City of Basketball Love

By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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MANHEIM, Pa. — The Hoop Group Showcase League championships took place this past weekend at Spooky Nook Sports, the primary brackets of the Summer Jam Fest deciding the HGSL champions after multiple spring and summer tournaments set the top 16 in the field of independent grassroots programs. 

CoBL had multiple writers in attendance all weekend, watching action in the 17U, 16U and 15U brackets. Here’s Pt. 3 of our coverage notebook from the weekend:

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Carnell Henderson (2025 | Brad Wanamaker 17U HGSL) 

Imhotep’s Henderson picked up his first offer from Rider after his play during Philly Live in late June. He continued to impress with a 13-point, six-rebound, two-steal performance in Brad Wanamaker Elite’s 73-56 loss to eventual champ Middlesex Magic in the 17U HGSL quarterfinals. Henderson took initiative in the scoring department after realizing he needed to do so with the rest of his team struggling to make shots.

“When it’s time for me to go, and I see my team needs me, I just go,” Henderson said. “I turn that switch on.”

The 6-3 guard has steadily risen to the occasion throughout his career when presented with more responsibility. He stepped into a larger role with Imhotep last season after the graduations of Rhamir Barno and Justin Edwards. This upcoming season he’ll have to do the same with Ahmad Nowell headed to UConn and the Panthers seeking their fourth consecutive state title.

“I got to improve my leadership knowing that I have younger guys under me,” Henderson said. “I have a bigger role. I just want to be the best I can be. It’s my senior year. I want to win everything again and repeat what we did last year.”

He said he’s also trying to improve on his ball handling and endurance.

Henderson mentioned Hofstra, Marquette, and Wagner as other schools that have shown interest along with Rider. — Sean McBryan

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Jahrel Vigo (2025 I Team Final Red 17U)

Allentown Central Catholic’s 6-2 combo guard recently returned to the United States after playing for Team Puerto Rico in the U17 FIBA World Cup in Turkey from June 29 through July 7.

Vigo averaged 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists playing in all seven games for Puerto Rico.

“We finished sixth in the world and beat the No. 2 team France and No. 3 team Spain,” Vigo said. “It was an amazing experience. It definitely made me a better basketball player and taught me how to take care of my body for future seasons.”

Those future seasons will first include his senior year at Allentown CC, where he is already a 1,000 point scorer for the Vikings, who ended last year with a six-point loss to eventual state runner-up Archbishop Carroll in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A tournament.

Vigo will then turn his attention to the college ranks as he’s working toward his first offer and has been talking to colleges across all three divisions.

“I’ve talked to Cornell, Lafayette, Lehigh, Quinnipiac, and the Naval Academy,” Vigo said. “I’ve also talked to Randolph-Macon down in Virginia. I’ve been talking to a lot of Division I, II, and III schools.”

As Vigo continues the recruitment process, his main goal is to get a free education while being able to play the game he loves. More performances like the one he had in a 67-53 victory over Virginia Premier in the 1:00 set Saturday (at least 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals) will help him reach that goal.

Vigo said he’s focusing on improving his jump shot throughout the rest of the summer and continuing to refine his ball-handling skills.

“I just want my school paid for,” Vigo said. “That’s a dream come true for me. It’d be nice to go D-I, but if there’s a great opportunity that’s D-II or D-III, I’ll certainly take that.”  — Sean McBryan

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Jabari Edmonds (2027 | Team New England 16U HGSL)

Edmonds played a key role in TNE winning the 16U HGSL bracket with his 26-point performance in the quarterfinal win over Middlesex Magic and a 17-point, four-assist, two-rebound performance in a semifinal victory over Terror Squad.

The 6-5 wing was aggressive offensively in the first half of the semifinal win before focusing more energy on crashing the boards and finding open teammates within the flow of the offense in the second half. 

Edmonds clearly possesses rare athletic ability, throwing down a couple big dunks that got his teammates on their feet and spectators talking. He wants to continue improving in other areas throughout the rest of the summer.

“I’m trying to get more confidence in my jump shot,” Edmonds said. “That’s the biggest thing. And getting quicker.”

Edmonds picked up his lone offer from Florida International in June 2023 and reclassified into the 2027 class after finishing his sophomore year at The Wheeler School (R.I.). 

He’s hoping his new home at Phillips Andover Academy (Mass.) and his play during this 2024 AAU circuit sparks more interest at the Division I level. — Sean McBryan

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Mason Thear (2025 | PA Hoops Academy 17U HGSL)

The 6-0 guard is Devon Prep’s primary ball handler during the high school season, but he effortlessly transitions into a 3-and-D role with his PA Hoops Academy AAU squad.

“On this AAU team I’m more of a shooter and play off the ball,” Thear said. 

He hit three 3’s and played stingy on-ball defense that visibly frustrated his opponent in PA Hoops Academy’s 62-56 loss to Team New England in the 17U Platinum championship game.

“I always say if the offensive game isn’t there, you gotta bring it defensively,” Thear said. “That’s something you can control. You can bring that every day.”

Thear is already thinking of ways to improve himself for his senior season with Devon Prep after transferring to the program from Perkiomen Valley last year. He had to sit out of DP’s postseason run to its second state championship in three seasons — and second overall — due to PIAA transfer rules, so he’s chomping at the bit to defend the title.

“I wasn’t allowed to play because I transferred, but we’re bringing five starting seniors back,” Thear said. “We’re hoping to repeat with the state chip and make a long run in the PCL. I’m just trying to work on reading on-ball screens and how to play the pick-and-roll since we’re going to have some big guys this year [at Devon Prep].”

He said Lebanon Valley College was frequently checking in with him during the weekend and he’s also been hearing from Arcadia and Misericordia.

“I’m shooting for a Division II offer,” Thear said. “It does not matter where, but I’d like to be close to the east coast. I’ll be happy wherever ball takes me.” — Sean McBryan

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Quick Hits
— Scranton Prep’s Brycen Martin (2025 | NEPA Elite 17U HGSL) can heat up in a flash. The 6-0 guard scored 20 points and hit five 3’s in NEPA Elite’s five-point loss to ShoreShots in a 17U HGSL quarterfinal game. Martin is building off a strong end to his junior season with Scranton Prep, which went all the way to the PIAA Class 4A semifinals before falling to Archbishop Carroll. Martin hit three 3’s and scored 26 points in the Cavaliers’ 76-75 victory over Neumann-Goretti in the PIAA quarterfinals.

Martin said he’s taken visits to Division III’s Susquehanna, Swarthmore, and Ursinus. He has plans to visit Franklin & Marshall this week and Williams College in the fall. Hobart and Williams Smith and Haverford have also shown interest.

— Robert Fiore III (2025 | Middlesex Magic 17U HGSL) and Teagan Swint (2025 | Middlesex Magic 17U HGSL) came through when it mattered most for the 17U HGSL champions. Fiore III, an athletic 6-2 guard from The Rivers School (Mass.), dropped a game-high 27 points to lead the Magic over ShoreShots 62-49 in the semifinals. Swint, a 6-4 wing from Newton North (Mass.), scored a game-high 18 points in the 52-45 victory over George Hill All-Indy in the championship.

Swint said he has high-academic Division III interest from Johns Hopkins and Middlebury. He broke his school record of 45 points this past season and has a 1590 SAT score.

— A 6-9 big with length, Samuel Osayi Nosakhare (2025 | Team New England 17U Platinum) collected six points and 11 rebounds for TNE in its championship victory over PA Hoops Academy in the 17U Platinum bracket and showed the raw potential that has garnered him interest at the high-major Division I level.

Osayi Nosakhare gobbled up every missed shot utilizing his long wingspan and showed the physical attributes necessary to become an elite defender.

He received his first high-major offer from Mississippi State in May 2023 with low majors in Jacksonville offering in September 2023 and Sacred Heart and Fairfield offering in May 2024. He’s hoping to continue his strong play throughout the summer and into his school season with Putnam Science Academy (Mass.) to generate more high-major interest.

— Thomas Semiraglio (2025 | Penn Warriors 17U HGSL) comes from a family of athletes; his dad, Frank Semiraglio, played hoops at LIU-Post and Rowan, while his twin brother — also Frank — is committed to NJIT for lacrosse. Thomas is well on his way to joining them as a collegiate athlete, the 6-3 Bishop Eustace (N.J.) wing guard a well-rounded small-college prospect who can stretch the floor with his shooting, defends multiple positions, and rebounds well from the perimeter. 

“I think my ball-handling needs to get better, I need to get more athletic so I can finish better at the rim,” he said. “My shooting’s always been a good part of my game, but I still want that to get even better.”

Semiraglio said he’s been talking with high-academic Division III types, naming Case Western and MIT among schools from the UAA and NESCAC. He mentioned the importance of a quality engineering program, intending to study in that field during his collegiate years. 

— Reeve Sysko (2025 | Penn Warriors 17U HGSL) had been considering the boarding school experience, and finally decided to make the jump for his senior year, transferring from Sanford School (Del.) to the George School, where the 6-7 wing hopes to make a big impact for head coach Ben Luber’s Cougars. Sysko has a lot of hoops in his background: his grandfather, Dave Sysko, was a standout at Delaware in the 1960s, while his father Ryan Sysko played at Lafayette in the 1990s. 

A sharpshooting wing, he showed off his ability to stretch the floor in a Saturday morning showcase, knocking down multiple catch-and-shoot triples from well beyond the high school arc. That combination of size and shooting has drawn him interest from high-level D-III types, including Babson (Mass.) and Franklin & Marshall; he’s working on expanding his game to be more versatile at the  next level.

“I know I can catch and shoot, just working off my pump-fake more, cutting, hustling on defense,” he said. “Really hustling and being a hard-working player.”