City of Basketball Love

By Chad Graham (@CGraham_Sports) +
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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It’s time for Philly Live once again. 

The area’s annual two-week, June live period affair — which has become one of the top scholastic recruiting period events in the country since its inception in 2019 — starts up again this weekend, with more than 200 teams and even more college coaches coming to the courts at Jefferson University and the Alan Horwitz ‘Sixth Man’ Center between Friday and Sunday. 

Over the years, the event has also served as a stage where numerous prospects from both near and far have really expanded their recruiting stock or brought in a whole number of new colleges to their recruitment. Those could be young prospects ready for the big stage, or sometimes older players who have made big strides in their games over the years. 

Here are several players from around the area (and around the region) who could garner plenty of collegiate attention with a strong weekend ahead at Philly Live:

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Nico Antoniacci (2028 | Riverside)
The most exciting prospect currently in the northeast part of the state is a baby-faced 6-2 guard with the ability to absolutely light it up from beyond the arc. The Scranton Times-Tribune Player of the Year as a freshman, Antoniacci is a confident scorer and playmaker who’s an excellent passer and ball-handler, with the ability to create for himself and others. Penn State and Manhattan have already offered, and a couple strong performances from him this weekend could see him easily add to that total.

Nafis DuBose (2026 | Sankofa Freedom)
DuBose started off at Sankofa as a strong-but-undersized wing/forward, but he’s really worked on his skills over the last three years, and now he’s a really interesting prospect out on the wing. Standing about 6-3 and muscular, he’s strong enough to body up and produce in the post, but he can also create his own shot and make plays for others while serving as a versatile defender. Scholarship-level programs could have their eyes opened if he plays up to potential this weekend. 

Korey Francis (2027 | Bonner-Prendergast)
Francis was an impressive young guard as a freshman at Bonner, and then turned that into a really strong sophomore year where he took a big step towards becoming a future high-major combo guard. Now going into his third varsity season and the no-doubt leader of this Bonner squad, Francis plays with a smooth confidence to his game, able to score from all three levels and stays at a good pace, never getting sped up. He’s got a few offers in his pocket, but could have a whole bunch of new suitors before long. 

Colton Hiller (2028 | Coatesville)
Yes, Hiller is plenty well known locally, and we’ve written plenty about him this season and in the run-up to this weekend. And his selection to the USA Basketball U-16 team is a sign that he’s one of the brightest young prospects in his class. But most college coaches haven’t gotten direct eyes on him since last summer, when he was just an eye-opening incoming freshmen; if he plays as well this weekend as he has over the last 12 months, this could be his first deluge of offers as he continues his ascension towards a truly national stage. 

Patrick Jajua (2028 | Pennsbury)
It’s been a minute since Pennsbury’s had a bona fide Division I prospect on the roster, but Jajua’s on the verge of getting there. The 6-3 guard, who’s playing with Team Final on the EYBL 15U circuit, made his local debut during Philly LIve last summer, and he’s continued to make even more noise since. With a few big seniors gone from the Falcons, Jajua should have a more featured role and get the opportunity to showcase even more of his burgeoning game.

Izaaz Kornegay (2026 | Samuel Fels)
A matchup problem for most teams, Kornegay was one of the area's most dominant post players a year ago and looks to do the same during the live period. On offense and defense, any missed shot is likely going to be his because of how well he attacks the ball in the air and plays through contact. That's also why he thrives on second-chance points. More than a cleanup man, Kornegay is a weapon in the post as well. Whether he's reading open space as a cutter or getting a designed post touch, the 6-7 forward can quickly catch-and-finish on either side of the basket or finish above the rim. 

Latief Lorenzano-White (2026 | Imhotep Charter)
Playing hard is a skill and Lorenzano-White can't be outworked. He’s a wing who selflessly does whatever his coaches need him to do to win — guarding centers, making the extra pass, boxing out, etc. His steals, blocks, and boards went a long way for the Panthers as they won the Public League and District 12 6A titles. Lorenzano-White is just as active on offense. He can attack off the catch, cut off-ball, and is developing as a spot-up threat. But when he has a mismatch inside, Lorenzo-White can get to work in the post too. 

Caleb Lundy (2027 | Archbishop Wood)
Lundy came over to Archbishop Wood last year from South Jersey and immediately showed he could compete in the Catholic league, with a mature game that coaches are sure to like this weekend. A competitive, composed 6-foot ‘2’ combo guard with a smooth touch, Lundy is a quality outside shooter as well as driver who does a good job of rebounding and making place for his teammates, and he does it all with a good attitude. Lots of winning traits that coaches will like to see over the weekend, and his recruitment could skyrocket after starting to pull in offers the last few months.

Brady MacAdams (2026 | Archbishop Wood)
Contested or not, MacAdams is one of the top marksmen in the area. The shooting he provides is dangerous because he can get it off in a number of ways. Running behind screens or simply playing off of others, he smoothly catches and fires over outstretched hands. MacAdams isn’t just a floor-spacer; he's a shotmaker too. When his team needs a bucket, he can scale his game up and create for himself behind and inside the arc. 

Max Moshinski (2026 | Father Judge)
A lesser known starter during the Crusaders’ PCL and state title runs, Moshinski did some of the dirty work to elevate his team over the past two seasons. He crashed the boards and defended up and down the lineup on one end, while throwing down highlight reel dunks on the other. With his improved jumper from distance, he's ready to be a star in his role. Defenses can't sag off of him because he can cut backdoor or knock down the open three. Not just a play-finisher, the 6-5 wing makes the connective passes and is a good team defender as well. 

Josh Obiora (2026 | St. Georges, Del.)
Delaware’s 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year, Obiora is a force of nature on defense with the chaos he causes. No matter which block he's on, the rangey 6-7 forward can cover ground and get to the other side to contest shots. And once he gets the rebound, he can push the pace in transition. Obiora applies his physical tools similarly on offense. He adeptly reads the ball off the rim for putback dunks, flashes playmaking ability, and creates shots for himself from the mid-range. 

Michael Pereira (2026 | Plymouth Whitemarsh)
The 6-10 center emerged onto the scene exactly a year ago and has leveled up since then. Built like a tank, Pereira is a deterrent in the paint. His offensive game has grown strides in the last calendar year as well, not just throwing down two-handed jams when he has space but showing off some touch inside as well. Pereira could have been classified as one of the breakout players of this past high school season, but he’s got another level to show off as a prospect.

Justin Ragsdale (2027 | Upper Dublin)
Ragsdale was pivotal to the Cardinals during their historic 2024-25 season and, at times, their best player. Then and now, he anchors their defense as a rim protector and limits teams to one shot with his rebounding on that end. His offensive skillset presents issues for most forwards because he can attack from inside or outside. At 6-6, Ragsdale can pick-and-pop or spot-up for threes on one possession, then face-up and take his man off the dribble on the next. 

Demere Salisbery (2028 | JP McCaskey)
Despite being the son of Temple legend Dustin Salisbery and starting for Team Final EYBL, the younger Salisbery is still making a name for himself in the region. With a quick 1-2 bop off the bounce, he's able to create separation for pull-up jumpers at either level or for paint touches. Salisbery scored in bunches over the course of his freshman season, but he's an all-around playmaker. At about 6’3, he drives to collapse the defense and set others up. Then, he gets back on defense and terrorizes the other team at the point of attack. 

Chase Stevens (2028 | Lansdale Catholic)
One of a number of impressive underclassmen on the Crusaders roster, Stevens has a lot of length and upside in his 6-foot-4 frame. Lansdale Catholic’s leading scorer as a freshman, Stevens has a nice stroke from outside and good length inside, though his future is as a quality 3-and-D wing. He might still be a year away, but this could be the weekend where he starts to turn the corner and prove himself as a player and not just a prospect.

MJ Thompson (2027 | Council Rock South)
One of the better kept secrets in the area is Thompson, a quality combo guard with great size who could cement himself as a Division I recruit this weekend with some high-level performances. Thompson stands 6-3 and has a solid build, and he knows how to use his size to his advantage, whether that’s posting up smaller guards or getting to the room through contact; he’s also a quality outside shooter with a solid mid-range game as well.