City of Basketball Love

By Owen McCue
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2025-26 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Aziz Reed knows what it takes to win a state championship. He's made the victorious trip up and back from Hershey before.

Reed was an assistant as Miguel Bocachica led the West Catholic boys program to a state championship in 2023.

In year two as the head man for the Renaissance Academy girls, Reed feels he has a group capable of replicating the same type of success.

“(Bocachica) instilled in me the blueprint of how to achieve getting a state championship,” Reed told CoBL this fall. “I have the blueprint. I’m trying to run the blueprint: be in the gym as much as possible, work as hard as possible, and give maximum effort every game.”

Reed led Renaissance to a 15-13 mark, including a 9-2 record in the Bicentennial Athletic League last season. After a second place finish during the regular season, the Knights fell to Delco Christian in the BAL title game.

They responded by winning the District 1-2A championship, which marked the first title since joining the PIAA in 2021.

The Knights went on to make their first state playoff appearance as well, picking up the first PIAA win in program history (50-35 over Belmont Charter) before falling to District 2 champion and eventual state semifinalist Mountain View (45-33) in the second round.

“That was our goal,” senior forward Kasira Barber said. “We knew we could get there, and we knew we can get farther. Especially this year, I think we can go farther than we did last year.”

Barber, a 5-11 forward who averaged 7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 2.0 bpg, earned first team All-BAL Independence Division honors last season. She is one of five all-league players back for the Knights, who didn’t graduate anyone from last year’s team.

Senior 5-9 guard Dallis Stewart averaged 10.1 ppg, 2.9 apg, 4.9 rpg and 2.6 spg to earn BAL Independence Division Player of the Year. Senior 5-6 guard Brilan Biesecker was another first team all-league selection, averaging 8.5 ppg and knocking down 60 threes.

“I think we play more as a team than last year,” Stewart said. “We’re used to playing with each other all summer, so it’s kind of natural out there."

Sophomore 5-8 wing Raelyn Jones, who is also a talented flag football player, and senior 5-10 forward Aniyah Jones were both second team all-league honorees last season. Reed described Aniyah as a player who has really developed and her energy on the floor "mirrors" him as a coach.

Sophomore guards Addison O’Neil and Devan Cooper are two newcomers to keep an eye on.

“I feel like the whole team is really close and even off the court we still hang out and have fun, so we do have a chemistry,” Barber said.

Reed was excited to get a full offseason with his group after the end of last season. They played the most games they’ve ever played in the last calendar year — part of Bocachica’s blue print.

Some of the things Reed is preaching are being coachable, trusting your teammate, and playing hard at all times. 

“As coach would say, playing like a dog,” Stewart said of Reed’s main message to his team. “Be a dog.”

The lessons are sinking in more and more during Year 2.

Reed's goal is for his group to get a little bit better every day, which he has seen.

“The first year is kind of getting your feet wet,” Reed said. “This year is digging my feet in. I’m trying to establish our culture and our standards and how we want to be all the time. We were together all summer, so I feel like it gave us a great opportunity to do so. Coming into this year, they’ll be a lot better.”

The Knights aren’t shying away from big goals this offseason. They feel a BAL, District 1 and PIAA championship are all within grasp. Reed said the 2A landscape on the girls side isn't much different from differing styles on the boys side seen during his time coaching West Catholic in the state playoffs.

Renaissance started 3-8 last season before figuring things out and going 12-5 the rest of the way.

There’s some confidence that has spilled over from last season’s run. They’re hoping playing against some top competition during the offseason, including a number of larger classification schools, has instilled even more.

“I think personally, our team’s mindset is a little different this year,” Barber said. “Offseason, we worked really hard. We played tournaments. We’ve just been going harder.”

It’s all part of the plan.

“They’re just better,” Reed said. “They’re just all around a better basketball team. They have more continuity. They’re willing to share the ball a lot more, trusting their teammates. It’s just stuff that we preach in practice a ton.

"We teach being coachable, but playing as hard as you can at all times because you’re never going to be perfect on the basketball court. But if you’re willing to take coaching, you may be able to get a little bit better each day you’re in the gym.