Philly Live 1 PCL Recap

Philly Live 1 wrapped up Sunday, and what a flurry of a weekend it was. It was a refreshing breath of air for high school basketball fans, as there’s been little to nothing for us to sink our teeth into for the past three months. Philly Live was an answer to my prayers. Many, high-level, competitive basketball games were played. Teams from all over the country brought their “A” game to the City of Brotherly Love, hoping to knock off some of our top teams, the matchups were hand picked and excellent. The best part about Philly Live, in my opinion, is seeing the abundance of famous college coaches and scouts out and about, recruiting the next generation of players for their respective teams. For players, this means scholarship opportunities. For college basketball fans, it's an opportunity to see your favorite teams’ scouting process in action. Following the games they view, seeing who they like, and potentially what they’re looking for in upcoming recruiting classes. With all of this being said, I thought I’d put some thoughts on paper about how some PCL teams I didn’t get a chance to write about before performed in their first of two high school Live Periods.

Cardinal O’Hara: 

The Lions had an overall successful first Live Period considering this group hasn’t had a lot of time to coalesce. Holdovers from last year’s team include a trio of guards. The first, Jack Quinn, is the team's leading returning scorer, but was only good for about 7 a game last season. However, the peripherals tell a different story, as Quinn stole the basketball about 1.7 times a game last season, and converted 37% of his 87 three point shots, signaling to me that he will be ready to take on a bigger role in his senior year. The team's second leading returning scorer, Kahseem Bronzell, only started 8 games last year, and was good for 6 points per contest. So far, Bronzell has been an important part of this team, and will more than likely start every game for the Lions this upcoming year. The final notable holdover, Gabe Skehan, didn’t get much burn, last year, but looks to be a key figure in this edition of the lineup. O’Hara will be led by the aforementioned trio and some new kids on the block, the most important being rising junior guard Kiyen Alexander. Alexander, a transfer from St. Elizabeth’s (DE), is already making his presence in the lineup felt. It's still extremely early in Alexander’s O’Hara career, but he scored 16 points and added 5 assists in an impressive 51-39 win over reigning PIAA 2A runner-up Sewickley Academy. Sewickley, who will be a major contender in 2A again, boasts a duo of 6’8 bigs in sophomore Mamadou Kane and junior Adam Ikamba, two guys who should have presented a major problem for an otherwise undersized O’Hara team. Yet, O’Hara got the job done, in large part to Alexander’s 16, but the contributions from Skehan, 9 points (two three pointers) and Bronzell, 8 points, can’t be understated. The other major addition for O’Hara is 2027 forward DJ Jones, a big wing at 6 foot 6 who spent last year at the ever-competitive Sanford School in Hockessin Delaware. Jones should be a big draw for this O’Hara team, who was in serious need of some size to compete with the rest of a particularly unforgiving slate of Philadelphia Catholic League teams. 

It will not be an easy sophomore campaign for Head Coach Ryan Krawczeniuk, the league is set to field one of its more competitive groups of teams in the last decade, but the success of this Live Period will be measured in how this group comes together to battle adversity. One more curiosity, one that may be a tool helpful in measuring the long term health of the program, is the presence of two freshmen, who are looking to contribute to the varsity squad for their four years in high school. The first, Drew Baskerville, a pesky 5’9 guard, will be a fan favorite in short order. I’m looking out for how his pace and gamespeed adjusts as he acclimates to the high school level. The other freshman, 6’6 Dylan Jones, should immediately compete for playing time in the front court to pair with fellow newcomer DJ Jones, but not if 6’5 seniors Toby Hartman and Matt Smith have something to say about it. Another layer that needs to be addressed is how many guards coach Ryan wants to run with simultaneously, this is especially important in this year’s Catholic League because several other teams are going to play an up-tempo, high octane style of basketball, with at least four guards on the floor at all times.

Conwell-Egan

This year's Conwell-Egan Eagles will have expectations placed upon the program for the first time this decade. The 2020s have not been kind to this program, compiling just eight league wins since the 19-20 season. Veteran coach Sean Tait’s group will be looking to end that trend, this season, and they may just have the pieces to do so. Leading the team in the senior class is 6’6 forward Justin Bobb, a big body on the interior who gives Egan a legit inside game and will be a guy who will bolster the Eagle’s ranks in college after this season. Bobb, who was good for 6 points and 5 rebounds a game last year, will have to do a lot of heavy lifting down low for this guard heavy squad. Speaking of the guards, Egan fans know of a few on the roster who are bonafide college prospects in their own right. The most exciting being the Eagles leading returning scorer Myles Moore, a 6’4 combo who is coming off of a stellar sophomore season in which he led Egan in field goal attempts on his way to 12.5 points per game. Moore is ready to lead, has plenty of varsity experience, and will be a guy to monitor as a potential All-Catholic bid if this Egan team can put the pieces together and if Moore can maintain or increase his level of production. Two more guys who are ready to contribute are 2027s Cole Zalewski, who was probably ready last year if not for an injury that cost him most of the season, and Matthew Tollerson-Irby, both of whom have impressed in the offseason and early summer periods. Zalewski, in particular, will be a great fit alongside the paint bruising Bobb and lead guard Moore, as his 36 three point attempts in 7 games, of which he converted at a 37% clip, presents a great third dynamic to the Eagles offense. Zalewski is a volume shooting wing, he was taking five threes a game before injury, and is on my short list for stock rising candidates during this Live Period and upcoming season. Tollerson-Irby, who shouldn’t be treated as “the other guy” in this scenario, has also been very impressive in the offseason. His game has shown an increased maturity, particularly at the RareFootage runs, where he stood out amongst his peers. Tollerson-Irby didn’t get much playing time last year, playing in only nine of the Eagles twenty-two games, but is already a major factor in the rotation in the early stages of this 2025-2026 season. One guy who did not get a significant run on last year’s team, but stood out in a big way during Egan’s 56-50 win over Chester Charter, was 2028 guard Nelson Seda, who finished the contest in double figures, and is looking to supplant some of Egan’s older guys in their guard rotation. The final two guys I want to speak on are 2026 Tyler Johnson and 2028 Jared Velez, both of whom played in every Conwell-Egan basketball game last year, but only combined for about 6 points a night. This team, with several key contributors gone, and other young guys looking to fill those shoes, needs these two to step up in a big way. In particular, learning how to utilize their varsity experience to help gel this roster together in order to establish a brand of basketball that can get Conwell-Egan men’s basketball back to the PCL playoffs.

Devon Prep:

Next man up. That has been the philosophy that delivered the Tide’s winningest class in program history, which featured several college prospects, who went on to win a few state championships together. Many are predicting the Tide to have a down year following the departure of their 2025 class, I will be the dissenter. Players graduate, culture and program doesn’t. Coach Fisher has built something consistently greater than the sum of its parts, and I’m not about to start doubting now. We saw glimpses of who might contribute on the fringes of last year's roster, but the Tide will largely trot out a green rotation in this brutally competitive field of Philadelphia Catholic League teams for the 2025-2026 season. The focus of these Live Periods, for a team like Devon Prep, should be how exactly this group gets their sea legs together. The faster this group matures, the sooner they will compete with the rest of the PCL. The longer this process takes, the less I like their odds to make the uber competitive ten team playoff. So far, the process seems to be working, for the Tide took down both of their opponents in Philly Live 1. The first of two close contests was with Salem (NJ), which the Tide won by a score of 45-39, the second being a 64-61 decision against District 1 staple Penn Wood. There are three rising juniors that I’m expecting will lead this next generation of Devon Prep teams. The first being Jaden Craft, younger brother of Gettysburg freshmen Reece Craft, whose game and stature could not be more opposite. The younger Craft has definitely shown flashes of ability at the guard position, he’s thrived in showcases and in the HGSL, but couldn’t break through a senior heavy guard rotation that the Tide have happily boasted for the past two years. With the logjam cleared, expect Craft to lead the way. The second, who played the most of any of these three last season, Cooper Fairlamb, is right out of the Devon Prep 6’3 shooter wing factory, and should see a massive increase in usage and expansion of his role for his third year in the Tide uniform. To round the trio out, I’m high on John Doogan, who, if I’m not mistaken, is primarily a baseball player, but has plenty of basketball in his blood. If you’re looking for senior leadership for this squad, look no further than the coaches’ kid, Braeden Fisher, who is the team's leading returning scorer, and saw action in every game last season, meaning he can set the example for the younger guys about how Devon Prep basketball is played.

Father Judge:

Until further notice, Father Judge basketball is a wagon. The Crusader’s most successful season in program history, capped with two wins over Roman Catholic for the PCL and PIAA 6A championships, marked the end of a 27 year championship drought for a historic program. It is very simple, Chris Roantree wins everywhere, and this next iteration of Father Judge basketball is ready to run it back. This year’s team is led by rising senior Derrick Morton-Rivera, who was a no-brainer selection on the All-Catholic First team last season. DMR, who I’m predicting will finish his high school career inside the national top 150 recruiting rankings, and absolutely eviscerate the Father Judge total career points mark (1,260 Points, set by Marc Rodriguez in 2017). Going by his former averages, DMR is a quarter-season away from that 1,260 mark, going by the absolute green light Roantree has given him this summer, it is probably less. By my money, DMR is the safest candidate to get into the 500 point club this season, a feat no one in the PCL accomplished last season, bucking a significant historical trend going back at least twenty years (discounting the Covid shortened 2021 season). 

Judge has talent up and down the roster, any way you slice it, they have guys there. Interestingly enough though, they also featured the hottest commodity that was previously unoffered. That being the 6’6 sixth man on last year’s team, Max Moshinski, who I was extremely impressed with in limited run last year, and am even more excited for as he enters his senior season, picking up five offers in a 48 hour span. NJIT, Boston, Binghamton, Hofstra, and some local flair in Drexel, all offered the senior wing after Judge’s unblemished 3-0 weekend, a weekend which saw them take down a variety of competitive out of state competition. Another rising senior who can’t be forgotten is Palestra hero Rocco Westfield, who became a Division One prospect overnight when Merrimack offered him after he torched St. Joe’s Prep in the PCL Semi-Finals at the Palestra. Westfield’s recruitment will be a competitive mix of low majors vying for the services of an unshakable leader and knock down shooter. I personally like the Patriot League as a landing spot. One question Judge has to answer with this new lineup is what the frontcourt will look like after the graduation of 6’9 paint anchor Everett Barnes, Roantree has answered this with the addition of 2028 Rezon Harris, formerly of Imhotep Charter, who, funnily enough, provided the ‘Tep with key minutes and shotmaking in their victory over Judge in the District 12 championship last season, life comes at you fast. Another guy who will fill in the minutes vacated by Barnes is 6’7 Jeremiah Adedeji, who Crusaders insiders are extremely excited for. Adedeji, who did not see a lot of time last season, already holds an offer from La Salle, a strong indicator that a breakout season is coming from the springy junior forward. Other guys who should see their roles expand, albeit in different ways, are the pair of 2027 guards Nazir Tyler and Rahkiy Mason. Tyler, who started and played in every game last season, will seek to assert himself as a leader this year. Granted, this team has a lot of seniors, but Tyler has played just as integral a part of the Crusaders’ success as anybody barring Morton-Rivera. I think his recruitment will be slow and steady, but Tyler shouldn’t be discounted from a potential All-Catholic bid this season. On the other hand, Mason, who primarily saw playing opportunity as a defensive sub, will be looking to claw out playing time in a very competitive stable of Father Judge guards. Mason has all the ability, but opportunity will be the most important factor in how his stock is approached a year from now. Two more guys who deserve the spotlight are the pair of stud freshmen Roantree has added to the program, 6’5 Ahmir Brown and 6’2 Khory Copeland, both of whom had significant run at Philly Live 1 on an upper class heavy roster, against some truly great teams who traveled a far distance to get a crack at Philly’s best.

I’m happy to report that Judge defended “home court” from the likes of St. Joe’s (Metuchen, NJ), St. Xavier (KY) and John Handley (VA).