City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Select Events circuit invaded the shore this weekend, as the Atlantic City Showcase brought several hundred grassroots teams from around the country down to the AC Convention Center. The event featured the Select Events P24 and S40 circuits, along with numerous Girls’ Under Armour, Hoop Group Showcase League and other teams in the mix. 

Here’s Pt. 2 of our recruiting coverage from the weekend:

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Select Events AC Showcase Coverage: Standouts | Notebook Pt. 1 | Notebook Pt. 2 | Notebook Pt. 3 

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Kayla Eberz (2028 | Comets GUAA 15U)

Kayla Eberz will be spending most of this week in elite company.

The standout freshman was one of 52 players selected to participate in USA Basketball’s U16 Team Trials taking place May 21-24 in Colorado Springs. 

“I’m really excited,” Eberz said. “It’s a chance to play against some of the best people in the country, so I can’t wait.”

Eberz has known about the invite for about a month, although USA Basketball didn’t officially announce the list of invited players until May 15. When her parents first informed her she’d been selected, Eberz admitted to getting a little emotional.

“I actually started crying,” Eberz said. “I was really happy and proud.”

Eberz wasn’t the only area player selected either, as Shipley eighth grader Melody Vaughn will also be taking part in the team trials. While there will be plenty of players older than her at the team trials, Eberz said she’s focused on playing her game and not dwelling on any mistakes she might make.

It’ll be her first trip out to Colorado but she’s also going out to work.

“It’s definitely an honor but I’m going to keep humble and keep working,” Eberz said. — Andrew Robinson

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Grace Hodges (2026 | Lady Runnin Rebels HGSL 17U)

Grace Hodges liked what Immaculata had to offer academically and it turned out Immaculata liked what she had to offer athletically.

The rising senior at Downingtown East is an aspiring teacher so a few weeks back, she and her parents toured Immaculata to learn more about the university’s education program. Not too long after, the Mighty Macs coaching staff was reaching out to her and followed up with a roster spot offer in the first full week of May for the guard’s first opportunity to play at the next level.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Hodges said. “It made me realize I can do this.”

The Cougars have been a team on the rise the last couple of seasons and they took another step forward this season, reaching the Ches-Mont title game and second round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. Hodges, a 5-foot-6 guard, played an important part in that on her way to first team All Ches-Mont honors behind some three-point proficiency and energetic defense.

Hodges felt gratified by the recognition from the league’s coaches but she chalked it up to the work she put in last offseason and just wanting to give her all for her teammates.

“I wasn’t expecting anything and I definitely wasn’t expecting that but I am happy I got it,” Hodges said. “I was pretty confident. We had a great high school season, then coming back for AAU is just fun.”

During the season, Hodges said she really started to think more about playing in college. The idea of getting to October and November as a college freshman and not being on a basketball court didn’t sit right.

Much like her first team all-league honor, Hodges wasn’t expecting her visit to Immaculata to end up as productive as it did.

“I was really interested in their education program,” Hodges said. “I knew they had won their conference and once I went on that visit, I loved it, I was obsessed with it. I got in contact with one of the assistant coaches and we just fell in together.”

In her talks with the Mighty Macs staff, they highlighted Hodges’ defense and hustle - something the rising senior takes a lot of pride in - and her growth offensively.

She’s not settling yet either. Hodges is trying to work on a little bit of everything this summer, knowing all of her teammates at Downingtown East are doing the same with their respective teams while sharing a unified goal of pushing even further beyond what they accomplished this past season.

“We want to go after it all next year,” Hodges said. “Most of our team will be seniors and our whole team is here right now. We want to win, we have big expectations next year.” 

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Abbie Kelly (2028 | Philly Revolution 15U)

Kelly’s time is coming, and she knows it. 

The 5-foot-10 guard spent most of her freshman year at Archbishop Wood developing on the Vikings’ junior varsity team, spending varsity games mostly watching from a deep bench as the program made its way to the PIAA 5A state championship game. But with Emily Knouse (St. Joe’s) graduating and a few others transferring out, this offseason is one big opportunity for Kelly to break into the Wood rotation as a sophomore.

She’s playing well this spring, joining a new Philly Revolution bunch that’s looking to carry over the strong reputation its counterpart has developed on the boys’ side of the HGSL. Kelly’s brother, SCH Academy 2026 wing Owen Kelly, has been a local standout for a couple years, and he’s paving a path towards college that she’s trying to follow. 

“It is really cool, yeah. I’m pretty proud of him,” she said of her brother, a First Team All-Inter-Ac selection this year. “I mean, I’d like to follow his footsteps, so it makes me feel good [to see him succeed].”

Kelly said her brother’s been working with her on her shooting and ball-handling, which was apparent as she scored 15 points for the Revolution in a Saturday morning win over Books & Basketball’s 15s. She hit all but one shot she took from the floor, showing a smooth outside shot and some nifty finishes with her off (left) hand, adding in six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The best advice she’s gotten from her brother, she said, was “just having a good attitude [...] especially on the bench, when you’re not having a good game, just keep your head up and keep playing.”

With the June live period about a month away, Kelly’s likely to get some minutes out in front of coaches with Wood, which boasts a number of collegiate prospects throughout its roster. Between now and then, she said, she’s working on her footwork and her agility, as well as being more vocal on the court. — Josh Verlin

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Octavia “Tavi” Prado (District One Tague | 17U)

There’s something to be said about continuity.

Tavi Prado has been playing for District One Basketball Academy since fourth grade with plenty of the same coaches and teammates she’s with for a last ride this summer. She knows what they expect from her and they know what to expect from her.

The guard is looking to turn that, along with an expanded game, into a roster spot at the next level.

“Them having confidence in me and wanting me to be more successful, they’ve been with me for so long, they’ve watched me grow,” Prado said. “They know me, they know how to push me to make myself better and they’ve always been there.”

Prado, a 5-foot-7 guard who plays for Delaware Military Academy, is a terrific perimeter shooter. At DMA the last few years, she played primarily as an off-ball threat, ready to find an open spot and drain a three when the ball came her way.

This past season and even moreso this summer, she’s aiming to show there’s plenty more to her game than that. 

“I’m trying to be more dominant with my ball-handling and dribbling the ball up more instead of just being a ‘shooting’ guard,” Prado said after Saturday’s win over Team Thrill. “I definitely want to be seen as more of a combo guard because a lot of people like that kind of guard.”

Her team has a good number of guard, plus a few wings that can play on the ball, so Prado’s had a good opportunity to do a little bit of everything so far this travel season. She joked that sometimes the guards “have to go down to the paint and get some rebounds,” but overall she’s eager for any opportunity to showcase her game.

It didn’t directly lead to a basket, but Prado had a nice pass out of the high post Saturday that got Maddie Bacine a trip to the foul line and if one of her teammates is shooting well in a given game, that’s where she’s looking to go with the ball.

“I’m trying to see the court more, playing with my head up and seeing where my teammates are,” Prado said. “I’m looking to find them in transition, looking for the pass up instead of dribbling the ball all the time. Coach Chris (Tague) has been working with me since fourth grade on always passing and moving.”

Prado said she played with a lot more confidence this past season and her coaches at DMA were often telling her to be a little more selfish in looking for her shot. She has a knack for not only being open but also being in the right spot around the arc and with good range as a shooter, it often leads to a knockdown three.

“I’m not as big or as strong as some other girls so I’ll take my advantage, which is shooting,” Prado said. “I’ve been working on it a lot and I’m confident in it.”

Prado said she’s had some good talks with a few Division III programs in PA and is hoping a strong summer will get her on the radar for some D-IIs. She’s been diligent putting her schedule out, contacting coaches and going to team camps.

She’s not rushing into a decision but hopefully will have a spot at the next level secured before her senior season starts.

“The feedback I’ve gotten, they like my game, they like that I’m a team player,” Prado said. “They’re seeing if you can work with others and be coachable, it’s something I’m always trying to work on, just keeping composed and not getting upset if it’s not your game.” — Andrew Robinson

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Aubrey Mobley (2026 | Philly Legacy 17U Scott)

It’s been a big few days for Mobley. 

The Lansdale Catholic junior not only gets to spend three days over the weekend playing in front of college coaches, she’s doing it just a day after she helped the Crusaders to the Catholic League flag football championship, catching two touchdown passes and picking up an interception in Thursday night’s win over defending champ Archbishop Wood.

“It felt really good,” Mobley said. “Coming off the basketball season, our sad ending [losing in the PIAA 4A state championship], coming in and beating Wood was really nice.”

A 5-7 guard, Mobley was a part-time starter as a junior, splitting time in the lineup with sophomore forwards Ali Kaltenbacher and Allie Esposito depending on what look head coach Tom Lonergan wanted to go with. Though it was an adjustment period for all involved, it was a successful season, as the Crusaders made it all the way to Hershey before being upended by PCL rival Neumann-Goretti. 

“The transition of a new coach was obviously definitely an experience and we had to get to know each other,” she said, “but over time we grew through it and next year’s going to be a lot better.”

A talented ball-handler, Mobley’s shown flashes of impressive scoring ability over the years; in a win on Saturday against Central Jersey Hawks, she knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from straightaway and had a couple acrobatic finishes at the rim, including one where she hung in midair to square up and kiss the ball off the glass and in.

She’s going to be needed to play a big role for LC as a senior, with three starting seniors departing to play college basketball in post Grace McDonough (James Madison) and guards Sanyiah Littlejohn (George Mason) and Nadia Yemola (Kutztown). 

Mobley said she’s been hearing from several colleges, mentioning Shippensburg, while attending college camps, but is still waiting on her first scholarship or roster offer. She said she’s spending this summer working on her left hand and being more assertive offensively, while continuing to apply the lessons she learned from Lonergan. 

“It’s not so much about your scoring or anything like that,” she said, “it’s about communication and your defense and your energy and pushing other people to be better.” — Josh Verlin

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