City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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It’s been more than a quarter-century since Jeremy Treatman ran the first Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic, at the Liacouras Center in January 2000. His slate of events has expanded over the years to include numerous events in the Philadelphia area and beyond, with a regular slate of showcases taking place in this region every year. 

The first such Play-By-Play Classic of the 2025-26 season takes place this Saturday, Dec. 13 at Neumann University, with three big-time boys games featuring some of the top programs from the Philadelphia area this season. 

Here’s a look at all three:

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Kobe Bryant Classic @ Neumann University
Academy New Church vs. Tatnall School (Del.) (3:30 PM)

Every game in this event features numerous Division I prospects, including a few players ranked right up near the top of their class. That’s the case with Tatnall sophomore Mason Collins; a 6-foot-6 wing and the son of former Temple standout (and Tatnall head coach) Mardy Collins, Mason is smooth, long, skilled combo guard/forward who can affect the game in all sorts of ways, which is why he’s ranked No. 9 in the 247Sports composite. He’s surrounded by a mix of some under-the-radar seniors (Ayinde McLendon, Ellis Jarrett) and promising freshmen, like 6-4 Jalen Littlejohn and 5-6 Justen Wright II. 

Academy New Church doesn’t quite have anybody ranked that highly in the national rankings, but head coach Kevin Givens has a deep roster full of quality pieces. Senior wing Dior Carter (6-4), senior guard Bryce Rollerson (6-0) and senior forwards Ryan Warren (6-7) and Cameron Smith (6-7) are all scholarship-level ballplayers, and senior guard Jasin Custus-Dancy gives them even more experience on the court. The Lions’ calling card is their defensive toughness, but in Rollerson, Smith and Carter especially, they’ve got some upperclassmen who can get them a bucket, too. 

Coatesville vs. Bonner-Prendergast (5:15 PM)
Speaking of high-level prospects, both Coatesville and Bonner boast one of the area’s top scorers who can electrify a crowd on their own, much less going against one another.

Coatesville’s biggest name and the area’s currently highest-ranked prospect is sophomore Colton Hiller, a 6-6 wing and the No. 3 player in the 247Sports composite. An elite sharpshooter with constantly-improving on-ball abilities and versatility, Hiller has already shined on the international stage and his profile domestically continues to grow, giving Coatesville its best prospect since either Rip Hamilton or current head coach John Allen. Bonner counters with 6-3 junior Korey Francis, who’s being pursued by all sorts of mid-major and even some high-major programs, all interested in the combo guard’s ability to score from all three levels, distribute and defend, and his willingness to step up in big moments. 

With Francis and Hiller likely to draw a good bit of defensive attention, this one could very well come down to the play of their supporting casts. Coatesville has a couple 6-7 senior forwards to go to in Larry Brown and Jonas Chester, giving them a potential boost on the glass, and senior guard Chris Allegra is as tough as they come. Bonner-Prendergast’s strength is in its backcourt, with junior guards Kam Jackson and Jakeem Carroll joining Francis along with a couple newcomers in junior Masen Price and DaShaun Holden, giving head coach Billy Cassidy a high number of quality ball-handlers who can shoot from the outside and get to the rim. 

Roman Catholic vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh (7:00 PM)

This feels like the kind of game that could be a state quarterfinal or semifinal — and it very well could be in a few months, as both of these 6A teams have plans on playing deep into March. It’s an interesting study in coaches with opposite amounts of experience: Jim Donofrio has been at Plymouth Whitemarsh since before Brad Wanamaker was in high school, the first-year Roman Catholic coach taking over at his alma mater (‘07) this offseason after several seasons learning under Chris McNesby. But both have plenty of talent to work with, wearing the uniforms of two programs with storied hoops histories. 

Wanamaker’s roster this season includes five senior starters, though the only one back from last year is 6-7 wing Sammy Jackson (VCU). Point guard RJ Smith (La Salle), wing Bryce Presley and Al-Jalil Bey-Moore are new to the program, and guard Semaj Robinson was a reserve a year ago. There’s also a group of talented underclassmen, including sophomore guards Bradley Wanamerk III and Dwayne Ruffin, both of whom will see plenty of time bolstering the backcourt. Plymouth Whitemarsh has a powerful 1-2 punch in sharpshooting guard Mani Sajid (Towson) and punishing post Michael Pereira (Penn), part of a big senior class that Donofrio deploys which also includes guards Jack Hayes and Terron Davis and forward Micah Thompson, with junior Buddy Denard in a significant role as well. 

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