Recruiting Report: Jared Billups (2021)

Colby Giacubeno November 22, 2019 @ 05:33 AM

When evaluating high school basketball players, usually the years that you look to see the most progression is when a player goes into their junior season. By then their body is more developed, athleticism is more apparent and their skill set is more polished. This is the case for McDonogh wing Jared Billups. Billups has helped lead the Eagles to a 2-0 start this season. Both wins coming on the road against Concordia Prep and Friends respectively. The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 16 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. McDonogh has been without 2022 forward Preston Howard and 2020 wing Curtis Jacobs, both nursing injuries that occurred in the final game of their football season. Jacobs and Howard bring physicality and rebounding to the fold for this team, which means Billups has had to step up and be dominant in that sense. "I think I've played alright so far, but I definitely can be more aggressive," Billups said after the win at Friends. "Coach has been emphasizing me to be the alpha and that's what I've been trying to do." The Friends team that McDonogh played Wednesday night was extremely scrappy and aggressive offensively. Billups feels there is one main area the team must focus on improving going forward. "We have to get better defensively," Billups continued, "when we are locked in defensively and talking, it really sparks our offense and makes the game so much more easier." Howard and Curtis are key pieces to the defensive puzzle for McDonogh, so when they return, those worries should be put to rest. But entering this season, the Eagles knew they would be without David Brown III after he announced that he would transfer to Bishop McNamara this summer. Brown III was a focal point within the offense last season and provided spacing with his ability to shoot. It's another void that Billups will have to fill. "It's been a pretty smooth transition so far," Billups said. "I mean, me and Everett [Cooper] have been carrying the load scoring and a couple guys who haven't played varsity before have been stepping up, so that's probably the main thing." McDonogh will head to St. Maria Goretti to face off against St. Andrews for the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Invitational.