City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito) +
Olivia Valania
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CONSHOHOCKEN — Fans received a show and then some Monday night, as placing for the advanced rounds of the 2025 Donofrio Classic took place at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken. 

CoBL will be in attendance for as many games as possible throughout the tournament. Read ahead for the game recaps and notebook featuring a handful of players from Monday night’s games:

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Game One: Success Society 91, Hunting Park II 90

Samuel Fels’ guard Shamar Parker won it with a buzzer-beater off the backboard, dipping under the outstretched arms of Hunting Park II’s Zion Green just as the final buzzer sounded.

Parked finished with 15 points, 11 coming in the second half, supporting St. Joseph’s Academy Will Spross’ team-high 26, while La Acadermia Charter’s Jerry Johnson Jr. chipped in with 17, to offset Green’s game-high 33 points, and Neumann-Goretti’s Kody Colson’s 23.

Hunting Park II controlled large portions of the game, but when Success Society began doubling the ball and speeding Hunting Park II up, that created turnovers, which Success Society took complete advantage of.

After Colson nailed the first of a one-and-one with 1:39 to play, Hunting Park II held an 88-83 lead, and held another 90-85 edge with 1:19 to play. But that was it. Success Society’s Parker hit four straight free throws, drawing Success Society to within 90-89, setting up his own heroics. With 37 seconds to play, and Success Society with the ball, after a missed Hunting Park II free throw, it looked like Success Society would squander the chance, as the ball swung to Parker in the closing seconds.

With the final seconds closing, Parker opted to attack the basket and the 5-foot-11 guard went right at the imposing 6-foot-8 Green. When Parker drove baseline, he somehow squeezed a shot off the backboard, and as the final buzzer sounded, it fell through the basket for the game-winning point.     

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Game Two: Flocco’s 99, Raw Sports 95

This did not carry the late dramatics of the first game, but it did hold some intensity. Pitman’s Elijah Crispin led Raw with 22 points, supported by Trinity’s Owen Schlager, who added 20. Malvern Prep sophomore Nick Harken carried a hot hand from the first half into the second, dropping a game-high 28 points, supported by 18 points each from Spring-Ford’s Tommy Kelly and Muhlenberg’s Shermar Killen.

Raw started well, leading 6-0 and maintaining a close distance throughout the first half and into the first four minutes of the second half. But a Harken layup with 16:22 tied it for the first time at 51-51, and Killen followed with a three-point play giving Flocco’s its lead of the game, 54-51.

The teams went back and forth from there, no distance greater than four, until Flocco’s broke through in the last two minutes, Berks Catholic’s Kingston McKoy hit a pair of free throws, giving Flocco’s a 97-90 lead with 40 seconds to play. Raw got within 97-93, but Spring Ford’s Jacob Nguyen put the finishing touches on for Flocco’s by converting a pair of crucial free throws for the 99-95 victory.   

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Shamar Parker keeps defying the odds

Shamar Parker knows a little bit about peril. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Samuel Fels senior guard faced it. He beat it. Twice. In September, after coming home from a practice, Parker collapsed in the family kitchen. He was resuscitated by his father, Stanley, and rushed to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he was declared dead two times.

“That’s what they told me,” Shamar said, after his game-winning, buzzer-beater shot Monday night. “I don’t remember anything. The only thing I do remember is waking up and I kept asking, ‘What happened, what happened?’ I actually died twice. That’s what the doctors told me. Luckily, my father heard me fall. I don’t know what would have happened to me if he didn’t. I have stuff in my chest right now that allows me to play.

“I feel fortunate to even be playing. I feel fortunate to even be alive. I feel like every time I’m on the court, it’s a blessing. I will have to take pills for the rest of my life so my heart doesn’t beat at an intense pace, but I’m allowed to play. The other option is surgery on my heart to remove fibers that causes my heart to beat so rapidly.”

He takes three pills in the morning and one large pill before he goes to bed that regulates his heart beat. Parker said the doctors told him his heart was beating over 230 times per minute when he was taken to CHOP. A normal resting heartbeat for an adult, medical journals state, typically beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. 

The medication, Parker said, have no bad side effects.

This is the first time Parker, the older twin brother by 10 minutes of Audenried star Senaya Parker, has ever played in the prestigious Donofrio Classic. He said he is receiving college attention from NAIA schools, some small D-Is likes Delaware State, and thinking about junior college possibilities.

The Donofrio “was great, my first time in this and we won,” said Shamar, who averaged 17 points a game and carries a 3.0 GPA at Fels. “This was really intense. There are some great players and teams in this tournament. I hope this helps me. I used to play against Senaya all the time when we were younger.

“We are opposite. I’m more an introvert and she is an extrovert. Our games would get intense. Senaya does not like to lose. She would yell and scream and throw the ball at me (laughs). It was all in good fun. I’m her biggest fan and she’s my biggest fan. I wish she was here tonight. But we won, so she’ll get a chance to see me play next week.

“I know what it’s like to have my life in jeopardy. Taking a shot in the last seconds is not that big a deal.”

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State champion Kody Colson kicks off his summer strong

Kody Colson was exceptional for Hunting Park II, dropping in 23 points for Hunting Park II in its 91-90 buzzer-beater loss to Success Society. It was a Colson three-pointer that gave Hunting Park II a 79-77 lead with 4:36 to play, and his steal and forced foul gave Hunting Park II an 85-79 lead with 2:34 to play.

That all came tumbling down after Shamar Parker’s heroics.

“But this was a lot of fun, really intense,” the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Neumann-Goretti junior guard said. “I wanted to win this. I play to win. They had good players in their side, we had good players on our side. They put some pressure on us. I missed that free throw in the end. That’s what I’m kicking myself over.”

Colson is getting attention from La Salle, Delaware State and North Carolina A&T. He said he will see where the recruiting process takes him. He is not in a rush to make his decision before his senior year. He said his ultimate goal is to show college recruiters that he can be a point guard.

He won a state Class 5A title his sophomore year at Imhotep Charter, and this past season, his junior year, won the Class 5A title again as a starter for Neumann-Goretti, playing a major role for the Saints.

“I’ll be honest, this past season I felt what I learned about myself is that I’m one of the best point guards in the city,” he said. “It’s the way I really feel. I want to keep working and see what the best option is for me.”

Colson was having some fun with the Success Society team, because most of them are his AAU Team Final Red teammates.

“It’s why we were having some fun talking so much trash,” Colson said. “We lost in the first round last year, but I’ll be back next year. I want to keep working, keep getting better this summer and I can’t wait to get back to Neumann-Goretti. We can win everything again. This time, we can win the whole thing, which means winning the Catholic League. We have the team and the talent to do it.”

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Spring-Ford’s Jacob Nguyen is headed to Jefferson

Spring-Ford’s Jacob Nguyen ended a distinguished career for the Rams as the school’s all-time leading boys’ scorer and topped that off by committing to Division II Jefferson and making it public on April 2.

On Monday night, he did a little of everything for Flocco’s, getting Flocco’s to the Donofrio quarterfinal round for the first time ever.

Now that he has his college destination set, he is playing with a lot more ease. He also showed great resilience against Raw Sports, getting smacked in the face late in the game, which caused a cut on his left cheek.

“It was a lot of fun,” Nguyen said. “When I visited Jefferson, I really liked the coaching staff, I really bonded with the team and I’m really close to home. I’ll major in finance and it’s a great school. I really like coach (Jimmy) Reilly, how his schemes are and I think I fit well in his system.

“I made the decision last Sunday, but I didn’t announce it until last Wednesday. I knew it would all work out. It was a matter of time before I made my college choice. I will need to put on more weight. I’m around 190 pounds now. I think I can get up to around 200 pounds.

“I’m happy with how everything worked out. I really like Jefferson.”  

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Spring-Ford’s Tommy Kelly is weighing his options

Spring-Ford’s Tommy Kelly is looking at Wilkes and Scranton. The three-year starter for the Rams came just short of reaching 1,000 points in his high school career, ending up 20 points short. He shined Monday night, dropping 18 for Flocco’s, winning for the first time in the Donofrio. The 6-foot-5 senior is 175 pounds.

“But I have bounce, and I lift consistently, the weight doesn’t stick,” Kelly said, laughing. “I would like to get up to 190 pounds. I’m thinking about a few places like Scranton and Wilkes, and Lock Haven is in the picture. It’s not that scary. It will come down to the money.”

Kelly certainly looked like money the way he was pouring in threes during the second half of Flocco’s victory on Monday night.  

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Zion Green talks Camden, new AAU team

Zion Green is back in the Philadelphia area, after this past season’s sudden leave from Imhotep Charter.

Back in December, Green made the unexpected transfer to play at Camden High School. Now, he is back playing on Hunting Park in the Donafrio Classic, the same team his father Rodney Green, the former La Salle player, was on during his time at Prep Charter. 

Though he declined to speak on the reasons behind his leaving, he showed a positive attitude towards his new team.

“The transfer process was good,” said Green. “The coaches and stuff, everything was just good.”

Camden finished 21-9 overall and 7-4 in their respective conference losing on a buzzer beater shot to Manasquan in the state tournament who would become the eventual Group 2 state champions in New Jersey.

Green, a 6-9 sophomore and ESPN Top 20 recruit in the Class of 2027, is definitely one to keep an eye on. Already receiving offers from UTEP, Michigan, Syracuse, Maryland, Penn State, Villanova, and more, he shows a lot of promise.

Monday night’s 35-point outing displayed his utilization of his height and dominance on the court. Whether he was going coast to coast for an easy over-the-rim lay or battling the boards for a second chance shot he made his presence known. When asked how he felt to have a big game like this he very nonchalantly said, “There is more of it to come for sure.”

Though the tallest player on the court he was not afraid to take on more of a wing role, knocking down three 3s and some long range 2s, adding to his versatility as a player.

Green will play this offseason with Team AsPromised, a Puma Sneaker Circuit Team based out of Philadelphia. His goal for this AAU season is simple, “Win the Pro16 League and display who I am as a player.”

He also wants to get stronger so he is able to be more physical inside as well as working on being a team player.

As he works this offseason, Zion Green is poised to make a significant impact both on the court and in the recruitment landscape as he continues to develop his game.

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Nick Harken hoping his first offer isn’t far off

Malvern Prep’s Nick Harken came out Monday night with something to prove.

Harken’s 28 points gave Flocco’s the final edge over Raw Sports and solidified his ability to go toe to toe with the experienced upperclassmen.

“Just because I am young doesn’t mean I can’t compete,” said Harken. “Coming out here and showing what I can do, winning games, beating all these well-known seniors shows, no matter how old you are, you can always compete.”

His physicality is what stands out about his game. The 6-4 sophomore is not afraid to utilize his strength inside the paint to get what he wants scoring-wise. He credits this advantage to growing up playing those older than him.

“When I was younger I always used to play against my [older] brothers,” Harken said. “So, working against someone who is always older than me and weight training myself got me that physicality that I can use to my advantage.”

He was a key player on the Friars roster this season, averaging 17 points per game. Playing in a tough Inter-Ac schedule, Malvern Prep finished the season 17-10 overall and in Inter-AC play 5-5, leaving them to finish fourth within the conference. Their season ended in February after a loss to the Perkiomen School in the PAISAA Quarterfinals. 

Losing last year’s seniors Ryan Williams and Andrew Phillips this season required Malvern Prep to adjust and rely more heavily on their underclassmen, but Harken was ready to step up. He has goals for this summer, where he will play for Team Final on the EYBL circuit, as he knows what he needs to work on for next season.

“I want to work on my shooting and my ball handling,” said Harken. “And become more of a guard so I can make it to the next level, Division I hopefully.”

Division I hopes are a possibility as Harken said he already has some Patriot League interests and he understands the importance of these next two off-seasons.

Harken’s work does not end here, he still wants to show that he has more to prove. 

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Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who began writing for CoBL in 2021 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on BlueSky here.