MLK Dream Classic: '25+'26 Stars In Their Role

The term "role player" often has a negative connotation and is subjective as a general rule. But we think it's important to highlight some of the players that carry out their role's tasks for their group, whether they are one of the last guys off the bench or a starter. The dirty work performed night in and night out often is the sign of a balanced group that understands and exceeds their individual expectations within a team concept. Let's tap in with a few prospects that shined in their role!    4p 4a 3r 1s   -The Loyola commit is the straw that stirs the drink for a G Prep team that took some lumps early in big national games but are starting to pick up steam as we approach conference play. Berg-McLean gets paint touches and finds the baseline to shift the defense before delivering passes with some zip to his teammates. He can step up to score when he needs to and knock down open shots but he embraces his role as a PG that loves making the extra pass to lead to high percentage looks for his guys.     16p 3a 1s 5/11 FG 4/6 3PT 2/2 FT   -McDonough is picking his spots to probe the defense to serve as more of a threat as a creator but his biggest role on this G Prep roster is to knock down perimeter shots. And that is something that he does at a high level. McDonough relocates to space really well--especially in transition-- and times his lifts from corners or cuts off of screens well to create space to knock down 3 point looks. His maturity and the development of the offensive feel has come a long way-- passing up looks that don't have ten toes facing the rim to move the ball in the hopes that it finds its way back to the Army commit.     -A football player by nature, Thompson comes in off the bench to give Carroll good minutes as an undersized yet physical forward that will push his matchup off the block before he catches to create more difficult looks at the rim. He rebounds the ball well, is a dependable finisher around the basket, and is a willing passer if he sees a passing option both on the low block or on the perimeter. Coaches will always find time for players that put winning above stats and Thompson is a perfect example of that.     10p 8r 3b 1s vs Riviera Prep   -Potomac put up a good fight against a pretty good national opponent in Riviera Prep and [player_tooltip player_id='2612827' first='Logan' last='Jones'] shouldered most of that load. A physical wing that can scale up or down a position at the defensive end, he blocked shots both on the ball and as a helper-- showing off an improved physique. Jones competed really hard on the glass, rotated well defensively, scored off of backdoor cuts for the lay, and showed some improved range on the perimeter jumper. Intriguing prospect to track in 2026.     6p 5r 4a 3s vs Legacy School   -Lawson returns to SFA after a successful stint at Millford Mill to lead the Panthers as a paint touch merchant that impacts winning beyond the box score. A dynamic rebounder for his size that routinely snags 5-8 rebounds a night from the point guard position, Lawson has a great nose for the ball and has the physicality to beat his opponents to those spots for long rebounds or high-point rebounds in traffic. A physical, quick point guard that leverages his center of gravity, he routinely gets to the center of the defense and dumps it off to one of SFA's bigs or finds a shooter on the perimeter. His POA defense as a pitbull of a PG that fights around screens to stay in front and will catch you lacking if you put the ball on the floor in front of him-- his motor usually is the igniting spark in his team's lifeblood-- which is transition basketball.     9p 6r 2a 1b 1s vs Legacy   -Lone standout offensive performer for a Hayfield team that ran into a physical buzzsaw of a team in Legacy as the played their 5th opponent in 6 days. Loved that even facing a double digit deficit, Prosper sprinted back to collect a volleyball spike of a block in transition after missing a 3 at the other end of the floor. Prosper covers a lot of ground for the Hawks defensively and can scale up or down a position at the defensive end to contest shots at all 3 levels. Had a great cut for an extension lay through the contact in the halfcourt late through the 4Q, hitting the ensuing FT to make it a 13-point game.     9p 7r 5a 3s vs Legacy   -The feel and decision-making development is coming along with Joy as a PG with decent size that can score and distribute in the halfcourt. Joy overcame a rough shooting night from the floor to still impact the game on the glass and by making plays for others, bringing JR back to lose by 6 after trailing by 15+ for most of the game. Two assists off of offensive rebounds led to And-1 buckets for his team down the stretch, and it's good to see Joy making those split-second reads on the fly for his team.     8p 1r (2/3 3P) in 7 minutes vs Legacy   -JR HC Tee Johnson turned to Abraham as he looked up and down his bench for some shooting in a tough matchup with a Legacy team that was hounding the ball at the defensive end. Abraham came in cold off the bench to hit two wing threes from the college line off the catch, later sneaking into the paint to grab an offensive rebound and score on the putback to make it a 1-point game. Will be interested to see if he can carve out a consistent role off the bench as a shooter in a pretty deep Jackson Reed rotation.

The term "role player" often has a negative connotation and is subjective as a general rule. But we think it's important to highlight some of the players that carry out their role's tasks for their group, whether they are one of the last guys off the bench or a starter. The dirty work performed night in and night out often is the sign of a balanced group that understands and exceeds their individual expectations within a team concept. Let's tap in with a few prospects that shined in their role!