City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Two weeks into the season, we’re just starting to have enough data to begin looking around the Division I landscape to see some statistical trends — strengths and weaknesses, hot starts and cold ones. 

That being said, here’s a bunch of (non-Big 5) local products who’ve started the season off the season having made a significant jump from last year or who’ve made an impact from the jump as freshmen (note that we’re not highlighting players who are playing well but in a similar fashion from the year before):

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Haylie Adamski (Fr. | Lafayette)
Adamski went scoreless in Lafayette’s opener and had four against Rider — then exploded for 22 against Le Moyne in her first career start and has hit double-figures in the two games since. Through the first five contests, the 6-0 wing from Garnet Valley is averaging 11.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg while shooting 12-of-27 (44.4%) from 3-point range and 19-of-39 (48.7%) overall.0

Rahmir Barno (Jr. | FGCU)
Through the Eagles’ first four games of the season, Barno’s really taken a major leap in his offensive production. Last year, he averaged 8.0 ppg with a KenPom offensive rating of 95.2 on a 20.3% usage rate. This year, with his usage rate up to 24.4%, he’s averaging career highs of 14.8 ppg and 5.3 apg on 51.1% from the floor and 35.7% from 3-point range, both up significantly from last year on early returns.

Kendall Bennett (Jr. | Binghamton)
Now the Bearcats’ full-time starter at center, Bennett is building on a quality sophomore season (6.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg) by more than doubling her offensive output, averaging 13.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg through Binghamton’s first three games. It helps that two of those games were against non-Division I competition, but she contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds on 7-11 shooting against St. Bonaventure as well.

Xzayvier Brown (Jr. | Oklahoma)
Brown took a big jump from St. Joe’s to Oklahoma this past offseason, and he’s off to a great start in his new spot. Through four games, he’s averaging 19.0 ppg, 3.5 apg and 2.3 rpg on .553/.400/.941 splits as the Sooners are 2-2, with the losses coming at Gonzaga on a neutral court against Nebraska.

Izzy Casey (Soph. | Bucknell)
A recruited walk-on out of Germantown Academy, Casey appeared in 23 games as a freshman, averaging 1.3 ppg in 7.6 mpg. But she’s jumped right into the starting lineup as a sophomore, averaging 7.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg while shooting 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range early on. Her best game so far was 12 points and six rebounds at Penn State in their season opener.

Alena Cofield (Fr. | Rider)
Cofield was all set to play D-III ball at Arcadia under Jackie Hartzell, and instead she’s starting for Hartzell at the D-I level as a true freshman. Through the first four contests, the 5-3 guard from Neshaminy is averaging 8.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg while shooting 7-of-16 (43.8%) from 3-point range, with a season high of 14 points in the season opener against Lafayette.

Matt Compas (Sr. | IU Indy)
The Wissahickon grad became an NAIA All-American (third team) at Dalton State (Ga.), and turned that into an opportunity at IU Indy, formerly known as IUPUI. Through five games, the 6-4 lefty is their leading scorer (16.4 ppg) shooting 36-of-58 (62.1%) from the floor, almost entirely inside the arc (1-7 3PT), and he has more steals (16) than assists (8) and rebounds (7) combined.

Maggie Doogan (Sr. | Richmond)
The defending Atlantic 10 Player of the Year has taken her game to a new level to start her senior year. A 6-3 forward out of Hara, Doogan’s current stat line would be career points in scoring (22.8 ppg), rebound (10.3 rpg) and assists (5.8 apg), plus she’s 22-of-23 (95.7% from the line and is hitting 53.4% overall. No triple-double yet but she came close with a 25-point,12-rebound, eight-assist outing against William & Mary for the 3-1 Spiders. 

Jordan Ellerbee (Fr. | FGCU)
Ellerbee is off to a strong start to his college career. The 6-4 guard from St. Joe’s Prep has come off the bench in all four games for FGCU and has been an offensive spark, averaging 10.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg on .457/.385/.800 splits. He’s coming off his best game, 14 points on 4-8 shooting (3-4 3PT) in 25 minutes against Chattanooga. 

Kaitlyn Flanagan (Sr. | Holy Cross)
Holy Cross has had a wild start to the season, with three of its four games coming down to a single point, including an overtime loss to Marist on Sunday. Flanagan, a 5-10 point guard from Plymouth Whitemarsh and a fourth-year starter for the Crusaders, is putting up career bests in scoring (11.8 ppg), steals (2.0 spg) and 3-point shooting (42.9%) while averaging 4.3 apg and 2.5 rpg.

Logyn Greer (Fr. | Colorado)
It only took Greer three games to have her first big breakout performance. The 6-4 forward from Friends’ Central put together a 19-point, six-rebound effort against Portland State on 8-12 shooting (2-3 3PT, 1-2 FT), upping her averages to through three games to 12.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg on 50.0% from the floor.

Thomas Haugh (Jr. | Florida)
Haugh went from a featured reserve on a national championship piece a year ago (9.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) to a standout on a squad currently ranked No. 10 in the latest AP poll. The 6-9 forward, who played three years at the Perkiomen School, is averaging 19.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg on .500/.36/.688 split, all but the free throws the best marks of his career thus far — and that includes games against Arizona, Miami (Fl.) and Florida State, against whom he had 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Jackson Hicke (Jr. | Princeton)
Hicke’s progressed nicely in his three years at Princeton, moving into the starting lineup full-time as a junior after getting eight starts as a sophomore. He’s exact doubled his scoring from a year ago to 11.0 ppg through the Tigers ‘first four games, with 4.8 rpg and 1.8 apg, numbers all brought down due to limited minutes in a blowout win over D-III John Jay; he’s averaging 13.0 ppg against D-I competition.

Jacen Holloway (Soph. | Army West Point)
Holloway was a deeper reserve for the Black Knights as a freshman, the muscular 6-4 Devon Prep product averaging 2.6 ppg in 33 appearances. He’s started all four of their games thus far this year, averaging 10.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg, with a season-high of 16 points against new Division I program St. Thomas last week. 

Shareef Jackson (Fr. | Lafayette)
Jackson made his college debut in impressive fashion, with 16 points and eight rebounds against St. Joe’s on Nov. 3. That’s still the high-water mark for him, but the 6-8 Roman Catholic alum is averaging 9.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg in five starts for the Leopards, and he’s hitting 55.3% from the field.

Zahra King (Soph. | SMU)
King didn’t play basketball her senior year at Westtown and then had a quiet freshman year at Cal (2.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg in 19 appearances), but she’s finally getting back to some production her sophomore year, now at SMU. Starting all three games for the Mustangs, she’s averaging 11.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.7 apg on .480/.500/.800 splits against three D-I opponents, including two high-majors in Kansas State and Texas Tech.

Bahsil Laster (Soph. | UT-Arlington)
An Academy New Church product who spent a year at Harcum College, Laster has quickly made an impact at UT-Arlington, moving into the starting lineup three games into the season. Through four games, the 6-5 point guard is averaging 10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.8 apg on .500/.33/.783 splits, with a season-high 15 coming against NAIA North Texas-Dallas in the season opener.

Demetrius Lilley (Sr. | Binghamton)
Four games into his third collegiate stop, Lilley’s playing the best ball of his college career. In big minutes for Binghamton (34.8 mpg), Lilley’s averaging 16.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg, more than double his output a year ago at La Salle (7.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg). All four of Bing’s games have come against D-I opponents, and he put up 17 points and 13 rebounds against Syracuse, then most recently had 25 points and 12 rebounds in a game at Longwood over the weekend. 

Justin Moore (R-Jr. | Loyola Chi.)
It’s been a strong bounce-back to start the season for Moore. The former Bishop McDevitt/Archbishop Wood guard transferred from Drexel to Loyola last offseason and saw his numbers take a hit before suffering a season-ending injury nine games into the season. But he recovered in time to reclaim his starting position as a redshirt junior, and he’s putting up career-best numbers so far: 13.2 ppg and 5.2 apg while hitting 35% of his 3-pointers and 88.5% of his free throws.

Andrew Phillips (Jr. | Lafayette)
More of a secondary or tertiary offensive option for the Leopards last year (9.5 ppg), Phillips has had the ball in his hands quite a bit as a junior, averaging 15.6 ppg — second on the team — on .483/.393/.750 splits along with 3.6 rpg. His high-water mark thus far has been 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting against West Virginia on Monday night.

Ava Renninger (Soph. | FDU)
Renninger is quickly establishing herself as one of the top mid-major guards around. The sophomore from Archbishop Wood built on a strong freshman season (13.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg) and so far is averaging 17.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 5.0 apg through FDU’s first five games, doing it on .484/.429/.688 splits. She’s scored in double figures in all five games, including 20 points against Rutgers.

Amya Scott (Fr. | Delaware State)
‘Mouse,’ as the Neumann-Goretti product is known, isn’t off to a small start to her college career. Coming off the bench as the Hornets’ sixth woman, Scott’s averaging 10.8 ppg through five games, including 12 points against LIU in her most recent outing over the weekend. She’s shooting 41.8% from the floor and is also averaging 2.0 apg and 1.4 rpg.

Daniel Skillings (Sr. | Baylor)
A 6-6 wing out of Roman Catholic, Skillings’ numbers took a little step backwards between his sophomore (12.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and junior (9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) years at Cincinnati. Now in new digs at Baylor, he’s putting up 13.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg with the best shooting splits of his career (.484/.333/.600) thus far; he’s hit double digits in all three of the Bears’ games thus far. 

Taylor Wilson (Jr. | Army West Point)
An Archbishop Carroll guard who starts for the Black Knights along with her sister, Army sophomore Brooke Wilson, Taylor’s taken a major jump in her production this season. The 6-0 forward averaged 3.1 ppg in 57 games (four starts) between her freshman and sophomore years but has started all four contests thus far this season, averaging 11.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg while hitting 41.5% from the floor and 40.9% from 3-point range (9-of-22), including a 20-point game against D-II Pace (N.Y.). 

Jalen Warley (Sr. | Gonzaga)
A 6-6 Westtown School grad, Warley spent his first three seasons at Florida State, then transferred to Gonzaga in 2024 and got hurt, spending the last year on the sideline. He’s re-emerged this season in a new role as something of a small-ball ‘4,’ averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg while hitting 61.9% of his shots, all without taking a 3-pointer, in 22.5 mpg off the bench (four games).

Robert Wright III (Soph. | BYU)
Part of a high-powered BYU attack that’s got national championship hopes, Wright III is averaging 17.8 ppg and 4.0 rpg along with a team-high 4.3 apg through the Cougars a bump up from his freshman year at Baylor (11.5 ppg, 4.2 apg). The former Neumann-Goretti point guard, who finished up at Montverde Academy (Fl.), came oh-so-close to a triple-double with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists against Delaware, his best showing of the young season