Top 10 2021 Maryland/DC Prospects Without An Offer

We just concluded what was the most unique summer we’ve seen in grassroots basketball. Due to the pandemic, college coaches were unable to get out for live evaluation periods. Instead, they leaned on what they gathered in film, high school/AAU coaches or us scouts to help confirm things about players that were on their radar. While there were still a ton of offers thrown out, it was rough for the prospects that fly under the radar and are the type to win coaches over with the little things they can bring. For this article, we’ll look at 10 prospects in the Maryland/DC area who still stand without an offer who likely would’ve generated buzz had coaches been allowed out to events. [player_tooltip player_id="902017" first="Clarence" last="Obiajulu"] | 6’7 | Team Thrill Obiajulu is all of 6-foot-7 and boasts brute strength and a nice frame in the frontcourt. While he’s still developing his perimeter and mid-range skills, Obiajulu is the ultimate workhorse and a prospect that doesn’t need the ball to make his presence felt. This summer for an undefeated Team Thrill 17U group, he started at center and although undersized, controlled the glass using his body to clear the paint for rebounds. He’s an effective screen-setter with good hands and finishing skills as a roller. He has decent IQ that allows him to find open teammates when catching the ball on the block and can make the opposition pay for fouling him as he’s an efficient shooter from the charity stripe. Obiajulu is garnering much interest from low-major programs and even some from the mid-major variety. If I was a MEAC program, I’d be doing thorough homework and looking to snag him off the market as quickly as possible. *Per source, Obiajulu is expected to suit up for Mt. Zion this season [player_tooltip player_id="775367" first="Mike" last="Myrie"] | 6’2 | Magruder/Mid-Atlantic Select It’s been well documented that us scouts at Prep Hoops Maryland are big proponents of Myrie. He showed drastic improvements throughout his junior season and is one of the most explosive athletes for his height that you’ll find in the DMV. A lead guard who uses his shifty ball-handling and slippery maneuvers, Myrie is constantly getting into the paint and forcing the defense to make decisions. He covers ground and does so quickly on his crossover and has ability to finish over the rim in traffic. He has also shown good instincts and finds the open teammate once the help side defender rotates. Given his athleticism, Myrie is most effective in open floor scenarios where not many players can handle him if he has downhill momentum. He’s a vicious competitor who takes pride in his defense with active hands. One blemish in his game is his jumpshot, but even that was an improved aspect this past winter and with repetitions, I see it becoming a part of his game the defense must respect. Had there been a live evaluation period, I have the utmost confidence that Myrie would’ve secured at least a few Division II offers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk7l-j8kF8M [player_tooltip player_id="902011" first="Ryan" last="Prather Jr."] | 6’2 | Bishop Walsh/District Basketball Club With Prather’s recent announcement that he will transfer from Clarkburg to Bishop Walsh for his final season, he’ll get a chance to play in front of college coaches more often and generate interest. He enjoyed a nice summer with District Basketball Club as the 6-foot-3 guard has a knack for scoring the basketball. Prather isn’t going to ’wow’ you with an endless array of moves, but he gets his advantage by getting a slight edge on his defender and converts. He has good touch in the paint with floaters, can knock down mid-range shots off the bounce and is a shooter from three the defense needs to account for. Prather is one of those guys who always puts himself in a position to make a play on both offense and defense. That’s a skill. Given his decision to transfer to Bishop Walsh, I find it much more likely we’ll see Division II programs begin investing in him as we approach the new year. Daouda Dembele | 6’6 | Perkiomen/Team STAT Dembele is another player who fits under the workhorse category. As a junior at Springbrook, the 6-foot-6 forward was pretty much a guaranteed double-double. The lack of size he has in an ideal forward he makes up with his plus length and endless motor. Dembele’s length comes into play with shots around the rim where he routinely sent them into the stand or pinned them off the glass. Offensively his versatility is underrated. He has ability to grab a defensive board and lead the break while looking comfortable doing so. He operates effectively in the mid-range and can knock down jumpers from 17 feet consistently or play off the dribble and finish strong at the basket. While his size may ultimately keep him from the Division I ranks, Dembele is an absolute steal for a high Division II program. However I wouldn’t be surprised if low-majors who didn’t mind smaller bigs begin tracking him closely at Perkiomen. The effort he shows every minute on the court is hard to ignore. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Hill-Bobby-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1039990" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Hill-Bobby-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="902032" first="Bobby" last="Hill"] | 6’7 | Reservoir/Team STAT I got out to see Hill a few times this summer and what I saw was a versatile 6-foot-7 wing/forward who can contribute in multiple ways. He needs to add some muscle, but his approach as a southpaw in face-up scenarios on post ups make him difficult for opposing bigs. He was featured more as a stretch four for Team STAT and filled expectations well. He stepped beyond the three without hesitation and used quick jabs off the catch to get his defender off balance and attack. Defensively he uses his length to disrupt shots in the paint and does a nice job keeping his body away from the contest to avoid fouling. He runs the floor with regularity and has good basketball IQ as a swingman on catches at the top. I eventually see Hill as a wing in college, but can certainly log minutes as the stretch four for a number of programs. Division II and low-major Division I programs should be tracking closely. [player_tooltip player_id="902018" first="Byron" last="Ireland Jr."] | 6’2 | St. Frances/DMV Stags Ireland is an under-the-radar guard who could be a steal for any program that invests early. At 6-foot-2, he played an important role in St. Frances being considered as a top-15 team nationally. Ireland is a tough-nosed combo guard who can provide production on both ends. Playing alongside Ace Baldwin (VCU) in the backcourt, his role offensively was to find openings in the defense, make himself available and cash in. He showed progression in his three-point shot and even before he transferred to St. Frances for his junior season, has always been a downhill nightmare that can finish routinely at the rim. Ireland defends either guard position and is a plus rebounder. Low-to-mid Division I programs have reached out about Ireland, but none have pulled the trigger. https://twitter.com/ByronIreland/status/1305188655275945984?s=20 [player_tooltip player_id="902020" first="Jake" last="Koverman"] | 6’3 | Southern/DMV Stags Koverman saw his first action on the hardwood since suffering a knee injury playing football that kept him sidelined for the entire basketball season. This summer with the DMV Stags Koverman showed that he’ll come back just fine from the injury and remain an intriguing college prospect. He boasts solid size at 6-foot-3 with secure handles and underrated athleticism. Koverman is a capable shot-maker from all three levels and can be trusted as the lead guard to get others involved as well. [player_tooltip player_id="775329" first="Michael" last="Aiken"] | 5’9 | Thurgood Marshall/New World Aiken has been on a tear this summer showcasing his skills as a scorer. The 5-foot-9 guard was named PCSAA Player of the Year as a junior and rode that momentum into the summer against high-caliber competition. The first thing coaches will point to is his size but Aiken plays with a mentality that is much bigger than his listed height. He’s a bulldog with the basketball who is shifty and knows how to create space in the mid-range to rise up for jumpers. He gets to the cup and finishes with craft to avoid shot-blockers while having good instincts and finding open teammates as defense’s shift. His low center of gravity helps him defensively as he’s always causing havoc for the opposing point guard with his sneaky hands and quick-twitch movements. While many programs may not be able to overlook his height, a Division II program could strike gold with Aiken. https://twitter.com/Houzmazoo/status/1251521273693429761?s=20 [player_tooltip player_id="1049568" first="Dominick" last="Carrington"] | 5’11 | Mt. Zion Prep Carrington decided to do a post-grad prep year following a productive season for a good City team. He posted crooked scoring numbers including a 50-point drudging where he canned 14 three’s. The 5-foot-11 guard is one of the deadliest snipers in the DMV and makes up for his lack of size with tremendous lift on his jumper. At Mt. Zion, they’ll push him to become more of a point guard since that’s what will be expected of him at the next level. He has ability to run a team, but needs experience against high-level talent in doing so. If he can prove that at a place like Mt. Zion, there’s no doubt in my mind that Carrington is a worthy scholarship player. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Trae-English.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1014957" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Trae-English-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="902040" first="Trae" last="English"] | 5’11 | Poly/Team Thrill You won’t find too many better defensive point guards than English in the area. He’s not a guy who constantly shooting in for steals either. Instead, he acts as a pest throughout the course of a 32-minute game and eventually it wears down the opposing ball-handler to generate 1-to-3 turnovers. English stunts, forces the ball-handler to turn multiple times up the floor and has active hands when anticipating passes. Off the ball is where he can be a thief. He’s sneaky and accurate in his attempts where he pokes the ball as the help side guy. Offensively he was pushed as a point guard this summer with Team Thrill. Used more as a facilitator, English seemed to pick up valuable experience in getting his team into sets and ensuring execution. He’s efficient in ball-screen scenarios where he can use his blazing speed to split or get around the hip of the hedging big, turn the corner and either finish with soft-touching floaters or locate open teammates. Division II programs who play uptempo, love pressure defense and need an all-around gritty competitor should look English’s way sooner rather than later.