NPS Standouts: VA and MD Teams (Part 2)

The annual National Prep Showcase took place in New Haven, Connecticut again this year, and it featured some of the top post grad teams across the country. It was 3 days of nonstop action in front of tons of college coaches and NBA scouts, and the amount of next level players in the event is second to none.   We'll take a look at some of the many standouts from the event over the next week. Here's a look at part two of the top players from the Virginia and Maryland teams in attendance.   [player_tooltip player_id='1241885' first='Adrian' last='Myers'] | 6'7” F | Massanutten 2023   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Myers-Adrian-CBG-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Myers-Adrian-CBG-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1622944"/></a></figure>   Myers was under the weather for their first game, but the Mississippi State commit bounced back in their loss to St. Thomas More and showed the high ceiling that made him one of the biggest stock risers over the past summer. At 6'7” he's a big time athlete who can play and guard multiple positions, he had multiple plays where he got downhill and showed his ability to finish above the rim and he showed his ability to knock down shots from deep as well. He finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks in their matchup with STM.   Michael Gray Jr. | 6'1” CG | Massanutten 2023   Gray has emerged as a third option for Massanutten early in this season, and he's seemed to embrace the role as the sixth man and the spark off the bench for them. The 6'1” combo guard is an aggressive scorer who comes at you over and over again, he can play on or off the ball and makes shots from multiple levels and he has the ability to get hot quickly and score it in bunches. He finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in their loss to St. Thomas More.   [player_tooltip player_id='1403917' first='Troy' last='McKoy'] | 6'5” WF | Massanutten 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/McKoy-Troy-2-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/McKoy-Troy-2-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1622939"/></a></figure>   McKoy, who is a native of Connecticut, came back to the state and also had a good showing in their game against St. Thomas More where he matched up with his cousin and brought it on both ends of the floor. At 6'5” McKoy is a scorer but showed he can also defend the other team's best player and is a big time rebounder for his position, he's a knock down shooter from deep off the catch and he can get downhill where he can use his strong frame to finish through contact or get to the line often. He finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds against St. Thomas More, and averaged a double-double of 18 points and 10.5 rebounds in their two games.   [player_tooltip player_id='1579092' first='Malachi' last='Palmer'] | 6'5” CG | Mt. Zion 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/11/Palmer-Malachi-Certified-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/11/Palmer-Malachi-Certified-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1670936"/></a></figure>   Palmer has been considered one of the top guards in the class since he was a freshman, but he really seems to be coming into his own so far this season and has a lot of tools that high major coaches are very intrigued with. He has a great frame as he has good positional size and a strong upper body, he's smooth off the bounce and gets to spots where he has an excellent pull-up game and can make tough shots and he can stuff the stat sheet and impact the game across the board. He averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4 assists in their two games, with a huge 29 point, 8 rebound and 5 assist game in a close loss to Worcester Academy.   Dominic Stewart | 6'4” CG | Mt. Zion 2024   Stewart was coming off of a big showing the weekend prior at Mt. Zion's Myrtle Chaffin Classic, and he put himself on the map nationally in the post grad world with his performance in their close win over Cushing Academy. Stewart split time playing on and off the ball and was great getting them into their sets and handling pressure, he is a big time shooter with range off the catch and off the bounce and he rebounded the ball extremely well for his position. He finished with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, going 7-for-9 from the field and 5-for-7 from deep and he hit the game winning shot on an impressive step back.   [player_tooltip player_id='1117694' first='MJ' last='Smith'] | 6'2” WG | Mt. Zion 2023   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/11/IMG-0726-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/11/IMG-0726-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1662712"/></a></figure>   Smith is another intriguing guard on this stacked Mt. Zion team, as the Portsmouth native has really rounded out his game and has become a big time all-around scorer who can play on or off the ball. He was aggressive in their matchup with Worcester attacking the rim and getting to the line often, he shot the ball well from multiple levels and he showed improved ability off the bounce and athleticism as a finisher. He finished with 22 points going 5-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from deep and 10-for-10 from the line against Worcester.   [player_tooltip player_id='1153967' first='James' last='Moore'] | 6'9” PF | Mt. Zion 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Moore-James.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/Moore-James-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1344058"/></a></figure>   While he may not have put up the big numbers the guys above him did, Moore had flashes of brilliance as a big time prospect who has a mix of size, athleticism and skillset that is hard to ignore. At 6'9” he has a great frame with long arms and he moves very well allowing him to switch and guard multiple positions, he gets downhill and uses his athleticism and length to finish above the rim in traffic and he can step out and play on the perimeter or in the mid-post where he can make shots.

The annual National Prep Showcase took place in New Haven, Connecticut again this year, and it featured some of the top post grad teams across the country. It was 3 days of nonstop action in front of tons of college coaches and NBA scouts, and the amount of next level players in the event is second to none.