Baltimore Rundown: Able's Holiday Run, Public School Standouts

<p>In this week's Baltimore Rundown, I'll highlight John Carroll's successful run in the Bullis Holdiay Tournament, shine some light on some public school teams and prospects in the Baltimore area, and more.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1782586' first='Aidan' last='Able']'s MVP run leads John Carroll to holiday championship</h2>   <p>John Carroll defeated the hosting Bullis team in yesterday's Bullis Holiday Classic Tournament by a final score of 62-53. The Patriots claimed victories over Archbishop Ryan (PA) and Episcopal (VA) to etch their name in the title game and along their three-day span, Able showed why he's one of the premier scorers in the DMV. The UMBC commit averaged 30 points per game and while he's built the reputation of a lethal shooter from beyond the arc, Able got his buckets in a variety of ways especially in the game against Ryan. His overall skillset continues to round out nicely and his ability to attack closeouts with sound processing speed as now both a scorer or distributor is something I'm sure the UMBC staff is happy to see. </p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2547300' first='Andrew' last='Clark'] had an eventful weekend both on and off the court as well. The 6-foot-8 big man announced his commitment to Randolph-Macon a few hour prior to the championship game and proceeding to notch 20 points in the title game to follow Able's 28. Clark averaged 19.6 on the weekend while manning the painted area, flashing some outside shooting as he buried a couple of triples to keep his defender honest, and held down the defensive glass to limit opponents to one-shot possessions. In Clark, Randolph-Macon gets a frontcourt prospect with size, connectivity skills, and interesting potential to be tapped into in order to maintain their top-5 status moving forward at the DIII level.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">SEED quietly putting together strong start</h2>   <p>SEED School is coming off a Cinderella-like run to the Class 1A title game last season and head coach Eddie Green has them buzzing once again this season. They have two wins over private schools thus far in St. Paul's and most recently, Calvert Hall. Unsigned senior [player_tooltip player_id='2954446' first='Khaled' last='Al-Mateen'] is showing why he's a senior guard in Baltimore to monitor after being the staple for last year's squad. Al-Mateen put together a career-high 42 points to go with nine rebounds, and three steals in their win over Dundalk last week. He brings wiggle on the ball, confidence from all three levels, and a relentless approach in getting downhill and attacking in transition that could mean for a few more standout scoring performances before his senior campaign comes to a close. </p>   <p>SEED will prepare for the Governor's Challenge this week as they'll face Walkersville the day after Christmas in Salisbury. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">City dismantling opponents through the first five games</h2>   <p>When the Knights lost key players from last year's roster headlined by Omarr Smith Jr. (New Mexico State) there was a chance the overall ceiling of this year's team could be felt immediately. That hasn't been the case at all as head coach Omarr Smith and his staff have their group humming as they're winning games by a 33.4 point per game margin. Even better, the production has spread throughout the rotation and it seems as if a new name is leading them to victory on any given night. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2722710' first='Camari' last='Stewart'] is the go-to guy and he's come through with a double-double of 28 points and 12 boards in their win over Randallstown followed by steady showings throughout, but others such as 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2935812' first='Noah' last='Cowan'], 2026 Jayden Hargrove, and 2026 Tourean Thomspon are just a few of the names who have put together team-highs or solid outings in the first handful of games. </p>   <p>It's still early in the season of course, but Smith looks like he has another title contending roster for both the city championship and beyond. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MIAA A Conference 2028 guards demanding attention</h2>   <p>There have been a list of 2028 guards playing in the MIAA A Conference that have put together strong sophomore seasons that have our attention as we approach another update in our player rankings. In this regard, I have to start with [player_tooltip player_id='2621950' first='Noah' last='Sulaiman'] from Boys' Latin. The 5-foot-11 southpaw lead guard is built like a running back and packed with explosive athleticism that has been evident thus far. His relentless competitive motor makes for a two-way presence as a tenacious defender on or off the ball. He's more than willing to impact the glass, dive on the floor for 50/50s, and other small aspects that may not show up on the box score, but impact winning in a big way. Sulaiman's confidence as a primary scorer is what has improved the most. His number was called and depended upon heavily as [player_tooltip player_id='2252278' first='Ghavyne' last='Saint Pierre'] made his way back from injury. Now with a full roster, the Lakers will attempt to avenge some close losses suffered in the first chunk of their season.</p>   <p>The Mount St. Joseph duo of Chancey Word and [player_tooltip player_id='2546067' first='Aaron' last='Early Jr.'] have both had moments that show they can be foundational pieces for the future of Gael basketball. Word uses his cat-like quickness from the point of attack to get to the rim or to his spots in the mid-range where he rises up with tremendous verticality in spite of what he gives up in the height department. He's not afraid of big moments in crunch time and continues to develop as a game manager. Early is a crafty scorer who can do his damage in the mid-range as well. He's been effective at attacking smaller guards in the mid-post with feathery fadeaways, getting to the rim with physicality, or as he showed in their recent win against Glenelg Country, can rise up and put defenders on posters with improved athleticism. </p>   <p>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2547346' first='Sonny' last='Moore'] out of McDonogh was instrumental in the Eagles knocking off Mount St. Joe in a rare Sunday afternoon tip-off yesterday. The quick-twitch, three-level scoring guard scored 10 of his 19 points in the final frame to help McDonogh secure the important win and as Moore continues to score it with confidence and efficiency, the ceiling of this McDonogh group raises significantly. </p>   <p>2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2524424' first='Trysten' last='Middleton'] has a chance to put his name on radars as Archbishop Spalding is without starting point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1782592' first='Kam' last='Carter']. Middleton saw a bit of action as a freshman before playing healthy minutes in the spring and summer for [program_tooltip program_id='2078456' first='DC' last='Premier'], but will take on the tough task of holding his own in the MIAA and manning a talented rotation for head coach Josh Pratt. Middletown has shown some nice flashes as a distributor who can establish paint touches and make primary reads with sound fundamental deliveries. </p>   <p>2028 Calvert Hall combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2731617' first='Ellis' last='Johnson'] is another name that has put together standout performances as a sophomore. The fluid southpaw can shoot it from three both off the catch or on the move and can surprise defenders at the rim with creative finishes. </p>

In this week's Baltimore Rundown, I'll highlight John Carroll's successful run in the Bullis Holdiay Tournament, shine some light on some public school teams and prospects in the Baltimore area, and more.