National Hoopfest Midatlantic Standouts

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 some of the standouts from the schools in the midatlantic. Dereck Lively | 7’0” C | Westtown (PA) 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Lively-Dereck.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344050" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Lively-Dereck-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> The Duke commit didn’t put up eye popping numbers or anything that many would expect from a top 10 commit, but it’s easy to see why he’s considered a one and done player with tremendous long term potential. He’s very mobile at 7’0” and is quick off of his feet to contest shots and dunks everything in the paint, he’s active and has good understanding of help side and how to close and he still has tons of room to get better moving forward. He averaged 11.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in their two games over the weekend. Quin Berger | 6’1” WG | Westtown (PA) 2022 Berger is an available shooting guard that played very well for Westtown in their two games and was arguably their most consistent scorer as he made shots throughout the weekend. A high IQ guard who can play on or off the basketball, he can create space on the ball and moves well off of it, he has good range and a quick release and he can attack and finish in the paint as well. He finished the two games averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds per game. [player_tooltip player_id="991188" first="Jameel" last="Brown"] | 6’5” WF | Westtown (PA) 2022   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Brown-Jameel.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344053" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Brown-Jameel-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>While the Penn State commit didn’t have the best showing in their first game against DeMatha (he didn’t shoot it well but still scored 16 points), he had one of the best performances of the event in their win over National Christian. A do it all wing who has great feel and IQ, plays with a good motor and can score it in many different ways, he had a monster double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 9-for-15 from the field and dishing out 4 assists. He finds ways to impact the game across the board, and should make an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions. Sam Gibbs | 6’3” WG | Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 2022 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Gibbs-Sam.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344055" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Gibbs-Sam-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> On a young Stepinac team that is chock full of talent, Gibbs is the unquestioned leader and he played like it in their win over St. John’s as he was lights out and made plays on both ends of the floor. He showed great confidence playing on or off the ball, he was their go-to guy late in shot clock situations and he stepped up big when his team needed him to. The available two guard finished with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting and 3-for-7 shooting from deep and he pitched in 5 rebounds and 3 steals too. Danny Carbuccia | 6’0” PG | Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 2025 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Carbuccia-Danny.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344057" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Carbuccia-Danny-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> There were quite a few freshmen who stood out at the event, but most of them were bigs as Carbuccia was the most impressive young guard in the event as he did most of the ball handling and playmaking for his Stepinac team. The 6’0” lead guard plays with poise beyond his years, he handles pressure and is able to get wherever he wants with the ball in his hands, he has great feel and pace that he plays with and he isn’t afraid of the big moment or the big shot. He finished with 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in their win. [player_tooltip player_id="901943" first="Dionte" last="Johnson"] | 6’0” CG | Patrick School (NJ) 2022 While Patrick School lost a tough one to Paul VI, Johnson did everything he could to keep his team in the game and he was the main reason they were able to keep it so close. The 6’0” combo guard was aggressive creating shots at multiple levels, attacking the defense and getting to the free throw line and playing with a good motor on both ends of the floor. He finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in their close loss. [player_tooltip player_id="1204626" first="Korbyn" last="Samuels"] | 6’3” WF | Patrick School (NJ) 2023 Samuels was quick to intrigue with his length and ability to play off the bounce, as he showed he can get to different spots on the floor and make tough shots. He has a good frame and is able to shoot over smaller defenders, he rebounds well for his position and despite dealing with foul trouble made his team much better when he was on the floor. He finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds in 15 minutes of play. [player_tooltip player_id="1153967" first="James" last="Moore"] | 6’9” F | Patrick School (NJ) 2024 <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Moore-James.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344058" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Moore-James-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Moore is a very impressive young prospect for Patrick School who will become a national prospect here shortly as he continues to develop and polish his game. He has a great frame at 6’9” with long arms and he runs like a wing, he can put it on the deck and drive in straight lines and he has good versatility on both ends of the floor. He finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in 18 minutes.