The Philadelphia Catholic League has long been the standard of excellence in high school basketball in southeastern Pa. and, since its inclusion into the PIAA in 2008, across every corner of the state. That is why Fisher wanted to join it, but he did not realize how well it had prepared his program to be able to perform the way it did last March.

“It’s one of those things where it hasn’t even sunk in,” Fisher said. “The trophy is in a trophy case just outside our gym and as I was walking past it, I stopped and thought how surreal it is. I don’t know if it’s because moving to the Catholic League changed expectations for us, but we still have other goals we want to accomplish.”

Orchard, a 6-4 senior forward and All-State Second Team selection who holds an offer from Monmouth, avg. 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assist and 2.2 steals while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor. Holloway had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Orchard added 17 points, including three three-pointers, in the state final against Aliquippa.

Mishock, a 5-8 junior guard who avg. 5.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals, was instrumental to the Tide’s success last season. He had 13 points in the state title and will have an even bigger role with Pettit and Cieslak having moved on. “It’s in his maturity and leadership. He realizes he doesn’t have to be the leading scorer out there because he does so many good things outside of scoring,” according to Fisher.

Upfront, 6-4 sophomore forward Zane Conlon, who had 15 points and 12 boards in a win over Newark Charter (Del.), will be a primary post option for Devon Prep (19-8, 7-6 Philadelphia Catholic League) but expect him to also work his way out to the perimeter. “He’s gotten a lot quicker and stronger. He’s also really put work into shooting the ball,” as Fisher notes.

After playing professionally in Israel and Germany, Lewis began his coaching career as an assistant at Bensalem then his first head coaching gig took him to Bristol High School, where he led the program to consecutive District 1-2A titles in 2014 and 2015.

Lewis was the head coach at his alma mater for the last four seasons and takes over an Eagles program seeking a return to prominence while still searching for its first Philadelphia Catholic League postseason victory in program history. From his familiarity of growing up in the area of the school and having a best friend in former Conwell-Egan and Houston Texans standout Steve Slaton, Lewis is confident he can get the program back on track.

“This is a big-time league, so you have to play the part,” Lewis said. “The transition has been good and, being from the community, I’ve been around Conwell-Egan for a long time. The biggest thing that I’ve been dealing with is the mentality with the players that have been there for the last few years. I want them to get the mentality that they need to forget about the past in order to create a winning program.”

Everything begins and ends with Jones, the 6-4 senior guard who avg. 15.3 ppg and drilled 33 three-pointers. Scoring was not a problem for the Langston Hughes (Ga.) transfer in his first season at Father Judge, as evidenced by his 26-point game vs. La Salle, but “from a maturity standpoint, he’s learning how to do things every day. We want him to make more of a focus on rebounding and not turning the ball over,” according to Roantree.

The difference maker for the Crusaders was 6-5 senior guard and team captain Ernest Shelton (11.4 ppg), who came over from McDevitt and sank a team-high 58 three-pointers.

Byrd, a 6-3 junior who transferred in from Constitution last season, missed much of the year coming back from an injury but he erupted for a 37-point performance in an overtime victory over Cardinal O’Hara at the end of the season. “We’re excited to have him back and around all the time because I think he’s in the infancy stages of how good he can be,” per Roantree.

Depth in the backcourt is robust for the Crusaders with 6-1 sophomore guard and starting point guard Kevair Kennedy, who avg. 6.0 ppg and has 16 points against St. Joe’s Prep, 5-11 senior guard Mike McCusker, a standout on the soccer field who hit 13 treys as a junior, and Derrick Rivera, a 6-3 freshman and the son of the former Neumann-Goretti standout. Rivera, as Roantree describes, “has taken the next step and will be a big piece of our rotation. He’s really long and can score it.”

Anthony Lilley, a 6-7 junior forward, has made steady strides and will be central to what Father Judge does this season. He avg. 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds, and his 20-point game vs. Conwell-Egan was a sign he’s ready to take on an expanded post role. “He played every game for us and started most of them. He will be going against some of the better bigs in our league,” Roantree notes.

“For as long as we’re good here, they will always be known as the guys who brought this thing back to where it is now,” Bocachica said. “A lot of our accomplishments were the first time since this, that and the other. Those guys wanted to go out on top, but they’ve completely shifted the culture and I do consider us one of the top teams in the PCL. We’re not here without those guys.”

Temple signee Zion Stanford displayed his steady maturation during his junior season by averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the field. The 6-5 senior forward came into the program with a skilled but raw game and has turned into a Second Team All-State pick. According to Bocachica, “we have a lot of guys in our program who started out like Zion who came in and could dribble, pass, and shoot but were still raw. Those guys look up to him. When he walks into the gym and he’s being super coachable and working hard, he makes that the cool thing to do.”

The Burrs offense is commanded by 5-10 senior point guard Adam “Budd” Clark, who earned Third Team All-State recognition after averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.5 steals, and shooting 50.2 percent from the field. Performances like those against West Philadelphia (17 points, 11 assists) and Archbishop Wood (20 points, eight rebounds, nine assists) put Clark on the radar of Division I programs, and his offers from Lafayette, Coppin State and Rider should materialize into a decision during or after the season. “He came in as a scorer but now he’s a lead guard who is also a complete point guard. He wasn’t a very vocal kid and now he’s an extension of me,” as Bocachica notes.

Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui is back full-time after being ruled ineligible for the PIAA Tournament due to transfer rules. The 6-3 senior guard and fellow Third Team All-State selection “impacts winning. He’s tremendous in transition and he’s very underrated. He’s a super valuable piece,” per Bocachica. He played his first two seasons at Sankofa Freedom then avg. 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 47.5% from the floor and sinking 20 three-pointers as a junior.

His brother, 6-4 sophomore guard Israel Cole, will also see minutes after playing JV last season. Jaden Banner, a 6-6 sophomore forward who also holds an offer from Hampton, is pegged as a starter. “He’s super solid on both ends of the court. He can guard all five positions. He’s a great offensive rebounder and perfect fit as a starter,” as Bocachica described.

MJ Branker Jr. moves into the starting lineup and should be one of the more versatile forwards in the Philadelphia Catholic League. The 6-5 senior with offers from West Chester and Holy Family avg. 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds, and performances like the 17-point, 11-rebound outing vs. Conwell-Egan should be seen with more regularity.

As a player, he transferred from Bonner-Prendergast to Friends’ Central School for his final season where he avg. 10 ppg and hit 64 three-pointers in teaming with Amile Jefferson (Duke) to lead the Phoenix to the 2012 PAISAA Tournament title. He played two years at Chestnut Hill College then three years at Neumann University and scored 1,039 points in his collegiate career.

Even with losing its head coach as well as Baasil Saunders (Imhotep Charter), Kyree Latimer (Constitution) and Kodi Johnson (Olympus Prep (N.J.)), Bonner-Prendergast will be in contention in year one under Cassidy with a host of new faces.

“The biggest challenge in the Catholic League and high school basketball is you want to feel you have a roster that can compete with teams,” Cassidy said. “I feel that we have enough guys deep into the rotation that we can compete with anybody and it’s going to come down to how bad we want to win.”

Touri “Deuce” Ketner returns as does Brady Eagan. Ketner, a 6-7 junior forward and son of the late Lari Ketner, avg. 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds last season and currently boasts offers from Drexel, Robert Morris, and Albany. “Everybody has heard the hype about him and, since I’ve taken over, it’s about maturity with him. He’s starting to take the game more seriously and realizing he can be a force on both ends of the floor,” according to Cassidy. 

Kevin Rucker Jr. is the first new face in the Friars rotation and should be the one that potentially has the biggest impact. The 6-3 junior guard, who has offers from Drexel, Rider and Morgan State, avg. 12.6 ppg and made 23 three-pointers in helping Chester win the PIAA District 1-5A title and reach the state semifinals. He had 27 points in the district semifinals against Bishop Shanahan. “He can be a force on both ends of the floor because of the intensity that he plays the game with. He wants to take on different challenges and he’s ready for the challenge of taking on some of the best players in the state,” per Cassidy.

“Anytime you can win your last game of the season, you feel like you accomplished something and playing late into March creates great memories for coaches and players,” McNesby said. “To have the kids who left leave a legacy is pretty special.”

Brown is back for his fourth straight season as a starter. The 6-1 senior guard is bound for Hawk Hill and is coming off a season where he avg. 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game. He had 16 points and 10 boards in the state final against the Vikings. According to McNesby, “he will be leading us on both sides of the floor. I felt he made some nice strides last year by being vocal as a leader. He always leads by example, and he is always doing the right things.”

Shareef Jackson made an immediate impact in his first season of high school basketball. The 6-7 sophomore big man and son of former Roman Catholic standout Marc Jackson, avg. 4.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in year one but stepped up when he was needed most as shown by his double-double (11 points, 10 boards) in the state title game. “There are certain kids when they come in as young players and, while they have talent, they need the experience to be on the court in real time for real moments. He’s always been talented and getting that experience to adjust to the speed, his understanding will catch up,” per McNesby.

With the loss of Skillings and Farmer, a few additions will be crucial to the Cahillites success this season. Anthony Finkley, a 6-7 senior forward who transferred in from Huntington Prep (W.Va.) and began his career at West Catholic, is a versatile player who can handle the ball like a guard but can also shoot and rebound against bigger forwards. “Anthony is a glue guy who can play guard and forward, and defensively he can guard multiple positions. He also has experience and being with us from last December on, he knows how we do things,” as McNesby said.

Dean Coleman-Newsome is back for his final season. The 6-4 senior guard, who has an offer from Fairfield as well as Jefferson University, missed all of his sophomore season with a knee injury but rebounded to average 14.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals as a junior. “He knows he has to do a little bit of everything for us to be successful but at the same time guide our young movement,” according to Bowe.

Seamus Rogers, the 6-2 senior lefty and Susquehanna University commit, came up big at times and now consistency will be the key to his success. He avg. 3.1 ppg but hit 19 three-pointers and shot 40.4 percent from behind the arc. “He’s tested and knows what to expect. I think he’s going to come in and hit big shots for us, particularly in the fourth quarter,” per Bowe. Games like the 12-point showing against Bonner-Prendergast will need to become more common to help the Patriots. The same applies for 6-6 senior wing Blake Deegan, who avg. 9.6 ppg during the postseason. He hit 24 three-pointers on the season and Bowe believes “the light bulb just went off and he has taken it all the way into his senior season.”

The 2026 class is loaded and should contribute immediately.

“It was great to see those guys go out and get to play in the championship,” Zeglinski said. “That group played in three final fours, and I don’t think there’s a better atmosphere than playing at the Palestra. Seeing all the red and black, and the whole community coming out to support our seniors was incredible. It was definitely a season to remember and hopefully the experience will help this year’s team.”

The Raiders have arguably the best big man in the league, if not the entire state, in 6-9 junior forward and All-State First Team pick Thomas Sorber, who holds offers from Georgetown, Maryland, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Providence, St. Joe’s, and Virginia, to name a few. In his first year as a starter after coming over from Trenton Catholic (N.J.), he avg. 16.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks with 11 double-doubles. After dominating opposing bigs, Sorber worked on expanding his range in the offseason and has turned into a matchup nightmare. “He’s so gifted and sometimes too unselfish, but he’s such a good passer. His footwork got better, and his athleticism has improved. He’s naturally developing almost fully, and still has a lot of room to grow. He’s going to pull guys away from the basket this season with his improved range,” according to Zeglinski.

Darren Williams, a 6-4 junior lefty who boasts offers from Florida Gulf Coast, NJIT, Southern Miss and Drexel, is “a natural leader and he did it as a sophomore. He’s our most outspoken guy on the court and in the locker room. His jump shot continues to get better and he’s so much more athletic. It should be a great year for him, especially since he will have the ball in his hands more,” per Zeglinski. Williams avg. 12 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals while making 44 three-pointers as a sophomore.

“Our guys want to be one of the best teams in the PCL, which means one of the best teams in the state and city,” Nemetz said. “All our rotation guys are juniors and seniors and have experienced success to an extent, but they want to accomplish more.”

Pasha, 6-5 senior guard and Iona College signee, was ruled ineligible for the state playoffs but burst onto the scene in his first season at O’Hara, averaging 17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 51.6% from the field. He became only the second Cardinal O’Hara player ever named to the all-state team and first since Antwuan Butler (NJIT) in 2018. He posted a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) against Archbishop Ryan in the regular season. “His offensive skillset is unmatched in the league, but in order for us to take the next step as a group, his leadership and play at the defensive end can help us get to the next level,” according to Nemetz.

McGuinn had 21 points, 10 boards and six blocks in the state opener against Wilson Area, a sign that he is ready for an increased role. The 6-8 junior with an offer from NJIT avg. 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks and made 13 shots from the outside. “Pearse is the X-factor of our team in my opinion. He is so versatile as a stretch forward, but also has the ability to have double-digit rebounds and be a rim protector,” as Nemetz noted.

Aamir Hurst (Holy Family) and Masud Stewart (Binghamton) were the lone seniors on that team and with the rest of the corps coming back, Arrigale hopes they learned what it takes to complete that tough road and preserve their place in history.

“They now understand what it takes and how hard it is to do it,” Arrigale said. “We’re proud of what they accomplished last year, but they need to know it doesn’t mean anything going into this year. It’s a nice year with a nice team trying to win a new title; we’re not defending anything.”

Baylor commit Robert Wright III played the part of Pa. All-State Class 4A Player of the Year as well as perhaps anyone ever has. The 6-foot junior floor general avg. 21.8 ppg during the postseason, which began in a quarterfinal matchup against La Salle and ended in Hershey. For the season, his averages were 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals and he also sank 57 three-pointers for good measure. He scored at least 20 points in each game at the Palestra, including 22 in the league final against the Raiders, and closed out the year with a 16-point, six-rebound, and seven-assist game vs. Quaker Valley. “No one got to see him as a freshman, but he was surprising us on a daily basis. He grasps things quickly and he’s fearless. He had that air about him that we knew he was special,” according to Arrigale.

Joining Wright in the backcourt will be 5-11 junior Khaafiq Myers, who had 15 points in the title game at the Palestra then 12 in his first state final. He avg. 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals in his first year as a starter and holds offers from UMass, La Salle, St. Joe’s, George Washington, North Carolina A&T, NJIT, Drexel, Temple, Wichita State, Binghamton, and North Texas. Arrigale notes that “when [Rob and Khaafiq] play well, we’re really tough to match up with. They complement each other in many different ways. One can take the pressure off the other in terms of ball-handling responsibilities. They’re a year older and more experienced.”

Sultan Adewale showcased the type of big man he can be when he puts it all together against Sorber and Archbishop Ryan in the league final with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

Guillouette, the 6-9 junior forward with offers from St. Joe’s, Albany, Hofstra, and St. Francis (N.Y.), was terrific in his first season after coming over from Life Center Academy (N.J.). He avg. 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, and performances like the 19-point, 11-rebound and seven-block game against Father Judge should be more consistent this season. Harrigan has developed big men like Kentucky signee Aaron Bradshaw (Camden (N.J.)) during his time as head coach of the NJ Scholars 17U team on the Nike EYBL circuit and noted that Guillouette has “taken accountability for himself. All of that started with his commitment that he wanted to lead these guys, but he did that by dedicating himself to improving.”

Chamberlain, the grandnephew of the late NBA Hall of Famer and 76ers legend Wilt Chamberlain, returns to the starting point guard spot and the 5-11 sophomore guard, who avg. 5.2 points and 2.5 assists, should be better this season. He had 12 points against Devon Prep and his scoring and assist numbers should dramatically increase in year two. “He’s put in a lot of time improving his jump shot. That will definitely help open some things up for him because now he will have that ability to shoot the ball and feel confident when he does. The biggest part of his game will be his mental growth, especially as the point guard,” according to Harrigan.

McKie, the son of the Temple University head coach, avg. 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in his first year as a starter and the 6-2 sophomore guard should see a major jump in production. He drilled 37 three-pointers and shot 45.7 percent from behind the arc. As Harrigan notes, “he needed to find his niche and he was able to do that. In addition to being a scorer, we need him to become a leader because when you’re one of the leading scorers, guys are going to follow and look to him for that.”

Harper, a 6-3 junior guard, was a nice surprise in his first season playing extended minutes as he avg. 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds. He had 14 points against Abraham Lincoln and the hope is that the combo guard can contribute in greater fashion. “He’s our most dynamic player and has so much potential. We believe in him and know that he can score in a bunch of different ways, but with him it’s all about confidence,” per Harrigan.

“Last year’s group was that transition group where the years prior we could throw the ball to our bigs and expect them to create something,” Corbett said. “When they graduated, we moved to this four or five out offense and kept the lane open, but it didn’t click with a lot of the guys. It’s a different game when you have that outlet valve but then they’re gone.

Compared to most offseasons where Lansdale Catholic players leave the court and go their own way in the spring as they tend to be multi-sport athletes, Corbett was able to get the returning group to buy into more offseason workouts and the group even pushed to join a fall league, which the head coach feels greatly benefitted them. The two leaders behind the campaign were 6-3 senior forward Evan Lojewski and 6-4 senior guard Matt Hopkins.

Lojewski avg. 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds and Corbett expects “him to play a big role this year. He can play every position.” He had eight points and 12 boards against Bonner-Prendergast. Hopkins avg. 5.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a junior, and his “development and maturity since the end of last year has been awesome. He has gotten to be a better teammate every time he plays. The other guys really respect him. Corbett notes that Hopkins is the team’s best rebounder and performances like the 14-point and 11-rebound game against Archbishop Carroll could be the difference in several contests.

While the team didn’t leave the GIANT Center with the state title, Mosco emphasized what it meant to make that run and show the consistency that it takes to be recognized as one of the premiere programs in Pa.

“It solidified us as a program, not just a team,” Mosco said. “We had guys like Mike and Tyson who didn’t play much in their first few years but were called upon and stepped up to lead us to a great year. That group did everything they could as seniors and I preached that all year, so you hope it clicks. It certainly clicked with that group.”

Jalil Bethea, a 6-5 junior guard who avg. 13.7 ppg and made 90 three-pointers on 46.2% from behind the arc, will be the Vikings go-to scorer once again. With offers from Syracuse, UCLA, Miami (Fla.), Villanova, St. Joe’s, Rutgers, Seton Hall, VCU, Notre Dame and St. John’s, Bethea has put his versatility on display and his 37-point performance, where he shot 11-for-12 from the three-point line, vs. North Hills in the state quarterfinals was indicative of that. That game set the record for most points ever by a Philadelphia Catholic League player in a state playoff game. According to Mosco, “the ball will be in Jalil's hands a lot with the summer he had and how he is progressing to a high-level player. He’s a three-level scorer and does it all.”

Josh Reed, a 6-3 junior guard with an offer from Albany, moves into a starting spot this season. He had 13 points against Father Judge and 15 vs. Bonner-Prendergast. “We’ll be relying on him to defend and provide scoring to take some of the pressure off Jalil. His best attributes are using his strength by getting downhill and rebounding,” per Mosco. Gus Salem, a 6-2 senior guard and transfer from Santa Monica High School (Cal.) will be in the starting lineup as well. He had 19 points in a win over Hamilton (Cal.) and Mosco notes he “anticipates where the ball is going to go next.”

“Neumann was the champion and proved they were the best team, yet we only lost to them by one possession twice,” McKee said. “Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make the PIAA 6A Tournament in the Catholic League. I felt we had a nice team and unfortunately our dreams ended abruptly.”

With three starters who accounted for 61 percent of the scoring output last season gone along with big man Caleb Bryant, who transferred to Camden to focus on football, the Explorers will look to several role players from a season ago to make huge leaps forward, but the offense will be built around Simmons. The 6-6 senior wing bound for Drexel avg. 14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while making 43 three-pointers on 39.1 percent shooting from deep. The versatile forward had 10 points, 16 boards and three rejections in that playoff loss to the Saints. According to McKee, “he’s going to help us with everything. He’s got to help on the defensive end and provide leadership. He needs to become even more versatile. Leadership is sometimes more about action, and he should do that for us.”

James Bartchak, a 6-1 senior guard who saw time off the bench last season, will see an expanded role as will 6-3 senior guard Ryan Sorge, who hit 16 three-pointers with two of those coming late in the league quarterfinals.