Governor's Challenge: Thursday Standouts

It was another day of coverage from The Governor's Challenge in Salisbury, MD where I got to see a ton of talented prospects face off. For this article, I'll break down the ones who stood out among the rest.   [player_tooltip player_id='1362723' first='Ben' last='Bradford'] | Gaithersburg '23   Bradford has been on a tear this season and seems to be putting his full offensive game together nicely. The 6'3 senior did so once again today and despite losing to Parkville in double overtime, he stole the spotlight with 28 points and nine rebounds. Bradford created for himself and scored at all three levels. He also showcased good footwork coming off of pindowns ready to shoot or attack downhill. Gaithersburg certainly lacks size throughout their roster, so Bradford had to act as the anchor defensively and held up his end of the bargain.   [player_tooltip player_id='1573230' first='Favor' last='Okigweh'] | Parkville '23   Okigweh is another senior who has strung together a couple of solid performances here at the event. He registered a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Gaithersburg. He was responsible for a number of key rebounds and tough buckets inside throughout the extra periods to help keep the Knights ahead. The 6'5 senior is a bouncy athlete and comes with intriguing upside as a long term prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='1413496' first='Caron' last='Smith'] | Parkville '23   Smith struggled to find his shot yesterday, but got going in the second quarter of today's contest. Fortunately for Parkville, his floor-spacing was key in creating driving lanes for others as the pressure ramped up. Smith netted 12 of his 14 points beyond the arc, all of which came in catch-and-shoot scenarios. As he has done all season, Smith is proving himself as a pure sniper who can fill it up quickly.   [player_tooltip player_id='1579098' first='Josiah' last='Legree'] | Parkville '24   Legree is a fun lead guard to watch because of the feel and craft that he brings as a passer. He sees plays before they happen and always adds a twist that allows the ball to fit in tight windows for easy baskets. He surfaced late in this game doing just that, but also kept his defender honest by scoring 11 points, dishing out five dimes and grabbed four rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1553647' first='Ademar' last='Santos'] | St. Benedict's '23   It was my first time seeing the Santos, who just moved to the U.S. four months ago from Sweden. The 6'7 wing has a fluid shooting stroke and made National Christian pay for any daylight granted on catches. Santos poured in 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in a dominant 67-36 win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1158404' first='Bralyn' last='Smith'] | St. Benedict's '23 (Siena)   Siena is getting a good one in Smith who stands 6'5 and is equipped with plus length and athleticism. He showcased his versatility and ability to impact at both ends while filling the stat sheet to a tune of 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists.   Joseph Mickens | National Christian '23   It was a rough outing as a team, but a bright spot in the loss was Mickens, who scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. He's a strong 6'5 guard/wing who thrives in getting downhill and welcoming contact where he can either finish through it or draw a foul. He struggled a bit from the line, converting on just three of his six attempts, but showed a knack for creating contact and forcing the refs to blow the whistle.   [player_tooltip player_id='1400499' first='Caleb' last='Embeya'] | St. Maria Goretti '24   It took much longer than expected, but mid-way through the fourth quarter Goretti took control of the contest against a pesky New Town bunch. They held an advantage inside and Embeya was effective in exposing it as shown by his double-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. The 6'8 junior ran the floor with purpose, finished with soft touch in the paint and visiting the charity stripe often where he converted on nine of his 14 attempts.   Jarvis Wright | Goretti '24   We first saw Wright last week at the Cadet Classic where he came off the bench in a productive win. The 6'3 guard was knocking down shots in rhythm again today as he finished with 14 points including 4-of-7 from three. Wright has good feel and picks his spots with accuracy and within the flow of the offense. He has tight shooting mechanics and a confidence that allows him to fill it up in a hurry after seeing one fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1219876' first='Cameron' last='Sparrow'] | New Town '23   Sparrow is a clear stock-riser from this event over the last two days. He dissected his defender today by getting to his spots inside the arc with efficiency. He displayed burst out his his hesitation dribble and created space to get his own looks before elevating with pretty form. He showed good balance and body control on his drives, while providing toughness defensively as he had to play the middle of the backline in the 2-3 zone. Sparrow finished with 16 points in the loss to lead the Titans.   [player_tooltip player_id='1370514' first='Malcolm' last='Thomas'] | DeMatha '24   The Stags put forth a gutsy performance against a Dream City Christian team that clearly held a height advantage. Don't tell that to Thomas, though. The 6'7 junior battled with his relentless motor on the glass from the opening tip and earned every bucket he got inside. The southpaw did step out to 15 feet on a few occasions and knocked down some soft-touch jumpers, but when it came to crashing the glass at both ends, he was anything but soft. Thomas' energy was contagious. He scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field in the 58-55 victory.   Alejandro Aviles | Dream City Christian '25   Aviles is one of the more intriguing prospects I've seen thus far due to his size at 6'9 as a sophomore. He's much more skilled than you'd think and he showed why as he operated from the high-post delivering bounce passes to cutting teammates, throwing perfect outlet passes to streaking guards and held his own in switches out on the perimeter by moving his feet. Aviles knows what to do when he catches on the block and can score over either shoulder. He led Dream City with 16 points and six boards.   David Tubek | Dream City Christian '23 (Memphis)   Tubek has the potential to be a productive college player for head coach Penny Hardaway for years to come. His blend of size at 6'7, scoring versatility and willingness to compete make for a guy who succeeds at the high major level. The Memphis commit logged 15 points points while knocking down three of his five looks from deep. He also collected six rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049863' first='Ace' last='Valentine'] | Mount St. Joe '23 (UMBC)   Valentine put forth an efficient scoring performance by getting out in transition for buckets. Whether it was teammates finding him as he filled the lane or pushing the tempo himself, he lived around the rim. The UMBC commit scored his game-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and while the stat sheet credited him with two assists, he could've have six or seven if his teammates didn't miss the layups.   [player_tooltip player_id='957018' first='Amani' last='Hansberry'] | Mount St. Joe '23 (Illinois)   It was another day at the office for our No. 1 player in the 2023 MD/DC rankings. The 6'7 big man made his impact in a multitude of ways and showed for it with a stat line of 12 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

It was another day of coverage from The Governor's Challenge in Salisbury, MD where I got to see a ton of talented prospects face off. For this article, I'll break down the ones who stood out among the rest.