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Josh Verlin

@jmverlin.bsky.social

Founder/Editor-in-Chief, City of Basketball Love (CoBL). Covering Philly-area high school + college hoops full-time since 2012. Amateur musician, watcher of too much TV, usually with @auroraverlin.bsky.social www.cityofbasketballlove.com

1,703 Followers  |  236 Following  |  2,174 Posts  |  Joined: 01.07.2023  |  1.7377

Latest posts by jmverlin.bsky.social on Bluesky

At least you didn't have Shrader?

10.10.2025 20:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

"Prepping for Preps" 2025-26...

Coatesville (Boys): www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news.../show...

Perk Valley (Girls): www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news.../show...

Father Judge (Boys): www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news.../show...

Upper Dublin (Boys): www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news.../show...

09.10.2025 13:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
2025-26 Season Preview: Garfield Turner ready to lead Drexel men By Dan Arkans (@danarkans) Most college basketball teams are lucky to return players from year to year in this new era of NIL and the transfer portal. Name tags and icebreakers are the norm for m...

Back to a lot of preview content coming out today, starting with the Drexel MBB squad, which has nine returning players, not an easy thing in this era of the transfer portal.

Dan Arkans with the feature and focus on fifth-year senior Garfield Turner: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

07.10.2025 14:18 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Prepping for Preps '25-26: Father Judge By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s β€œPrepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2025-26 se...

The defending Catholic League and PIAA Class 6A champs, there was nobody more fitting to start this year's "Prepping for Preps" series than with Father Judge.

A look at the 2025-26 Crusaders: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

06.10.2025 13:58 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh, no….

06.10.2025 01:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Eagles haven't played well enough yet this season to be 5-0. Heck, I'm not even sure they've played well enough to be 4-1. Ultimately, still a long season, but they have not played a whole game yet, and the offense still isn't clicking.

05.10.2025 20:26 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Shanahan grad Sean Griffin turns post-grad opportunity into Naval Academy commit By Olivia Valania Sean Griffin’s college decision was not only a commitment to where he will continue his basketball career. It was bigger than that: a commitment to serve his country, and a way to...

Battling through injuries in high school, Bishop Shanahan grad Sean Griffin took a post-graduate year at Peddie School (N.J.) and turned that into an opportunity at the Naval Academy, which he scooped up at the end of last month:

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

02.10.2025 15:26 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
2025-26 CoBL-Area Men's Division I Alumni (Pt. 1) Josh VerlinΒ (@jmverlin) Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2025-26Β season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 4. To access all of ou...

Pt. 1: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

Pt. 2: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

Pt. 3: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

Pt. 4: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

02.10.2025 13:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Each year, City of Basketball Love does an annual round-up of all the area's high school alumni/alumane currently playing Division I basketball this season.

We started this year with the men's list, which is split into four parts, alphabetically. Please let us know if we missed anybody...

02.10.2025 13:08 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Getting back to journalism (and some social media posting). We've got a bunch of commitment stories coming on @hooplove215.bsky.social in the next few days:

Charlotte Aldridge (DEast/UTEP)
Rocco Westfield (Judge/Merrimack)
Max Moshinski (Judge/Iona)
Sean Griffin (Shanahan/Naval Academy)

30.09.2025 21:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Holy Ghost Prep to join Catholic League in 2026-27 season By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) When Tom Heston was at Holy Ghost Prep, playing the Catholic League never really crossed his mind. The former Firebirds guard, who graduated in 2012, was focused then on ...

Big news in the Catholic League today:

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

30.09.2025 16:03 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Heading down to West Chester tonight and tomorrow for the Big 64 -- not going to keep stats or write up any standouts, just going to watch hoops, take pictures and do interviews for our season previews. The 2025-26 edition of "Prepping for Preps" will start on Weds., October 1.

12.09.2025 18:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Been focused heavily on CoBL's events the last 5-6 weeks. That'll change soon enough, after our fall events + the hiring of a new events director.

Will have something up tomorrow on the whole St. Joe's MBB coaching situation, after a press conference with Steve Donahue.

11.09.2025 01:33 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Brad Wanamaker takes over at alma mater Roman Catholic Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33) Brad Wanamaker has something that very few players in the history of Philadelphia basketball have: his picture inside the Palestra. He can always find himself ther...

One of the greatest players to wear the Roman Catholic uniform, former Pitt Panther and Boston Celtic Bradley Wanamaker took over the reins of the Cahillite program earlier this summer.

@hooplove215.bsky.social's Rich Flanagan with the feature: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

01.09.2025 13:43 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Plymouth Whitemarsh big man Mike Pereira talks Penn commitment By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) Penn was already high on Michael Pereira’s list, the burgeoning young big man attracted to the institution’s academic profile and the overall level of Ivy League hoops.Β  ...

The Plymouth Whitemarsh-to-Penn men's basketball pipeline is growing, as PW big man Michael Pereira publicly committed to the city's Ivy League program last night: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

27.08.2025 14:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Jahzara Green goes from late-bloomer to St. Joe's WBB commit By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) Jahzara Green didn’t play organized basketball for the first 13 years of her life.Β  Once she picked the ball up, she hasn’t put it down since β€” and though she’s late to...

Though she didn't start playing organized basketball until 8th grade, Gloucester Catholic (N.J.) wing Jahzara Green made up for lost time in a hurry, committing to St. Joe's WBB earlier this month.

My feature on the South Jersey standout: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

20.08.2025 13:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Comer: Ari Rosenfeld keeping the area's scouting tradition going By David Comer Ari Rosenfeld cannot pinpoint where his love of basketball started. He just knows that’s been his favorite sport since he was growing up in Cherry Hill, N.J., in a family of Philadel...

A story that was overdue to be on @hooplove215.bsky.social -- on former CoBL writer Ari Rosenfeld, who's keeping the area's scouting tradition alive and well:

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

19.08.2025 13:47 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
2025 CoBL Underclassman Camp Standouts (Aug. 16) By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) The 2025 edition of the CoBL Underclassman Exposure Camp took place this past Saturday at the Alan Horwitz β€˜Sixth Man’ Center, bringing together a collection of many of...

Standouts are LIVE for all three of this weekend's @hooplove215.bsky.social Exposure Camps!

Underclassman: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

Girls' College Exposure: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

Boys' College Exposure: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

18.08.2025 16:33 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
CoBL College Exposure Camps: Updated Player Lists (Aug. 16-17) By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) CoBL’s final camps of 2025 are just around the corner β€” which means time and space are running out to claim your spot to participate in the best one-day basketball camp...

Three hundred campers locked and loaded for our biggest weekend of CoBL Camps ever. Here we go!!

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

16.08.2025 12:21 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Archie Goodwin celebrates his first Rumph Tournament with a championship and an MVP JosephΒ SantoliquitoΒ (@JSantoliquito) PHILADELPHIA β€” Archie Goodwin was a little torn. He had heard great things about Philly’s Danny Rumph Classic. The 6-foot-5 Little Rock, Arkansas native had som...

The 2025 edition of the Danny Rumph Classic -- the charity tournament now in its 20th year -- ended in exciting fashion last night as Blue Magic and TBB squared off in front of a packed house at the DAC.

Joseph Santoliquito with the report: www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

12.08.2025 14:34 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
CoBL College Exposure Camps: Updated Player Lists (Aug. 16-17) By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) CoBL’s final camps of 2025 are just around the corner β€” which means time and space are running out to claim your spot to participate in the best one-day basketball camp...

There are more than 260 players registered for this weekend's CoBL Exposure Camps -- and still a few spots left! Don't miss out on our biggest weekend of camps EVER at the Sixth Man Center.

Updated player lists and links to register found here:

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

12.08.2025 02:19 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

2025 Rumph men’s semifinals: Blue Magic (Jordan Hall, Archie Goodwin, Tre Duval, Ed Croswell) up 48-31 with 16 left on Rumph Center (Samme Givens, Rahsool Diggins, Khalif Mears, Tyree Corbett, Nick Jourdain)

10.08.2025 20:09 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Team Harper won the 2025 Rumph women’s championship.

Jordan Wallace (Sterling, NJ/Rutgers) won the MVP honors. Taylor O’Brien (Plymouth Whitemarsh/Bucknell/FSU) also had a big pair of games this weekend.

10.08.2025 19:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Rumph Classic 2025 women’s championship coming down to the wire. Tied 30-30 with four minutes left. (Games are low scoring due to running clock).

10.08.2025 18:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Game 2: LOE vs. Rex6

LOE: Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, Josh Sharkey, John Harrar, Ahmad Gilbert, Xzayvier Malone

Rex6: Quade Green, Quadir Welton, Yazid Powell

08.08.2025 00:03 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Martin, Jaworski and Timko all going off, simultaneously. TBB up 66-33 with 13:38 left. (These games are played with running clocks).

07.08.2025 23:13 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Familiar faces in the opening game of the 2025 Rumph Classic:

Samme Givens, Rahsool Diggins, Nick Jourdain, Cameron Young, Hysier Miller (Rumph Center)

Tyrese Martin, Justin Jaworski, Jack Forrest, Erik Timko, Clifton Moore (TBB)

07.08.2025 22:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Haven't been able to stop by the Rumph Classic the last couple years but heading to the DAC tonight. Should be a blast watching a whole lot of hoopers I covered in high school a decade ago.

Not sure what coverage will look like just yet. Gonna have some fun with it.

07.08.2025 18:59 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Time running out to register for CoBL Exposure Camps (Aug. 16-17) By CoBL Staff (@hooplove215) CoBL’s final camps of 2025 are just around the corner β€” which means time and space are running out to claim your spot to participate in the best one-day basketball camp...

CoBL’s final camps of 2025 are just around the corner β€” which means time and space are running out to claim your spot to participate in the best one-day basketball camps around!

05.08.2025 14:28 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Local coaches chime in on the possibility of a shot clock in PA high school hoops JosephΒ SantoliquitoΒ (@JSantoliquito) Mike Doyle remembers sitting at home watching ESPN during spring break his sophomore year at Philadelphia Textile (now currently Thomas Jefferson University) ...

Though there are still several steps to clear, Pennsylvania looks like it's headed towards a shot clock.

Joseph Santoliquito spoke to coaches from around the area on their thoughts about the major change, which wouldn't go into effect until 2028-29:

www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article...

28.07.2025 17:20 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@jmverlin is following 20 prominent accounts