The Pittsburgh Basketball Club High School Classic rolled out its two-day event this past weekend on the basketball floor at Montour High School. While the pigskin has overtaken the area as the end-all and be-all when it comes to the go-to sport throughout the region, this past weekend still showed that there is quality basketball being played. Bringing in some of the best high school teams and talent from Pittsburgh, it was Robby Carmody and Nelly Cummings, two tough and quality scoring assets in the younger classes, which showed their value for the next level.

CARMODY IS THE NEXT GUY UP OUT OF THE STEEL CITY

While the talent coming out of the Pittsburgh area hasn’t been as good as it might have been in past years, it does seem that for those that do make it out of the Steel City and compete at the high division-1 level, that they are really able to make a name for themselves. Over the past years, it was TJ McConnell at Arizona, Devin Wilson at Virginia Tech, Maverick Rowan at NC State, and Nolan Cressler at Vanderbilt who all has starred. It would seem that Robby Carmody, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Mars High School, will be the next guy up.

Already boasting offers from Duquesne, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Cincinnati, and Xavier, the area hasn’t seen such a well-followed prospect at such a young age, for some time now. Despite being a sophomore, Carmody has gained quite the following in recent weeks and rightfully so. While his squad went down in defeat on Sunday evening and to the hands of the mighty Allderdice High bunch, Carmody did it all for his Planets squad. One of the more explosive guys that one might find, the sophomore attempted to throw down dunk after dunk within traffic and was a major nuisance on the glass. He got to the line off of hard righty drives, made a lot of the right decisions below the arc on quality dump-offs near the basket, and was constantly active and involved for the 50-50 ball on the defensive end. Duquesne has made him a major priority early on as they dispatched head coach Jim Ferry and two of his assistant coaches for him and though in defeat, Carmody finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, while missing just one his 11 foul shot attempts, and looks every bit of a top-100 recruit in 2018.

CUMMINGS BRINGS THE HEAT

Before Maverick Rowan, now a freshman starter at NC State, had moved to Florida for a year in completing his last year of high school play, the 6-foot-6 wing had suited up at Lincoln Park Charter School. Cummings now runs the show for the bunch and on Sunday, it was his grit, scoring prowess, and ball control that put his team up early and kept them afloat in securing the hard fought win over North Hills High School.

With Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole and an assistant on hand for the 5-foot-11 guard, Cummings seems to always produce where he never lays off the gas pedal and has the body that allows for bumps along the way. He isn’t the biggest of guys around but he is strong and compact and rarely ever gets deterred from off his line to the basket. Throwing up 33-points on the scoreboard, Cummings finished at the basket and within the taller trees, hit on catch and shoot jumpers from deep, and didn’t leave too many left over at the foul line. With the likes of High Point, RMU, Bowling Green, and Cornell having already offered the Pittsburgh native, the junior has the makings of a highly monitored prospect throughout the region entering his senior summer.

ALLDERDICE FULL OF LATE YEAR GETS

Playing the most difficult schedule out of anyone apart of the Pittsburgh district, Allderdice is one of the most entertaining bunches that you’re going to get a chance to watch. Now sitting at 17-and-1 on the season and having beaten the best from the area and others throughout the state and region, there might not be a better passing group that I have seen all year long. They have the personnel that perfectly fits what the coaching staff has attempted to do and while they do not have a division-1 commit at this time, they do have a couple that could see their stock soar this winter and spring as late year signings.

Ramon Creighton, a 6-foot-2, burly and tough guard, is the lead guy for his bunch who has a very deceptive first step as he knifes his way through the defense and can finish through contact off his feet. He isn’t the most athletic of guys around but he does have a great feel for the game in setting the floor for his squad, can knock down shots, and also defend out top without giving the foul.

Timothy Jackson sports a long physique standing at 6-foot-3 and has a very crafty scoring game from 15-feet and in. He can really pass the basketball on full length bounce passes, just as he did all game long in the win over Mars High, and it was his hounding, ball denial defense that helped his team secure the hard fought W.

The twin brother of Timothy, James Jackson, who is a Toledo football recruit, has been vocal in recent weeks about playing college basketball at the next level and is having quite the senior campaign. He never plays outside of himself, wields a confident jumper that he can hit from deep and from off the pull-up near the 15-foot mark, and also finish with some athleticism at the basket, which he did so with a poster dunk over an unassuming Mars defender.

All three bring a versatile skillset and on both ends and with coaches from Gannon, Kent State, Duquesne, and Robert Morris in the gym, Creighton and the Jackson brothers looked to have to put themselves into prime positioning to see a few scholarships add up.