood found itself home much earlier than usual this year after losing to St. Joe’s Prep in the PCL quarterfinals and with much of the roster slated to return, it’s pushing MacAdams this summer.

“It’s super-motivating, we want to get to The Palestra, that’s a goal,” MacAdams said. “We want to go beyond that and win.”

MacAdams said he’s heard from other college programs beyond Boston U and hopes a strong summer playing with Team Final translates into more of them extending offers.

“I have to keep working on my ball-handling, everything, shooting off screens,” MacAdams said. “Next year, I expect a lot more pressure coming off a First Team All-Catholic season, so that means I need to be in the gym working.”

With the Vikings, MacAdams elevated his scoring ability and became a go-to player. With Team Final, he said being surrounded by a host of talented players, he’ll have to adjust back to playing more of his role but that doesn’t mean he’s any less confident being out there with them.

“I believe in myself and I believe in the work I put in,” MacAdams said. “I’ll be ready to go.” — Andrew Robinson

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Derkack looking forward to final travel run

Aiden Derkack got his first experience in the Donofrio Classic last year, then came back even better this year.

The talented 6-foot-6 wing from Colonia (N.J.) dazzled in the first half for Difference Makers on Thursday. He nailed five 3-pointers but also flashed some playmaking, made a couple highlight passes, handled the ball and finished inside.

It’s part of a package that’s already earned him a dozen Division I offers and with one more summer playing with Team Final, he’s eager to see what else he can get.

“I’m just focused on getting better in every aspect of my game and getting stronger,” Derkack said. “Past that, I’m just having fun with it. It’s my last year of AAU so I’m trying to have fun.”

This past season, Derkack helped Colonia win a fourth-straight sectional title and a program-record 27 victories. On an individual level, he excelled leading the Patriots in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals.

Late in the season, Derkack also broke the school record for scoring. Well, as he quickly corrected the person asking him, he broke the boys’ school record for scoring.

“My sister holds the girls’ record and she’s the overall record holder,” Aiden said of his older sister Taylor, who just completed her freshman year playing at UMass.

Basketball and Colonia have been synonymous for the Derkack family. Aiden’s older brother Jordan, currently at Rutgers, also played for the Patriots, who compete in North Jersey’s Section 2 Group 3, so it’s a high bar Aiden tries to live up to.

Derkack will enter his senior year with 1,739 points. Taylor Derkack finished her career with 2,082 points.

“I was born in Colonia, my family came through playing there,” Derkack said. “It’s awesome having a connection like that and now being the all-time boys’ leading scorer following my sister having the girls’ record.”

Derkack, who plays as part of Team Final’s EYBL roster, said he’s still got plenty to work on over the next few months and highlighted shooting and getting stronger at the top of the list. The junior said he’s not in a rush to make any decision about his future, instead he wants to play out this last summer and see what comes from it.

“I always want to win,” Derkack said. “I’m looking for a great coaching staff where I’d have a chance to play and help them win.” — Andrew Robinson