Colby's Summer Stock Risers-2023 Baltimore Guards

The month of August is somewhat of a dead period for the high school basketball news cycle. With that being the case, it gives us some time to reflect on the summer that was and gather some takeaways from the action. For this article, I’ll take a look at some Baltimore guards belonging to the 2023 class that I felt did a good job of improving their stock. [player_tooltip player_id="1219880" first="Cam" last="Bush"] | 5’10 | New Town/Team Thrill Bush put together a consistent and productive showing throughout the summer in the EBA Summer League that will ultimately give him a slight boost in the updated rankings. The 5-foot-10 floor general is one of the more shiftier lead guards you’ll find in Baltimore. He has tremendous quickness on his first step and can create significant space on his right-to-left crossovers to get into the lane. When he does get into the lane, Bush can finish with either hand around the basket while also looking to embrace contact and earn a trip to the free-throw line. Defensively, Bush is a pest off the ball in passing lanes. He’s always looking to act as a safety on the football field to earn his team a transition opportunity. He isn’t afraid to dive on the floor for 50/50’s and is willing to slide over as a weakside defender for charges. Where Bush will need to polish his game most is with his jumper. As he gets more reps in high-level games, I’d also like to see his decision-making under duress improve. Division II and Division III programs should begin forming a relationship with Bush sooner rather than later. [player_tooltip player_id="957020" first="Mike" last="Williams"] | 6’3 | Calvert Hall/Team Thrill Williams had quite the month of July playing on the national stage for Team Thrill’s 16U squad, who advanced all the way to the UAA Finals Championship. Where Williams really blossomed as a player in my opinion this summer was his focus on the defensive end. For Calvert Hall, he’s expected to be the primary ball-handler and scorer whereas for this talented Thrill group, he fits more of a lesser role, but will likely see a similar role come his way at the college level. Williams was tenacious on the ball, crashed the glass consistently and showed improvement as a communicator. Offensively you must account for him at all three levels. Williams does most of his damage in the open floor where his athleticism can come to light, but his 1-to-2 dribble pull-up jumper continues to be a threat in half court scenarios. Williams also showed that he put time in with catch-and-shoots from three, as he shot and converted these at a consistent clip [player_tooltip player_id="1114066" first="Carlton" last="Carrington"] | 6’3 | Team Melo/St. Frances We missed Carrington on the floor this past winter, and if you hadn’t seen him play as a freshman, you wouldn’t recognize him walking into the gym. The rising junior grew from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-3 (almost 6-foot-4) from his freshman year to his sophomore spring. Carrington is a volume shooter who can really fill it up quickly when he sees one fall. He’s grown more comfortable handling the ball in stints throughout games and shows some potential as a playmaker off the bounce. His size has made him into a more effective defender where he has improved length and confidence when guarding players of the same size or bigger. If I had to point out one area of Carrington’s game to improve, it’d be shot selection. I’m all for shooters getting hot and staying hot but making sure he isn’t dribbling into a pull-up with his feet on the three-point line or passing up an open jumper for a contested mid-range jumper is something he’ll get better at with St. Frances this winter. [player_tooltip player_id="957055" first="Mikey" last="Allen"] | 6’1 | Bishop Walsh/Team Thrill<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Abrams-Austin-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1226324 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Abrams-Austin-Head-Shot-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> It was only right to show Allen is due love for this category. Typically, Allen was overlooked by many and when you look at the star power on the Thrill 16U roster, his name isn’t one that pops like the others. What he proved this summer is that his role was just important as anyone else’s and as he bought in, stayed committed and worked his tail off, the results followed. Allen became a three-and-D type of player who buried back-breaking triples when opponents were focused on stopping others such as Derik Queen (2024) and [player_tooltip player_id="1225245" first="Malachi" last="Palmer"] (2024). He provided energy both on and off the ball defensively. Seeing Allen fill this role give you a better feel for what he could be as a college prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="957059" first="Austin" last="Abrams"] | 6’3 | Mount St. Joseph/Mid-Atlantic Select Abrams saw some spotlight come his way during DMV Live in June where he had some strong performances. The 6-foot-3 combo guard is a smooth operator and has a jumpshot that you could watch over and over. He won’t thrive in isolation-heavy systems, but in one that prides itself on off-ball screens for shooters or quick pick-and-roll reads, Abrams can impact the game immensely. He continues to improve his body every time I see him and with the confidence that June provided, I expect him to be prepared to step into a role at Mount St. Joseph this summer and bring consistent production. [player_tooltip player_id="957030" first="Jeannot" last="Basima"] | 6’4 | John Carroll/Global Squad Basima doesn’t take long to catch the attention of college coaches and scouts. The effort level and intensity that he brings to both ends are rare in today’s game. Given his size and strength at 6-foot-4, he’s a versatile option for coaches to work with defensively. He also comes equipped with plus length to make up for any height disadvantages that he faces. Basima is arguably the best rebounding guard in the MD/DC area and while much of it is because of his motor, he also understands how to gain leverage and position against his matchup. Offensively he’s a pure slasher who prides himself in getting to the rim on what seems like half if his touches. He’s still very right-hand dominant at this point, but I’ve had yet to see a team, or a defender keep him from getting back to his strong hand and finishing at the rim. He makes the opposition pay with his trips to the charity stripe as well. It’ll be crucial for Basima to develop a more consistent jumpshot. He’s not an incapable shooter, but when you see his success rate on drives, it’s not often that he settles from outside. Adding a jumper with range will put the defense completely at his mercy. [player_tooltip player_id="957025" first="Jahnathan" last="Lamothe"] | 6’3 | St. Frances/Team Durant Lamothe was arguably the state’s top stock-riser for the 2023 class when you look at the amount of offers and interest gained. The 6-foot-3 combo guard shared ball-handling duties on Team Durant’s 16U squad, which gave college coaches a better feel for what he can do as a playmaker. The given with Lamothe is his three-point shot. He’s a sniper that can get going at any point, which forces the defense to keep a defender glued to him throughout. Lamothe has a high IQ on the defensive end in passing lanes. His active hands benefit him on the ball as well, as he’ll force a plethora of deflections or loose ball scenarios with his anticipation. Lamothe looks like a completely different person when comparing his body to his freshman year. He’s more chiseled, athletic and agile. Going forward, continuing to fine tune his body will only cause his skill set to expand and improve.