North Montgomery County: Standouts Through January

I continue my trek throughout different counties in the state of Maryland to shine some light on prospects standing out in the public school scene. With Montgomery County including so many teams, I decided to break them down Central, North, South, East and West.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/01/montgomery-county-central-standouts-through-january/">Click here for Central.</a>   Below, we dive into the North    While much of the attention that Ray receives has to do with his raw scoring numbers for Damascus, his versatility on both ends combined with sound basketball IQ makes for a well-rounded hybrid forward. Due to the lack of true size on the roster, Ray has played the five and with that, is expected to defend bigs, hold down the glass and anchor the defense in the painted area. While he isn't the biggest bruising presence on the floor, he makes up for it with his length, agile feet and active hands. Using his length to haul in rebounds, it allows for grab-and-go opportunities where his long strides and fluid athleticism take centerstage. He's a capable spot-up shooter, attacks gaps effectively off the catch and converts at the charity stripe with efficiency. The junior wing is averaging 23 points and just under five rebounds per game as Damascus sits 8-4 overall.     The bell cow for this Watkins Mill team, Walker is the lead guard and primary ball-handler/playmaker. His quick twitch from the point of attack allows him to knife into the opposing defense, especially when he plays against zone. Once he gains an edge, Walker has great balance stopping on a dime and rising up for quick pull-ups. Many of times, Walker's threat of pulling up from well beyond the three point line demands the defense's gravity to generate those driving lanes. He manipulates the defense with his eyes to open up baseline cutters or to set up weakside shooters for skip passes. When Watkins Mill plays zone defensively, he's shown great anticipation in the passing lanes and a good knack for the ball when pressuring beyond the arc. Through 11 games, Walker is averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.     Magruder is rolling this season to a tune of 14-1 overall. The roster and production has great balance positionally, but it's Wertlieb who has been the straw that stirs the drink in 2025-26. He's put up some big scoring outings to keep the Colonels record nearly unblemished. The combo guard can really shoot it off movement and is a guy who is capable of knocking down 5+ triples when he's really feeling it, which can quickly change the course of a game. He's a high IQ ball mover who understands spacing, making reads within a structured system and as he's shown this season, can be a staple for a team that is in great position to win a very competitive MoCo field.     The other half of the 1-2 punch for Damascus is Thompson, a dynamic point guard capable of hanging a crooked number in the scoring column. His approach to getting bucket is very much either a three or rimming it. He can fill it up from outside off the catch and get into rhythm in transition if nobody steps up to stop the ball as he steps into his shot off the bounce. When he isn't teeing off from three, Thompson is using his quick first step to attack closeouts where he can elude rotating defenders with long step-throughs, euros or revert to burying his shoulder into the contesting big in the air and drawing contact. Through the first 12 games, Thompson was good for 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.     Scholes catches my attention with each viewing thanks to his size and athleticism. Not only can he rise up and throw down with a clear launching pad on the offensive end, but he looks to protect his own basket with great pride and a hint of violence as he attempts to spike layups into the stands. There just simply aren't many athletes in MoCo that can do things on the court that Scholes can. He has fluid mechanics on the jumper that make it look pretty, natural and with good results. He's the energizer for this Rockville team and has to shoulder plenty of weight in just about every statistical category, which can result in some errant decisions, but the rewards could result in them being in reaching distance of games.     It's tough to pick just one prospect from this Poolesville team, who sits 12-2 overall this season, but Jain is the presence in the middle that has stacked up a few impressive double-doubles and been key to big victories thus far. Jain, Jordan Smith, Chase Nelson and Emmanuel Chukuwurah have all proven as capable leaders on any given night, which makes this Falcons group dangerous. As for Jain, he's the anchor defensively who helps close down possessions or swat away shots around the rim to further protect their side of the floor. Offensively, he does a great job of using his frame to establish leverage on the block and can finish the job with soft touch over his shoulder or even in face-ups.

I continue my trek throughout different counties in the state of Maryland to shine some light on prospects standing out in the public school scene. With Montgomery County including so many teams, I decided to break them down Central, North, South, East and West.