City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
—

The dust has settled on Week 1 of the annual two-weekend hoopfest that is Philly Live 2025 with 10 courts of action wrapping up play Sunday night.

CoBL had writers and scouts at Jefferson University and the Alan Horwitz 'Sixth Man' Center throughout the weekend. Here's Pt. 2 of notebooks focusing on individual players and their recruitments:

~~~

2025 Philly Live Week 1 Coverage
Standouts: Friday (Pt. 1) | Friday (Pt. 2) | Saturday (Pt. 1) | Saturday (Pt. 2) | Sunday (Pt. 1) | Sunday (Pt. 2)
Notebooks: Recruiting (Pt. 1) | Recruiting (Pt. 2) | Recruiting (Pt. 3) | Recruiting (Pt. 4) | Recruiting (Pt. 5) | Team Coverage (Pt. 1) | Team Coverage (Pt. 2)

~~~

Korey Francis (2027 | Bonner-Prendergast)
By the time his sophomore season ended in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals, Korey Francis was firmly on the rise.

A 6-foot-3 guard who blends size, handle, shooting, strength, some speed and a strong competitive will, Francis put together a terrific season that landed him as a First Team All-PCL and second team PIAA Class 5A all-state selection. Colleges tuned in as well, Francis bringing a handful of offers into the first Philly Live weekend and leaving with a couple more.

With coaches able to contact him directly on June 15 as a rising junior, Francis has been busy.

“There were a lot of coaches calling that day,” Francis said. “It was a really exciting feeling because coming from being a freshman and not hearing much then working, working, working to the point I’m at, I’m going to just keep getting better.”

Temple offered on Saturday night with East Carolina getting in line on Sunday. They joined a growing offer list that already included Albany, North Carolina A&T, St. Joe’s and Bryant and seems assured to grow through next weekend and beyond.

Finding big guards with the kind of skills Francis brings to the floor isn’t easy so it’s not surprising plenty of programs beyond those that have offered got in the mix this month. Francis said Notre Dame and VCU have been checking in with him quite a bit in the last few weeks and he knows more opportunities are out there.

“I’m a bigger guard, so I use my size but I’m also able to knock down a shot whenever they back off,” Francis said. “I can defend on the defensive side because of my size, I think my size really helps me both ways and that’s what a lot of coaches said they like about me.”

Sunday in a win over Berks Catholic, Francis played a controlled but emphatic game by picking his spots and ceding the floor to his teammates when they had it going. Francis also showed his strength well on a late drive, getting the baseline and shielding off a defender enough to convert a layup while still being fouled for the and-one.

That was the part of the game that really came together over the last year as Francis felt like things slowed down on the court while he was still playing at his speed.

“I’d say being able to make a play,” Francis said. “It was tough and difficult at times to read defenses over the last few years. Now, I’m trying to understand how they’re going to play me and when I need to get my teammates a good shot or when to get people open if I’m drawing defenses in.”

The Friars start four guards, so there’s plenty of playmaking and scoring available on the floor. It does leave them at a potential disadvantage in terms of size on the glass and defensive end, but Francis felt like the group took a positive step in that direction this weekend.

“One thing I liked that we did well this weekend and haven’t done well in the past is rebound the ball,” Francis said. “We’re kind of a smaller team but the other guards with me, they’ve been able to rebound the ball and also play good defense by being that help guy and the guy that rotates which will help us when we play against the more talented people.” — Andrew Robinson

~~~

Larry Brown (2026 | Coatesville)
A four-year starter for Coatesville, Brown is ready to make the Raiders his team. 

Sure, a lot of the attention will go to sophomore Colton Hiller, who’s in the midst of a major blow-up after making the USA Basketball U-16 team. But Brown’s the experienced veteran for head coach John Allen, with more than 90 varsity games under his belt, getting major minutes in the vast majority of them. 

The whole time, he’s been playing behind some even-more-experienced guards, including Amon Fowlkes, who’s headed to Kutztown this fall. That leaves Brown in the position to set the tone for a Coatesville squad that’s got some players who will have to step up into bigger roles if the Raiders want to continue being a threat deep into March. 

“I’m starting to learn to be a leader,” he said. “I’m definitely starting to learn to be a leader. Making sure I talk to my guys, making sure I’m being an anchor on defense, making sure everybody’s bumping guys on the cutters. Basically trying to expand my game, also.”

A 6-7 forward, Brown has been a face-up threat since early in his career, able to stretch the floor out to the 3-point arc while also playing as a ‘5’ defensively thanks to his long arms. He made some nice moves in the mid-range on Saturday in a win over Windermere Prep (Fl.), finishing with eight points, three blocks, three rebounds and two assists. 

What was most notable about Brown’s game was his energy and versatility on the defensive end. Thanks to his ability to guard the rim as well as his quick feet and good agility, Brown was effective inside and out, and he was really putting in effort guarding his man, with active hands and feet, keeping a number of rebounds and loose balls alive. 

“It feels good, I feel like it’s a pride thing, it feels good when you stop guys,” he said. “I heard somebody say it became a skill to play hard, to play defense, but you’ve got to play with a lot of effort on defense. So I feel like that’s needed, that’s what your teammates need, you can’t run off offense all the time.”

That versatility, athleticism and upside have had a number of colleges interested for a while. Wagner offered his freshman year, and Brown said he’s still in touch with that stuff along with Arkansas-Little Rock and Saint Peter’s. But he said the schools he’s hearing from most often are those from the PSAC: West Chester, East Stroudsburg, and Millersville. 

All three were in to see him play this weekend; West Chester head coach Damien Blair, the only one to offer thus far, was sitting directly under the basket on Saturday morning; Brown noted that Blair had been to several of his games, and he’d been to one WCU contest, getting to see the PSAC up close.

“I feel like it’s good, I feel like it’s a high level of basketball,” he said. “Run and jump, that’s my type of play, I like to be athletic, run around, guard 94 feet, hit the open guy that’s there, drive off the dribble.” — Josh Verlin

~~~

Jamieson Young (2028 | Cherry Hill East)
What is better during the recruiting process than having a father who has coached on a high-major program?

That is the reality for Cherry Hill East’s Jamieson Young. Young, a promising talent in the class of 2028, is the son of former Villanova assistant coach Jamie Young. He credits his father, who was also previously an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, to being a great help as he starts his recruitment journey, especially now that he very recently has received his first offer from D-II Saint Anselm College, whose head coach (Chris Santo) is a Cherry Hill East alum.

“He teaches me a lot,” Young said. “He gives me a lot of connections with other coaches that I can talk to.”

The 6-1 point guard already shows comfortability with the pace of the high school game having been a starter for the Cougars right off the bat his freshman year. His ability to handle defensive pressure and get around defenders with his quick ball handling is a key component to his game.

“My coach...he’s been helping me with my ball handling,” Young said. “Handling pressure on this higher stage with better defenders.” 

Playing for the WeR1 U15 team has been beneficial for Young as he feels it has developed his game. The Under Armour circuit he competes in sees some of the best talent in the country and playing on it forces one to adapt to higher intensity styles of play. 

“When I come back here [Cherry Hill East], it feels easier because I have been working all summer,” Young said.

Bringing what he learns in the offseason, Young combines that with the skill set from teammate Christopher Abreu. Another member of the WeR1 program, playing on the U16 team, Abreu’s physicality pairs with Young’s vision and shooting, creating a dynamic chemistry that drives the team. Their ability to always connect and find each other on the court Young credits to simply, “Playing with each other everyday for the past two years.”

With gaining his first D-II offer this summer the rising sophomore still has a long process ahead of him as he continues to talk to various programs, but his already buzzing talent assures that there are more offers to come as he chases his goal of playing at the next level. — Olivia Valania

~~~

Caleb Lundy (2027 | Archbishop Wood)
The attention is being paid now.

Caleb Lundy was already having a good week before Philly Live I, the slithery smooth point guard visiting St. Joe’s on June 17 and leaving with an official offer. After a few strong performances over the weekend, Lundy added a couple more offers to build off a season of growth.

Temple and Towson had joined in by Sunday night and there were plenty more coaches that got a good look at Lundy heading into next weekend’s Philly Live II.

“I guess you could say it makes it easier, but I always want to go as hard as I can,” Lundy said. “You never know what will happen, even if I had 20 offers or 30 offers, I’d play the same way. I’m not one to think ‘oh, I have offers, I can take it easy.’”

As a rising junior, Lundy was able to be contacted directly by college coaches earlier this month. His phone was quite busy accumulating texts, calls and other contact, the guard estimating about 17 programs had reached out off the bat.

Albany offered Lundy on June 15, adding to offers from Radford and La Salle he’d already picked up, then two days later he was on Hawk Hill getting a look at St. Joe’s.

“Visiting campus, it was a lot of fun, I got to meet the coaches and watch a practice,” Lundy said. “The practice was intense, I liked that a lot. The coaching staff, they seemed like they had a plan to help me grow.”

Lundy, a 6-foot-4 lead guard, played well throughout the weekend as the Vikings went up against some difficult opponents. The junior, who is also having a nice season playing with New Heights on the 3SSB circuit, had a few goals for his offseason work.

“Last year, I had a lot of turnovers, so I’ve been trying to limit them,” Lundy said. “It’s looking a little better, but I’m working on that. I would go deep into the paint then lose my dribble, stuff like that, so I just need to work on those kinds of things.”

Lundy also listed his three-point shot as an area of focus, along with continuing to build continuity with his teammates at Wood. The Vikings should return the majority of last year’s lineup, where a relatively young team faced some growing pains in the PCL.

While Lundy said it’s a great feeling to know college programs are paying even closer attention to what he’s been doing, he doesn’t plan to slow down the work with a trusted training partner.

“It’s really just me and my dad,” Lundy said. “We’re getting shots up and working out as much as I can.” — Andrew Robinson

~~~

Quick Hit
– Upper Dublin’s trio of 2026 guards are getting some Division III attention. Point guard Kobe Bazemore has plenty of interest from Del Val, the Rams staff courtside for Saturday’s win over Meadham (NJ). Sharpshooter Noah Cohen, who missed the bulk of last season with a broken forearm, has high-academics looking in and high-energy guard Brandon Altman has played well this spring and summer which has programs paying attention.  — Andrew Robinson