Mayhem on Military: MD/DC Underclassmen Wings/Bigs Standouts

Mayhem on Military has become the mark of the beginning of the high school season in the DMV over the past few years. This year was no different as Marc Stern from Capitol Hoops put together a loaded schedule over the course of the weekend to prepare fans for the year ahead.   Van Johnson and I have been tag teaming the standout coverage. Check out the other reports from this event before I dive into the underclassmen at the wing and forward spots who took advantage of the stage.    I'd invest a lot of stock into Smith-Bey having a breakout sophomore season. The 6-foot-5 forward brings an even bigger presence to the floor thanks to his length, defensive versatility, and overall instincts that seem to have him in the right place at the right time in almost any scenario. Already minted as one of the best defenders in the DMV regardless of class, Smith-Bey's offensive development is trending in the right direction at a rapid rate. His best showing of the weekend came in their win over Spalding where he notched a game-high 20 points on 8-of-15 from the field and grabbed four rebounds. The outside shooting touch is still a work in progress, but his confidence attacking off the bounce along with his unselfish, maintenance approach playing off the ball and finding openings as a timely cutter are skills that will help translate to the highest of levels.     In the matchup mentioned above, Avery also shined as a 2028 prospect with a high ceiling as he led Spalding with 16 points and seven rebounds. What was most impressive with Avery's performance was his relentless attack of the rim and as a result, he shot 13 free-throws, making nine total. Avery is capable of throwing down poster finishes that only elite athletes can pull off. He had a few of his above-the-rim slams in this one early on, which put the pressure on the backline of St. John's defense to rotate. Each time, Avery's burst and explosion resulted those rotations in being a half of a second slow and therefore, out of position when he went up to finish. Look for Avery to be a household name in the DMV before long this winter.     Clinton Grace has put together the strongest resume early here out of the gates as being a juggernaut in the DMV. On the heels of winning the National Classic bracket of the Kevin Brown Memorial Tournament of Champions in Illinois, the Eagles flew home and took care of business on Sunday evening against Sidwell Friends (DC) in strong fashion. Abraham, the No. 2 overall prospect in the MD/DC 2029 rankings, flashed his skill, footwork, and instinctual feel operating on the block with his back to the basket. He contributed with seven points (3-of-5 shooting) and four boards in 19 minutes. For a freshman to get time on this Clinton Grace is a statement in itself, but to already have the trust of his coach and teammates to perform in a chaotic environment under the bright lights at the beginning of his freshman year speaks volumes for the 14-year-old big man.       Conley may not have the height of a prototypical wing, but he makes up for it with his bullish frame and sneaky quick first step to create advantages. It was my first time getting a real look at him at the varsity level and Conley took full advantage of his minutes off the bench, utilizing each of his nine minutes to produce his eight points and four rebounds. Conely was active on both end and did a nice job of playing off of the gifted playmakers around him to earn clean looks around the bucket as a cutter. This McNamara roster boasts a ton of top-end talent who are upperclassmen, but steady production like Conley had will quickly carve a role for himself as we move deeper into the season.     Skipworth showed why he is the most polished player in his class locally with his 24-point outing against Jackson-Reed on Saturday. There were several possession in the first half where he looked like he was forcing the issue and struggled to find his rhythm because of it. While his jumper wasn't falling, Skipworth made the necessary adjustment of attacking the rim often in the second half and piled up trips to the charity stripe where he converted 12 of his 13 attempts. The 6-foot-5 Swiss army knife also hauled in seven rebounds in the effort. What was most impressive was the amount of time Skipworth played on the ball. For majority of the contest, he was the initiator in the half court and seemed to show improvement with his overall floor awareness and provided clear growth of his leadership throughout the ebbs and flows a game where Jackson-Reed simply refused to go away.     Floyd was another new name for me who I walked away very intrigued with. A 6-foot-4 hybrid forward with length, dexterity, and versatility on both ends, he'll be a name we monitor closely on this young Bullis team. He got his looks within the flow of the offense with hard flashes at the high-post for turnaround jumpers with soft touch. While he has to improve with lateral movement, Floyd has a good understanding of where to be on the defensive end and how to utilize his tools to make things harder on his matchup. He played 25 minutes and scored six points on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field while snagging four rebounds. Floyd played his role well and should see consistent minutes as a sophomore under head coach Bruce Kelley.     Potter is a skilled big man at 6-foot-9 who can operate with his back to the basket and showcase feathery soft touch on over the shoulder hooks. He's got dependable hands in the dunkers spot, good awareness on rolling to the rim after setting ball screens and can do his work early on establishing leverage in the post to put himself in position for offensive rebounds. He was yet another underclassmen who made the most of his time on the floor going 4-for-4 in 12 minutes for eight points off the bench. This was an up-tempo game as Jackson-Reed plays a smaller, faster brand of basketball that doesn't necessarily compliment Potter's strengths, but when he was in there his presence was felt. Expect for Potter to be a big piece of the rotation especially as Bullis goes up against opponents with more size in the frontcourt.

Mayhem on Military has become the mark of the beginning of the high school season in the DMV over the past few years. This year was no different as Marc Stern from Capitol Hoops put together a loaded schedule over the course of the weekend to prepare fans for the year ahead.