City of Basketball Love

Joseph Santoliquito (@JSantoliquito)

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PHILADELPHIA — The 12th annual Boys’ All-City Classic featured three games and a ton of talent Friday night, featuring top players from the classes of 2028, 2027 and 2026, played at Imhotep Charter.

Here’s who stood out:

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Larry Brown (2026 | Coatesville)
The 6-foot-7 rising junior forward made a marked improvement since his high school season ended. He showed he could handle the ball away from the basket and play defense the full length of the court. In one sequence, he blocked a shot, went down and scored on the offensive end, stole the ensuing inbound pass and dunked that. He has taken his game out more. Add in his considerable athleticism and the college interest in Brown is bound to increase.

Logan Chwastyk (2028 | Malvern Prep)
The 6-foot-10 rising sophomore was named Defensive MVP for the Public/Non-Public Team in its 101-94 victory over the Catholic Team, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. He used his height and length exceptionally well, and he played defense, something Malvern Prep coach Paul Romanczuk is going to love to hear. The son of a coach (his mother is Harleigh Chwastyk, head coach of Swarthmore’s womens volleyball team), Logan knew where to be on the court and knew where his teammates would be open. More than a few times he set them up with a nod, or eye contact. He needs to get stronger, but that will come in time as his body matures. He will be a factor this coming season in the Inter-Ac League.

London Collins (2027 | Neumann-Goretti)
The 6-foot-1 rising junior guard’s attitude and energy made the game fun and competitive, adding verve to a listing Catholic Team in the 2027 game. He finished with 10 points, but his defense was the difference. He pressured the ball, and played to win, when the Public/Non-Public Team held a comfortable double-digit lead. Though it looked like most players on his team were thinking of bagging it, London’s energy infused a new attitude in them late in the game to make it competitive.

Kasey Fleming (2026 | George School)
The 6-foot-3 rising senior guard needed a half to get going, but once he did, he was exciting. He scored a team-high 17 points in being named Catholic Team MVP in the Public/Non-Public Team’s 83-73 victory in the 2026 game—but 15 of the 17 points came in the second half. The game carried a lackluster theme, until Fleming threw some juice on the fire with defensive pressure that caused a few turnovers. Fleming led the charge from a double-figure deficit into single digits with his heady play and court awareness.   

Korey Francis (2027 | Bonner-Prendie)
The 6-foot-3 rising junior was a problem against Catholic League opponents last season, and if this late spring is any indication, he is going to be a bigger problem next season. Francis finished with a team-high 19 points in the Catholic Team’s 100-96 loss in the 2027 game. He showed great versatility in being able to score driving to the basket and hitting from long range. What makes Francis special—and will surely grab college coach’s eyes—is the intangible that he plays to win, even in a spring all-star basketball game. With the Catholic squad down and seemingly on the brink of being blown out, it was Francis that pulled them back into contention with a corner three, a shot he made while being heavily guarded, and going out to play defense on Newson, a responsibility not many were lining up to take. Francis did. He was named Catholic Team MVP.   

Silas Graham (2027 | Haverford School)
With the talent around him on the 2027 Public/Non-Public Team, the 6-foot-4 rising junior seemed to know where to pick his spots to help, and when to get out of the way for the others, which is why he makes everyone around him better. He is able to meld into any situation. He played defense, getting three steals within the first few minutes of the game, and finished with eight points, though set up teammates, provided help defense in a game where hardly any defense was played, and did many of the unnoticed things not tabulated in a spring all-star game that enabled his team to win.

Latief Lorenzano-White (2026 | Imhotep Charter)
With RJ Smith transferring to Roman Catholic, the 6-foot-6 rising senior is going to have a new role for the Panthers this coming season and showed some ability working the whole court offensively and defensively in being named the 2026 Public/Non-Public Team MVP. He finished with a game-high 19 points and was a factor on the offensive boards and forcing a few driving opponents to redirect their shots because of his long reach. He is long, agile, and tough to defend. 

Marquis Newson (2027 | Academy of the New Church)
The 6-foot-4 rising junior guard can be summed up in two words: Simply awesome. He was a real time, human highlight reel, with windmill dunks, and alley-oop dunks, and a variety of moves. One was a stutter-step, which forced his defender to reach awkwardly forward, opening daylight for Newson to drive the lane towards two of his 16 points in the best game of the night, the Public/Non-Public Team’s 100-96 victory over the Catholic Team in the 2027 game. Newson has incredible hops, amazing court awareness, and plays with a silky-smooth cool.

Mike Periera (2026 | Plymouth-Whitemarsh)
The 6-foot-10 rising senior was very impressive inside, named Defensive MVP for the game in the Public/Non-Public Team’s 83-73 victory in the 2026 game over the Catholic Team. Periera added muscle since the season ended, running the floor well and playing good interior defense. His reach made it tough for anyone to finish.  

Rowan Phillips (2028 | Westtown School)
The 6-foot-5 rising sophomore spaghetti strand ran the floor well, played defense, and saw the court very well. Few could keep up with him. He was creative finding openings, while able to create his own shot. He drove to the basket well and showed some range nailing a couple of treys in finishing with a team-high 21 points in the Catholic Team’s 101-94 loss in the 2028 game. He was named Catholic Team MVP.

Marvin Reed (2027 | Malvern Prep)
It did not start well for the 5-foot-11 rising junior guard, but it did end well, once Reed began heating up. He finished with a game-high 30 points in the Public/Non-Public Team’s 100-96 victory and was named Public/Non-Public MVP for the 2027 game. In the beginning of the game, he forced his shot, and most were not good choices. As the game warmed up, Reed began warming up, finding a rhythm, and playing a more relaxed game. He created his own shot and was certainly not afraid to shoot it from anywhere, or with anyone on him. He pulled one amazing move when he lured a defender close to him, and with blistering first step, blew by him for a layup in the second half.

Eric Scott (2027 | West Catholic)
The 5-foot-10 rising junior guard and younger brother of Neumann-Goretti star guard Amya Scott finished with nine points for the Catholic Team in its 100-96 loss to the 2027 Public/Non-Public Team. Although, he was willing to play defense, away from the basket—and down low. He may have had as many rebounds as he did points, scrambling underneath against players five and six inches taller than him. He is incredibly tough. His one drawback was his size, getting pushed around down low.

Carter Smith (2028 | Penn Charter)
The 6-foot-3 rising sophomore guard was named MVP for Public/Non-Public Team in its 101-94 victory over the Catholic Team, finishing with 18 points and working exceptionally well with his Inter-Ac counterpart, Malvern Prep’s Logan Chwastyk. He is a superb athlete, with great body control, and a good shot. What was particularly interesting was he looked good for most of the game and found a higher gear late in the game when it started to get more competitive. There was one sequence when an opposing player looked in the clear for a layup, and Smith came from nowhere to splat his shot against the backboard.

DeShawn Yates (2026 | Neumann-Goretti)
This 5-foot-10 rising senior guard gets a lot out of a little. He is a tenacious defender, shoots well from three-point range, and was willing to mix it up with the big guys down low, once forcing Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s 6-10 Mike Periera to alter his shot. He finished with 13 points, though led the Catholic Team rebound after it trailed by double-digits. Yates surprised everyone by climbing up and dunking off a fastbreak.