City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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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. 3 of notebooks focusing on individual players and their recruitments:

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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)

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Abdou Toure (2026 | Notre Dame West Haven, Conn.)
Toure was one of the major draws for high-major coaches to the Sixth Man Center on Friday as his team took on Imhotep Charter. The 6-foot-5 wing is currently ranked among the top 30 players in the 2026 class by 247Sports.

He has a lengthy list of offers, most recently from Washington early this month and Utah, Mississippi State, and Florida State in May. UConn, Stanford, Pitt, Arkansas, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Louisville, Penn State, Oregon, Alabama, Central Florida, Arizona State, and Providence all extended offers in the last calendar year, when he noted the college interest really started to tick up.

“I’ve been able to handle it,” Toure told CoBL on Friday. “Me, my dad and my dad’s close friend have been able to handle it, taking all the calls.”

Toure credits his basketball roots to his father, Mamoudou Toure, who was born in Guinea and came to the United States to play basketball. He has a well-rounded game that blends skill, size, and athleticism.

“I would say I really bring everything to the table,” Toure said. “I’m a team player. I bring passing, finishing, shooting, and I play for the win. I’m gonna do anything it takes to win.”

Louisville, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Florida State, Syracuse, and UConn told Toure they would be in Philly to check him out this weekend. The majority of that group was courtside for Notre Dame’s game against Imhotep, when he finished with 23 points in a tight loss against the Public League powerhouse.

He added that college coaches have told him his intensity and energy stand out on the court.

Toure has taken unofficial visits to Arkansas and Providence. He doesn’t have a timeline for his recruitment yet but said that will come in the near future.

“I would say where I can play my game and can win and try to win a national championship,” Toure said.

Notre Dame will be back at Philly Live for Session II this upcoming weekend where Toure and his teammates will be one of the main attractions once again.

“It’s really fun getting back with the guys after all our AAU games. Getting back with the guys and getting our chemistry up.” — Owen McCue

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Julius Avent (2026 | Bergen Catholic, N.J.)
The main attraction for spectators at Jefferson University on Saturday was seated on the baseline of Court 1 for most of the afternoon in a spartan green polo. While Michigan State’s Tom Izzo drew plenty of attention, the legendary coach had his eyes on 6-foot-8 wing Julius Avent. 

The Spartans staff has recruited Avent for about a year now. They were one of the latest to offer him on June 14 after a strong showing at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, when he averaged 17.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg against some of the country’s top talent.

“They’ve been recruiting me and having interest in me since last year this time,” Avent said. “After the Top 100 camp they finally offered me. … They showed a lot of love.”

Avent’s first Division I offer came from George Washington in the fall of his sophomore year. He’s continued to blossom into a consensus Top 100 prospect in the Class of 2026, recently adding offers from Penn State, Mississippi State and Providence in the last month to go along with a list that already included Seton Hall, Villanova, Washington, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, NJIT, Hampton and Xavier. 

Avent mentioned Xavier, Seton Hall, Michigan State, Penn State, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech when asked about the programs in the mix for his recruitment. He’s looking to schedule a visit to Seton Hall before the end of the month.

“I’m looking for a place that’s going to let me play my game, be free,” Avent said. “A fast-paced team and just a team that has a great bond around each other and development.”

Avent was terrific in front of the Spartans’ coaches in two games Saturday. He tallied 16 points, eight rebounds, a block and an assist in a 54-48 win over Andrews Osborne Academy (Ohio) then followed with 21 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in a win over Roman Catholic.

He can impact the game with his offense and defense and has some versatility on both ends of the floor as well, which allows him to impact the game without dominating the ball.

“Being a good forward, a wing, a guard, a person who can do it all honestly,” Avent said of what’s drawn the attention of college coaches. “Getting the rebound, pushing the ball up the court, running plays, and doing everything to help us win.” — Owen McCue

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Alex Mack (2026 | Saint Ignatius, Ohio)
Saint Ignatius (Ohio) was back in Philly over the weekend for the fourth straight year, showcasing some of the top talent in the Buckeye State. 2026 guard Alex Mack stood out in a win over Plymouth Whitemarsh on Saturday, scoring 22 points (six triples) before he and his teammates headed back home. They’ll play at Mid-West Live next weekend.

“It’s really cool,” Mack told CoBL. “Over here on the East Coast, it’s a lot more physical, so we’re learning a lot more lessons going back to Ohio. We see a lot better teams, so it’s really fun, and it’s a good team bonding experience. We all come together. We learn valuable lessons in every game.”

Mack is definitely a different level of shooter and combined with his 6-foot-4 frame and leaping ability make him an intriguing prospect. He’s got a really quick release and can free himself with some strong handles. 

He doesn’t need a lot of space to get a good look from deep, whether that’s off the bounce or as a catch-and-shooter.

“It kind of just came naturally, but I’m just in the gym all the time working on it. It’s always been my strength, so it was just learning how to play off it,” Mack said of his shot. “For most people, it’s downhill first. For me, it’s shot and how can I play off my 3-point and get downhill and create other things.”

The 6-foot-4 guard said he’s had interest from the Division I level and Division II level, but his recruitment has been hot and cold so far this summer. Saturday’s standout performance came with a slew of Division I coaches on both base lines,

“They say they like my shooting and my athleticism, but they say they want to see more of my athleticism around the game. I can get up, but I’ve gotta work on translating that to finishing, rebounding and all over the court.” — Owen McCue

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Ryan Robbins (2027 | Upper St. Clair)
A quick look at Ryan Robbins and most could put together the 6-foot-7 broad-shouldered forward, has a lot of potential on the gridiron. They’d be right as the Upper St. Clair tackle is a Division I football prospect, picking up offers from Kent State and Toledo earlier this month.

A few minutes after watching Robbins carve up defenders on the block, and it’s no surprise he may have a future on the hardwood as well should he choose.

“I’m always open for both,” Robbins told CoBL on Friday. “I like both sports equally. I don’t really favor one. The better offer that I get, the school I like more for one, I’ll take it.”

Robbins is the younger brother of former Upper St. Clair basketball star Tyler Robbins, now playing at Miami University. He doesn’t have any offers on the table yet at the Division I hoops level, but Pepperdine, Cornell and Slippery Rock (D-II) reached out to him after June 15, when coaches can directly talk to high school recruits for the first time.

“It was pretty crazy. A bunch of schools talking with me,” Robbins said. “I never really thought about it (before), but it was really cool being able to talk to everybody.”

Robbins posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double against Archbishop Ryan on Friday at the Sixth Man Center. He’s really good at carving out space for himself on the block and has terrific footwork to get himself an easy look on either side of the rim when he’s fed the ball in position.

There’s some passing ability as well in his offensive game.

He said his success in both sports feeds off each other.

“Definitely the physicality for football definitely translates to basketball,” Robbins said. “And for basketball, my footwork definitely helps for football. I’ve always had that footwork, and I’ve really used that footwork in my game.”

Robbins’ summer will be busier than most with football practices and workouts almost every day during the week followed by AAU hoops with Caveman Academy on the weekend. 

“I’m just trying to get in the work and trying to get better every day for both sports. Trying to stay healthy.” — Owen McCue

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Quick Hits

— It was around this time last season when Derrick Morton-Rivera (2026 | Father Judge) dropped big game after big game at Philly Live to continue to solidify himself as a Division I prospect. 

Albany, Temple and La Salle offered the Crusaders’ 6-foot-4 guard, Fordham joined the list of schools in January and the group has continued to stay in touch with Morton-Rivera over the last calendar year.

Owls head coach Adam Fisher and Bobby Jordan were courtside for Judge’s win over St. Joe’s-Metuchen (N.J.) on Friday.

 “They always come out to a lot of games, so they told me they were going to be out here all weekend and watch me play,” Morton-Rivera told CoBL on Friday.

Morton-Rivera tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds on Friday night. One of the area’s best shooters said he’s trying to show off more aspects of his game as he prepares to hold an even larger role for Judge entering his senior campaign.

The shot wasn’t following, so instead he was a monster on the glass — showing off the strides Judge alum Marc Rodriguez has helped him make as an athlete so far this offseason during workouts with the Crusaders.

“Everybody knows I can score, so I’m trying to show other things I can do,” Morton-Rivera said. “Like tonight, my shot wasn’t going in, so I tried to rebound, get to the rim and do as much as I can besides scoring to help the team.”

Morton-Rivera told CoBL that North Carolina A&T and Northeastern were two other programs in touch prior to the weekend. He announced an offer from Towson on Sunday. He hopes to take some visits in June and July. 

— Archbishop Ryan 2025 guard Brandon Russell played himself into a Division I player last season as he went from a role player to the offensive hub for the Raiders as a senior. 2026 Malik Hughes is looking to take a similar jump for Ryan this season, who told CoBL D-II East Stroudsburg is a program that has checked in.

The 6-foot-7 wing looks the part of a scholarship player with a strong frame and athleticism. He impressed Friday at the Sixth Man Center with 19 points and six boards in a win over Upper St. Clair. 

Hughes’ shot looked smooth and he tapped into his physical attributes by driving to the rim.

He started at Cheltenham, spent a season at Roman Catholic and is now getting ready for his second season at Ryan, where along with a bigger role he should have more chemistry with his new teammates.

“We’ve been moving the ball a lot more than last year,” Hughes said. “We’ve been playing together a lot more. Every time we come down, we just come together and play.”

— Syaire Barnes (2026 | Spring-Ford) is still waiting for his recruitment to heat up. The Rams’ guard isn’t playing grassroots hoops this summer, so the June scholastic periods are a great opportunity to showcase his game. A 25-point performance in a tight loss to Lincoln at the Sixth Man Center on Friday was exactly the kind of eye-catching outing he was looking for.

Barnes is focused on development this offseason as well as his strength. He’s in the gym five days a week and has a diet that includes eggs in the morning and proteins like steak, chicken and salmon for dinner with protein shakes mixed in between. 

He estimates he’s added about 10 pounds of muscle and has felt the benefits out on the court.

“I feel like putting on muscle, I got a little faster. I’m able to absorb contact better, finish through layups, create for my teammates better.”

With Jacob Nguyen and Tommy Kelly among the departures from last season’s state playoff squad, Barnes is poised for a big senior campaign. He started his high school career in the Public League at Franklin Learning Center, averaging 20.9 ppg as a freshman.

His sophomore campaign after relocating to the Spring-Ford school district was spent adjusting to a very different style of play on the Rams’ JV team. Last season was a breakout year for Barnes and he feels even more comfortable running coach Joe Dempsey’s season at the point as a senior.

“It was a different type of basketball,” Barnes said. “It was a learning adjustment, but I feel like it was for the better. Coach Dempsey definitely helped me. He developed me into a better player. He made me understand the concepts of team basketball way more. Fundamental basketball goes further the higher level you play.”