Ibrahim Wattara - 6'5" SF out of Mount Saint Michael's. He is a tough player, good athlete who is very strong for his age. He is still growing and with a little hard work could develop into a very productive big at the MM level. Has an offer from Bryant.
Mikeal Brown-Jones - 6'8" SF/PF out of Philly. Played at Roman Catholic but transferred to Girard College (high school) after reclassifying to the class of 2020. Played AAU with Team Final. 3-Star recruit according to Rivals. Averaged 22ppg and 8.8rpg last season while leading Gerard to the State final. Was a first-team All-State selection. He can run the court, is an athletic player and has a very large wingspan. A great defender and can guard the 2 thru 4 spots. A very smart and sneaky defensive player. With his length he disrupts offenses. Offers from Nova, Bryant, Penn State, St Joe's, Temple and La Salle. Looks from Marquette, Indiana, Auburn, Maryland, Xavier, and UConn.
Recruiting report: "Strengths: When you talk about a player who has all the physical tools to play at the next level, Jones is one of the first who comes to mind. Some of those tools include his height: 6-7, weight: 203 lbs, his massive wingspan, and his elite athleticism. His offensive skill set is still very much developing, but defensively he is already a stud. When playing against kids his own age especially he can really protect the rim. He times his leaps very well and with his height, wingspan and leaping ability he usually blocks multiple shots per game. Jones is also mobile enough to defend most guards and makes up for whatever lateral quickness he lacks with his long reach. Smart defender reads the game well; knows when to double and when to gamble on steals. As mentioned before he is not extremely polished offensively yet but he does show flashes. First and foremost, he is extremely effective in transition as a rim runner; finishes above the rim often. Also able to finish below the rim fairly well with both hands due to his long arms that help him avoid shot blockers. Shows his basketball IQ with his passing; see’s passes that big guys don’t usually see. Has a developing handle even though he is a bit out of control at times. He is developing his outside shot as well; has a decent stroke.
Weaknesses: He is still very raw offensively. Needs to tighten up his handle and improve his jump shot as previously mentioned. When he does those two things he will likely be able to handle the ball much more frequently. Rebounds pretty well due to his sheer athleticism, but could improve his bodywork on the defensive glass especially. This will ultimately help when he has to go up against bigger guys.
Overall: Jones is such a great athlete that you could probably put him on a college court now and he wouldn’t look too out of place. Defensively, he is already extremely solid and he will only get better as he gets older and increases his understanding of the game. If he is able to improve his handle and his jump shot significantly, the sky really is the limit for him. After finishing his freshman year at Roman Catholic, Jones has decided to reclassify to the class of 2020 and transfer to Girard College, which probably solidifies him as one of the top prospects in PA for his class. He already holds an offer from PSU, but with his potential, this will certainly not be the last school to offer him. Expect many high major programs to register interest in Jones over the next few years, for he has the potential to be a very special player" - City of Basketball Love.
"Jones reclassified from the class of 2019 to the class of 2020 recently. He was the top class of 2020 prospect in attendance and is starting to progress his game at a rapid rate. The Philadelphia native is starting to make a transition to the small forward position. He looked comfortable handling the ball in the open floor and got to the rim consistently off of the drive. He still has a long way to go, but he is definitely headed in the right direction with how he is performing on the floor." - Hoop Group Future All American Camp: Standouts - Pat Lawless 08/06/2016
Jahlil White - 6'6" SF out of Wildwood Catholic High School (NJ) and NJ Shoreshots AAU. Everything I have on him is below. Has an offer from Bryant. Looks from Drexel, Delaware, St. Joe’s, Siena
Scouting Reports
"At 6’6, White has the ability to score inside, but can also find the net from beyond the arc. His length helps him run the floor in transition, and his size helps him thrive underneath the boards among taller defenders." - Hoop Group Elite Camp Day One Standouts.
"One more intriguing prospect to keep an eye on this Shoreshots squad ....is Wildwood Catholic guard Jahlil White. Only 6-3 at the end of the season, White is now a full 6-6 with guard skills, and is getting Division I interest of his own; Drexel, Delaware, St. Joe’s, Siena and Bryant have all checked in on the still-growing wing." City of Basketball Love Hoop Group AC Jam Fest Notebook - Josh Verlin & Ray Dunne 07/16/2018
Jahlil White 6’4” ’20 NJ Playaz (Wildwood Catholic HS) – My first recollections of White came during his Frosh season when he was really loose with the ball and made mucho bad decisions every time he stepped on the court. One thing you couldn’t deny however was his athletic and springy frame which with time to correct and be coached up would reap dividends for his HS and his future recruitment. What a difference a year makes huh! When I saw him at the Cape Atlantic league semi’s in late February he was on fire running the floor and using his elite level athleticism to make plays above the rim and he took care of the basketball with just one turnover in the contest. It was no surprise then that he came out of the gate and made solid decisions getting to the rim for buckets or pulling up when cut off to pass back out and reset. He was an excellent compliment to Bethea’s power game and the next stage in his development will be to add a reliable perimeter game to his arsenal. He’s a competent defender that uses his quickness to his advantage to create opportunities for himself or his teammates and with more refinement, in the next two years, I can see schools making the trek to the Jersey shore to check this young man out." - PenomHoopReport Philly Pride The Warm Up 16u -Chick Gillispie | Apr 24, 2018.
"Perhaps the biggest breakout of the entire week from a local standpoint was White, who played a supporting role for Wildwood Catholic this year as a 6-foot-3 point guard but is emerging as a big-time wing prospect after having grown to 6-foot-6 since the winter. Alongside a trio of other D-I prospects in Berger, plus North Jersey wings Jacob Sussman and Will Soucie, White proved to have the highest upside of them all en route to winning the 16U championship. He’s still adjusting a bit to the wing position after being used to having the ball in his hands, but is able to translate his point guard mindset into his new position, slicing in from the perimeter and hitting open teammates on countless occasions. Most importantly for White as a long-term prospect is the development of his jumper, which seems to be coming along at a solid rate. A non-shooter at points during the high school season, he showed much-increased confidence in his perimeter shot--despite still mixed results--and solid accuracy on his midrange pull-up and free throws. With recruiting interest already from the likes of St. Joe’s, Drexel, Delaware, and Siena, it may not be long before those schools and more join Bryant in offering White a scholarship." - City of Basketball Love July live recruiting period: Week One standouts - Ari Rosenfeld 07/17/2018
Will Soucie - 6'5" SG/SF out of Gill St. Bernard's High School and NJ Shoreshots AAU. Offers from Hartford, New Hampshire, Stony Brook and North Alabama. Looks from Lehigh, Lafayette, Holy Cross, St. Joseph’s, and Penn.
Scouting report:
"Soucie described himself as a position-less player during our spotlight feature on him, and he could not have been more accurate. Soucie does a little bit of everything with the ball in his hands. He can knockdown a jumper from range, but can also dribble-drive to the basket" - Hoop Group Elite Camp Day Three Standouts
"Will Soucie is arguably one of the hottest names at Hoop Group’s Elite I session and will likely soon add to the four offers he received this past spring. The 6-foot-5 rising junior at Gill St. Bernard’s (N.J.) holds offers from New Hampshire, Hartford, Stony Brook, and most recently North Alabama. Because of his attacking offensive game and athletic bounce, Soucie is starting to hear from the likes of Patriot League and Atlantic 10 schools, such as Lehigh, Lafayette, Holy Cross, St. Joseph’s, and Penn. It wouldn’t be surprising if Soucie’s recruitment broke out by the end of the month -- as his activeness on both ends is complemented by a stable perimeter game. Soucie possesses both the traits and the time, to develop into a true small forward at the Division I level." - City of Basketball Love Hoop Group AC Jam Fest Notebook - Josh Verlin & Teddy Bailey 07/12/2018
"Soucie isn’t the best athlete out there but he is a solid basketball player always around the ball getting on the floor, making the extra pass and for good measure getting buckets with a smooth jumper and crafty inside moves." Hoop Group Future All American Camp- Chick Gillespie Sep 14, 2017
Tyler " T.J." Berger - 6'3" PG out of Westtown School (PA) and NJ Shoreshots AAU. Son of a high school coach. Averaged 17ppg while shooting 41% from the 3. Offers from Stony Brook, Columbia, Drexel, Penn, Bryant, Lafayette, NJIT, Yale and Kennesaw State.
Scouting report: "The 6-3 lead guard paced the Shoreshots in a tightly contested battle with Young and Reckless. He knocked down four threes in the second half to spark a second-half comeback." - Hoop Group Atlantic City Jam Fest Day 1 Standouts Kaitlyn Fedor 07/13/2018
Tyler " T.J." Berger - 6'3" PG out of Westtown School (PA) and NJ Shoreshots AAU. Son of a high school coach. Averaged 17ppg while shooting 41% from the 3. Offers from Stony Brook, Columbia, Drexel, Penn, Bryant, Lafayette, NJIT, Yale and Kennesaw State.
Scouting report: "The 6-3 lead guard paced the Shoreshots in a tightly contested battle with Young and Reckless. He knocked down four threes in the second half to spark a second-half comeback." - Hoop Group Atlantic City Jam Fest Day 1 Standouts Kaitlyn Fedor 07/13/2018
Elijah Hutchins-Everett - 6'10" C out of Immaculate Conception High School (NJ). He is a 4-star recruit rated a Top 50 player. Holds offers from DePaul, Miami, Minnesota, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Bryant and Villanova.
Scouting Reports "This young man used his size and strength inside to put up solid camp numbers and earn a spot in the Top 30 game and it was well deserved. He carves out space down low and while not yet an elite athlete he grabs a high percentage of defensive rebounds and he can outlet the ball quickly. From an offensive standpoint he doesn’t wow you with death defying acrobatic finishes he just uses good footwork and brute power to score down on the block. He can get beaten in the open floor but with his skillset it is best if he plays in the painted area as much as possible. He did show a decent touch on short turnaround jumpers but in this camp I didn’t see him step out to launch deep three balls which people somehow believe that adage of you can’t play if you can’t hit treys. That is ridiculous of course and Hutchins-Everett is proof that you can be productive by playing to your strengths and this was proven by the fact that he was the Game MVP for his squad in the top 30 game nuff said." - Chick’s Event Coverage: Pangos East Fresh/Soph Camp Nov 1, 2017
We offered him last September. If Providence offers I believe he will accept as his brother, Makai Ashton-Langford, is a Friar sophomore PG and former Top 40 player in the class of 2017.
Karim Mane - 6'5" PG out of Vanier College (Canadian High School) and Brookwood Elite AAU (Canada). Had a couple of really good games playing in the Adidas Gauntlet this past spring. He dropped 20 points and had 6 rebounds against Team Rose (Chicago AAU). Currently ranked by North Pole Hoops as the 9th best player in Canada for the 2020 class. Reported to be a very good athlete who is strong and has excellent hops. Iona is his first offer but as Guy stated, heavy interest from Xavier and Vanderbilt.
This recruiting year, if the world were perfect, should see us bringing in three players. Replacements for McGill, Griffin and Diakite. However, after the '19-20 season, and looking at our present roster, we will be left with Gist, Ristanovic, Hudson and Ross. So that tells me that 2020 is a very important year for recruiting. And if you say that this year we only have three returning players, but all of them are key players, and of the four listed above, only Gist, as of now,fits that description.