Sidwell Friends vs Glenelg Country School: Player Evaluations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night in the opening round of the Sleepy Thompson tournament, we were fortunate to watch an intriguing matchup between No. 2 Sidwell Friends and No. 18 Glenelg Country. Even without the services of 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1127314' first='Caleb' last='Williams'] (concussion), the Quakers' depth and disciplined helped cruise to a 77-56 win. Let's take a look at some player evaluations from the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='957022' first='Cam' last='Gillus'] | Sidwell Friends '23 (Lehigh)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gillus took some time to settle in when it came to scoring, but he did a nice job of controlling the pace of the game in the first half as Sidwell starting building their lead in the second quarter. He buried a nice three in that second quarter after stopping on a dime as he beat his man off the dribble while handling full court pressure. The third quarter is when Gillus led a run that would ultimately bury Glenelg Country. He got it started with another impressive stop-and-pop jumper from about 15 feet and followed up with three drives that came as a result from beating the defense coast-to-coast style or with quick bursts out of ball screens. Gillus finished the game tied with a team-high 12 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1680473,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/IMG-0955-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/IMG-0955-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1680473"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1237830' first='Jake' last='Williams'] | Sidwell Friends '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams made his presence felt early by cashing in on a couple of three's as Glenelg played a lot of zone in the half court setting. Williams transferred to Sidwell this summer from Bishop O'Connell to provide further floor spacing within the offense and last night he did his job extremely well. He ended with 12 points, all of which came from beyond the arc in catch-and-shoot scenarios. He's one of those guys that demand the defense's attention on the catch and despite hitting a couple of shots early on, he didn't allow it to hoist up illicit attempts that came out of the flow. If Williams can continue to hit shots from three by allowing those around him to create for him and play solid defense as he did last night, you'll see his stock rise steadily over the winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1548121,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/IMG-9657-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/IMG-9657-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1548121"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225253' first='Drew' last='McKenna'] | Glenelg Country '24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McKenna was one of the headliners coming into this game after a summer of emerging as a potential high major prospect. The 6'8 wing had his share of ups and downs in this contest, but was still the driving force for the Dragons finishing with 15 points in the loss. In the early going, McKenna did a nice job of forcing the guard to switch onto him by setting ball screens. On a couple of occasions, he'd receive the ball in the mid-range area after the switch where he canned a nice turnaround jumper on the baseline. Another possession included McKenna using his size advantage to make his way to the hoop and draw a foul. McKenna shot nine free-throws, converting on six of them. In the spurts where he was scoring, there were flashes of why he's considered the No. 2 prospect in our 2024 rankings, but becoming more assertive and demanding when getting smaller defenders on him is what I'll be watching closely moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1680472,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/IMG-0956-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/12/IMG-0956-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1680472"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1414533' first='Patrick' last='Curtin'] | Glenelg Country '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tough as nails. That's what comes to mind after watching the 6'2 sophomore last night. Curtin didn't hesitate to get into physical plays. In fact, he embraced it and half of the time, he created such scenarios. There were over a handful of Division I coaches in the stands and one of them made the comment after Curtin made a play, "He's one of those dudes who go to a mid major and end up going off against a high major school." Offensively he balanced his presence both on and off the ball, but when he had it, he had intent of breaking down his man to get to his spots within the 12-to-17 foot range and creating an opportunity for himself. He converted on a nice fall away jumper from straight on, had several tough finishes around the rim with either hand and showed off his compact, confident shooting stroke well beyond the arc on two occasions. Curtin recorded 15 points and a bunch of attention despite ending up on the losing side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1370500' first='Jalen' last='Rougier-Roane'] | Sidwell Friends '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of talented 2025 prospects, Rougier-Roane is no stranger to being included in the top tier of the category when discussing the best prospects in the MD/DC area. He ranks No. 3 in our 2025 player rankings behind two uber-talented prospects in [player_tooltip player_id='1371867' first='Cameron' last='Ward'] and Nyk Lewis, but when evaluating potential upside, Rougier-Roane very well could have a case for the top spot. The 6'5 sophomore joined Gillus and Williams with 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half where he showcased his versatility by hitting two smooth three's followed by a tough fadeaway jumper in the mid-post. Rougier-Roane's frame, athleticism and skill are all reasons why college coaches in attendance described him in two words: big time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1628030,"sizeSlug":"medium","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-medium"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Acaden-Lewis-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/10/Acaden-Lewis-300x225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1628030"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225257' first='Acaden' last='Lewis'] | Sidwell Friends '25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's continue with the stacked 2025 class, shall we? [player_tooltip player_id='1225257' first='Acaden' last='Lewis']. One of the shiftiest guards you'll find in the DMV regardless of class was another prospect that coaches made the trip to see. He didn't disappoint. The 6'2 southpaw lead guard had his share of possessions where he rocked his defender back and forth with crossovers before gaining an edge, blowing by and making things happen for himself or others. He established paint touches in order to let go his routine high-lofting floaters, but when left open from 4-to-5 feet beyond the arc on the catch, Lewis converted a three with confidence to help put the nail in the coffin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1362720' first='Jackson' last='Pugh'] | Glenelg Country '23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pugh was a blur with the basketball in transition and a fun competitor to watch battle throughout as he was tested against Sidwell's stable of skilled guards. He puts constant pressure on the defense after securing the outlet pass with his end-to-end speed, but has the control to make moves on the go and avoid defenders in attempts to get all the way to the rim. He did so on multiple occasions last night and if he wasn't finishing layups he was forcing the defender in a tough spot where they had to foul and save the easy hoop. Pugh picked up full court and was active in the zone defense with anticipating hands in the passing lanes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->