City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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ALLENTOWN — Popped up to the Mid-Atlantic Independent School Team Camp at Executive Education Charter on Sunday to check out some Philly-area talent and a couple non-local teams they were matched up against. 

The last day of action was only five sets long, but there were still plenty of high-level players on the courts. Here’s who stood out in the games I watched:

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2025 MAISTC Week 1 Coverage
Standouts: June 22 (Sun.)
Notebooks: Recruiting Pt. 1 | Recruiting Pt. 2 | Recruiting (Pt. 3) | Recruiting (Pt. 4)

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Kamsi Awaka (2027 | Blair Academy, N.J.)
Awaka was an absolute force in the middle in a win over Friends’ Select. A 6-10 forward who comes to Blair by way of Cheshire Academy (N.J.), Awaka’s physicality had him fighting off sometimes two Falcons at once as he gobbled up rebounds at both ends, and he finished through contact multiple times (or ended up at the line) despite his opponents’ best efforts. Awaka finished with 15 points in Blair’s win, and though I missed the first few minutes of the game and thus didn’t keep stats, he had to have had a double-double with all the rebounds he got his hands on. 

Dawson Brown (2027 | Episcopal Academy)
It took a second to recognize Brown, who cut his hair short and dyed it blonde, but the new look was clearly working for the EA rising junior guard, who played well from start to finish in leading the Churchmen to a win over Perkiomen School to start off the day. Brown showed off his improved athleticism by coming out of the gate hot, slashing to the hoop for a couple layups and then draining a deep 3-pointer, sending him off to the races. By the end, the 5-11 guard racked up 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (1-2 3PT, 4-5 FT) along with seven rebounds, three steals and an assist. 

Logan Chwastyk (2028 | Malvern Prep)
One of the top young big men not just in the region but in the country, Chwastyk is making some major strides in his game, which was evident in a couple watches on Sunday. The mobile, active 6-foot-10 forward is still just scratching the surface of his potential, but he did some impressive things on the court, especially in a game against the Hill School, when he finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, four steals and an assist. Chwastyk is a quality defender who uses his length well around the rim, knows how to find space offensively to spot up and competes hard at both ends; as he continues to grow into his body and add strength, he’ll be an even more effective two-way dynamo. 

Elijah Crispin (2026 | Perkiomen School)
A high-scoring guard in his years at Pitman (N.J.), Crispin is at Perk to prove he can play point guard at the next level. Consider Sunday a quality showing in that regard, as Crispin came off the bench and then earned a whole bunch of playing time in Perk’s loss to EA on Sunday morning. The 6-1 guard with the ball on a string dished out eight assists, including a big-time alley-oop slam to Darnell Lloyd, as well as a few other pin-point looks in transition and making good passes to bigs as well. Crispin also showed his toughness by battling for six rebounds, all of which made up for the fact that his usually-strong outside shot wasn’t falling (5pts, 0-5 3PT).

Timmy Dennis (2026 | Episcopal Academy)
Dennis started off a little slow in EA’s win, the 6-8 forward feeling his way into the action, mostly just keeping the ball moving in the flow of the offense. He hit a couple first-half 3-pointers, starting to warm up, and then really came alive in the second half. Dennis poured in 20 points after the break, playing as well as we’ve seen him on the offensive end — aggressive, assertive and confident, he attacked the rim and got to the line (10-10 FT), knocked down two more 3s (4-6 in the game) and didn’t force the action, all against a Perk squad with plenty of size across the board.

Kasey Fleming (2026 | Penn Charter)
Fleming (above) had no doubt the most impressive all-around offensive game I saw Sunday, as the 6-3 guard dropped 27 points on Lawrenceville Prep (N.J.). Playing both on and off the ball for the Quakers, whom he only joined three weeks ago, Fleming shot 10-of-17 from the floor, 4-of-8 from the 3-point arc and 3-of-4 from the foul line, adding in four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He blew past defenders in transition to get to the rim, pulled up from deep with confidence and rhythm, knocked down a couple one-dribble pull-ups and just competed hard at both ends. As just about every player in the gym tried to prove themselves as a Division I player, Fleming certainly looked the part.

Caleb Jameson (2026 | Hill School)
Sometimes, in writing standouts, there are nuances to discuss, multiple reasons to have to list as to why this player or that player deserved discussion in here. Or you can just do what Jameson did for Hill in a win over Malvern Prep and go 10-of-14 from the 3-point arc. It was quite the shooting showcase indeed for the muscular 6-5 wing, who knocked down a couple from long range in the first half, but really went off in the second. Jameson made six of his first triples of the second half, spotting up from all over the arc — with depth — and releasing confidently as he had one shot splash down after another. The loudest roar from the Hill bench came around No. 7; by the time he hit his 10th, there was no emphasis needed.

Dieudonne Mushipu (2026 | College Achieve, N.J.)
A newcomer to College Achieve after spending last season at St. Benedict’s (N.J.), the 6-6 Mushipu definitely opened some eyes with a 14-point showing off the bench in a game against Malvern Prep in the final set. Athletic, strong and mobile, the combo guard/wing got downhill in a hurry and did most of his work at the bucket, including a smooth spin-and-finish; he also grabbed six rebounds, two assists and a steal. 

Marvin Reed (2027 | Malvern Prep)
Fresh off his first D-I offer, from Drexel, Reed played well in a couple watches against Hill School and College Achieve (N.J.). Undersized (5-10) but slippery, Reed is a strong ball-handler and play-maker, able to slip past defenders and into the middle of the defense, where he did a great job of dropping off to his big man or kicking out for a shooter (also sometimes to his big man). Reed finished with 14 points, five assists and three rebounds against Hill and then 18 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds against College Achieve. 

Carter Smith (2028 | Penn Charter)
Penn Charter’s loaded with young talent, and Smith’s got about as high a ceiling as anybody around. Slipper smooth at 6-4 with long arms, Smith’s first few attacks of the rim didn’t go his way Sunday against Lawrenceville Prep (N.J.) but he was undeterred, continuing to play aggressively with the ball in his hands. He eventually started finding the hoop as he went for 19 points (7-14 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT), while rounding out his game with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals; he made some great passes, including a thread-the-needle bounce pass to start a transition break. 

Cole Trn (2027 | Hill School)
Trn forgot to bring his jersey to Executive Education Charter on Sunday but he certainly didn’t forget his game. The 6-0 combo guard opened the game with Hill’s second unit but played almost the entire second half as Hill benefitted from his energy and playmaking whenever he was on the floor. Trn piled up 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal as he was all over the court making plays, often in amongst the trees as he leapt in and stole a few rebounds from Malvern’s quality frontcourt. Trn’s out shot wasn’t quite falling (1-6 3PT) but his shot selection was good and his release/arc were clean, and he had a few quality finishes at the rim.

Micah Waters (2026 | Friends’ Select)
Though Friends’ Select was certainly undersized against Blair Academy (N.J.), Waters and the Falcons hung with Blair all the way through, in large part due to their senior guard’s efforts. A 6-2 guard with good size and bounce, Waters can serve as a spot-up shooter or also make plays with the ball in his hands, and with a young group around him, he’s got to do both this year. Waters went for 17 points, making all sorts of tough jumpers and quality finishes at the rim, as he was often forced into tough shots by the Blair defense, but he kept making them. 

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Honorable Mention
Isaiah Carroll (2026 | Blair Academy, N.J.), David Ekheler (2026 | Lawrenceville Prep, N.J.), Coleman Elkins (2026 | Blair Academy, N.J.), Ray Fernandez (2027 | Blair Academy, N.J.), Nick Harken (2027 | Malvern Prep), Santana Hodge (2027 | Lawrenceville Prep, N.J.), Marque Johnson (2028 | College Achieve, N.J.), Ethan Johnston (2026 | Hill School), Darnell Lloyd (2026 | Perkiomen School), Ryan Melniczak (2028 | Malvern Prep), Reggie Moore (2027 | Friends’ Select), Tobe Nwobu (2026 | College Achieve, N.J.), Luke West (2028 | Penn Charter)