By Amauro Austin Sr

FB: aasnotes.com

IG: @aasnotes

Twitter: @aa215

This will be the first of a weekly installment.. AA’s Weekly notes will be a rapid fire summary of where I’ve been and what I’ve seen during the week.. These notes will likely appear on Sunday mornings.. Hope you enjoy.. — AA

So we started off the week in Delco taking in some Catholic League action.. Wood at O’Hara.. Wood had been struggling a bit out of the gate and really needed a good showing to turn things around.. While many of the other coaches in the league believe that this is the year that O’Hara makes a big jump.. Wood had a nice come from behind win here on the road.. The battle between High Major jr wing prospect Jalil Bethea & Sr Iona signee Big guard Izaiah Pasha was fun to watch.. Both dazzled and played each other to a near stalemate though I’d have to say Bethea made more plays down the stretch… However, Wood’s other guys got the best of O’Hara’s other guys and that’s ultimately what secured the W.. Sr Big Man Carson Howard (East Stroudsburg) made the road gym paint his home.. Sr G Gus Salem hit two timely late game treys.. Soph G Duece Maxey saved his best efforts for the 4th quarter also.. Big character win for the Vikings and something to build on going forward (which they did by knocking off Devon Prep 3 days later in come from behind fashion)..

City Ave was the place to be earlier this week to check in on some Friends League Action… Any time the George School comes close to civilization, you have to check in on things.. And Friends Central has a deep/dangerous team capable of hanging with anyone.. And hang is what the Phoenix did for a half taking a one point lead into halftime.. But George imposed their will after the break with its Big 3 all eating good as they win the 2nd half by 23 points..

Not many (Roman, Camden) in the area can match George inside.. I personally LOVE traditional lineups even though they are an endangered species.. The Big to Big chemistry between 6-9 Sr Kachi Nzeh (Xavier signee) & 6-10 Soph Luke Bevilacqua is a breath of fresh air.. Big Luke is quickly establishing himself as the most intriguing prospect in the 2025 Class locally.. His jump from last year to now is incredible and his trajectory is trending up to the roof on the Liberty Place Tower.. Jr combo guard Christian Bliss, a NYC native, recently picked up an offer from Villanova.. I still liked FCS even in defeat.. They have some good pieces.. Sr wing Collin Bowman is a lefty shot maker with deep range.. 6-5 sr PF Liam Foley is a grunt inside who could play anywhere in Division 3.. I mean Anywhere and even hold his own in most D2 practices.. Jr point Guard Reid Belcher is very well respected amongst smart basketball guys around here.. And both times I’ve seen FCS this year, 6-6 220 Soph PF Nigel Pierman has been impressive. Not necessarily with gaudy numbers but his physicality, his effort and overall impact the stuff that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.. Although today Nigel went for around 12pts & 8rebs off the bench against a high end front line..

My next stop took me back to Delco to see a big game in the Del Val league that would determine first place for now as Chichester visited the Shoebox at Penn Wood.. Chi is coached by Clyde Jones, whose regarded as the best coach is School history at Penn Wood winning a 4A state title back in 2009.. In a very tough, physical game, Chichester pulled off a mild upset leaving the hostile Shoebox with a big victory.. The Eagles were never rattled and earned respect as a major player in the District 1 5A field with the likes of Radnor, West Chester East, Upper Dublin & Unionville.. Chi has two small college gems on their roster in the Senior backcourt of PG Mazen Sayed & 6-2 2G Ahkir Keys.. Sayed plays with plenty of sauce while being deceptively quick and athletic.. While Keys shows 3-level scorer ability.. Both are impact D3 guys who deserve a look from 2s.. Wilmington & Goldey Beacom are right down the road from Chi.. One thing we know is that they’ve been properly trained and coached in Coach Jones’ year round program.. The Eagle role players also all made timely plays.. Another Senior in 6-3 wing shooter Vince Wildrick took and made some big shots. He, too should be on the small college radar.. The Patriots simply didn’t execute down the stretch and seemed to be rattled by the energy in their own gym.. Plus their top player 6-3 sr 2G Nasir Washington, a transfer from West Philly High & projected D1 prospect just didn’t touch the ball enough late in the game for my money.. On this night 6-6 210 Sr Big Man Mekhi Shillingford was the top Patriot with a double-double.. He’s another small college gem whose D2 Recruitable..

Next was a Saturday afternoon trip to Ambler to see A Non-League tilt between Bensalem & host Wissahickon.. Always love watching games in Wissy’s timelessly beautiful small Arena style gym.. And I have a good relationship with Bensalem Head Coach & AD tandem, Ron Morris & Geoff Per so it’s always good to see those guys.. Ron is a unique guy in that he coaches his kids year round but never gives off even a sliver of a hint that he’s doing the “daddy ball” thing. He treats all the players the same.. Kudos to him.. As for the game, a back & forth affair between two evenly matched teams.. The Eagles ended up stealing one on the road without its starting point guard Sr Eric Gonzalez.. Jr PG Antonio Morris picked up the leadership slack with 18 points.. His brother Noah, whose in the same grade yet just shy of 11 months his junior is normally the 6th man but was inserted in the starting lineup today with Gonzalez out with a family event.. Noah gave a huge spark with 10 points including 2 three pointers.. 6-2 250lb Soph PF Jaidyn Moffitt battled inside for 13pts & 9rebs.. Moffitt is very nimble and can even shoot it from behind the 3pt line. He could be a serious force his Jr & Sr years.. The Trojans had some bright spots.. 6-6 Soph F Will Kirkpatrick battled Moffitt (13 & 8) all game as he himself has the look of a future consistent force.. While Sr PG Jaylon Williams (20pts, 3 treys) once again proved why he’s one of the better lead guards in Suburban One & Montgomery County.. He’s a small college gem and very Recruitable for D2s also.. He will be profiled on My small college gem list at the end of the month..

The Cap to my week brought me to “P-Town”(Pottstown) for a goodie. Blair Academy was in town to take on the Hill School in a Mid Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) battle. Blair out of North Central Jersey is and has been the staple of the MAPL for the last 20+ years or so winning 13 MAPL titles since 2001.. Blair Coach Joe Mantegna is regarded as one of the premier high school coaches in America.. And this year’s roster has at least 7 D1 prospects on it.. Seniors: 6-8 Stretch Big Ian Imegwu (Cornell), 6-4 wing Luke Paragon (Brown), 6-3 Combo Guard Jayden Lemond (William & Mary) & 5-10 PG Carnegie Johnson (Navy) have all committed to D1 schools.. 6-9 post-grad Big Man David Luberoff, whose currently injured, is a scholarship prospect whose expected to choose a school this spring.. Jr PG Jayden Williams is yet another projected D1 point guard.. While 6-9 Soph Stretch-4 Jack Bailey is a high Major prospect.. Freshman PG Derron Rippey Jr also has the look of a high level prospect.. And guess what, Hill won the game beating Blair for the 1st time in 5 years.. You see Hill has good talent in their own right.. The Blues aren’t as deep as Blair but Coach Seth Eilberg’s Starting-5 can compete with almost anyone on the Prep level.. The Blues front court is as physically imposing as there is at this level.. 6-6 wing Justin Molen is one of the best unsigned wing prospects on the East Coast as we’ve previously documented.. 6-7 215 Sr Combo forward Josh Cameron holds the same status on the forward market.. The NYC native’s conditioning is the best its been since I’ve seen him as he’s down about 20lbs from last season.. And 6-9 220 Sr Post player Augie Gerhart (Penn signee) is the ultimate warrior.. The backcourt: Soph PG Jacob Meachum is built like a tailback and sets the table as a classic PG while also playing plus on-ball defense.. It’s also a major asset to have one of the best of the best small guards to ever play in this region in assistant coach Marques Green to help guide his development.

And 6-1 Jr sniper Trey O’Neil’s sweet shot looks good every time it leaves his hands. He burried 4 triples in the 1st half last night.. The atmosphere was awesome as the Hill student body was out in full force making things rough on the Bucs.. I must say I love the prep school style of play especially for college development.. 18 minute (16 mins for regular HS action) halves with a shot clock is the way to go in my opinion.. It simply prepares the players for what’s ahead, that’s it that’s all.. It was AWESOME in my man Toomey Anderson voice to see my guy Augie Gerhart & his parents.. Full disclosure, I had a hand in recommending him to the school so it’s satisfying to see that move pay dividends for he and his family.. Great kid with a bright future ahead.. Still scratching my head as to how/why Justin Molen still has low interest on the open market.. He’s Recruitable anywhere MAAC and below at the D1 level.. True Head Scratcher.. Finally I must harp on this one point, I hope and pray that the next rules meetings for the state Orgs: PIAA, DIAA & NJSIAA that they decide to implement the shot clock.. It ONLY will help the kids.. There are absolutely no negatives of doing so.. Please do the right thing powers that be… — AA