City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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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 the first half of our coverage focused on local area high school teams and what they’re working on this offseason:

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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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Chester Charter

Chester Charter wasn’t a team yet this time last year. 

The Sabers were under new management in Lonnie Diggs, who had taken over following the closure of Math Civics & Sciences, bringing a number of his MCS players from Philly to Chester to join some CCSA holdovers. It wasn’t always an easy merger. 

“We mixed two cities together,” rising junior Jamar Groomes said, “so we had to get used to each other, used to our playing style, and overall just build chemistry.”

It didn’t go poorly, to be sure. Chester Charter went 24-6 last year, making it to the PIAA Class 1A quarterfinals before losing to Sankofa Freedom. Diggs and his staff had a senior guard to lean on in Josiah Hutson but otherwise had a young squad, the 2027 class making up a good bulk of their roster and production. 

Most of the group is back for Year Two under Diggs, so this summer, the familiarity is already there. Now they have to build on it. 

“Everybody knows each other a lot better, being around each other for a year now,” Diggs said. “We had a pretty decent year last year, we went 24-6, but in our minds we still fell short. We just want to try to reach those milestones we didn’t get this past year.”

No doubt the biggest piece to replace is Hutson, the 5-11 guard who came to CCSA from Cheltenham last year to provide some leadership on the ball. Groomes, a 5-9 guard, is in line to step up on the ball; rising senior Jah Sabb, out this weekend with a shoulder injury, was the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago and will be a major piece again this year. 

After that it’s all rising juniors. Wings Nieem Gregory and Dom Miller both played significant roles a year ago, while Groomes, Naz Feggins and TJ Jones — all of whom started on Friday night, were more reserve/swing players as sophomores. 

Despite losing to a talented Cherry Hill East (N.J.) side on Friday, CCSA’s strengths were apparent. Groomes had 18 to lead the way, with Feggins (13 points, six rebounds) and Jones (11 points, six rebounds, three assists) joining him in double figures; Miller added nine points and seven rebounds. Also providing a boost off the bench was 6-2 2028 Kesaad Green, who Diggs said had grown three or four inches since the end of his freshman year.

Asked about the most important thing for his team to continue focusing on, Groomes said “just leadership. Holding each other accountable, being accountable for yourself. And just overall just trusting your teammates.” — Josh Verlin

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Constitution

For the Constitution squad they see themselves as more than just a team - a family.

In their games on Friday at Jefferson spectators could see words of encouragement being shared between players to lift one another up when they were down but also countless smiles and laughs as they made good plays and showcased their skills as a team. Their chemistry is what stands out about this Constitution team as they not only are playing basketball but are having fun getting to do it as best friends.

“Just being a family,” said rising senior guard Ibrahim Mahmoud when asked about building team chemistry. “We ‘G-gang on three, family on six’. We stand on the family. We actually all are friends outside of the court and we just all stick together. If he goes down I’ll pick him up and vice versa so it’s just sticking together no matter what it is.”

Last season for Constitution had its ups and downs. They finished the season 18-11 after a slow 4-5 start but they picked up their pace as the season continued. However, they fell short in the Public League to Imhotep and lost in the second round of the 2A playoffs to the champions Linville Hill. With losing some key senior players this will require some returning players to step up especially as they have goals of making it farther in the playoffs and becoming more of a force within Philadelphia,

To combat this the Generals have added a promising new player to their starting five, Dahkenah Wilkins, who recently transferred from Hill Freedman World Academy. The quick 5-10 point guard is fitting into the chemistry of Constitution as he was able to connect key passes to teammates but also get to the rim for a nice finish. He had a 21 point game in their loss to Cherry Hill East with a dominant 17 point second half and 12 points in their win against Holy Spirit (N.J.). Safe to say he has been a nice new addition to the family.

“I just transferred in May so I have been practicing with them ever since and I felt the family bond as soon as I got here,” Wilkins said. “I’m not going to lie at first I was a little skeptical but then we started creating that good chemistry. Of course we were already friends outside of school and outside of basketball so it made it easy and I feel like this team is the best thing for me.”

The core of this squad is their 6-3 guard Nick Young. As a starter last year he led the team in scoring and rebounds. He is a leader out on the court who sets his team up for success with his physicality and scoring abilities. Young is a believer of the family attitude feeling that this team is more than just basketball to him, especially as this is going to be his last high school season.

“My thing is these are my guys,” Young said. “I don’t hang around a lot of people. The basketball team are the only people that I really hang around so they are basically my only family outside of blood so I have to really cherish that, I have to really love that. When I’m here and I know that after this year, my senior year, it’s all going to be gone so I have to really cherish them.” 

With lofty goals of winning the “triple crown” (districts, league, and states) the Constitution team has work to put in and a long road ahead but they feel they can utilize their family-like bond, chemistry, and work ethic to drive them to victory next season.

“This coming year is going to be really scary,” Mahmoud said. “Especially when you see all of us work together as one.” — Olivia Valania 

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Penncrest

Mikey Mita has a high grading curve.

While the Lions were one of the last eight teams standing in PIAA Class 5A last season, the senior big man didn’t want to heap too many plaudits on the campaign. He felt like there was a lot left on the table, a feeling his teammates shared as they went into the summer.

With much of their roster returning, Penncrest is setting a high standard again.

“I wouldn’t say last year was a great season,” Mita said after the Lions posted an impressive win over Paul VI (NJ) on Saturday. “We went far, but we didn’t win anything. No Central League, no districts, no states, so we’re coming back hopefully with a little chip on our shoulder.”

The Lions graduated one starter in Theo Gladue but otherwise have the core of 24-5 and state playoff elite eight team coming back. Mita, a versatile 6-foot-7 forward, is the team’s go-to player but he’s the first to highlight his other guys on both sides of the ball.

It’s been a really solid summer for Penncrest. The Lions went 3-0 at Philly Live I, racking up wins over Olympia (FL), Paul VI and Salesianum (DE) this weekend to keep an unbeaten summer season going.

“I’ve been playing with these guys since I was in elementary school,” Mita said. “We have this build between us and hopefully we can continue to build on it and win some championships.”

Mita, who had a 32-point game in the second round of the state playoffs, is holding himself to the same standard. The forward, who is still waiting for a college opportunity, said he’s trying to develop his game to mesh between small and power forward.

He’s a really efficient scorer inside and in the midrange but he knows adding some range and on-ball ability will open things up for him and his teammates.

“For me personally, the three-point shot,” Mita said. “I’m looking to create off the dribble, maybe not even create, just be able to take the ball up off a defensive rebound or be able to create for teammates with my passing or make my own shot.”

Asked what has stood out in his team’s play this spring and summer, Mita had a quick answer and it was one longtime coach Mike Doyle certainly would have liked.

“I love our defense,” the senior said. “We held Paul VI to 25 points, we held Olympia to 36 points so the fact we could hold these good teams to such low scoring bodes well for us.”

Mita grades his team on a high curve, so it was telling the senior had a rave review for his teammates’ efforts on the defensive side of the ball.

“I feel like we play great help defense but also great on-ball defense,” Mita said. “My guys Connor (Cahill), Will (Stanton), Sean (Benson), they guard the ball like their lives depend on it. Because they’re able to do that, I’m able to work my job against the bigger guys but when I need my help, they’re right there to slide in.”

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Plymouth-Whitemarsh

Last year, Plymouth-Whitemarsh reached the PIAA District 1 Class 6A championship, losing to Conestoga in the finals, 54-50. Two years ago, the Patriots reached the second round of the district playoffs, and were knocked out by eventual district semifinalist Chester. Three years ago, when these current rising seniors were freshmen, PW won the District 1 championship. With 6-4 rising senior guard Mani Sajid, 6-9 rising senior center Mike Pereira, 6-foot, rising senior point guard Jack Hayes and 6-7 rising senior forward Micah Thompson making up the nucleus of this team, the Patriots are very capable of winning, giving this senior group bookend district titles—and possibly beyond. There is a changing landscape in Class 6A, with some players leaving prominent teams in the area, and some players joining state-championship caliber programs. 

The Patriots are good enough to make a run at a state title this season, something they have not achieved since 2010, under the old Class 4A system, when the Patriots beat defending state champion Penn Wood, 58-51. Legendary PW coach Jim Donofrio, a Hall of Famer, has no problem putting a target on the program’s back right now.

“We have basically our whole team back, with four starters back,” Donofrio said. “Everyone knows their roles. What this group went through last year was a whole lot of learning curve. They were taught a lot of stuff and had the trouble of trying to figure it out. You will see heading into November, there will be a lot more room to do more sophisticated things. The message I gave these guys a month ago is that they are good enough to win a state title.

“It may be an arrogant thing to say, but we need that as a goal. This generation of kids are so nice and level-headed, that they need those types of goals. We lost in the first round of the states—at home—to Wilson. The message is, what I have noticed, there is a disconnect between enjoying the journey and wanting to get to the destination—and how hard that is.

“We can’t be comfortable. If you get a little comfortable, you’re in trouble. We lost the last year before, and we’re ready.”

Donofrio has a lot to be optimistic about, also returning 6-1 rising junior guard Buddy Denard, and 6-1 rising senior guard Terron Davis.

“I have high expectations this season for this team and this team will be reminded about not getting the job done last year,” Donofrio said. “I have been fortunate enough to have talented teams that had targets on our backs. A team has to develop an attitude that they are supposed to win. It’s a hard thing to do. The last time we won a district title was in 2023. The last time we won a state title was in 2010. Our teams in the past that had bulleyes on them responded.” — Joseph Santoliquito      

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