O’Connell defeats Eleanor Roosevelt.: 10 Best
Bishop O’Connell HS Knights, Arlington, VA. WCAC Conference.
VS.
Eleanor Roosevelt HS Raiders Greenbelt, MD. Prince Georges County 4A.
Dealing with adversity, Bishop O’Connell cruised to a 76-58 win over a very good Eleanor Roosevelt team today in the second game of the DeMatha BSN quarterfinals. O’Connell will play St. Johns (Washington, DC) at 2pm and St. Vincent Palloti (Laurel, MD) plays Georgetown Prep (Rockville, MD) @ 3:15 pm in the 2nd semifinal game at DeMatha HS. The finals will be Monday July 3 @ 6pm.
Despite losing highly ranked 6’9″ Quentin Millora-Brown earlier in the week to South County HS, Bishop O’Connell proved today they will be a problem in the WCAC this year for any opponent. 6’7″ rising junior Charlie Webber has shown he can play at high level and could be an impact player for the Knights. Additionally, highly regarded 6’7′ sophomore Jake Berry did not play. O’Connell Assistant Coach Greg Rex did an outstanding job this week and summer for the Knights during some turbulent times, but O’Connell has re focused & could crack the top 10 in the DMV rankings this season. To date the Knights are undefeated this summer in the DeMatha BSN summer League,
GAME MVP:
Xavier Johnson, 6’3″, PG, Bishop O’Connell HS, 2018.
Xavier did everything today on both sides of the ball. He totaled 23 points & played an excellent floor game setting up 6’3″ rising senior Matthew Becht on numerous 3 point conversions. Xavier is a winner with a very high basketball IQ and possesses all the intangibles. Xavier can score in an array of moves with great body control and elite explosion. He displayed today why we consider X a high major prospect. We could also award X as top play-maker of the game and best passer.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Matthew Becht, 6’3″, WG, Bishop O’Connell HS, 2018.
Matthew totaled 23 points today with 21 points from 3 point bombs. Without questions Matthew is one of the best shooters in the Washington, DC DMV. In earlier games this summer he converted off the dribble jumpers and scored at the rim. Matthew is becoming more of an all around player whose stock is on the rise. We were very impressed by his ability to hit clutch shots and his high basketball IQ.
Best in the Paint Defender/Rebounder:
Charlie Webber, 6’7″, Bishop O’Connell HS, 2019.
Charlie was a dominant force inside for the entire game, altering many shots and collecting rebounds for O’Connell. He plays very hard, will mix it up, and has very good hops for his size in addition to having a very high basketball IQ. Charlie is a huge addition to O’Connell this summer and should start next year.
Please read our recent excellent Prospect Highlight by Adam Ayalew this spring for Charlie below:
DEFENDER OF THE GAME:
Xavier Johnson, 6’3″, PG, Bishop O’Connell HS, 2018.
Xavier is a ball hawk and and registered several steals and applied great on ball pressure to ER today.
RISING SOPHOMORE:
Jahmal Banks , 6’5″ Bishop O’Connell HS, 2020.
Jahmal is a very long and athletic WG/WF who will play major minutes for O’Connell this season and possibly start. He defends and rebounds very well and can score from several levels. Currently he is ranked #36 in our 2020 Virginia Rankings, Jahmal has the potential to be a stock riser and has great upside.
MOST VERSATILE PLAYER:
Jaden Faulkner, 6’4″, G, Eleanor Roosevelt HS, 2018.
Jaden does everything on the floor and impacted the game in many ways today. In summary he is a stat sheet stuffer and was awarded All DMV I-495 5thTeam this past season. He led ER in scoring today with 19 points, scoring at 3 levels, rebounded and defended at a high level. Jaden has a very high basketball IQ and he is a D1 recruit.
JUNIOR ON THE RISE:
Isaiah Gross,6’4″, G/WF, Eleanor Roosevelt HS, 2019.
Isaiah totaled 14 points and he is currently ranked #43 in our 2019 Maryland/DC rankings. Isaiah showed his athleticism and high energy play today, playing solid defense and attacking the rim. On several plays he finished at the rim thru contact and once his outside shot is improving and he has the mechanics to become a solid 3 point threat. Isiah is another talented DMV player that attacks the rim in Russell Westbrook fashion.
PLAY of the GAME:
Xavier Johnson, 6’3″, PG, Bishop O’Connell HS, 2018.
Xavier zigzagged the length of the court off the dribble and attacked the rim going over an ER Big for a thunderous dunk. Around the gym we call Xavier the Russell Westbrook of the DMV and he is a high D1 major prospect.
Marc Stern of Capitol Hoops captured X’s dunk om video.
MOVING FORWARD Bishop O’Connell:
Bishop O’Connell will face a very tough fellow WCAC opponent in St. Johns College HS tomorrow in the semifinals. SJC has the potential to win the WCAC and is considered a top tier team. O’Connell lost 3 key players this summer to transfer, yet the Knights keep battling forward. Gonzaga, DeMatha, Paul VI and SJC appear to be top teams at moment in the deep WCAC, with St. Mary Ryken and Bishop McNamara as possible spoilers. The key question for O’Connell is if they can carry over their excellent summer play into next season. Tomorrow’s game will help answer the question some, but we think the Knights have the potential to be in the top 5 of the WCAC. Stay tuned.
MOVING FORWARD Eleanor Roosevelt:
The Raiders have 4 very solid prospects in 6’4″ 2018 W Jaden Faulkner, 6’5′ 2019 CG Cameron Brown, 6’4″, 2019 W, 6’4′ 2019 W Isaiah Gross and 6’3″ wing 2018 Juston Bailey. However, ER must get a solid year from 2018 6’6″ senior Miles Allen who has ability and some players off the bench. The Raiders will still be one of the top Prince Georges County 4A HS Teams and are always a threat for the Maryland State 4A finals, last wining a Maryland 4A State Title in 2015/16. ER finished last season with a 20-5 record.
Bishop O’ O’Connell vs Eleanor Roosevelt Highlights June 1, 2017, DeMatha BSN Summer League quarterfinals.
Video Courtesy of Marc Stern @ Capitol Hoops, great work.