DMV Freshman Showcase: Colby’s Honorable Mentions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday the DMV Freshman Showcase took place at The St. James Sports Complex. In attendance were a slew of talented freshman from Maryland, Virginia and and even West Virginia who took advantage of the stage and made it extremely difficult for Adam Ayalew and I to choose 10 prospects for the All-Team selections. With that being the case, it's only right to include honorable mentions from the event who may have not made the top-10 list, but certainly stood out in their own way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588140' first='Ean' last='McLaughlin'] | 5'8 | National Christian Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McLaughlin didn't waste time showcasing his natural scoring ability as a lead guard. What he lacks in size he makes up for with quick-twitch ability that made it difficult for any defender to keep him at bay. McLaughlin scored using step-backs in the mid-range, quick crossovers to get to the rim, or change-of-pace dribbles in ball-screens before pulling up from three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588126' first='Joshua' last='Rice'] | 6'1 | Hampton Christian Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With us keeping the All-Team selections to strictly 10 players, Rice just missed out by being the 11th. He shared the backcourt with McLaughlin and between the two, they gave opposing defenses fits throughout the afternoon. Rice also had a natural feel for scoring in the mid-range area. He blew by his man on the regular and finished with either hand. As McLaughlin went to work in iso' or ball-screens, Rice was actively cutting off the ball and was rewarded on several occasions that resulted in buckets. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588115' first='Tyrek' last='Jordan'] | 6'0 | North Point</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordan was a quiet killer throughout the event. There were plenty of prospects who scored and let others in the gym know. Then you have Jordan, who scored the ball at a high rate, but never changed the expression on his face or his body language. He pulled his shorts up and got ready to defend as his man received the inbound. He cashed in from three whenever his defender gave him enough space and finished in the painted area with soft-touch floaters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588138' first='Gregory' last='Taylor'] | 6'2 | St. Frances Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor is looking like another young, bright prospect who will develop on Chase Street over his high school career. He comes with good size as a freshman combo guard, good burst out of crossovers that helped him get by defenders and a toughness that was shown finishing through contact. While he scored it with ease at times, he didn't allow himself to get fixated on doing it all on his own He established paint touches and made sound decisions reading the defense as it collapsed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588142' first='LJ' last='Morris'] | 5'8 | Potomac</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another smaller but tough guard in attendance was Morris. He too had a good feel for the game as he slithered his way into the paint, but when he was off the ball and received catches in the corner he had a lethal first step that helped him establish an advantage on the baseline. He finished with either hand and in reverse fashion as rotating defenders swatted at his attempt. Morris wasn't shy about pressuring the ball beyond half-court and even caused a few deflections in the passing lanes with active hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='1588136' first='Shynard' last='Lewis'] | 5'11 | Loch Raven</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis is the younger brother of former Marquette and 2022 Chicago Bulls' draft pick Justin Lewis. That alone means basketball runs in his blood, but Lewis is more of an on-ball guard at this point and showed off a solid skill-set getting to the rim. He has some wiggle, and while he'll need to get quicker over time, he does a good job attacking the defender's top foot, getting to the basket and drawing contact. He visited the line more than any prospect in attendance yesterday and put constant pressure on the weakside defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->