Philadelphia Players Turn Heads at Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest

Over the weekend, the Southern Hoop Group Jam Fest took place at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Virginia. AAU season is currently in full swing, and the Jam Fest was just one of many high-profile events over the weekend. The folks at Hoop Group do a tremendous job of recapping their events, and while reading over the recaps, I came across a number of familiar names. As anyone who follows high school in the Philadelphia area knows, the area is littered with talented freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. A handful of those talented players got themselves some publicity over the weekend. Their names, and links to the articles, are provided below.

The Team Final 16U team took home the title over the weekend. The team stars Chester sophomore Rondae Jefferson, Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore guard Davon Reed, Saint Pat's sophomore forward Austin Colbert, and a number of other big-time prospects. The link below details the success that Neumann-Goretti sophomore Johnny Davis had over the weekend. In the article, he claims offers from Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Delaware, as well as interest from Rutgers and Seton Hall.
Johnny Davis Getting Press

Two of the most talented freshmen in the area are, without a doubt, Roman Catholic's Shep Garner and Neumann's Ja'Quan Newton. Garner and Newton both play in the Team Final 15U backcourt together. As the article points out, there are unlikely to be many backcourts in that age bracket with their firepower. That article can be found here.

Another Roman Catholic guard, rising senior Montana Mayfield, also got himself some positive press this weekend, primarily due to a 31-point outburst for his NJABC team. Mayfield talks about his game and recruitment here.

PIAA Boys' Basketball Round-Up

On the campus of Penn State, three games are down, with one to come this evening. The city of Philadelphia is 3-0, with Math, Civics, and Sciences, Neumann-Goretti, and Imhotep Charter all taking home state championships.

In the Class A championship game yesterday afternoon, MCS Charter downed Lincoln Park 70-55. Sophomore Jeremiah Worthem was the story of the day for MCS, as he took charge in the second half and led his team with 22 points and 12 rebounds. For Lincoln Park, senior Chaquille Pratt led the way with 27 points. Junior center Devontae Watson contributed 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots for Lincoln Park. Saint Joseph's and Temple are two of the schools heavily recruiting Watson. According to Rick O'Brien's article in the Inquirer (linked here), both SJU's Phil Martelli and Temple's Fran Dunphy were in attendance for the game.

Watson is not the only player that Temple and SJU were looking at. Jeremiah Worthem, who scored his 22 points on an array of jumpers, drives, and emphatic fast-break dunks, has also been offered by both schools. According to Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (linked here), Martelli offered the sophomore a scholarship after the game. Rick O'Brien's article states that Worthem has offers from SJU, Temple, Drexel, and Rice. That interest, and those offers, are only going to grow as Worthem's stock continues to increase.

Last night, Neumann-Goretti won their second consecutive Class AAA title 55-45 over Montaur. Montaur actually held the lead late in the third quarter before Neumann upped the defensive intensity and just about ran Montaur off the court. The Saints had a balanced scoring attack, but the spark plug for them down the stretch was 6'2 freshman guard Ja'Quan Newton. Newton scored 13 second-half points, mostly coming off steals and fast-break opportunities. He was a terror on the defensive end, doing everything in his power to shut down Devin Wilson and the other Montaur guards. Helping Newton out were Derrick Stewart (14 points and 10 boards) and Johnny Davis (12 points). Neumann lost four starters from last year's state championship team, but still returned to Happy Valley this weekend, and they will return home state champs once again. With four of their five starters returning next year, they will be prohibitive favorites to win Class AAA yet again. Rick O'Brien's article on the game can be found here.

Moments ago, Imhotep Charter's Class AA game came to an end. They too will return to Philadelphia state champs, after a resounding 67-34 win over Greensburg Central Catholic. Greensburg kept the contest close at the beginning but just didn't have the talent or depth to deal with Imhotep.

Tonight, Chester will look for the Class AAAA state title against Mount Lebanon.

Image of Jeremiah Worthem above from Christopher Weddle of the Centre Daily Times.

Weekend Rundown

Over the past two days, a number of noteworthy high school games were played in the area. A rundown on those games, a look forward, and a few recruiting notes are below.

On the recruiting front, Roman Catholic senior big Junior Fortunat attended the Seton Hall-Marquette game last night. Junior has seen a number of schools jump into his recruitment since becoming NCAA eligible last week, which I reported on here.

According to Alex Kline's Twitter, Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore Davon Reed was in attendance at yesterday's Temple-La Salle game. Both schools have already offered the 6'4 guard. In addition to those schools, Saint Joseph's, VCU, Rutgers, and West Virginia have also extended scholarship offers Davon's way.

Temple also hosted another significant recruit this weekend, as Westtown (PA) junior center Daniel Ochefu took an unofficial visit to campus on Friday with his parents. An article from Philly.com on his visit is linked here. His final four schools are Temple, Villanova, Georgetown, and Texas.

In New Jersey playoff action yesterday, Teaneck advanced with a 20-point win over Sparta. Chris Jones, a junior wing who has interest from the Hawks, had 11 points in the win, while sophomore guard Joel Hernandez dropped 23. An article on the game can be found here.

On Friday night, another junior guard with SJU interest helped his team advance. Seton Hall Prep junior guard Dallas Anglin had a game-high 28 points to guide his team past Paramus Catholic. Anglin had interest from the Hawks, Boston University, George Washington, Rice, and many others. He has been on a tear during this playoff run, and more schools are bound to take notice.

In Philadelphia, Friday night was full of high school hoops as well. The night's premier matchup was the District 1 Class AAAA title game between Chester and Council Rock North. Maurice Nelson led the way for Chester, scoring 22 points. Chester had four double-digit scorers, and easily dispatched of Council Rock North, 66-43. RIck O'Brien's article from the Inquirer can be found here.

Philadelphia's District 12 Class AAA championship game took place Friday night at Archbishop Ryan, and featured Philadelphia Catholic League champs Neumann-Goretti and Philadelphia Electrical and Technology. Neumann took a 33-23 lead into the half, eventually winning 62-54. Two stars for Neumann were sophomore Johnny Davis, who tallied 18 points and 18 rebounds, and sophomore Derrick Stewart who had 15. PET got 19 points from Hakeem Baxter, and 9 each from Devante Chance and Carrington Ward.

2/12 Odds and Ends

It was a great night of high school hoops in Philadelphia on Friday. I was unable to make it out to any of the games, but fans were treated to a number of great games with major implications.

First off, Friends' Central defeated Academy of the New Church last night for the Friends League title. It is their second consecutive title, one they captured with a 52-48 victory last night at Haverford College. Unsigned senior guard Devin Coleman had 17 points and 6 boards for Friends' Central. Star junior Amile Jefferson had 12 points and 8 rebounds, despite battling foul trouble once again. For ANC, junior Marcus Gilbert had 18 points. Recently named McDonald's All-American Rakeem Christmas had 7 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Rick O'Brien's article from Philly.com is linked here .

In the Philadelphia Catholic League, Neumann-Goretti defeated Saint Joseph's Prep on a final-second three by Lamin Fulton. With the game tied at 74, Neumann rebounded a Prep miss and called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Fulton heaved a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving Neumann a 77-74 win. Lamin Fulton was the star for Neumann, but also got help from sophomore guard Johnny Davis, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. For the Prep, the star was once again sophomore Steve Vasturia. He had 28 points for Saint Joseph's Prep. The box score and recap are linked here .

In Saint Joseph's recruiting news, according to Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop, coaches watched Princeton Day School's Davon Reed on Thursday night. Reed appears to be one of the staff's top recruiting target in the 2013 class.

On Wednesday, Ted Silary released a list of the city's best college basketball prospects. It's well worth a look. The article is linked here .

Eddie Griffin Challenge Sophomores

Here we go, although I know it's a week late. Last week I provided a recap of the juniors game at the Eddie Griffin Challenge. The Philadelphia team won behind a huge effort from Amile Jefferson. Since that update, one of the other PA stars, Ryan Arcidiacono, has made his college choice. The Neshaminy guard is headed to the Big East and Villanova.

In all honesty, the sophomore game was played more competitively, and at a higher level, than the junior game. It was obvious, from the get-go, that the sophomore class in Philadelphia and New Jersey is loaded with talent. Like the junior and senior games, the sophomore game was also won by the Philadelphia team. Player summaries are below:

First, from the Philadelphia side of things.

Brandon Austin- Austin, who attends Imhotep Charter in the city, has an incredible skill set for someone his size and age. The 6'6 wing is an above-average ball-handler and can hit from the perimeter. Brandon was at his best attacking the basket, where he took advantage of his size advantage over the NJ perimeter defenders. He possesses great athleticism, and a great knack for the ball on defense, which led him to his 4 steals in the game. On the offensive side of things, he poured in 14 points for PA en route to his co-MVP honors. Like Britton Lee, the other co-MVP who is up next, Austin was at his best when the game was on the line. Austin, like everyone else written about here, is only a high school sophomore, so he has plenty of time to expand his game and bulk up. The talent is certainly there, and this is a name you will likely hearing a lot of over the coming years.

Britton Lee- Lee was one of the two Roman Catholic players on the PA team. If what he displayed in this game is any indication, he will be getting plenty of minutes for Roman this year. Although Lee checks in right around 5'10, he is lightning quick and doesn't allow his height to slow him down. He was very strong taking the ball to the basket, not shying away from contact, and allowing his strength and athleticism to aid him finishing around much taller defenders. Lee scored 11 points in the contest, most of which came down the stretch in the 4th quarter, when he and Brandon Austin took over. Depending on his growth, among other factors, it will be interesting to see how his recruitment starts to pan out over the next year or so.

Johnny Davis- Davis is a 6'4 wing guard from Neumann-Goretti. Neumann lost Tony Chenault, Tyreek Duren, and Daniel Stewart to graduation in June, so Davis looks primed to log major minutes this year. He is a strong guard with some serious size. Davis dropped 11 points in a very business-like performance. As he plays this year for Neumann against a tough schedule, it will be interesting to watch how his game develops. The tools are in place for Davis to be a major figure in Philly hoops for the next three years.

Rondae Jefferson- The younger brother of current Temple sophomore Rahlir Jefferson, Rondae looks to have an equally bright future. Rondae looks to be every bit as tall as Rahlir already, as a high school sophomore. He also possesses his brother's athleticism. Rahlir had a nice freshman year for Temple last year and will probably have an expanded role this season. Although it was just a glimpse, I think that Rondae has a great high school and college career in front of him.

Yosef Yacoub- Yacoub was a pleasant surprise. Although very thin, the guard from Archbishop Carroll was crafty with the ball. Despite a strange release, he canned three treys in the game en route to 11 points. Yosef and Juan'ya Green will team up in the backcourt for Carroll this season, giving them a solid one-two punch. Based on this one game, and a number of other things, it's hard projecting the future for Yacoub. Although not always pretty, he got it done for the Philly squad.

Karon Davis- Friends' Central already boasts an amazing one-two punch with Amile Jefferson and Devin Coleman. Karon Davis looks ready to get involved for Friends' Central this year in a major way. In a game loaded with talented guards, Davis at times looked like the best guard on the court for Philly. While Lee led the comeback and Davis played a rock-solid game, Davis had 2 or 3 outbursts in this one that really impressed.

Now from the New Jersey team:

Kavon Stewart- Stewart, all 5'8 of him, is an absolute jet on the court. Throughout the game, Stewart took the ball baseline to baseline in the blink of an eye. Despite being well under 6 feet, Stewart is still able to get above the rim and throw down, which tells you all you need to know about his athleticism. For 3 quarters, Stewart was the best guard on the court. In the fourth, Britton Lee took it to him. Stewart already has a number of high majors tracking him. He played for Paterson Catholic last year, and due to their closing, moved over to Hudson Catholic over the summer.

Reggie Cameron- Cameron, like Stewart, played at Paterson Catholic last year. Like Stewart, he too made the move to Hudson Catholic, giving them two of the best sophomores in the state. Cameron stands right around 6'5 and looks like he will grow more. He showed off what was probably the smoothest stroke in either game this contest. Reggie shoots the ball with confidence, and the confidence is justified. He recently attended Villanova's Midnight Madness and has the in-state schools looking too. The big if with Cameron will probably be his growth. He's not especially quick or athletic, so he looks to me a wing or face-up 4. His ability to shoot the ball will attract all sorts of schools. If he either grows a bit or improves his quickness, the sky is the limit for him.

Josh Brown- Brown was yet another player from Saint Anthony participating in the Eddie Griffin Challenge. While I had never heard of Brown before this game, he managed to stand out in a high-level game. He and Reggie Cameron both had 12 points for Jersey. Unlike Cameron, who scored primarily from the perimeter, Brown scored more around the basket. Standing right around 6'3, Brown is very athletic and active on the defensive side of the ball. He excelled in the up-and-down tempo of this contest. Brown did hit one deep jumper in the game, and that area of his game will likely determine his future. Brown will play in a super-talented backcourt alongside Myles Mack, Kyle Anderson, and Rashad Andrews this season. Look for him to start making a name for himself too.

Jaren Sina- I was excited to see Sina after hearing so much about him. Like Ryan Arcidiacono in the junior game and Reggie Cameron in this one, Jaren was hitting threes during warm-ups from 6 and 7 feet behind the three-point line. In addition to being a terrific shooter, Sina is also very crafty with the ball. He led the Jersey team with 7 assists in this game. Standing right around 6 foot, Sina is a combo guard that is fully capable of playing the point, especially considering his year. Like Stewart and Cameron, Sina has all sorts of schools involved already. He has already been on campus at Saint John's and Alabama, with plenty of other schools also looking to get involved.

Shacore Edwards (pictured above)- Shacore was another of the outstanding guards for New Jersey. The 6'4 guard from Irvington is ranked the 26th player nationally in his class by ESPN. Yes, ESPN does rank the 2013 class already. Irvington is a tough city, and Edwards truly embodies that spirit. On multiple occasions in this one, he lowered his shoulders and simply muscled his way to the rim. Edwards also drained a 3, in addition to the points he scored in attack mode. Rutgers, LSU, Arizona, West Virginia, Pitt, and Penn State are among the schools that have already begun recruiting Edwards, who claims that his dream school is West Virginia.

Austin Colbert and Jason Boswell were probably the two biggest names for NJ in this one, but neither produced much. You can see why schools have fallen in love with both, but neither really got into a groove for NJ. If they had, the result may have been different. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me to see Colbert playing in the McDonald's game a few years down the line.


Picture of Shacore Edwards is from Scout.com