High School Standouts 2021 Season: Report #1

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Aidan McCormack 6’3 Wing 2022 (Pennsbury HS): McCormack impressed on both sides of the ball in Pennsbury’s win over CB West. He stretched the floor for his squad with a pair of three-pointers. His first trey was on a spot-up attempt from the left wing. On McCormack’s other make from long range, he faked a pass to the corner from the right wing, shifting his defender to give him space to get a shot off. Had a strong drive from the top of the key as well for a right hand layup. Also ran the floor hard in transition to get two easy buckets at the rim. Finished the game with 16 points. McCormack did an admirable job on the defensive end as well. He played aggressive on ball defense against the opposing point guard, making it difficult for CB West to get into their offense during the first half. Also made an impact on the glass, showing a knack for being in the right spots when the ball comes off the rim. Had seven rebounds in the contest.

John Lee 6’3 Power Forward 2022 (CB West HS): Lee helped keep CB West in the game with his shotmaking in the first half against Pennsbury. Forced Pennsbury to respect his ability to shoot from beyond the arc as he had three treys in the contest. Had two spot up threes, in addition to one on a pick and pop from the top of the key. Lee also had a pair of nice drives at the rim. On the first one, he finished through contact driving from the left wing for an and-1. On his other finish, Lee penetrated from the corner to score with his opposite hand at the basket. When Pennsbury would collapse on a teammate of his in the lane, he would find the open spots, giving them a better passing angle to get him the ball for easy layups on drop-offs. He finished the game with 24 points. Lee made a significant impact on the glass to limit Pennsbury from getting second chance points. He used his wide frame to get an advantageous position on opponents when blocking out, helping him rebound at a good rate. Lee corralled six rebounds in the game.

Colin Post 6’2 Combo Guard 2021 (Pennridge HS): Post came up with some timely buckets for Pennridge in their overtime win against North Penn. Had three three-pointers in the game. In the first half, he had a nice off the dribble three in transition from the left wing. Post’s other two treys were both on spot up attempts, where on one of them he played the role of a zone buster with North Penn going to a 1-3-1 defense. Post also showed a solid mid-range game as well. Had a smooth pull-up jumper in transition from the foul line in addition to another pull-up from ten feet away in the halfcourt over North Penn’s big man. Finished with 22 points in the game. Post can also be counted on a secondary playmaker in an offense with his solid vision. He found teammates for good looks on a variety of occasions. Had a really nice play where he threw a crosscourt pass on the right block to a teammate for a three-pointer from the left wing. Post also had another play where he found a teammate for a trey from the left wing on a drive and kick. Finished the contest with four assists. Defensively, he battled hard all game with North Penn’s post players inside despite giving up multiple inches. Post used his strong body and toughness to make his matchup have to work very hard to get position on him in the paint. Also did a commendable job of challenging opponents’ shots both at the rim and from beyond the arc to force them into a lower percentage shot.

Josh Jones 6’6 Combo Forward 2021 (North Penn HS): Jones had an exceptional effort in North Penn’s overtime loss to Pennridge. He cannot be left open from beyond the arc as he has a smooth release on his shot. Hit a three-pointer very early in the game from the left wing on an out of bounds play. Jones also has the ability to take opponents off the dribble from the wings. Had a nice crossover move from the right wing to get by his defender and score a reverse layup in addition to a strong drive from the right wing again to draw a shooting foul. Jones does a good job of getting deep post position on opponents to create easy opportunities for layups. In addition to scoring a number of high percentage layups from getting deep post position, he also drew a large number of fouls. Shot 19 free throws in the game, where he took advantage making 14 of them. Finished the contest with 34 points. Jones also made his mark on the glass, using his size and athleticism to corral 11 rebounds and finish with a double-double. He did a good job keeping his hands up straight to stay out of foul trouble as well. This allowed him to stay in for the majority of the game like his team needed him to.

Jack Blum 6’3 Wing 2023 (Council Rock North HS): Blum is an intriguing sophomore who spaced the floor very well for CR North in their win over CR South. He had three treys in the game. Blum moved well without the ball on his first two threes. He gave his teammates a better passing angle to get him the ball from shifting to the corners. Blum’s third trey came on a spot up from the left wing that originated through very good ball movement from CR North when CR South went into a zone. He also showed good composure hitting 4/4 free throws late in the game to ice the win for his team. Finished the contest with 13 points. With Blum still being young and playing major varsity minutes for the first time, he has lapses on the defensive end with not being in the proper position. As he adjusts more to the speed of the varsity game and understands better how to use his physical tools, Blum should make strides on this end of the floor.

Joe Purcell 6’1 Shooting Guard 2021 (Council Rock South HS): Purcell showed good scoring touch in CR South’s loss to CR North. Has a quick trigger with compact form on his shot, helping him to convert four treys in the contest. His first three-pointer was made from the right corner during an out of bounds play. Purcell also had a pair of treys on pick and pops from the left wing and top of the key. When CR North played tight on ball defense against him, he used his quick first step to get to the rim as well. Had a nice drive in the first half from the left wing, finishing through contact at the rim to score. Also drew an important shooting foul late in the game when he drove to the hoop again. Finished with 21 points in the game. Defensively, Purcell did a solid job of keeping his man in front of him when playing on ball defense. He moves his feet well laterally, limiting opponents from getting dribble penetration on him. Also showed good instincts when using his hands on this end. In the first half, he forced a steal, plucking the ball from behind when the opponent did not realize he was there. Had another play where he ripped the ball from an opponent when they were not strong with it.

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