City of Palms Report: DMV prospects

The City of Palms has been around for 52 years and has become one of the best high school basketball events to scope elite talent. The field featured two DMV teams and a few other prospects who recently left the area to play for prep programs based in other states. We'll include them in this write-up as we assess each player's performance throughout the six day event.    Smith Jr. continues to make his argument as the No. 1 prospect in the country as he adds a City of Palms championship trophy to the case at Paul VI Catholic. The 6-foot-3 lead guard is the most competitive prospect I've evaluated to date and when it comes to watching a player sub 6-foot-5 who can dominate a game on both ends of the floor, Smith is the standard. He averaged 31.2 points on 57.8 percent shooting from the field while easily holding the high usage percentage of any player in the field of teams. His unrelenting presence on the glass, willingness to defend any position on the floor while giving multiple efforts per possession, and his ability to lift up every player's ceiling that he shares the floor with is truly unique and are all reasons why I'm convinced that no one in the country impacts winning in the sense that Smith does.   And it isn't close.     If you pay any sort of attention to the local high school hoops scene, you're well versed with the fact that Samuels is one of the most prolific scorers you'll find not only in the DMV, but the country when he's rolling on all cylinders. Tightening things up from an efficiency standpoint, impacting the game in other aspect aside from scoring, and continuing to round out other layers of his game were all focuses coming into this season. So far, Samuels has shown improvement in the efficiency category and did so in City of Palms while exploding for a 40-point outing in McNamara's win over Garfield Heights (OH) on day three. In the matchup, he went 15-of-23 from the field and even more impressively, hauled in an alarming 16 rebounds. McNamara finished 1-2 overall in their showing down south, but Samuels left his mark averaging 24.6 points per game on 60.4 percent shooting from the field and 57.8 percent from three on 19 total attempts. The 6-foot-5 southpaw was responsible for 8.6 rebounds per contest as well.     Montverde pulled off what was considered the upset of the event as they defeated No. 1 Prolific Prep on Sunday afternoon. Daniels faced a hardworking frontline of Davion Adkins and MJ Madison, but as he typically does, Daniels matched any physicality thrown his way. Offensively he set punishing screens and had rolls to the rim with intent. His hands continue to be something he can hang his hat on when hovering around the dunker's spot or in the paint as guards drive baseline. Daniels did a nice job getting to the free-throw line in this matchup and converting to a tune of 6-of-8 while sporting a final stat line of 10 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 26 minutes.     Highs and lows for McKnight throughout the weekend as LuHi was without Dylan Mingo, which left McKnight to shoulder the majority of on-ball playmaking and initiating. As usual, he got downhill and did a nice job of initiating contact on his path to the rim. McKnight is doing a better job of maintaining balance and control to focus on finishing the play rather than betting on a whistle from the refs. His sturdy frame and soft touch make it a tough task for defenders to anticipate how he's going to finish once he makes it into the painted area. McKnight plays with great intensity that can fuel others around him. His best outing came against Bishop McNamara and a group of names that he is no stranger to going to war against from his DeMatha days. McKnight finished that win with 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Becoming more of a playmaker for others and continuing to develop his outside shot with consistency will be key factors moving forward.     Another stage for Mitchell to continue his breakout since making the move to PVI. His long-range shooting, versatility defensively in being able to guard 1-4, and the connective traits that he brings to this Panthers roster has proven to be invaluable as they take on a daunting schedule. Mitchell had his moments to shine throughout the event and took advantage particularly in the win over Calvary Christian (FL) where he led PVI with 23 points and canned 4-of-6 of his looks from three. Mitchell has been nothing short of consistent since making the move to the Panthers and acting as the secondary scorer alongside Smith. It's only right that he's beginning to garner heavy interest from MM+/HM- programs.     Moody showcased the well-rounded skillset that he can bring to the floor when the pace and situation fits both he and his team. Similar to his backcourt counterpart, [player_tooltip player_id='1782660' first='Qayden' last='Samuels'], Moody has the tendency to settle for contested shots that can put his team at a disadvantage with long, quick runout buckets the other way. In that same sentiment, he also is capable getting going in that sense and demoralizing his defender with an array of jumpers both off the catch and off the bounce. The Indiana pledge put together two strong performances before a rough outing to end the event in a loss to LuHi (NY). Nevertheless, thanks to the efficiency and manner in which he played the first two contests, Moody finished with averaged of 20.6 points on 46.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from deep.     Proctor plays a valuable role for this LuHi team as he's expected to provide energy, defensive versatility, and complementary offensive tools to the talented roster surrounding him. A 6-foot-7 wing/forward that plays with an edge, Proctor has long hung his hat in the DMV on his ability to rebound out of his area. This was the case specifically in LuHi's win over Owasso (OK) where he had his best outing of 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 18 minutes. Offensively he's effective in the open floor where he can use his athleticism to finish at the rim or draw contact for charity stripe visits. He showed an improved burst off his back foot on attacking closeouts and seeking contact on those drives as well. Similar to his DMV counterpart, Jamaal McKnight, Proctor can boost his value as he continues to improve on his efficiency from deep as that will allow him to pose as a true 3-and-D utility type of wing at the next level.     Brown is one of the better game managing point guards in the region thanks to his experience playing under the bright lights against elite competition. In these sort of settings, he and Smith tend to share the on-ball role, but Brown taps into more of a half court initiator to ensure execution of sets while picking his spots to attack gaps for quick scoop layups or remaining shot-ready on the perimeter as action unfolds in the paint. Brown's strongest performance game in the opening win over Garfield Heights (OH) where he scored 15 points and dished out six assists with his future coaching staff from Florida Gulf Coast sitting court side.     The unsung hero of this Paul VI team has to be Bahr. The 6-foot-4 wing won't have a single play ran specifically for him, but that isn't necessary. His instincts as an off-ball mover as he hovers around the perimeter, makes sharp cuts when drivers pick up their dribble, or sneakily dives in for offensive put-backs are all aspects that help this PVI team take the life out of opponents. Another aspect of Bahr's game that stood out to me over the course of their championship run was his defense. Bahr guarded multiple positions over the four-game run and while his lateral speed isn't lighting quick, he understands angles and how to use his length effectively to cause deflections, alter shots from anywhere on the floor, or simply lead his man into a dead spot within their defensive scheme. Every championship needs a player like Bahr who comes into the game expecting nothing, but ends up touching a handful of box score categories while also supplying endless winning plays that hold louder impact than what can be shown on a stat sheet.     Mena came into this season expected to play a huge role considering PVI's lack of size and depth in the frontcourt. Not only was he expected to battle inside with the array of 6-foot-10+ prospects that have been on their schedule thus far, but contributions on the offensive end would be key in order to demand honesty out of the opposing team's defense. So far, Mena's outside shooting has what's been the catalyst and the manner in which he's knocking them down in big time moments have carried even more weight. Whether it was to cap off a PVI run and stick the fork a win or ignite his group as the opposition stormed back into a game, Mena seemed to answer the call for head coach Glenn Farello. His 17 points on just eight shots in the semifinal matchup against Principia (Mo.) was a big reason why the Panther found themselves in the title game last night.

The City of Palms has been around for 52 years and has become one of the best high school basketball events to scope elite talent. The field featured two DMV teams and a few other prospects who recently left the area to play for prep programs based in other states. We'll include them in this write-up as we assess each player's performance throughout the six day event.