Post & Pivot Pre-Live: Day 2 Standouts
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Day 2 of the Pre-Live event was even better than the first. The individual performances were exceeded by the phenomenal play of teams as a whole. Across both days, I was impressed with how prepared teams were after 2-3 months…
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Continue ReadingDay 2 of the Pre-Live event was even better than the first. The individual performances were exceeded by the phenomenal play of teams as a whole. Across both days, I was impressed with how prepared teams were after 2-3 months off for grassroots play.
West Catholic
The Burrs came back to JeffersonU for more Pre-Live action and it was even better than the first. They’re still figuring themselves out, but viewing the process with a front row seat was eye-opening. Zion Stanford Zion Stanford 6'5" | SF West Catholic | 2023 State PA is growing into his role as an offensive hub, while erasing shots at the rim from the strong and/or weak sides. Adam “Budd” Clark was a pure Philly guard, mucking things up at the point of attack and creating advantages on offense. Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui 6'0" | CG West Catholic | 2023 State PA got settled into his position as a full-time starter and ran the second unit. Isaac Cole, bka “Ice”, is a starter now too, and counted on him for regular offense, which he delivered. Marcus Branker is the third new starter, after being a rotation player the last couple years. He did nasty work on the inside – rebounding on both ends, getting put-backs, and defending wings and bigs. Coach Boc has a handful of underclassmen who showed promise. The one who stood out most was Azeem Murphy, who played relentless on-ball defense when relieving Budd. West Catholic went 2-1 after playing their underclassmen big minutes in the 2nd part of a back-to-back and their third game of the day.
West Philly
The Speedboys also returned for another round of play at Post & Pivot. This time they were even better. Nasir Washington Nasir Washington 6'2" | SG Penn Wood | 2023 State PA can go. His creation ability off the bounce and tough shot-making made him tough to stop. The pull ups and step back treys were daggers to the opposing teams. Once teams face-guard Nas, Elijah Hester Elijah Hester 5'11" | PG West Philadelphia | 2023 State PA was there to take over. As their primary ball-handler and secondary scorer, he created paint touches to sustain the offense. Jaden Williams Jaden Williams 6'3" | C Harrisburg | 2025 State PA gave them some size in the block. His rebounding and put-backs were imperative to their success. Late in their game in against O’Hara, Williams faced up and cashed in a three. West Philly has multiple options on offense and a roster of guys prepared to step up at a moment’s notice.
Individuals
Rashan Locke-Hicks Rashan Locke-Hicks 5'11" | PG Math, Civics & Sciences | 2023 State PA aka Nizzy | 5’5 G ‘23 Lincoln
The opponent’s size didn’t matter for Nizzy because he’s a wizard. His craft as a ball-handler drove teams insane. He routinely got by defenders with length and strength advantages and drew fouls like a true master of dark arts. Nizzy found angles to finish under, around and over the defense; and it was a joy to watch, unless you were routing for the other team. The artistry deserves all the respect.
Pearse McGuinn Pearse McGuinn 6'8" | PF Cardinal O'Hara | 2024 State PA | 6’7 F/C ‘24 Cardinal O’Hara
Not having a ton of size on the inside, the Lions depended heavily on Pearse and he didn’t disappoint. Defensively, McGuinn showed versatility in his pick and roll coverage. When he was in drop, Pearse effectively helped against drives. And when he gave a hard hedge, he was able to recover, timing up some great blocks. On the other end, he was a problem. Pearse wasn’t afraid to take open threes, making multiple of them. His face-up game was lethal too, hitting 1-dribble pull ups.
Izaiah Pasha Izaiah Pasha 6'4" | CG Cardinal O'Hara | 2023 State PA | 6’5 G ‘23 Cardinal O’Hara
This young man has grown by leaps and bounds since December and isn’t done yet. Pasha scored from every level in match ups versus Friends Central and West Philly. Against FCS, he exploited bigger defenders in-space, rocking them to sleep before getting to his spots from the mid-range and deep. Izaiah drove to the basket and posted up when he had size advantages in both games. When his team needed stops on defense, Pasha was able to eliminate the opposing team’s best option, forcing them to win another way.
Zaki Alston | 6’1 G ‘23 Sankofa
After spending the spring with SW Elite, Zaki offensively led his team to 2 victories. His jumper was his primary weapon. Alston created most of his attempts, needing only a little space to get his threes off. And on the few occasions that didn’t fall, he glided to the lane, used his hips to bump defenders off their spots and finish with touch at the basket.
Josiah Hutson Josiah Hutson 5'9" | PG Cheltenham | 2026 State PA | 5’9 G ‘25 Cheltenham
The rising sophomore guard made a good first impression on Day 2. His shifty handle created problems for the best defenders on West Catholic and Archbishop Ryan. In transition, Hutson pushed with a sense of urgency. He attacked the paint at-will and wasn’t afraid to go up the rim. In the half-court, Josiah balanced the paint touches with some shots from beyond the arc. Coming off a Suburban One League chip, Coach Pat’s roster isn’t lacking in talent.