City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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MANHEIM - The April live evaluation period took place this past weekend with more than 400 different grassroots teams descending on Spooky Nook for the Live! At the Nook event, which also featured the Select Events P24 and S40 circuits. 

Here’s the second half of our recruiting coverage from Saturday, our fourth piece overall.

CLICK HERE for Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

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Luci Damico (2026 | Delco Goats)

Don’t doubt Luci Damico’s toughness.

Saturday evening, the Delco Goats wing absorbed a lot of contact in a physical and wild comeback against No Wasted Reps. Whether she got a whistle or didn’t – and she often didn’t – Damico just kept going.

Given where she was a few years back, her toughness made a lot of sense.

“I have two rods in my back,” Damico said. “I had spinal surgery a couple years ago, I was out for a year, so that’s why it feels so good to be back and just be able to play.”

Damico explained she needed surgery to correct a scoliotic curve in her back that was also causing significant spams.

“It was pretty severe too, it was like a 50-degree curve,” Damico said. “That put me out for a year, so that’s why just having the chance to play at the next level is so important to me.

“It’s hard to bend down, my back is now permanently straight, but I do think it helps with balance though. I forget I have it sometimes but there are other times where my body will still hurt pretty bad.”

Division III programs are getting into the mix. Damico has talked with King’s College – they were courtside for the win against No Wasted Reps – she has a visit scheduled with Salisbury this week and has gone on a visit to DeSales. She added that quite a few other MAC programs have shown interest and she had a nice showing at a camp held by Rowan late last month.

Not surprisingly, a common thread in feedback from the next level has been her toughness, grit and rebounding. Damico collected her 500th career rebound with the Vanguards this past season and she emerged as a go-to scorer as well to earn first team All Chest-Mont accolades.

“I’d say it was about mid-season when my name started showing up,” Damico said. “My first call, it was super nerve-wracking. I’d never talked to a coach, I didn’t know what questions to ask but after that call and after my first visit, I got so much more comfortable and now I look forward to talking to coaches over the phone or going on a visit.”

Damico said she wants to see what else may come her way with a strong summer and she’ll likely make a decision prior to the start of her senior year at Sun Valley. In the meantime, the 5-foot-9 guard isn’t going to stop working.

“I want to build on what I’m good at and play to my strengths,” Damico said. “Driving to the basket, using different moves and working on my outside shot and midrange just to give myself more of a variety.

“I got a lot stronger, which helped with rebounding. Rebounding, that’s one of my strongest areas, that’s what I kind of do so I’m going to keep getting stronger.”

Basketball is Damico’s No. 1 sport but it’s far from her only athletic endeavor. She also plays tennis and lacrosse for Sun Valley, the junior has a chance to net her 100th career goal this spring, and aside from all that, she also competes for her local swim club’s team in the summer.

There’s just something about basketball though that puts it above the rest.

“I just love the fast pace, I like the team sport aspect,” Damico said. “I don’t feel like any sport is like it.”

Damico had a terrific junior year for the Vanguards, averaging 15.1 ppg and 10.3 rebounds. While there’s no stat to measure toughness, she’s got plenty of that too and there’s a good chance it will help her find a place at the next level.

“It’s always been something I wanted to do,” Damico said. “I’m proud of myself for how hard I worked to get in the position to be able to play. Now that I see coaches interested in me and reaching out to me, it makes me feel proud.”

Ellie Dexter (2026 | District One Tague)

In a span of just a few possessions, Ellie Dexter showed the game college programs have taken notice of.

The 5-foot-10 guard corralled an offensive rebound and immediately found teammate Tavi Prado for a three, she drilled a corner three of her own, soared for a defensive board and off another stop, brought the ball up the floor herself. After a couple setbacks the last two years, Dexter is looking to keep showing that do-it-all kind of game and hopefully find the right fit for it at the next level.

“I just try to show I’m an all-around player,” Dexter said. “If you put me on the inside, I can get rebounds, post up and get the ball in there. On the outside, I can shoot, bring the ball up, look for my teammates.”

Dexter plays for Downingtown West but actually attends Downingtown STEM Academy, which offers a curriculum based in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She listed sports exercise and health science as a favorite class along with biology.

This past season, Dexter earned Honorable Mention All Ches-Mont plaudits while helping the Whippets win the Ches-Mont tournament and qualify for the state playoffs. That didn’t mean it was an easy season though, as the guard was sidelined for a few weeks with a concussion.

She also missed time as a sophomore due to a concussion but luckily hasn’t had to deal with any lingering issues from either.

“With concussions, you never know how long you’re going to be out for, it just depends on how severe they happen to be,” Dexter said. “I tried to still work on my game, even just getting in the driveway and shooting or fixing my shot. 

“At the point in my season when I had my concussion, I started losing my shot so it was important to do something positive while I was out.”

At Downingtown West, Dexter is mainly a guard. Playing for District One, she’s one of her team’s taller players so they use her more as a forward type but it’s an overall versatile group that mixes and matches well.

Dexter navigates the court well; she knows her spots and finds a way to get there but doesn’t just stand and wait for the ball either. She also doesn’t mind doing the little things, like setting a screen or crashing the glass and doesn’t solely have to impact the game as a shooter.

Colleges have taken notice too. She doesn’t have any offers as of yet, but several coaches have asked her to schedule campus visits in the next few months.

Dexter listed Elizabethtown, Scranton, Franklin & Marshall and Vassar as the programs she’s had contact with, unsurprisingly a field that blends strong academics with quality basketball.

“It’s been a long journey to get here and time’s almost running out,” Dexter said. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, so to know it will hopefully pay off is a good feeling.”

Mia Washington (2026 | Empire State Basketball Club)

If Mia Washington can get that first step past a defender, chances are it’s going to end well for her team.

Washington, a 6-foot guard who plays for New Jersey power Pope John XXIII but hails from Warwick, New York, put her finishing ability on display in a win over a talented Slaam team out of Pittsburgh in the P24 even Saturday evening. She drew a pair of and-ones and got fouled on three other drives in a 16-point effort.

“I’m always working on my finishing skills, I always want to improve more,” Washington said. “I also just want to have fun with my team, it’s our last time playing together.

In February, Penn joined a growing list of offers for Washington that is well into double-digits now. Aside from the Quakers, the guard’s  includes William & Mary, Lehigh, Hofstra and Delaware among others

She visited Penn earlier this year, stopping by the historic Palestra as part of the tour of University City.

“It was a beautiful campus,” Washington said.

Washington isn’t just a scorer, although she’s pretty good at that and tallied her 1,000th career point at Pope John this past season as a junior. She dished out a few nice assists against Slaam and the 6-foot guard is also a tenacious defensive player with her quick feet and active hands able to disrupt opponents on the ball.

While it’s hard to stop her once she gets a step on a defender, Washington said she’s trying to add extra levels to her offense this summer to help out her strong ability to finish around the rim.

“I’m definitely looking to get my pull-up working,” Washington said. “I want to be more consistent with my shot.”

Washington hasn’t set a timeline for making a commitment. She said it could be after the next live period but overall, she’s waiting for the right fit.

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And–Ones

While we don't have the traditional list of standouts for this event, here are a few miscellaneous notes and performers we wanted to mention.

Julia Scott (2026) impressed again playing for Empire State Blue Flames. The 6-foot-3 post, who plays for Albertus Magnus in New York, was aggressive and strong in the win over Slaam’s P24 team. Scott, who holds a plethora of offers from high majors, did most of her damage in the paint but also looked smooth hitting an early three and she hit the glass hard.

The duo of 2027 guards Chrissy Jacklinski and Kaitlyn Bindas were a terror for NEPA Elite Clark in a 17U win over Penn Fever. While they’re rivals in high school, Jacklinski playing for Scranton and Bindas at Hazleton – two of the top Class 6A teams in District 2 – they looked pretty good playing together causing quite a few turnovers and turning a majority of their steals into layups.

Lady Attack Elite’s 17U group proved to be pretty strong across the board. Bekah Hartzell (2026), a 5-foot-9 guard from Raleigh, NC threaded a needle for a nice assist, she went hard to the rim to draw an and-one and buried a three on the move in the first half and played solid defense throughout. Forward Jeta North (2026) also had a nice game as a rebounder, passer and finisher inside.

Olivia Green (2026) worked very hard for Mid-Penn Motion in their win over BCRI. The forward from Central Dauphin attacked inside, getting an and-one, three trips to the foul line and an offensive rebound putback as part of a 17-point effort. Plenty of energy from Emma Cleland (2026) as well, the Middletown combo guard almost always in motion and making things happen.

The 17U side for D4S had a hard-earned win over the Lady Runnin’ Rebels in a game that saw a lot of shot-making from both sides. Abigail Capser (2026), a 6-foot wing, buried a corner three, swished a foul line jumper, scored inside and had a block and steal in an all-around game. Guard Abigail Kim (2026) played a very controlled floor game and she when she looked to shoot, nothing was forced.