Capital City National Showcase: Friday's 2027/2028 Standouts

The Capital City National Showcase tipped off last night at Coolidge High School (DC) in a three-game slate featuring programs from DC, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Saturday's schedule for the event is LOADED and our team will be on site yet again to take in the action. As for Friday and for this article, we'll spotlight the 2027/2028 prospects who stood out amongst the rest.   Results:   Springdale (MD) over Phoenix Montessori (NC) 88-50.   Archbishop John Carroll (PA) over Coolidge (DC) 75-62.   DeMatha (MD) over Fayetteville Academy (NC) 90-65.    Green came out looking like he had a point to prove as the lead guard brought a true floor general feel that sparked a commanding 12-0 lead. Green maintained great energy throughout the game as a vocal leader, a disruptive defensive presence in the passing lanes, and a patient processor seeing the floor while setting up others. He scored it from all three levels to keep his defender honest, but was most effective getting a head of steam in transition and finishing around the rim. Green would finish the game with a loaded stat line of 14 points, eight steals, seven assists, and six rebounds. The strong junior campaign for the Alabama native continues     Walked away from Duncan's performance really pleased with how dialed in he was to both sides of the floor. There's no doubt that the measurables and athleticism with Duncan can translate to the DI level, but the consistency and overall polish need to remain at the level that it was in last night's win in order to gain legitimate momentum in that conversation. The hybrid forward's versatility was on full display as he presented as an active two-way impact with a stat line to back it. Duncan had his usual high-flying finishes in transition, hit a few mid-range jumpers after making sharp cuts to the high-post against the zone, and showed his soft touch on a few floaters en route to 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists.     Woodard threw down one of the handful of poster dunks Friday evening and it was just one layer of his impressive showing. The southpaw sophomore immediately injected more energy for Springdale off the bench with elite defensive instincts that resulted in deflections, steals, and run out opportunities for quick scores. Woodard was extremely efficient as a scorer and while the majority of his buckets came around or above the rim, he did venture out and knock down a triple as he finished with 17 points on 8/9 FG, six assists, five steals, and three rebounds.     Now officially a 2027 prospect, Shouse was one of the lone bright spots for this Phoenix Montessori (NC) team, especially early on. The 6-foot-4 guard came off the bench and used his blend of athleticism and length around the bucket to generate second-chance points on the offensive glass or simply put his head down on drives and finished strong through contact. He'd lead his team with 11 points on the night, hauled in six rebound (four offensive) and accounted for three steals.     Abass continues to put it together quickly as a junior as the 6-foot-7 forward is imposing his will on games early this season. Last night was no different as he walked away with game MVP honors after a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five stocks (steals + blocks). An enforcing presence around the rim, Abass finished with authority whenever he had enough space to play off two. He's valuable as a trailer in transition as his jumper has improved to force his defender to closeout, leaving him the opportunity to explode of his back foot for straight-line drives that usually finish with him hanging on the rim. Really impressed with the overall improvement in Abass' skill and mentality since last year.     Jeffers has the opportunity, in my opinion, to take one of the biggest leaps in the local 2027 class. In the summer he looked more 6-foot-8 where now he stands legitimately 6-foot-10 (maybe even slightly taller) and the mobility has remained smooth. The coordination, dependable hands, and instinctual timing as a shot-blocker or presence in the dunker's spot offensively is surfacing consistently. Jeffers went up against Justin Caldwell (Georgetown commit) and you could tell there was some intent to prove himself against that level of competition. He shined brightly in the matchup and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four stocks while disrupting Caldwell plenty around the rim with his elite length.     Turner is a 2028 guard that brings a much more mature feel and advanced movements to the floor. Now standing closer to 6-foot-1 than 5-foot-9 like he's listed here, Turner controlled the tempo of the game despite being harassed by an opposing, seasoned senior guard on Coolidge. He used an array of hesitations, crossovers, and spins to maneuver his way to the paint, force rotations and show off his floor vision. If he wasn't setting up another teammate, Turner was putting pressure on the rim and visiting the free-throw line after drawing contact. The sophomore guard would finish with 11 points and four assists.     Lugendo was a catalyst for energy and efficient scoring around the rim for Archbishop Carroll (PA). He stuck to his strengths and didn't venture out beyond the rim too much, but he didn't need to. Lugendo reacted well to his teammates' paint touches and made himself available along the baseline or with timely lifts from the block to the center of the paint where he'd catch and finish. On a particular drive from Turner after a nasty hesitation move, Lugendo cut from the right baseline about 15-feet out and finished with two-hands emphatically to cement the lead and eventually, the win. He kept things simple and as a result, was the inside presence that helped push Carroll over the top scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 from the field and pulling in seven rebounds in 19 minutes.

The Capital City National Showcase tipped off last night at Coolidge High School (DC) in a three-game slate featuring programs from DC, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Saturday's schedule for the event is LOADED and our team will be on site yet again to take in the action. As for Friday and for this article, we'll spotlight the 2027/2028 prospects who stood out amongst the rest.