To all my X followers especially the basketball playing ones it's with a heavy heart that I must walk away from the game for the time being to deal with some serious health issues. For all you players finish the strong and good luck
I have had a terrible last ten months losing my Dad, Sister and 10 friends from Covid. Now comes news of my friend Tom Konchalski passing today. Words can't express my sadness with the loss of Tom one of the finest men i've ever had the pleasure of knowing. RIP & condolences!
RIP
@n_eavenson
a legend in the game and someone I considered a friend. I'll miss the conversations about basketball but also about our mutual interest in Baseball. My lasting memory will be of Norm in great spirits at the Philly Hoop Junkies dinner last month.
For Stepinac 6'6" Sr. Alan Griffin (Illinois) had 22pts 7asts 6stls 5reb, 5'11" Soph RJ Davis had 21pts 3asts and his 1,000th career point, 6'10" Jr. Joel Soriano had 14pts 16reb 2blks & 6'4" Fr. Adrian Griffin Jr. had 14pts 6reb 2blks in the win
Special hats off to John Mosco (Archbishop Wood) & Andre Noble (Imhotep Charter) for all the hard work and effort put in to making Philly Live II just as successful as last weeks event and one upping themselves in the process. Well done Coaches!
A major shout out to coaches John Mosco (Archbishop Wood) and Andre Noble (Imhotep Charter) on a well run
@PhillyHSLive
. Thanks as usual for the hospitality and for putting on a great showcase.
Great night this evening at the Philadelphia Hoop Junkies Dinner as we honored the Late Great Tom Konchalski (P) plus we also remembered Coach Jim Fenerty from Germantown Academy who also passed way too soon.
At the half sponsored by Norm Eavenson one of the keenest evaluators i've met in this game plus he was one of the nicest most introspective people you'd ever want to meet. Norm this chairs for you RIP. Blair Academy leads Worcester Academy 37-33
At Hoop Group's Elite Camp yesterday the player who stood out to me more than anybody was 6'6" '21 Moro Osumanu (Reading HS PA). Nobody outworked this young man who was relentless in the paint in both contests i viewed. He gets my Mr. Hustle award.
6'8" Sr. Zach Freemantle (Bergen Catholic) was aggressive on the glass getting boards and outletting the ball. The Xavier commit runs the floor with intent and he was crashing the offensive glass for monster putback slams. In win over South Shore he had 27pts 15reb.
Final in game 3 here at Carmel Christian as Greensboro Day gets past Christ School 87-55 as MOP 6'3" '20 Carson McCorkle had 31pts 5 treys 5stls in the win.
Much success and best wishes for Josh Verlin whatever his future holds. CoBL will be missed but i'm glad i got to know Josh and the rest of his guys. Good luck on your next venture!
Just heard that Reading HS coach Rick Perez was suspended for disagreeing with the school board over the cancellation of their season. How petty of them to not take any criticism over this callous act of denying these young men a chance to compete.1/
6'5" Sr. and Villanova recruit Bryan Antoine had a semi quiet day Sunday at Hoop Group scoring 17pts with 3 treys while blending into the scenery and making smart basketball plays to assist in the squads win. Typical of a Nova player where team comes first.
While the ending was disappointing for Archbishop Stepinac congrats to Coach Pat Massaroni for winning the Steve Bumm Memorial Coach Award which goes to the Coach who promotes the game and gets things done. So again congrats to Coach Massaroni.
Congrats to Hakim Hart (Roman) on his commitment to Maryland. Came to the Cahillites with a scorers reputation and is leaving with an elevated game that is just scratching the surface of what he can become down the road.From scorer to all around player hard work pays off.
Eye-Catchers class of 2022
@PangosAACamp
Part 5- 6'2" Jason Hart II (Providence HS, CA), 6'11" Kel'el Ware (North Little Rock HS,AR), 6'2" BJ Edwards (Knoxville Catholic, TN), 6'2" Austin Nunez (Wagner HS, TX) & 6'5" AJ Storr (AZ Compass Prep).
Final score at the National HS Hoops Festival Westtown School gets by NCA 59-39 behind game MVP 6'5" '22 Jameel Brown p-l)- 21pts 2 treys 16reb 4asts, 6'1" '22 Quin Berger had 14pts 9reb 4asts and 7'0" '22 Dereck Lively (p-r) added 9pts 11reb 4blks in the win.
Tournament MVP 6'6" '22 Quinn Clark enjoyed a solid weekend and Ivy and Patriot Schools may be missing the boat on this young man. He was truly deserving of the award and those academic schools should put him on their list of intriguing talent to monitor moving forward.
If your looking for something to do tonite the Donofrio Classic is back here in Conshocken at the Fellowship House. 1st game is Gibbs Elite vs. Just Clean It & game 2 is Hunting Park 1 vs. BW Elite 16 come on down.
For Devon Prep in their title game win 6'5" '23 Lucas Orchard (P-L) had 17pts 3 treys 5reb 4asts and 6'5" '23 Jacen Holloway (P-R) had 16pts 12reb 2blks 2asts to lead the Tide.
Day 2 Eye-Catchers
@UAassociation
Session II DC Premier 16u- '23's Jaden Johnson
#0
(Bishop McNamara), Kevon Corley
#10
(Rock Creek Christian) & Luke Smith
#23
(Collegiate School), '24 Machi Chester (Bishop O'Connell) / Team Breakdown- '24 Stone Bureau (
#1
in gray) (Suncoast HS).
Monday Eye-Catchers
#NikeEYBL
Pt. 4- JL3 Elite (TX)- Kam Burton
#22
(Legacy School of Sport Science), 6'3" '23 Robert Jones
#8
(John Paul II) & 5'9" '23 Trenton Walters
#2
(Liberty HS).
Congrats to Haverford School G Jameer Nelson Jr. on his commitment to St. Joseph's. A gritty player who works hard from his tough drives to the basket to his solid on ball defense. Like his dad Jameer Sr he will earn respect with a solid work ethic and all out effort.
Final in
#PIAABasketball
6A -Coatesville over Chester 96-82 as 5'10" Jr Jhamir Brickus had 52 pts 5treys 3stls and 5'9" Jr Dapree Bryant had 22pts 11rwb 8asts in the win.
Well i'm back in town and went straight to the Fellowship House in Conshohocken for the Donofrio Classic and saw one team play with just 4 players but unfortunately they ran out of steam and an OT thriller all while thinking of a lost friend in Norm Eavenson.
Some of the schools repping at Westtown today were U Conn (staff) and Xavier (staff), Syracuse, Marquette, Virginia, Pitt, VCU, GW, St. Joe's, Drexel, Penn, Columbia , Lehigh, Brown, Yale, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Delaware, Vanderbilt & Penn St.
Saturday Eye-Catchers-
@TheHoopGroup
Pitt Jam Fest - from Philly Revolution (HGSL) 16u 6'4" '26 Brian Donohue Archbishop Wood, from East Coast Power - 6'0" '25 KJ Carson
#30
Haverford School & from New World (HGSL) - 6'5" '25 Chris Richards
#11
Bullis School (MD).
Hats off to Andre Noble & John Mosco for pulling off another successful
@PhillyLive1
showcase. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to cover this fantastic event. Great job by all involved and am looking forward to
@PhillyLive2
this coming weekend at St. Joseph's Prep.
Congrats to Isaiah Wong (Bonner-Prendie/Miami) on being selected the Art Andrey, Sr. MVP Award winner with a championship game performance of 27pts 3 treys 9reb as We R 1 took home the title.
Congrats to Jalen Gaffney (U Conn) and John Bol Ajak (Syracuse) as they prepare for their journey to D-1 basketball. A shout out also to all the Westtown School athletes who were honored in a ceremony yesterday as they get set to continue their carrers in college as well.
Tuesday morning unsung players
@PangosAACamp
Pt. 1- Duke- 6'3" '23 Robert Jones Jr
#20
(Wasatch Academy UT), 6'9" '23 Zayden High
#95
(Smithson Valley HS TX), UNC- 6'5" '24 Quenton Rhymes (Bishop Gorman NV) & 6'0" '25 Eric Chatfield (Pace Academy GA).
For Philly Pride in game 2- Soph Jordan Longino (Germantown Academy) put up a monster effort with 45pts 9treys 9reb 6asts, Jaelen McGlone (Cheltenham) had 19pts 8asts and James Jones (Roxborough) added 14pts 16reb in their win.
We'll start with the Yellow squad's 6'3" '22 Jameel Brown (Haverford School) who led all scorers on this night with 36pts with 8 3's most from way beyond the NBA distance with an effortless stroke and fluid motion. For good measure he added 11reb 5stls and 3asts for a solid nite.
Congrats to Westtown School's TJ Berger on his commitment to the Penn Quakers. Solid shooter with range to the arc who is expanding his game as a ball handler & facillitator. Seems like his skillset screams Ivy League. Nice get for Penn here.
Game 4 final Combine Academy gets by ISA Academy 78-65 as MVP 6'6" '22 Jalen Hood-Schifino led with 29pts 6asts and 6'2" '20 Jalen Miller added 15pts 5 treys in the win.
UAA Association Eye-Catchers Part 4- Team Rio (NJ)- '22's Jayden Pierre (Long Island Lutheran), Ben Roy (Manasquan), Blaise Vespe (IMG) & Sean Logan (P) (Westfield HS) / B Maze Elite (TN)- '22's BJ Edwards (Knoxville Catholic) & Braden Ilic (Morristown-Hamblen East HS).
Total team effort in semi
#2
as Devon Prep knocks off Lower Merion 60-57 as IV Pettit, Luke Orchard , Allen Ceislak & Ty Mishock played vital roles and big minutes from incoming '25 Zane Conlan got them the W and they'll meet LaSalle College HS tomorrow night for the chip at 7p.
Final score Perkiomen School with a late burst gets past The Phelps School 90-79 as 5'10" '21 Honor Huff led all scorers with 27pts 5 treys 5asts and 6'8" '22 Thomas Haugh had 14pts 9reb 3blks to pace the victory.
I'm off and running on my journey to visit all 30 major league parks for the first time since 2014 and of course i'm starting at home (Citizens Bank Park) for Phillies vs. Mets. I'm actually calling it my 31 for 30 tour as the Blue Jays are starting out in Dunedin.
What more can I say except
@BroAndre78
and
@WoodBoysBball
put on two great weeks of HS basketball at the
#PhillyHSLive
events. Great hoops lots of coaches I haven't seen in ages and the hospitality was off the charts. As they say at the movies I gave it 2 thumbs up.
Day
#3
16u Eye-Catchers
@UAassociation
Atlanta XPress- '23's Stephon Castle
#2
, Jakai Newton
#4
& Marcus Whitlock
#11
(All from Newton HS) / We R 1 (DE)- '23 Darrien Grady
#1
in gray (The Shipley School) & '23 Bobby Rosenberger (Perkiomen School).
Just so you guys don't think i've gone totally baseball i'm here at Team Final's new facility in Wilmington for "The Scrimmage" and up 1st in a 15u tilt we have Team Final Red vs. K-Low Elite tipping at 9a.
Really liked the play of Houston Hoops 6'4" '23 Jace Posey (Strake Jesuit)
#NikeEYBLOrlando
as he is active around the basket and can knock down the three which he did with about a minute to go vs. Team Takeover to put his team up 5.
For Devon Prep 6'5" '23 Lucas Orchard led with 18pts 7stls 2 treys 4reb 2blks, 6'2" '22 Argel "IV" Pettit had 13pts 2stls and 6'5" '23 Jacen Holloway added 9pts 4reb 2asts 2stls in the win.
Like the play from 6'0" '22 Kailon Nicholls
#5
in blue of UPLAY Canada who played at University HS here in Florida this past season but hails from Toronto. He has a smoothness to his game from his handle to his jumper and is a credible defender and pin point passer.
6'3" '22 Jameel Brown
#5
(Haverford School) is a smooth operator who looks to be in low gear while he blows right by you or pulls up to hit a 25 footer in your face. He has an effortless release with unlimited range and a vast arsenal of weapons to frustrate any defender.
Final Perkiomen School wins Westtown Invitational 75-66 over Phelps behind 6'4" '19 Chris Arcidiacono with 31pts 4 treys 5reb 3asts & 6'5" Jr. Niels Lane with 28pts 6reb in the win.
If your looking for a hoop fix look no further than Jefferson University this Fri.-Sun. for Philly Live 1 a team camp constituting the first live period where D-1 coaches can come out to evaluate prospects with their HS teams. Action kicks off Fri. at 6p
For St. John's College HS 5'11" Soph Ishmael Leggett had 18pts 8reb 3asts, 6'2" Jr. Casey Morsell had 16pts, 6'6" Sr. Richard Njoku had 14pts 5reb, 6'6" Jalin Abbott had 12pts 6reb & 6'0" Sr Tre Wood (U Mass) added 11pts 7asts 3stls in their win
Congrats to Trenton Catholic high flyer Jamir Watkins on his commitment to VCU. His athleticism is off the charts with a quick first jump to get to the hoop for buckets or boards and his quick feet and hands make him a potential plus defender.
To all my friends on Twitter have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I pray that next year will be better than the shit show we're leaving behind!
Final Dematha over McEachern 73-63 behind MVP 7'1" Soph Hunter Dickinson w/24pts 12reb 4asts & 6'6" Soph Earl Timberlake Jr. w/16pts 4asts and he hit all 10 of his FT's (13-14 overall) in the win
Shootout Series final as Moline slips past Carmel 63-54 behind game MVP 6'10" '23 Owen Freeman
#32
(Iowa) with 26pts 14reb 3blks, 6'4" '25 Treyvon Taylor
#22
had 15pts 5reb 2stls and 6'0" '23 Brock Harding
#2
added 14pts 2 treys 3asts in the win.
In a 15u semi Team Final moves on to the 10:30a championship game tomorrow with a 61-57 win over Bradley Beal Elite behind a great effort from 6'3" '22 Jameel Brown with 23pts 3 treys 4asts 4stls in the win.
For Vermont Academy 6'10" Simi Shittu led w/25pts 19reb, 6'3" Soph Symir Torrence w/17pts 4 treys and 6'3" Jr. Tyler Bertram added 11pts 3 treys in the loss
Day 2
@PangosAACamp
and class of 2023 Eye-Catchers for today Part 1, 6'5" Ja'Kobe Walter (McKinney HS, TX), 6'4" Elmarko Jackson (ANC, PA), 6'5" Carl Cherenfant (Calvary Christian, FL), 6'9" Jayden Hastings (OCP, FL) & 7'1" Isaiah Miranda (Phelps School, PA)
From the night time session here at Hoop Group Future All American camp these guys stood out: 6'7" '22 Chisom Okpara (Vermont Academy), 6'5" '22 Justin Taylor (St. Anne's Belfield), 6'9" '22 Lual Lual (Blair Academy) & 6'6" '22 Taylor Bol Bowen (Mt. Mansfield HS VT)
Some more top players at Pangos- 6'3" '22 Mark Armstrong (St. Peter's Prep), 7'3" '22 Bol Kuir (South Charleston, WV), 6'0" '22 Preston Murphy Jr (St. Andrews, RI), 6'4" '22 Noah Best (Mt. St. Michael's, NY) & 6'8" '22 Elijah Jones (Pleasantville).
5'10" '20 Isaiah Wilson (1st Love Christian) was a factor in Team Final's win with his solid burst and ball handling along with his ability to spot up from the perimeter or drive the paint and dish to waiting teammates for scoring chances.
For Newton
#CityofPalmsClassic
6'7" All Tourney selection Stephon Castle
#2
(U Conn) had 24pts 2 treys 10reb 5asts and 6'2" '23 Marcus Whitlock
#22
added 16pts 2 treys 4reb 4stls in the win.
In OT Lake Highlands squeezed past Newton HS 76-68 behind 6'6" '24 Tre Johnson
#20
with 27pts 4 treys 9reb 3asts, 5'11" '24 Jaylen Washington
#0
had 19pts 2 treys 6asts 5reb and 6'2" '23 Warren Hamilton had 11pts 3 treys 6reb in the win.
Final score
#CityofPalmsClassic
as Imhotep Charter becomes the first PA school to win the City of Palms chip with a 61-44 win over Columbus HS. Stats to follow shortly.
Final in 16u Team Durant got huge 1st half performances from 6'3" Rodney Rice Jr. (Bullis School) & Gabe Dorsey (Hill School) to knock off Team Takeover 74-57
Again on Ct.
#13
#NikeEYBLOrlando
6'7" '23 Justin Edwards (Imhotep Charter) is balling out for Team Final (PA) with an assortment of dribble drive moves and 3 balls.