Colby's Weekly Evaluations (2/2/20-2/9/20)

Another week of Baltimore high school hoops is in the books and we are in the portion of the season where every game matters. When the lights are bright and the pressure is at its peak, that's when the best player rise to the top. I was able to see four games throughout the week and there was no shortage of talent. Not only locally, but nationally thanks to the East Coast Bump event that was held on the campus of UMBC. Here are my evaluations from the past week: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-strickland/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-strickland/">Jordan Strickland</a></a> | Parkville '20 For years, Strickland has been an effective undersized forward for Parkville. At 6-foot-4 he's likely compiled the most double-double performances in Baltimore County over the last two years. In their win over Loch Raven last Wednesday, he was one of the biggest players on the floor which led to him feasting on the glass and finishing routinely in the paint. If Strickland is facing another forward his height, more times than not he's going to win that match up. He recorded 18 points on the night while scoring on the block with his back to the basket, from the mid-range in face-up situations and finished about the rim in transition. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-godinez/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-godinez/">John Godinez</a></a> | Parkville '20 Godinez is one of the player you may never have heard of in the Baltimore area. At 5-foot-9, he can consistently put his defender in a blender, carve defenses up in pick-and-roll situations and be a scoring threat from all three levels. Other than the elite point guards, Godinez's IQ is right up there with the best of them. He anticipates defensive rotations and uses his vision and ability to distribute to manufacture open looks for teammates. He finished with a game-high 19 points in Parkville's win over Loch Raven and continues to improve as an off-ball presence now that 2021 guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/darrius-tilghman/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/darrius-tilghman/">Darrius Tilghman</a></a> is taking over some of the ball-handling duties. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kyree-freeman-davis/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kyree-freeman-davis/">Kyree Freeman-Davis</a></a> | Rock Creek Christian '20 Freeman-Davis had a great showing this weekend as he led his team to a win with 24 points. He made his impact from three by capitalizing on five of his nine attempts. Although his release looks funky, he gets nice lift on his shot and can get into the motion pretty quickly. He seems to be most comfortable strictly as a catch-and-shoot player, but also showed some ability to put the ball on the deck and finish around the paint when defenders starting closing out on him without control. DeLonnie Hunt | Rock Creek Christian '20 Hunt showcased his versatility as a scorer and play maker offensively. The 6-foot floor general scored 19 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc. Hunt sliced through defenses and penetrated the heart of the defense where he used creative finishes around the basket. Hunt is another prospect flying below the radar, but could be a solid contributor to a low Division I program. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/isaac-james/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/isaac-james/">Isaac James</a></a> | New Hope '20 James had a few big-time makes throughout the first half of their game against Rock Creek that contributed to his 18-point outing. The 6-foot-7 senior is getting more comfortable operating with the ball around the perimeter and showcased his confidence by breaking down his defender and burying multiple 17 footers with a hand in his face. James' attack is smooth, but there are times where he can take some ill-advised shot attempts. James is a decent rebounder and has ability to push tempo himself after corralling the ball. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaylen-hall/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaylen-hall/">Jaylen Hall</a></a> | New Hope '22 This was my first time seeing Hall in action and it didn't take him long to display his outside shooting ability. Like James, Hall finished with 18 points in the loss. 12 of those 18 came from deep on catch-and-shoot scenarios. Hall has a quick, smooth release and gets textbook rotation on the ball. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jamal-west/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jamal-west/">Jamal West</a></a> | St. Frances '20 West proved himself against national competition and was an enforcer in the paint despite standing just 6-foot-5. The South Alabama pledge scored a game-high 22 points and refused to be denied by any Oak Hill frontcourt player. He was relentless on the glass on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. He had a couple of rim-rocking dunks after freeing himself up due to guard penetration. West struggled against IMG a month ago, so there were questions lingering of whether or not his lack of size at the four would be an issue going forward. He made a very strong argument for himself on Saturday night. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/khyrie-staten/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/khyrie-staten/">Khyrie Staten</a></a> | St. Frances '21 Staten has flown under the radar for too long. The 6-foot-1 guard has had multiple brilliant performances against nationally ranked opponents this season alone. Last night adds to that list. He scored 20 points and limited Arkansas commit K.K. Robinson to just five points. Staten is the ultimate competitor and while he may not pass the eye test, you can never question his heart or willingness to do whatever it takes to win. After hitting two three's in the first half, Staten spend the second half attacking the elbow off the dribble for mid-range looks or finishing quick lay ups around the rim. Ace Baldwin | St. Frances '20 Ask around the DMV area and for those who have seen Baldwin play in big games, it's safe to say he could be one of the most underrated players seniors in the country. When he's rolling, there's no one I'd rather have at the point guard position than Baldwin. He knows exactly when he needs to make his presence felt as a scorer, but spends most of his time dissecting defenses with no-look passes. Baldwin demanded to guard LSU commit <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-thomas/">Cam Thomas</a></a> and made life extremely difficult. Even on Thomas' makes, Baldwin had a hand in his face and contested almost every look. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-thomas/">Cam Thomas</a></a> | Oak Hill '20 Thomas is the type of scorer that can rarely be kept off the board. Even though St. Frances challenged pretty much every look he had at the rim, Thomas still managed to make tough shots or visit the free-throw line and convert. The LSU pledge led Oak Hill with 20 points in the loss, eight of which came from the charity stripe. When Thomas had transition opportunties, it allowed him to utilize his athleticism for smooth lay ups. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-murray/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-murray/">Brandon Murray</a></a> | Poly '20 Murray was the best player on the floor in the Poly/IMG game. That says a lot considering there were players committed to schools such as Duke, Tennessee, Marquette and Ole Miss sharing that same floor. The 6-foot-5 guard cashed in on a couple early three-point looks and from there on, broke his man down off the dribble, got excellent lift on his jumper and knocked down big-time shots. In transition, his athleticism came to light with a couple of dunks to keep momentum in Poly's favor. Kwame Evans | Poly '23 The fact that Evans was just a freshman competing on the floor with this level of talent is impressive in itself. But Evans didn't just exist, he stood out. The 6-foot-9 wing logged 16 points and hit crucial three's throughout the contest to keep his team ahead, one coming in the first quarter and the other two coming in the second and fourth quarter respectively. His height a quick release helped eliminate the length of IMG defenders on close outs. Evans also filled lanes in transition and found a few easy lay up opportunities as a result. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justin-lewis/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justin-lewis/">Justin Lewis</a></a> | Poly '20 Lewis drew the assignment of guarding 7-foot Duke commit <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/mark-williams/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/mark-williams/">Mark Williams</a></a>. Long story short, Lewis limited him to just four points. He used his leverage effectively when Williams caught the ball on the block and successfully played a shot blocking role as a help side defender. Offensively, Lewis made his living from the mid-range in face-up situations. The Marquette ignited the gym when he finished over an IMG defender in the open floor with a one-handed dunk. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaden-springer/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaden-springer/">Jaden Springer</a></a> | IMG '20 In my opinion, if IMG had a decent point guard, Springer and this team would be on another level. Springer's skill set fits the mold of an off-guard, but since he has to take on responsbility of being the primary ball handler and initiating offense, it takes away some opportunities for him to be at his best. Still, the Tennessee commit led IMG with 18 points and had a plethora of athletic finishes around the rim. At 6-foot-5, he has great size and strength for his position. There were many occassions where he drove to the basket and was fouled, but no call was made. Springer's concentration assisted him in finishing those opportunities and he didn't allow the no-call to impact his mindset. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/moussa-diabate/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/moussa-diabate/">Moussa Diabate</a></a> | IMG '21 Diabate is a very intriguing prospect thanks to his size and length. He stands 6-foot-10 and has elite length. Pair that with his athleticism and versatility on both ends and he has the makings to be a huge mismatch at the three or four position. Diabate chipped in with 14 points against Poly. The majority of his makes came in the painted area off of drives or over the rim finishes in transition. He's extremely nimble on his feet, can change directions quickly for his height and fits the mold for the prototypical wing at the next level.