Maryland/D.C. Recruiting Report

<p>Another week in the summer of a strange 2020 year. Nevertheless, the recruiting news hasn’t slowed down a bit. We had three local players give their commitments as the upcoming crop continue to make waves with their play at events held on the weekends. Let’s get into it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>COMMITMENTS</strong></span></span></p> <p>2021 McDonogh/Team Thrill guard [player_tooltip player_id="775326" first="Jared" last="Billups"] gave his pledge to Siena. Billups is a 6-foot-5 hybrid who can guard multiple positions defensively and provide a rim-attacking presence on the offensive end. Billups is a tremendous addition for head coach Carmen Marciariello as he should develop into an impact player in the MAAC by his junior season.</p> <p>2021 Bishop McNamara/Team Durant guard David Brown committed to Loyola (MD). Brown is a 6-foot-5 guard who can contribute in many ways. He’s known for being a shot-maker and has progressively improved as a rebounder throughout his high school career. Brown should put together a nice career in the Patriot League with his size and skill set.</p> <p>2021 West Nottingham Academy forward [player_tooltip player_id="902009" first="Jedy" last="Cordilia"] announced his commitment to Mount St. Mary’s. Cordilia flew under the radar given that he was from the Netherlands and came onto the high school scene as a long, skinny and extremely raw prospect. What he’s turned into is an athletic forward who can spend time at the wing if needed. As he continues to grow into his frame I see Cordilia being a major contributor in the NEC.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>OFFERS</strong></span></span></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Christian-Winborne-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1038383" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Christian-Winborne-1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>2022 Gilman/Team Thrill guard [player_tooltip player_id="777071" first="Christian" last="Winborne"] had an active weekend as he received his first high major offer from LSU on Saturday following his play at the Beltway Battle Showcase. Virginia Tech followed that up yesterday by extending an offer to the 6-foot-2 lead guard. Winborne should see an uptick in his recruitment in the coming weeks as he’s scheduled to have a zoom call with Nebraska later this week and is starting to hear more regularly from Maryland.</p> <p>2022 St. Andrew’s/Team Takeover wing [player_tooltip player_id="904658" first="Masai" last="Troutman"] received an offer from Georgetown. Troutman was offered by Florida last week, which was his first Division I offer at the time. It’s interesting to see the high major programs being the first to get involved with Troutman, but it speaks to their opinion on his potential as a long, versatile wing who can score from all three levels.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Evans-Nick-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1027740" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Evans-Nick-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>2022 Gonzaga/District BC forward Nick Evans received an offer from Howard, which was his first offer to date. Evans’ name has began to gain steam with his play in DBC’s scrimmages and their games in the I-95 Coalition League. Evans is still very much in the early stages of his development, but shows great instincts on his catches around the rim. He also knows how to finish strong above the rim and command respect on the glass.</p> <p>2022 Bishop Walsh/Prospect U Travis Roberts received an offer from Georgetown. The 6-foot-5 guard/wing is intriguing with his ability to make shots at a high level and that’s why other programs such as Bryant, Southern Utah and Witchita State have already extended offers.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Hansberry-Amani-Head-Shot-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1005040" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Hansberry-Amani-Head-Shot-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> <p>2023 St. John’s (DC)/Team Durant forward [player_tooltip player_id="957018" first="Amani" last="Hansberry"] received an offer from Tennessee. Hansberry now holds three SEC offers from the Vols, LSU and Texas A&amp;M. The 6-foot-8 forward is starting to really gain momentum within high major programs after his impressive freshman season in the WCAC.</p> <p>2024 St. Frances/Team Thrill forward Derik Queen received two offers over the past week from Maryland and Virginia Tech. It’s not often that you see and incoming freshman receive two offers of Maryland and Virginia Tech’s stature, but Queen has the potential to be a big time prospect. At a legit 6-foot-8, he handles the ball better than anyone at his position in the 2024 class. He fills more of a point forward role that we’re seeing become so popular in today’s game. He makes good decisions as a passer while still enforcing the paint with his size and length on the defensive end.</p> <p><em>Significant transfer news:</em></p> <p>2021 guard [player_tooltip player_id="902007" first="Jao" last="Ituka"] announced that he will be attending Putnam Science Academy. Ituka was the staple of a Gaithersburg program that really had no basketball history before he stepped foot on campus. As a freshman, Ituka made noise within the DMV with his high-level scoring ability and overall competitiveness. Now as he embarks on his senior season, the 6-foot-2 guard will be exposed to a much higher level of competition and more exposure to college coaches. Since the news broke, several A-10 programs have reached out about Ituka and should start the recruiting process sooner rather than later. He currently holds one offer from Mount St. Mary’s.</p>