City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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Many of the top prospects from Philadelphia and New York City’s sophomore, junior and senior classes battled it out for city bragging rights in a trio of games at Ben Franklin HS on Saturday night.

The Philly vs. NY All-City Classic -- a two-night affair that saw the city’s best 8th graders and 9th graders play a pair of games on Friday at Imhotep -- has long showcased the best talent in the two hoops hotbeds, and this weekend was no exception.

Here’s are the CoBL staff’s picks for standouts from the high school games:

Precious Achiuwa (2019/Our Savior Lutheran, N.Y.)
An elite prospect in the 2019 class, Achiuwa showcased why his ceiling appears to be a few notches above the typical high school sophomore. A high-energy player, he will punish opponents on the glass if he’s not carefully boxed out and he has does a solid job finishing around the rim. If the 6-foot-7 wing strengthens the soft touch from the perimeter he flashed on Saturday, his top-20 ranking won’t be in much danger as the athletic forward does a bit of everything that contributes to winning. Achiuwa’s nine-point third quarter Saturday (he finished with 15) paved the way for comeback victory for the New York squad.

Jose Alvarado (2017/Christ the King, N.Y.)
One of many Division I-bound senior guards playing in the final game of the night, Alvarado helped set the pace for a high-scoring game early with several early jumpers, including a pull-up 3-pointer in transition from the left wing. Alvarado, who stands 6-0 and weighs 170 pounds, is a confident lead guard who was making plays as often as he was making shots, finding teammates for open jumpers but also showing the ability to stop and pop on the fast break to keep defenders honest. The Georgia Tech commit finished with 15 points to lead his team to an 81-76 victory, winning team MVP honors as New York finished off the two-night series with a 3-2 overall victory.

Allen Betrand (2018/Roman Catholic, Pa.)
Though Betrand had an impact on the offensive end -- like pretty much everybody does in this sort of setting -- his most important contribution came defensively. With under a minute to play and his team clinging to a two-point lead, Betrand came up with a big block, pinning a NYC layup against the glass to prevent a tie game. The 6-4 guard found his shot as the game went on as well, knocking down two third-quarter 3-pointers to help him to an 11-point outing; he also displayed some nifty passing abilities, hitting teammates with no-look passes on the break on several occasions. St. Joe’s and La Salle have both offered.

Eric Dixon (2019/Abington HS, Pa.)
The best sophomore big man in the area showed why on Saturday, with another impressive performance on a big stage. At 6-7 and a solid 230 pounds, Dixon is a skilled lefty with an improving body who’s quickly growing into a high-major prospect. He finished with a team-high 13 points, bullying his way around the rim, but was equally impressive on the defensive end, handling some talented young forwards from New York with his strong fundamentals, rarely leaving his feet.

Mamadou Doucouré (2018/Our Savior New American, N.Y.)
A powerful, 6-9 forward, Doucouré proved to be an imposing force in the middle for the New York juniors. He was relentless on the glass, battling for second-and-third-chance opportunities against multiple opponents, securing whatever he could and keeping the rest alive for his teammates. A high-level defender and rebounder, he also showed off a well-developed offensive game, putting the ball on the floor and displaying a high-arcing hook shot that he could get off over any defender. With his muscular, athletic frame and his non-stop motor, it’s no surprise that high-major schools are all over Doucouré, one of many talented big men who plays with the PSA Cardinals’ EYBL program.

Quade Green (2017/Neumann-Goretti, Pa.)
Green showed the crowd why he will be playing at one of the blue bloods of college basketball next year right away by lighting up the scoreboard for the Philly All Stars. The Neumann-Goretti senior -- who’s being recruited by the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Syracuse -- scored nine points in the first quarter knocking down incredible incredible field goals with ease. In addition to scoring, Green also showed his dominance in ball handling and passing. His no-look, behind-the-back lob to Koby Thomas created a monster alley-oop dunk in the first quarter and energized his team. Green continued his stellar performance in the second half finishing with 16 points and earning the MVP award for his team.

Markquis Nowell (2018/Bishop Loughlin, N.Y.)
A sub-6-foot frame has never caused an opponent to overlook Nowell on the basketball court. Off the jump ball he drained back-to-back 3s to jumpstart an 11-point opening quarter. The 5-foot-8 guard was a bit more selective in his shots in the remaining periods, getting his teammates involved while finishing with 16 points. About 15 minutes after the collecting his MVP award, the Harlem native found himself donning a new jersey as he participated in the 2017 game, where he dropped 12 points while competing against his close friend Quade Green. Nowell’s college recruitment has begun to expand with contact from high-majors including California, Syracuse, Louisville, and Michigan, he said. Local schools Rutgers and Seton Hall remain in the hunt for the top 2018 NYC PG. He went on an unofficial visit to Seton Hall earlier this month, which went well, he said, but he doesn’t plan on taking anymore visits as he shifts his focus to the impending season.

Koby Thomas (2017/Imhotep Charter, Pa.)
Thomas dominated the paint, using all of his 6-5 frame to dunk with ease. Thomas energized his team in the first quarter by scoring eight points, six of which came from dunks. The recent Robert Morris commit let out a victorious roar as he came down from his vicious two-handed dunk to end the first quarter, firing up his squad. Thomas continued to flush alley-oop passes and breakaway dunks in the second half, finishing with a team-high 22 points. His complete control offensive and defensively in the pain allowed the Philly All Stars to remain close in the fourth quarter.

Jihad Watson (2019/Del-Val Charter, Pa.)
Team Philly’s backcourt came out connecting on all cylinders to start the freshman game, and Watson was one of the leading catalysts of the offense. Keeping him out the lane was a problematic and he made good on his scoring opportunities early with nine points in the first-quarter. The rising sophomore cooled off after the hot start, scoring just one more basket in the final three quarters. A 6-1 guard, his athleticism and scoring ability should help out a Del-Val squad that needs to replace several key seniors from a year ago.

Ahmad Williams (2018/Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pa.)
The Philly juniors were desperate for someone to step up and start hitting shots in the first half, and Williams responded with two pull-up 3-pointers, including one that turned into a 4-point play, to jump-start the comeback win. A physical 6-1 guard, he also played stout defense on the other end of the floor, doing his best to limit the explosive NYC backcourt. Williams, who along with twin brother Ahmin Williams will be likely moving into the starting lineup for the Colonials this year, is going to have to pick up a big scoring load with Xavier Malone now a freshman at Rider. His 13-point outing, which included another 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and earned him team MVP honors, is a good reason to think he’s heading in that direction.

Bryce Wills (2019/Iona Prep, N.Y.)
After observing the first quarter from the bench, Wills entered the contest and quickly took control of the offense. At 6-foot-5, 170 pounds, in addition to an arsenal of crossovers, Wills is a tough matchup at point guard, especially if he’s attacking the basket. Achiuwa set the table for the New York team to steal a victory in the tournament’s opening game, and Wills brought that to reality, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead bucket in the final minute of the game. One of several promising players in the PSA Cardinals pipeline, Willis said after the summer his recruitment has been crazy with interest from Maryland, UConn, Wake Forest, and St. John’s. “Pretty much everybody’s in equal contact,” said Wills, who reportedly holds offers from Penn State and Villanova, which he picked up after a workout last Thursday. “I’m not making my decision anytime soon, so I just want to see how it plays out.”