Elite Prep League Session 1 Standouts (Part 2)
The Elite Prep League is back for it’s second season, and it has even more talent than the first year! Last year, the Commonwealth Basketball Group put together the Elite Prep League to give some of the top post grad…
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Continue ReadingThe Elite Prep League is back for it’s second season, and it has even more talent than the first year! Last year, the Commonwealth Basketball Group put together the Elite Prep League to give some of the top post grad teams in the mid-atlantic a platform to compete on, and after the huge success of the first year it’s only improved going into year two.
The league has a total of seven teams – Hargrave Military Academy, Fork Union Military Academy, Massanutten Military Academy, Combine, Winston Salem Christian, Mt. Zion Prep and Perkiomen. Six of the teams were in attendance, with Perkiomen being the one team not available for the event.
Here’s a look at some of the VA standouts from session one of the EPL season.
Jaden Johnson | 6’1” PG | Fork Union 2024
Johnson has been on an absolute tear for FUMA to start the season, and was fantastic in them going 2-0 on the weekend including a big conference win over a Combine team that then went up to New England and beat the #2 and #3 nationally ranked post grad teams. The former Bishop McNamara star is finally healthy and in the best shape of his life, and he controlled both games with his pace and ability to touch the paint and set the tone on both ends of the floors. He handled pressure well breaking down the defense and getting to the rim where he drew defenders to make plays for others or used his strength and body control to finish through contact, he was a tenacious on ball defender and he did a great job leading his team vocally and through his play.
DeSean Goode | 6’8” PF | Fork Union 2024
Goode was named the Breakout Performer of this session, as he was one of the most efficient and impactful players using his blend of size, athleticism and feel to get easy buckets and impact the game across the board. He gives them such a unique look on both ends of the floor, as his versatility on the defensive end allows them to switch and guard in different ways and offensively he’s able to play uptempo with them while also giving them different looks in the half court. In their win over Combine he was a huge difference maker scoring an efficient 25 points and dominating the glass and paint on the defensive end too.
David Burnett | 6’4” WG | Fork Union 2024
Burnett is going to be the x-factor all season for this FUMA team, and he’s a player that coaches should really take a look at as he is able to impact the game in so many positive ways. The 6’4” wing has long arms and is an explosive athlete which he showed with a number of athletic finishes on the offensive end and a couple of impressive blocks, and the fact he plays with such a great motor allows him to use his athleticism to make plays on both ends of the floor. He can make shots from deep when he’s left open and is a good ball handler in transition, and there isn’t much baggage that comes with him as he just flat out competes and works whenever he’s on the floor.
Omarion Barbour | 6’8” PF | Fork Union 2024
Barbour is going to be an interesting piece in the EPL and a player that coaches should get familiar with as he is already showing major improvements and has a ton of upside moving forward with his size and athleticism. The 6’8” forward from Virginia Beach is all motor as soon as he checks in the game, competing on both ends of the floor and using his athleticism to play above the rim offensively and block shots on the defensive end of the floor too. He’s a tough nosed and blue collar kind of kid who knows his role and thrives in it, coming off the bench with immense impact in both of their games, and he’s just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward.
Khalil Williams | 6’4” WG | Hargrave 2024
The former Potomac School star was home in the DMV for Hargrave in their one game at session 1, and despite them having a not so great showing against Combine Williams showed why he’s a division one recruit who needs more looks heading into the new year. The 6’4” wing showed his ability to score it in bunches, as the smooth lefty made shots from deep and then used that attack closeouts and get to the rim or to spots in the midrange. He finished with 20 points in their loss, but he showed his scoring prowess along with his improvements as a playmaker and on the defensive end too.
Cam Savage | 6’2” PG | Hargrave 2024
It was my first time seeing Savage in person after watching some of his games on streams so far this season, and I was throughly impressed as he took on a majority of the ball handling duties with their starting point guard limited due to injury. He showed a lot of toughness competing the entire time even when they were trailing big, and he seems like a natural leader who is ready to compete with anyone at any time. He showed the ability to score it from multiple levels off the bounce, he made plays for others both in transition and in the half court and he was a natural leader for his group too.