City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The third annual CoBL Winter Showcase at Exeter Township is set to be our best in-season boys’ event yet, with multiple state championship contenders coming up to Reading for a 12-team, eight-game event this Friday and Saturday.

Five different PIAA districts will be represented over the course of the weekend, with teams coming from Philadelphia and its suburbs as well as the Scranton area, the Lehigh Valley and the Harrisburg area, bringing some of the top talent together from all over the state. 

Admissions will be $10 for everybody 14 years and older. Tickets will only be sold at the door; PIAA passes will not be accepted.

Here’s a close look at all eight games: 

Muhlenberg vs. Cedar Crest (Fri., 5:00 PM)

Things get underway with an all-District 3 battle. Muhlenberg, under the direction of head coach Matt Flowers, is coming off a 15-win season and hoping to build on it, led by standout junior wing Eli Hemmings. A 6-4 sharpshooter, Hemmings is a third-year starter for the Muhls, who also have experience back from last year in the form of senior forward Jadin Perez and junior guard Justin Armstrong, among others. Cedar Crest, coached by Tommy Smith, will be playing its season opener, coming off a 12-win season. The Falcons have been forward-focused the last few years but will be much more perimeter-oriented this year, including brothers Cam (senior) and Antonio Tirardo (junior) and junior guard Kai Speaks, along with several sophomore contributors. 

Berks Catholic vs. Eng. & Sciences (Fri., 6:45 PM)
A regular in CoBL’s Exeter showcase, Berks Catholic is coming off a 24-5 season and appearance in the PIAA Class 4A title game, where the Saints came up short against Devon Prep. But they’re back and aiming for another trip to Hershey, led by do-everything 6-3 wing and Colgate commit Kingston McKoy, a high-level scorer who also stuffs the stat sheet with rebounds, assists, steals, and more. He’s joined by returning senior Brady Altimar and a promising sophomore Carmelo Harper, a 5-10 guard who got a lot of experience a year ago. Eng. & Sciences, located just a couple blocks from Temple University in North Philadelphia, has high expectations of its own this year, as head coach Dustin Hardy-Moore has a strong group of upperclassmen in his rotation. Senior wing Sahin Rodriguez and senior guards Fareed Brown and Matt McField are the experienced leaders, while 6-4 guard Billy Henighan, a Germantown Friends transfer, adds a burst of shooting and athleticism to the perimeter. This will be a test for the Engineers, but they want to show they’re ready for it.

Exeter Twp. vs. Pottstown (Fri., 8:30 PM)
There should be a great crowd for the Friday finale, as Pottstown makes the 15-mile trip up 422 to take on the event hosts in a matchup of 5A programs from across district lines. Exeter Twp. features senior wing Aidan Dauble, who’s closing in on 1,000 career points, along with four-year varsity member Jayden Ware and returning starter, junior forward Braylon Reinert, their top rebounder at about 6-3. Pottstown has some size in the form of 6-5 senior Yahsir Wood, one of their top returning players; he, forward Elias Butler (6-2), and guards Kamrin Robinson (5-10) and Syncere Whitehurst (5-10) are all seniors and returning varsity contributors, giving head coach Ken Ivory a good burst of experience to work with. 

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Cedar Crest vs. Pottstown (Sat., 12:45 PM)
It’s a quick turnaround for Pottstown, which has the night to recover from its game against Exeter to come back and play a 6A opponent. Pottstown will have the size advantage in this one thanks in large part to the presence of Wood, but other than that the teams are evenly matched from a physicality standpoint. The biggest advantage Pottstown might have is its experience: the Trojans have nine seniors on the roster, with only two juniors and two sophomores along with them, while the Falcons have only three seniors along with five juniors and four sophomores. 

Penncrest vs. Riverside (Sat., 2:30 PM)

Saturday really gets rocking and rolling with this high-level matchup between two teams that want to be playing in Hershey in a few months in their respective classes, preferably after District titles as well. Penncrest has its eyes on the District 1 and PIAA 5A crowns, with a loaded group led by the senior quartet of Mikey Mita (6-7), Sean Benson (6-2), Connor Cahill (6-0) and Will Stanton (5-11), all under the direction of master tactician Mike Doyle. Riverside has one of the brightest prospects coming out of Northeast PA in quite some time in 6-3 sophomore guard Nico Antoniacci, a high-scoring sharpshooter, who surpassed the 50-point mark in Riverside’s opener in just the first half. He’s got plenty of help, primarily in the form of 6-4 junior Brayden Rose, another scholarship-level wing who gives them good physicality and versatility; the pair are one of the best duos in the state. 

Berks Catholic vs. Parkland (Sat., 4:15 PM)
One big-time matchup is followed by another, as Berks Catholic and Parkland are regular district champions in their respective districts and classifications — Berks in District 3 4A, Parkland in District 11 6A — and are annual state tournament contenders. The Trojans have their own Division I wing prospect in 6-4 sharpshooter Blake Nassry, part of a group that’s got great overall size with the likes of Ryan Kearney (6-6), Jude Ruisch (6-5) and Bear Jacobs (6-5), all seniors, plus senior guard Nas Adams (5-8) and junior TJ Lawrence (5-11). Expect a high-scoring affair here with plenty of shot-making back and forth between two well-coached programs that have athletes up and down the rosters. 

Exeter Twp. vs. Pottsgrove (Sat., 6:00 PM)
Exeter completes its weekend against the whole city of Pottstown by taking on the city’s other high school, which is coming off a 23-win season and a PIAA 5A second-round appearance, with eyes on topping that showing. Senior wing Deymein Doctor, a talented 6-5 guard/forward, plays at the top of head coach Scott Palladino’s 1-3-1 zone press, and he’s one of three returning starters along with fellow seniors Bryce Phillips and Greg Rosenberger. They do have a couple key pieces to replace from a year ago, but they’re expecting to be deep and talented, and this is an early chance to prove it on the road. 

Wilson West Lawn vs. Abington (Sat., 7:45 PM)
The event caps off with a terrific 6A battle between two proud programs with long histories of hoops success. Abington’s got a deep, athletic and talented team, led by the backcourt of senior guard Faizon ‘Skittles’ Garland and junior guard Xander Grasty, plus junior wing Kyler Pickron (6-3), senior wing Amari Stone (6-4) and rapidly-improving junior forward Malcolm Lucas (6-6); head coach Dan Marsh went 16 deep in the team’s season-opening win over Bensalem, all during the course of a competitive game. Wilson West Lawn has a roster stocked with underclassmen; senior guard Correll Akins, a multi- year starter, is one of just three seniors on the whole roster, and head coach Matt Coldren has a couple freshmen in the mix along with five juniors and four sophomores on the roster.