The Prime Event East 2026: Berks AAU Notebook
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More than 1,600 players representing 345 teams descended on Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim last weekend for The Prime Event East's 2026 edition hosted by Select Events.
With 62 college programs in attendance and some of the nation's top prospects competing across multiple age groups, the annual event once again served as one of the premier stops on the girls basketball AAU calendar.
Several Berks County standouts were among those in action, including reigning Berks Player of the Year and rising Wilson senior Kailani Hardy, Exeter All-Berks rising junior guard Addison Harper, Wilson rising sophomore wing Mariam Osumanu, Wyomissing rising sophomore point guard Mayleen Armistead, and Hamburg rising sophomore guard Ashayleoni Camper.
BGB was on site throughout the weekend and caught up with each of the above players about their school seasons, offseason development, and goals for the year ahead.
Hardy ready to embrace leadership role
Few players in Berks County had a better 2025-26 season than Wilson's Kailani Hardy.
The rising senior helped lead the Bulldogs to BCIAA and District 3 Class 6A championships before earning Berks Player of the Year honors. Now she enters her final high school season as the centerpiece of a Wilson team looking to defend both titles despite graduating several key contributors.
"It felt great," Hardy said of winning Player of the Year. "There's not a lot of people that get Player of the Year, so me being able to accomplish that goal just felt amazing."
Hardy spent the weekend competing with Team PA P32's 2027 squad against some of the strongest competition in the event. In a 69-58 loss to Jersey Gemz EYBL, she finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and took two charges while helping keep Team PA within striking distance.
The rising senior was aggressive from the opening tip, attacking the basket offensively while matching up defensively against high-level talent. Jersey Gemz featured Rutgers Prep's Hailey Benbow, the No. 18-ranked player in ESPN's NEXT rankings for the 2028 class.
"It felt good to win those championships," Hardy said. "There were a lot of tough teams this year, so we had to keep pushing ourselves. We wanted that state chip, but we weren't able to get it. We'll be back next year."
Wilson will need to replace several seniors, including Laila Jones (Penn State Harrisburg), Laura Crocona (Kutztown), and Violet Houck (Jacksonville track & field). Hardy knows that means an increased leadership role.
"I want to build a little bit more leadership," said Hardy, who enters her senior season with 906 career points. "I'm going to be an older player on the team, so I've got to pick my teammates up and help the younger players."
Hardy's stock continues to rise on the recruiting trail as well. She picked up her first Division I offer from La Salle in January and said several other Division I programs have been in contact.
"It felt good, the first one, but there's many more to come," Hardy said.
Harper building on breakthrough sophomore season
Exeter's return to the BCIAA championship game was one of the biggest surprises in Berks County basketball last winter.
After winning just seven games during Addison Harper's freshman season, the Eagles surged all the way to the county final behind a young core that matured quickly throughout the year.
"I feel like it was a big improvement from my freshman year," Harper said. "My freshman year we knew we didn't do that well, but I really feel like we connected and we proved people wrong last year."
Harper emerged as one of the county's top guards during her sophomore campaign, scoring 17.7 ppg and earning All-Berks recognition while helping Exeter reach its first county championship game in 49 years.
"It felt great," Harper said of earning All-Berks honors. "I felt like my work was getting put in and it's showing now, and people can see it too."
Competing up an age group with Team Go Get It's 2027 team over the weekend, Harper once again showcased her versatility.
The 5-9 guard scored a team-high 12 points while running the point in a 33-28 loss to the Lancaster County-based Sonics. Although her shot wasn't falling consistently, Harper repeatedly created opportunities for teammates and helped keep Go Get It in the game late. The squad finished 1-3 over the weekend.
Harper also credited former Berks standouts in Amaya Stewart, Yamilex Rodriguez, and others who return to train with coach Nish Edwards and other current Berks players during the offseason.
"It feels great," Harper said. "I can learn from them because they're at another level than us. It really helps when they tell me what I've got to work on because they've been through it all too."
Among Harper's offseason priorities are extending her shooting range, improving her efficiency from beyond the arc, and becoming a lockdown defender.
The Eagles graduated several key seniors, including Lillie Keperling (Alvernia), but Harper believes the program's younger players are ready to step up.
"We're trying to train them in the summer and get them up to varsity level," she said.
Exeter's ultimate goal remains clear after getting a taste of championship play last year.
"The main goal is to get back there," Harper said of the BCIAA championship game. "But you've got to go game by game."
The Eagles will have some new competition in Berks II with Berks Catholic moving into the division next season.
Osumanu ready for expanded role with Bulldogs
Wilson's championship run and 28-win season featured contributions throughout a deep roster. While she may have only averaged 1.7 ppg, few underclassmen brought more energy off the bench than Mariam Osumanu.
The rising sophomore appeared in 28 games as a freshman and quickly earned the trust of Wilson's coaching staff through her effort, defense, and team-first mentality.
"It felt great," Osumanu said. "Being a freshman and having a team that trusted me to be in those big games."
The younger sister of former Reading High standouts Moro Osumanu, who played at West Chester, and Malik Osumanu, basketball success runs in the family.
"I look up to them," Osumanu said. "I see everything they've been through and I work off that. They taught me what I need to do to play at a high level."
While Osumanu's role as a freshman wasn't always measured by points scored, her impact was often felt in other ways.
"I'm not a selfish player," she said. "Whatever I've got to do to win. I can get two rebounds, but I'm on the court getting back, talking, and communicating to help our team."
With Jones, Crocona, and Houck graduating, Osumanu expects her responsibilities to grow next season alongside returnees in Hardy, rising senior Ryan Leaman (7.1 ppg, 31 3s), rising junior Jade Lee (7.0 ppg), and rising sophomore Lila Houck (2.3 ppg).
"I definitely feel like I have a bigger role because we have to fill some spots that are gone now," she said.
This summer she is focusing on tightening her handle, improving her pace, and developing more touch around the basket.
"Coming into the school season, I want to be a different player," she said.
Armistead helping lead Wyomissing's next chapter
Wyomissing's season looked bleak early last winter.
After losing all-time leading scorer Amaya Stewart to graduation, the Spartans stumbled out of the gate to a 1-8 record before rallying to win nine of their final 12 games and finish 10-11 overall.
One of the biggest reasons for that turnaround was the emergence of point guard Mayleen Armistead.
The rising sophomore averaged 6.6 points per game and appeared in all 21 games as a freshman while helping the Spartans discover an identity after Stewart's departure.
"I think we all started to believe in each other," Armistead said. "We knew each other's strengths and knew our roles. We finally put it together."
Replacing a player who scored nearly 2,000 career points wasn't easy.
"I definitely felt like I had to step into someone's shoes," Armistead said. "Her leaving was big."
Now Armistead and rising seniors Addie Loeb (7.9 ppg, 47 3s) and Lily Paolini (7.1 ppg) return with another year of experience.
"We definitely want to get back on top of the division," Armistead said. "I think we're all going to push our hardest and get there."
The Spartans' spirited run to end the season put a scare in Berks III champion Schuylkill Valley, which ended Wyomissing's three-year reign as division champs. Wyo finished 9-2 in the division, one game behind the Panthers, and defeated them in late January in an epic comeback.
A pass-first point guard by nature, Armistead said she's working on becoming more aggressive offensively.
"I think I overdo being pass-first sometimes," she said. "I'm definitely working on looking for my own shot more."
She is also focusing on improving her pace, handle, and shooting throughout the AAU season. Over the weekend, she was able to bounce some questions off Stewart, who was on the bench helping coach for Team Go Get It.
Camper poised for sophomore leap
Hamburg guard Ashayleoni Camper quietly put together one of the best freshman seasons in Berks County.
The rising sophomore averaged 8.5 points per game and knocked down 31 3-pointers, making her the highest-scoring freshman in the league last winter.
Camper spent the weekend with Team PA E32 Lehigh Valley, which finished 3-1.
Despite her individual success, Camper believes there is plenty of room for growth both personally and as a team.
"I feel like I was up to the potential," Camper said. "But we can get better."
Hamburg finished 8-14 last season and 4-7 in Berks III, but returns several key pieces, including No. 2 scorer and rising senior Nora Davey (8.4 ppg).
"We just have to work harder," Camper said. "There are some days where we work hard, but we need to do it all the time."
A basketball-only athlete, Camper has dedicated the offseason to expanding her offensive game.
"I'm working on my left hand and finishing at the basket," she said. "Trying to become more shifty."
If that development continues, Camper could be poised for a breakout sophomore season that helps the Hawks compete in the division.
Other Berks girls playing AAU
Several other Berks County players were also in action throughout the weekend.
Brandywine Heights rising junior Sophia Benner competed with XGEN Elite S40, which finished 2-2 during the event. Benner is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which she averaged 13.1 ppg and connected on a 61 3-pointers, tied for second-most in Berks.
Benner is up to 538 career points entering her junior season and has hit 125 total 3s, which already puts her in 22nd place in county history, sandwiched between former Berks Catholic and Antietam standouts Madison Langdon and Paige Glovenski.
Rising juniors Abby Cannon and Esperanza Zudie helped Team PA E32's 16U squad capture a bracket championship, going a perfect 5-0 over the weekend.
Cannon (9.0 ppg) and Zudie (6.2) were the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers for Berks Catholic last season behind departing senior Liv Welker's 12.9.
Cannon confirmed to BGB that she will be transferring to Gov. Mifflin for her junior season, leaving another hole for the Saints to fill as former BC freshman Jaylianni Ortiz is returning to Muhlenberg for her sophomore year.
Reading High rising junior Lisabell Perez suited up for Central PA Bruins UA Rise 2028s, which went 2-1 on the weekend.
Top recruits
As always, Prime Event East attracted some of the nation's top prospects.
One of the biggest draws was Team Durant EYBL, which featured two highly ranked recruits in ESPN's NEXT rankings. Rising sophomore guard Khloe Ison, ranked No. 10 nationally in the 2029 class, and 2027 guard Jezelle Banks, the No. 4-ranked player in her class, were each on the Platinum bracket runners-up.
The event's Platinum bracket champion, Exodus NYC EYBL, featured the deepest collection of talent in the building.
Exodus defeated Team Durant 70-56 in the championship game and boasted six players ranked in ESPN's 2027 NEXT Top 100 rankings: Ryan Carter (No. 12), Ashley MacCalla (No. 16), Taylor Brown (No. 22), Zya Small (No. 34), Belis Del Rosario (No. 95), and Celsy Colombo (No. 96).
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