The youth movement in NYC is a promising one.
This past season, there were several noteworthy high level performances from the likes of Class of 2026 products such as 6-foot-7 man-child Oesoemano Sacko (St. Francis Prep), Brooklyn-bred guard Deron Rippey (Blair Academy), Cardinal Hayes point guard Jermel Thomas and Molloy’s radiant tandem of electrifying point guard Sincere Folk and bullish 6-foot-5 guard Josh Powell.
As the year comes to an end and programs begin to strategically prepare for the future, there is a steady crop of local young talent in the Class of 2027.
The expectation level starts with Class of 2027 guard Johnny Magna, who has emerged into one of the top players in the country in the class. With an advanced skill set beyond his years, the 6-foot-2 Magna has an all around arsenal as a prolific scoring threat.
He’s developed an IQ and awareness as a facilitator which should translate instantly to the highest level of play the city has to offer.
Magna, who earned Division-I scholarships from Manhattan College and Bryant before he even became a teenager, is a taming influence with the ball in his hands.
He’s developed a flashy handle, one emblematic of a NYC-bred point guard. He is currently deciding between Christ The King and Molloy of the talent-rich CHSAA. The conference will return a wealth of weapons next season with five star 2024 point guard Boogie Fland, Syracuse-bound 6-foot-4 sharpshooter Elijah Moore, and North Carolina-bound point guard Ian Jackson.
Magna will play for PSA Cardinals on the AAU circuit.
Instrumental in helping nurture the development of this infusion of new blood is New Heights AAU.
The program has several enticing young prospects, including Anderson Diaz.
A shifty lefty with a knack for space creation and an advanced off the dribble scoring arsenal, the Class of 2027 Diaz is likely headed to St. Raymond’s. He’s got the intangibles as a creative point guard with handle and shiftiness.
A guard/wing who could have a similar impact that the aforementioned Powell did at Molloy this past season is Josh Rivera. Already at 6-foot-5 in these embryonic stages of his development, Rivera has long arms and the ability to play and guard multiple positions.
He’s got an adequate feel for the game and has a consistent deep jumper along with athleticism and open court finishing.
As a 6-foot-4 guard with a deft outside touch and a presence on the glass, Dillon Callahan is tracking as one of the city’s best in the incoming 2027 class.
A NY Gauchos product, Callahan already possess good concepts of the game and the ability to embrace contact at the rim.
As a drive and kick threat with an innate feel for the true point guard role, Gio Moran oozes of promise. He’s a shifty point guard with instictive defense and the ability to make everyone around him a beneficiary of his presence. Moran, like the aforementioned Diaz, is a New Heights product.
Judah Bontempts, a Class of 2027 point guard with a stout on ball defensive presence and flashy handle, is another young prospect who has already generated buzz. Like several of the aforementioned point guards, Bontempts has a purity of vision as a creator and an innate feel for the game even as a neophyte at this level.
Bontempts will be attending Christ The King.
