City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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The Scholastic Play-By-Play events schedule continues this weekend with the 17th-annual Kobe Bryant Classic, featuring seven games over two days of action on Friday and Saturday.

Plenty of future Division I, II and III players will be taking the court in the latest event run under the SPBP banner, led by the incredibly talented Westtown School, as well as District 3’s top prospect and a few of Philly’s best squads.

Here is the full schedule for the event, with standout players to watch afterwards; all games at Philadelphia University:

Friday, January 15
Math, Civics & Sciences vs. Salesianum (Del.), 6:30 PM
Westtown vs. Lawrenceville Prep (N.J.), 8:15 PM

Saturday, January 16
Friends’ Central vs. Germantown Academy, 1:45
Lower Moreland vs. Sanford (Del.), 3:30
Conestoga vs. Reading, 5:15 PM
Academy New Church vs. St. George’s (Del.), 7 PM
Life Center Academy (N.J.) vs. Martin Luther King, 8:30 PM

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Players to watch:

Mohamed Bamba (Jr., Westtown)
The highest-profile prospect in the event, Westtown’s 6-11 center is being recruited by the blue bloods of college basketball: Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville, Syracuse, Villanova and about 20 others are in pursuit of the athletic big man with a surprisingly developed offensive game in addition to fierce rebounding and shot-blocking abilities. A top-10 player in the 2017 class, Bamba looks headed towards the NBA with continued body development and refinement in his game.

Darryl Caldwell (Sr., Conestoga)
The Pioneers have a number of solid players who deserve mention here, including fellow seniors M.J. Lezanic and forward Andrew Larkin, but Caldwell is the engine behind 'Stoga's train. A three-year starter at point guard, Caldwell is the prototypical District 1 lead guard, calm under pressure and deferential early who can find a way to take and hit big shots in late-game situations. All sorts of area Division III programs are on his tail.

Chuck Champion (Sr., Friends’ Central)
One of the best shooters in this event is the future Loyola Greyhound, one of two future D-I players on the Phoenix. A 6-foot-2 combo guard, Champion is an absolute sniper from 3-point range who's equally comfortable launching off the bounce or working off screens and draining catch-and-shoot jumpers. He's also becoming a much more confident attacker who uses the glass well when he attacks the bucket, and he's an underrated passer as well.

Matthue Cotton (Soph., Academy New Church)
One of three sophomores on the Lions with a potential Division I future is this 6-foot-4 wing, a left-handed 3-point specialist who's starting to round out his game. Alongside the slashing Justin Anderson, the second member of the trio--a third can be found down below--Cotton serves as the team's sharpshooter. Lately, he's starting to utilize a pump-fake to get his defender up in the air and attack the rim, though he still struggles driving to his right; as his handle improves, his stock will soar.

Mikey Dixon (Sr., Sanford School)
One of the best scorers in the event is this future Quinnipiac Bobcat, who's been tearing up the Delaware courts for the last few years. A 6-1 combo guard, Dixon is as confident in his ability to put the ball through the hoop as any around, and he won't hesitate to pull up and drain jumpers from anywhere on the court. But he's a tough lead guard who can create for his teammates almost as well as he hits shots, and isn't afraid to get up in the face of the man he's defending.

Danny Duffey (Sr., Lower Moreland)
The two-time defending Bicentennial Athletic League’s MVP is Lower Moreland’s senior floor general, who does a lot of the heavy lifting for the Lions’ offense. Duffey can handle, pass and score around the rim equally well with both hands, and he uses that to his advantage to get crafty against more athletic or taller defenders. Lower Moreland's offensive attack is based around Duffey's ability to create for his teammates, who space the floor and knock down shots; plenty of small-college programs are interested in his services next year.

Devon Goodman (Sr., Germantown Academy)
The Patriots’ jet-quick point guard is enjoying a very good senior year, averaging 19.8 ppg for a GA squad that’s 12-4 and going for its fourth consecutive Inter-Ac championship. Goodman, who’s committed to Penn next fall, is at his best in the open court, converting turnovers into points in a matter of seconds; he’s also gotten a more consistent jumper along the way.

Lamar Hamrick (Sr., St. George's)
A tough, 6-4 scoring wing who plays hard on both ends every time on the court, Hamrick leads St. George's with 25 ppg and 11 rpg. He's not the only scoring threat on the Hawks--junior guard Kyson Rawls and freshman Nah'Shon Hyland have both been averaging well into double figures--but he's got the ability to take over a game for long stretches, knocking down 3-point shots and throwing down big-time dunks on the break thanks to his powerful athleticism.

DeAndre Hunter (Sr., Friends’ Central)
A Virginia commit, Hunter is a 6-7 wing with the ability to score from all three levels. After missing his sophomore season with a leg injury, he got his groove back during his junior year and then broke out last summer with Philly Pride, earning him a number of high-major offers before he chose to be a Cavalier. Long and lanky, Hunter has a crafty offensive game with the ability to knock down 3-pointers, operate out of the high post and get to the hoop.

Tariq Ingraham (Fr., Salesianum)
Remember this name, because it’s sure to be one you’ll likely hear connected with some high-level Division I programs before long. Ingraham is a 6-foot-9 forward with a very well-developed body for someone just in his first year of high school, and he’s well ahead of the curve of where a young man with that kind of height should be at his level. He’s already pretty smooth around the rim with a good motor and shot-blocking instincts.

Marcus Littles (Soph., Academy New Church)
Littles by name only, this 6-foot-8, 240-pound big man has an impressive frame for an underclassman in high school, and he's much more than just a large body. Littles moves very well for his size, with good footwork and hands, and a solid ability to score the ball from out to 15 feet. When his motor is running at its highest--which is happening more and more often--he's relentless on the glass. St. Joseph's has already offered, and if he continues to progress he could be a high-major power forward in two years.

Evan-Eric Longino (Jr., Germantown Academy)
Though he doesn’t have a Division I offer in his pocket yet, Longino has certainly looked the part during his junior year. The 6-foot-5 wing has an interesting 220-pound frame but carries it well, and he’s extremely versatile with both a solid perimeter and post-up game. A lefty, Longino plays anywhere from the ‘1’ to the ‘4’ for the Patriots, and can defend any of those positions at the high school level as well.

Brandon Randolph (Jr., Westtown)
One of a few new pieces for Westtown is this Bronx native, whose stock is skyrocketing after he missed the entire AAU summer with a knee injury suffered last April. Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are amongst his newest offers, all coming in the last week. The 6-foot-6 off guard has been scoring at a high volume all season long, against a loaded national schedule that has included some of the best prep programs in the country.

Cameron Reddish (Soph., Westtown School)
Yes, the third Westtown player on the list, but they all deserve mention. Reddish, formerly of The Haverford School, is one of the nation's most talented sophomores. A 6-6 guard with a smooth outside shot, Reddish is billed as a point guard but is really just a combo guard who can do almost everything well, especially considering where he is compared to his similarly-aged peers. UConn, Penn State, Villanova and Auburn are the only offers right now, but expect dozens more to pour in this summer.

Lonnie Walker (Jr., Reading)
The top player in central Pennsylvania is this 6-foot-5 off-guard, who’s one of the better pure scorers around. Walker has a prototypical shooting guard’s body: strong and athletic, with long arms that help him guard all three spots on the perimeter. Walker is a confident scorer and shooter with no hesitation to pull up and drain long jumpers, but he’s also an adept finisher even through contact. High majors from across the country--including Stanford, Ohio State, Miami, Villanova, UCLA and Oregon--have offered.