National Hoopfest DMV 2022 Standouts (Part 1)

Jack Herron

December 7, 2021 @ 02:57 PM

The National Hoopfest returned after a year hiatus at DeMatha High School in Maryland, bringing some of the top talent from around the DMV and the country together for one of the top events in the country. There were teams from the DMV as well as PA, WV, OH, AZ, NY and NJ in attendance. Here’s a look at part one of the 2022 standouts from the DMV teams. [player_tooltip player_id="904663" first="Rob" last="Lawson"] | 6’0” PG | National Christian <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Lawson-Rob.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1342663" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Lawson-Rob-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Lawson was fantastic in the two games they won before they picked up a third game after a team unexpectedly dropped out and the whole NCA team ran out of gas. The available 6’0” point guard showed why he’s one of the more underrated guys in the DMV as he did a little bit of everything from scoring it to making others better and showed he’s a good rebounder at his size too. In those two games he averaged 14.5 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Takao Carpenter | 6’2” CG | National Christian Carpenter has steadily been an underrated player for National Christian over the past few seasons, and he showed he should be getting more recruitment here with his ability to play both guard spots and impact the game on both ends. He made shots from deep and in the midrange, he defended the basketball and he made winning plays on both ends. Moussa Ngom | 6’9” C | National Christian Ngom is one of the best available bigs in the DMV and is an intriguing long term prospect with his size and ability to move and own the paint. He’s a good athlete who can rebound in traffic, block and alter shots and he was efficient in his touches in the paint. He provided an inside presence for NCA and looks to be getting better and more comfortable on the offensive end. [player_tooltip player_id="904624" first="Christian" last="Watson"] | 6’7” WF | St. John’s <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Watson-Christian.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1240205" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/Watson-Christian-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Watson got off to a slow start in St. John’s matchup against Archbishop Stepinac out of New York, but with them trailing by as many as 18 points he helped mount a comeback as they got it all the way back to three behind some clutch shots from the Miami commit. He’s known for his high level athleticism and above the rim play but he showed he’s improved in his ability to make shots from deep, create at multiple levels off the bounce and he used his size on both ends of the floor to make an impact. He finished with 17 points, scoring all of them in the second half. [player_tooltip player_id="777095" first="Bryce" last="Lindsay"] | 6’3” CG | St. Frances <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Bryce-Linsday.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1299740" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/10/Bryce-Linsday-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Lindsay is a new addition to this already talented St. Frances group that went 2-0 on the weekend with big wins over Huntington Prep and DeMatha, and he was big in both of their wins. He played both guard positions and showed the ability to create space and make shots, he was good on the defensive end and he showed good confidence with the ball in his hands. He averaged 12.5 points over the two games, and had the go-ahead layup in traffic with under 10 seconds left in their thrilling win over DeMatha. Cortez Johsnon | 6’7” PF | St. Frances <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Johnson-Cortez.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1342668" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Johnson-Cortez-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Johnson was the most consistent player for St. Frances in their two games, and he was the main reason they beat DeMatha as it was a knock down, drag out type of fight that fits his bulldog style of play perfectly. Despite being just 6’7” he plays much bigger with his athleticism and high motor, he’s always around the ball and able to finish above the rim on offensive rebounds and he can play on the perimeter where he can make shots and put it on the deck too. He finished with a monster double-double of 16 points and 20 rebounds in their win over DeMatha.