City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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The 2025 edition of the Philly Girls’ High School live event was a major step forward over last year’s inaugural edition, with more than 40 high school teams — including several dozen featuring at least one Division I prospect — making their way to Jefferson University from Thursday through Saturday for three days of high-level hoops in front of college coaches of all levels.

CoBL had numerous reporters checking in over the course of the event, watching as many of the games as we could. Here’s Pt. 3 of four notebooks from the event focused on individual players and their recruitments: 

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Philly HS Girls Live Coverage
Standouts (A-L) | Standouts (M-Z)
Recruiting Notebook Pt. 1 | Pt 2. | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4
Team Coverage Pt. 1 | Pt. 2

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Bella Super (2027 | Governor Mifflin)

It was a complete surprise, but a welcome one.

After her Governor Mifflin squad got bounced in its first game of the District 3 Class 6A playoffs, and given that she was only a sophomore, Bella Super figured an all-state nomination wasn’t in the cards. Then, when the PA Sportswriters All-State teams came out, Super’s name was listed as a third team selection.

If her name hadn’t already been out there, it was now.

“I didn’t expect it,” Super said. “I was honored to be picked for the third team.”

Super, a 5-foot-8 point guard, was terrific in a pair of wins on Friday showing an ability to impact the game on both ends of the court by racking up plenty of steals, assists and baskets for the Mustangs. It was a carryover from her sophomore season, where she was a first team All-Berks County selection and averaged 19.3 ppg but did much more than that.

“I make sure not to just be working on my scoring,” Super said. “I know I have other players on my team that can do it all too, so I make sure to look for them too and also make sure it’s not all on me.”

Governor Mifflin went 16-10 in 2024-25, the Mustangs falling in the semifinals of the Berks playoffs, then dropping their district playoff opener to eventual state quarterfinalist Central Dauphin. The Mustangs did it with a relatively young group, Super and classmates Bridget Martin and Brooklyn George were three of the team’s top four scorers and freshman Saray Renninger was fifth in points per game.

Super noted the Mustangs weren’t as deep as they had been during her freshman season, so the guard has made conditioning and endurance a focus of her offseason training. She explained that she wants to be able to do the same things she can do at the start of a game when she’s fresh at the end of a game when she’s tired.

“I need to work on making my shots when I’m tired,” Super said. “It’s something I struggled with in some of my games.”

Super joined up with Sports City Angels in May and has been playing with the Ohio-based organization’s 16U team on the EYBL circuit this summer.

“I like the culture they have, it feels like family,” Super said. “I just came to them a few weeks ago and the first time I played with them, I couldn’t tell that I was the new one to the team. They really just took me and that’s what I like most about them.”

Her first event with SCA was the EYBL session in Houston in mid-May and some colleges began reaching out in the following days. Super doesn’t have any official offers yet and the recruiting process is still a little bit new, but much like she did with her play in PA this season, the guard is putting her name out there now.

“That’s always been the goal, to play at the highest level I can,” Super said. — Andrew Robinson

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Ava London (2027 | Susquehanna Township)

This is the first real action the 5-foot-8 rising junior guard has had in a year, after recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in her right knee that she injured last summer, forcing her to miss her sophomore year. London has received offers from Fordham, Stoney Brook, Mercyhurst, Hampton, Manhattan, Wagner and Youngstown State.

Though she had not played in a year, numerous college recruiters lined up to watch her on Saturday against Arts High in Susquehanna Township’s first game.

She was not afraid to attack the basket, was attentive on defense, and saw the court very well. She also showed some verve, making a great hustle play off a missed free throw, then hitting a cutting teammate to the basket.

“The injury happened last summer during the AAU season, and this is the first time really playing without a brace, and I felt good getting back into it,” London said. “I trust my knee, I feel strong. My endurance still needs to build up, and that will come in time. I do need to be more aggressive shooting. That will come in time, too. I need to get more consistent.

“I would say I’m around 90-percent with my right knee. That will come over time, too. I am running every day, getting my condition back up for July. Coming back was hard, watching my teammates play without me. With myself, Jaycee (Martin) and Devyn (Archer), we can have a really nice season. Everyone will need to get on the same page and I think we will once the season starts.” — Joseph Santoliquito

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Rachel Thatcher (2026 | Paul VI, N.J.)

There’s a confidence in the way Rachel Thatcher plays, but it admittedly took the rising Paul VI senior some time to get there.

Now a veteran player on one of the top private school teams in New Jersey, Thatcher knows it’s her time to set the tone. 

“I’m just looking to lead and be confident,” Thatcher said. “These past few years, I’ve struggled a bit with my confidence but as I’ve been able to play with some great talent, I’ve been building it up and now stepping into my role as a leader.”

Thatcher and Paul VI won the NJSIAA Non-Public A title in an epic game against Red Bank Catholic before ending their season with a loss to Morris Catholic in the NJSIAA Group Tournament with a 27-1 record. The Eagles graduated three seniors – Anya George, Azanah Campbell and Kiyanna Blacks-Stewart – but still have plenty of talent on their roster.

What they won’t have a lot of, especially with the 6-foot-1 Blacks-Stewart moving on, is size. Paul VI likes to play with pace anyway, so Thatcher and her teammates put an emphasis on pushing the ball this weekend.

“We’re playing so fast that there’s going to be a lot of possessions, right, so we’re going to get it back,” Thatcher said. “We only have so much experience on the team, so having that mentality of always holding your head up, even if there’s a mistake, it rubs off on the younger ones for sure.”

The 5-foot-7 guard contributes in every area. She can score, she rebounds well, sets up teammates and is an aggressive defender, Thatcher showing a little bit of all of it in a close win over Archbishop Wood on Friday.

Late in that game, Thatcher made a few pivotal plays by going hard to the rim. The senior said that was something she tried to put an emphasis on through the last year, especially not going away from it if she happened to miss a few takes.

“I lift a lot, so I’ve been building muscle but I work on coming off of two feet and finishing strong,” Thatcher said. “That’s become a big part of my game recently.”

Thatcher’s no stranger to big games or high level competition either. Aside from Paul VI, she’s played with the Philly Rise the last three summers and is part of their 17U EYBL team this year.

As far as her place at the next level, Thatcher is still working on that. The senior guard is a definite Division I prospect, she mentioned St. John’s and Delaware among programs that have been in the mix recently, so she’s hoping to get a little more clarity by the end of the summer and then take the next steps

“The goal has always been to be as good as I can be,” Thatcher said. “I always had the mentality since middle school that I was going to reach it. It’s been rough through the recruiting journey, there’s been some struggles, but I feel like it’s starting to settle down.

“I’ve always held my head high, trusted my game and trusted my work. When times have been low, it’s been hard, but you just keep going because it’s all you can do.”

The Eagles might not be the biggest team in New Jersey next year, but they expect to be one of the fastest and one that’s well-balanced. With her confidence at its highest and her toughness never in doubt, Thatcher is eager to see where it takes them.

“We’re working with what we have, but we’re looking really good,” Thatcher said. “I trust our team.” — Andrew Robinson

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Camille Nesmith (2026 | St. John’s College, D.C.)

Even on a St. John’s squad that’s loaded with talent, Nesmith stands out. 

Standing 6-foot-4 with long arms, Nesmith presents an imposing presence for opponents, but she’s much more than just tall and athletic. Able to put the ball on the floor and get from end to end as well as create plays as well as stretch out to the 3-point arc, she’s a prototypical modern forward with a ton of upside. 

That was apparent on Friday when Nesmith contributed eight points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in a big win over Archbishop Wood, which saw just about everybody on the SJC roster chip in. 

College coaches, unsurprisingly, have caught on as well. Nesmith, who plays with Team Thrill on the Girls’ Under Armour circuit, said she had around 29 Division I offers, with a group of high-majors leading the way. Nesmith mentioned Indiana, Maryland, Georgetown and St. John’s as four current options, having just visited Maryland on an unofficial visit, with plans to see the others before much longer.

“I haven’t done any officials, I’ll probably do that in the fall,” she said. “Just want to see what it feels like, being on campus. I get to talk to the coaches but I feel like it’s always different when you’re actually on campus and see if I can see myself there for the next four years.”

While Nesmith plays the ‘5’ for St. John’s due to her height, she said her preferred position at the next level is at the ‘4’ due to her overall skill set. She’s going into her second year at St. John’s, which went 24-6 last year playing in one of the most talent-rich areas of the country. 

Making that move meant taking on a 50-minute commute and a big step up in competition, but she’s proven she’s ready for it, averaging 12.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg as a junior and hitting a team-high 59% from the floor. 

“I would say the biggest adjustment is time management for me,” she said. “The commute for me is a lot longer, and we practice a lot, we’re in the gym a lot of the time. That was probably the biggest thing — time management, getting my homework done, things like that.

“I love these girls so much, I’m looking forward to next season,” she added. — Josh Verlin

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