Mid-December Report: Available 2023s

Colby Giacubeno December 22, 2022 @ 07:41 AM

Over the last couple of weeks, we've made our way through a few gyms and scoped out some available seniors who we believe could be successful contributors at the next level. The transfer portal has certainly made things difficult for this senior class, as a lot of college programs with scholarships would rather offer someone with proven college experience rather than a budding high school prospect. But rest assure, these players that we will break down today can certainly be considered scholarship players and we'd urge college programs to monitor closely.   Kris Mitchell | Lake Clifton '23   Mitchell was fantastic in a battle-tested win over Edmondson-Westside. It was a classic Baltimore City matchup that brought plenty of physicality, intensity and grit. Mitchell answered the call every single time. He stands around 6'4, but plays more like he's 6'6. He's explosive around the basket, collects most of his buckets around the paint area and uses his linebacker-like frame to act as the defensive anchor for the Lakers. He scored 16 points and converted on a few big-time buckets late to help his team march to victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='1573369' first='Zammari' last='Dorsey'] | Lake Clifton '23   Dorsey also had a nice performance for Lake in the win as he followed Mitchell with 16 points of his own. The 6'2 guard has an unorthodox jumper, but he proved that he can routinely make the defense pay for giving him clean looks from the midrange. He also stepped up when his team needed him most at the charity stripe to extend the lead to four and ice the game. Dorsey is a new face to this Lake Clifton group, so he's still learning his role, but the skills that he has to offer will complement well alongside the other main pieces.   [player_tooltip player_id='1413498' first='Quinton' last='Monroe'] | Lake Clifton '23   Monroe had to take on the ball-handling duties in the game against Edmondson due to his team's starting point guard being injured. He had his moments where he struggled and usually his mindset would be set more towards scoring, but nevertheless, the 6'3 guard still made plays to help ignite the Lake Clifton faithful. One of which took place in the first half when he picked his matchup's pocket and finished with an emphatic one-handed flush. Monroe also had an athletic reverse layup after a hard drive on the left baseline. He'd finish this one with 10 points and more importantly, a win. It wasn't Monroe's best offensive performance, but he filled his role on the given night successfully.   [player_tooltip player_id='1219865' first='Dionte' last='Alexander'] | St. Maria Goretti '23   Alexander put forth a strong showing in a tough loss to St. Frances last week as he led the Gaels with 22 points. The 6'3 southpaw got going as a slasher early on and let that carry him throughout the first three quarters. He has good burst when going left and is agile enough to avoid rotating defenders with euro's or creative finishes while airborne. Late in the fourth, Alexander had some clean looks from three and knocked them down. He's a three-level scorer who plays with good pace, knows how to get to his shots and is showing growth in overall IQ in comparison to last year.   [player_tooltip player_id='1573248' first='Najeh' last='Allen'] | St. Maria Goretti '23   Allen is one of the more intriguing available seniors I've seen this season based off his potential. Much has to do with his frame. He's 6'4 with extremely long arms and shoulders that should fill out nicely once put into a college conditioning program. He has good pop when exploding towards the rim and his length make it tough for opposing guards to block attempts around the basket. That blend of size, length and athleticism also create for a versatile defensive piece. We've seen Allen have explosive offensive outings before, but St. Frances limited him to seven points. We'll be monitoring his consistency closely as the season progresses.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've made our way through a few gyms and scoped out some available seniors who we believe could be successful contributors at the next level. The transfer portal has certainly made things difficult for this senior class, as a lot of college programs with scholarships would rather offer someone with proven college experience rather than a budding high school prospect. But rest assure, these players that we will break down today can certainly be considered scholarship players and we'd urge college programs to monitor closely.