Top Baltimore Backcourts: Part 1
As the summer comes to a close, the attention now shifts to the high school basketball season. Last season in Baltimore was filled with success and notoriety. In three of the four state championship games for public schools, Baltimore teams reigned victorious. Those three schools were Patterson (2A), Poly (3A) and Perry Hall (4A). Over in private school play, Mount Saint Joseph was dominant as they won both the MIAA and BCL titles and finished with a 37-4 overall record. Other schools such as Mount Carmel (29-11) and John Carroll (21-13) also found themselves in the headlines often.
There’s no doubt that Baltimore is one of the most talented areas for high school basketball, especially for the upcoming season. There has been a ton of transfers from key guards that will shake up this series of looking at the top backcourts in the Baltimore area. Nevertheless, there will be plenty of highly-talented duos that are worth getting out to watch.
’18 Immanuel Quickley & ’18 Montez Mathis | John Carroll
Quickley and Mathis arguably the area’s best backcourt duo. Quickley is nationally regarded as the top or number two point guard in the class of 2018 and Mathis cracked the top 100 this past week. The two battled with injuries last season that ultimately kept the Patriots from reaching their full potential. This season they’ll be primed for a big season and will be expected to lead John Carroll to appearances in the conference title games. Mathis is a Rutgers commit while Quickley will take official visits to Miami, Kansas and Kentucky in September. Quickely’s decision will follow soon after the visits.
’19 James Bishop & ’18 Tyree Myers | Mount Saint Joseph
The Gaels backcourt tandem will be essential in protecting their MIAA and BCL titles this upcoming season. With the loss of Darryl Morsell (Maryland), Bishop and Myers will be asked to replace his production and follow the lead of prized forward and Maryland commit Jalen Smith. With Bishop’s scoring ability, he has a chance to show why he can be arguably the best guard in the state for the 2019 class. The smooth lefty can score in a variety of ways, but his ability to shoot the three-point shot at an alarming rate helps set up the rest of his game. Myers is a good facilitator and knows how to get Bishop and Smith where they need the ball. He can mix it up well when it comes to scoring as well. He’s a capable shooter and a solid finisher around the rim. Myers has courted interest from many Division I schools.
https://twitter.com/RealJB10/status/861048687316881409
’18 Noah Locke & ’19 Kevon Brown/Drew Green | McDonogh
Locke has quickly become the talk surrounding college basketball recruiting after receiving offers from Kansas and Ohio State to wrap up the AAU season. He set his official visits to Xavier, Michigan, Florida, Ohio State and Providence. Noted as one of the top shooters in the country, Locke looks to lead the Eagles and showcase his all-around game on both ends. McDonogh finished a respectable 20-10 last season, but is somewhat overlooked in a stacked MIAA A Conference. Locke will share the backcourt with either Kevon Brown or Drew Green. Brown is a tough-nosed guard that has experience playing in the system while Green is a transfer from Lake Clifton. No matter who wins the starting job, Locke will likely share the court with both of them pretty often.
’18 Dwight Felton & ’18 Will Miller | Mount Carmel
Felton and Miller are key returners from last season’s 29-11 team. Both have great experience as they helped contribute to a Mount Carmel squad that reached both the MIAA and BCL championship games. Similar to the Gaels, the Cougars lost a key piece in Terry Nolan Jr. (George Washington). Felton and Miller will be counted on to not only provide the scoring from the guard positions, but also bring a calmness and confidence to the rest of the team. Felton can do a little bit of everything. He’s a very solid all-around guard that knows when to score and when to set others up. Miller benefits off his play considering he is a dead-eye three-point shooter.