DMV Roundtable: SFA/Poly Wins, Players Who Exceeded Expectations, Player of the Year Awards

The playoffs are quickly approaching, history was made in Baltimore and high school basketball is at its peak in the DMV area. What a time...With that being said, the crew take on this week's roundtable addressing three intriguing topics. We do some reflection, some current evaluation and future predicting subjects to tackle. Let's get right to it. 1 What did St. Frances and Poly's wins this weekend mean for the DMV area? Giacubeno: The wins from St. Frances and Poly this weekend over Oak Hill and IMG Academy respectively sent another message to the country of just how powerful and deep the DMV area is when it comes to high school basketball. More so, it was a historic night for the city of Baltimore, a city that is saturated with crime and dangerous conditions. For those few hours the city united as one and being a Baltimore lifer, it was an indescribable feeling to be apart of it. These wins were also a message to all of the up and coming players in Baltimore City. You don't have to go to some big fancy prep school in order to get the exposure you need. If you're good enough, Poly and St. Frances will play on stages that grant you the same exposure. The UMBC Event center was flooded with Division I coaches and as a result, players saw their recruitment boost tremendously. After all, these events should serve the purpose of giving the kids an opportunity to showcase their talent in front of eyes that normally wouldn't see them. This past Saturday was a huge step in the right direction for this to become an annual thing in Baltimore. Ayalew: The wins by St. Frances and Poly over the weekend meant a lot to the DMV area and Baltimore in particular. Both programs have grown into local powerhouses, but have been overlooked on a national level. After what happened over the weekend, people around the country should begin to acknowledge the worth of both teams. For the DMV as a whole, it's an indication of the sheer amount of talent. Talent not only when considering players, but coaches as well. Wilson: What a night it was for Baltimore. For two of the best teams in not just Baltimore but the entire DMV is something that will be remembered for a while. The WCAC gets a lot of the hype about being the best conference in high school and for good reasoning but we have seen teams from that conference struggle with national powerhouses so seeing Baltimore get two huge wins is just another example why the DMV is considered the top area in the country.   2. Name one player of any class that has exceeded your expectations the most this season. Giacubeno: The obvious answers for this question in the Baltimore area are 2020 Poly guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-murray/">Brandon Murray</a>, 2021 St. Frances guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/khyrie-staten/">Khyrie Staten</a> or 2020 Mount St. Joe forward <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jason-edokpayi/">Jason Edokpayi</a>, but I think I've raved about them enough on the roundtables so I will branch out. I'll go with 2020 City guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dominick-carrington/">Dominick Carrington</a>. Carrington has always Ayalew: The emergence of John "Mikey" Square has been a key ingredient to the success of St. John's. The senior forward has developed a consistent three-ball, and this <a href="https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1226684835219017730?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1226684835219017730?s%3D20&source=gmail&ust=1581462732364000&usg=AFQjCNHjIQe01m5UCsJWlokXLhEu7RMGxA">makes opponents think differently about how to defend them</a>. Square leads his team with 43 made threes, good enough to rank him top-25 in the DC Metro area. His ability to space the floor gives guys like <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ishmael-leggett/">Ishmael Leggett</a> and John "Manzie" Wilson room to get in the paint and make things happen. Square has always been a versatile and impactful defender, but it's the growth of his offensive game that has surprised me most. Wilson: I think we can all agree that the breakout type year <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-murray/">Brandon Murray</a> is having this year is maybe something we did not really predict. It seems like every year we see an unsigned senior really blow up to boost his recruitment and Murray fits that role this year. Murray did not have his first division one offer until New Year’s eve and is now considered a legit power five prospect.   3. Meeting from each league will be being held sometime in the near future to discuss awards. Give your prediction on players of the year for the respective leagues around the area that you cover closely. Giacubeno: MIAA POY: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jamal-west/">Jamal West</a> ('20 St. Frances) BCL POY: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jamal-west/">Jamal West</a> ('20 St. Frances) Baltimore County: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/martaz-robinson/">Martaz Robinson</a> ('20 New Town) Baltimore City: <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brandon-murray/">Brandon Murray</a> ('20 Poly) Ayalew: <div> <div>WCAC POY - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ishmael-leggett/">Ishmael Leggett</a></div> </div> <div>IAC POY - Darius Johnson</div> <div>MAC POY - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/teo-rice/">Teo Rice</a></div> <div>DCIAA POY - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/darren-buchanan-jr/">Darren Buchanan Jr.</a></div> <div>Capital Beltway POY - DeLonnie Hunt</div> Wilson: WCAC: 2020 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/earl-timberlake/">Earl Timberlake</a> (DeMatha) IAC: 2020 Jared Cross (St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes) MAC: 2020 Collin Smalls (St. Andrew’s)