ESPN RISE

READING, Pa. -- Kevin Regan represents the X-factor. He's one of those two-sport athletes who embodies the heart and soul of his teams.

Regan, a rising senior at Roman Catholic High in Philadelphia, brings leadership, intangibles and, above all, gusto, which coaches relish.

"If he ever concentrated solely on basketball he'd be quite a get for a college," Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby said.

At the urging of his coach, Regan put down the football last month to give basketball a serious whirl. Watching him play at the Hoop Group Elite Camp at Albright College in Reading, Pa., it's easy to spot the differences in his game that make him stand out from his camp teammates.

Regan, a throwback player from the Somerton neighborhood of Pennsylvania's largest city, reintroduced a lost trait during his four-day run at the camp, formerly known as Eastern Invitational.

"Hard work and getting my teammates involved," said Regan, who, no surprise, is a quarterback for the Cahillites.

"Add leadership, too," McNesby said.

Roman Catholic, a perennial powerhouse on the hardwood, traditionally plays a take-no-prisoners schedule in the Philadelphia Catholic League and in national tournaments.

Last December, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Regan rose to the occasion as the Cahillites played ESPN RISE's FAB 50 top-ranked team, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. His stat line -- nine points, six rebounds, 32 minutes -- may sound insignificant, but he was battling the likes of 6-10 twins Travis and David Wear in the 72-70 last-second loss.

"The bigger the game opponent, the bigger [Regan] plays," McNesby said.

To wit, in the PCL semifinals, he contributed 24 points in a victory over eventual Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion Archbishop Carroll (Radnor).

Exposure at showcases like the Hoop Group Elite is paramount for student-athletes now as the NCAA "live period" opened Monday.

Several low Division I basketball programs are keeping tabs on Regan's progress at the Hoop Group Elite this week, and football programs at Buffalo, Akron, Connecticut, Temple and Colonial Athletic Conference (Bowl Sub-Division) teams are in the mix.

This fall, Roman Catholic's football team returns young, speedy receiving targets for Regan, who will operate from the pass-happy spread offense.

"I haven't decided which sport; I enjoy them both," said Regan, who averaged 10 points and seven rebounds last season on the court. "Since I've arrived [to the Hoop Group Elite Camp], it's all basketball. I'm working on the fundamentals, mainly shooting technique and ball handling.

"There's more basketball this month and 7-on-7 football. Next month, it's back to football, looking to win a championship."

BIG CITY STARS: Among the nearly 650 campers at Hoop Group Elite are two rising headliners from the New York City's Catholic and Public leagues.

Shane Southwell and Michael Taylor should be participating at the top-flight, sneaker-sponsored events in Cincinnati (adidas), Philadelphia (Reebok) and Akron-Cleveland (Nike), but ventured to Eastern Pennsylvania this week where over 300 college coaches flocked.

Southwell, a 6-7, 207-pound senior at nationally-ranked Rice (Manhattan), confirmed offers from Providence, Marquette, South Carolina, Xavier and St. John's, with several others waiting in the wings.

"I've been [Rice] the last two years; there's a lot of talent here," said Southwell, who transferred from All Hallows (Bronx) in January 2008.

Once Southwell sat out the mandatory period, he helped ESPN RISE FAB 50 No. 6 Rice (25-3) capture the New York State Federation Class AA and New York Catholic High School Athletic Association intersectional crowns.

In the final 10 games of the season, he averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, splitting time on the wing and at the point for the Raiders.

This year, he's expected to run the show at the point for Raiders, who traditionally rely on shorter, mercuric guards -- think Kemba Walker (Connecticut) and Edgar Sosa (Louisville) -- on the floor.

"Tall point guards see the floor; I like setting up my teammates," said Southwell, who competes for the New York Gauchos, a top travel team based in the Bronx.

Taylor, a 6-3 guard from Boys and Girls High in Brooklyn, arrived to camp Tuesday afternoon. Though he was tardy, Taylor has good reason.

"I'm trying to get ahead in school," he said. "If I concentrate on core classes this summer, I'll be clear to play at any of the best camps next year."

Quite a savvy approach for the high-scoring combo guard, who has already has offers from the likes of Louisville, Providence, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia Tech, St. John's and Rutgers. Several others are on the fence.

Boys assistant coach Elmer Anderson has advised his rising-junior star to hold off on a commitment.

"Mike needs to take his five visits and wait until the fall of his senior year to pick a school," said Anderson, a former standout guard at St. Bonaventure. "He has interest from all the bigs; he's not attending a sneaker camp this time, but saving it for 2010. The camps conflict with summer classes."

Taylor averaged 16 points as a sophomore, and continued his success on the summer circuit, bagging the Most Valuable Player honors at the Gym Rats Tournament in Albany, N.Y. He was also named one of the top players at Rumble in the Bronx as a member of the Metro Hawks, a Nike Grassroots basketball progam. He also attended elite camps at Rutgers and St. John's last month. In August, he's off to Villanova's elite camp.

"Ultimately, I'll select a school that likes up-tempo [offenses]," Taylor said. "For now, I'm working on ballhandling and defense. That's what wins games."

WORD OUT: The buzz around the Hoop Group Elite this week was the play of Melsahn Basabe of St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.).

Several camp officials and analysts said he was the top player in attendance.

Those familiar with the New England prep school scene might remember Basabe's school. St. Mark's is the two-time defending NEPSAC Class C champions, featuring 6-10 Erik Murphy, an All-American who signed with Florida, and fellow senior Nate Lubick (a Georgetown recruit).

If you know Basabe's background, you'll be impressed with his progress since enrolling at the boarding school after securing an inner-city scholarship from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

"Going to St. Mark's has changed my life," said the Glen Cove, N.Y., resident, who previously lived in Virginia. "I've gotten progressively better each year, in the classroom and on the court."

On the eve of his senior year, his grades are climbing. Earlier this year he recorded a 1,120 on the SAT and his grade-point average is 2.8 (on a scale of 4).

"I'm working hard so even the good academic schools will notice," said Basabe, who plays for the New York Gauchos travel team.

In the NEPSAC final, he contributed 14 points as St. Mark's crushed Holderness School (New Hampshire), 86-53, to finish 24-6 overall.

Tuesday night, Basabe displayed the flash and panache that had several schools lining the court at Albright's Bollman Center. The 6-7 Basabe, who projects as a wing in college, showed power in the blocks and NBA range on his jumper. He outdueled Alex Bates, a 6-8 forward from Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) in the post, and still found time to lead the charge in transition.

Expressing the most interest is St. John's, Siena, St. Bonaventure, Fairfield, Hawaii, Old Dominion and Northeastern, but Wake Forest, Stanford and Vanderbilt are keeping close watch.

SHOOTING STARS: The Hoop Elite featured selected their top 20 All Stars, voted on by the staff and based their play during the game (class is for the 2009-10 school year).

Post-graduates: 6-1 Quincy Taylor, Wichita (Kan.) Collegiate; 5-11 Devante Cutler and 6-4 Lamont Samuels, Boys and Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

Seniors: 6-0 Corey Wright, Marianapolis (Conn.) Prep; 6-2 Aishon White, Nia School (Newark, N.J.); 6-8 Theo Boyomo, Kent (Conn.) School; 6-1 Antonio Barton, Lake Clifton (Baltimore); 6-6 Durand Johnson, Parkville (Baltimore); 6-10 Naofall Folahan, Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.); 6-1 Elijah Carter, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.); 6-1 Latif Rivers, Avon (Conn.) Old Farms; 6-7 Jamir Hanner, South Philadelphia (Pa.); 6-3 Frantz Massenat, Trenton (N.J.) Catholic; 6-7 Shane Southwell, Rice (Manhattan, N.Y.); 6-7 Melsahn Basabe, St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.);; 6-9 Raphael Akpejoni, Sunrise Christian Academy (Wichita, Kan.); 6-8 Cleveland Melvin, Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.).

Juniors: 6-1 Derrick Gordon, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.); 6-7 Maurice Harkless, Forest Hills (Queens, N.Y.); 6-7 Bernard Sullivan, North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.).

Christopher Lawlor has covered high school sports for more than 20 years, most recently with USA Today, where he was the head preps writer responsible for national high school rankings in football, baseball, and boys' and girls' basketball. He also worked for Scholastic Coach magazine, for which he ran the Gatorade national Player of the Year program for nine years. Lawlor, a New Jersey resident, grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University.