Weekly Roundup 1/19-1/26

Our staff of scouts wanted to start a weekly roundup where we touch on some of the players, teams, and matchups that have stood out to us the most over the past week. This will be a weekly post where we try to speak on as many players as possible, please feel free to reach out to our scouts with game scores and stat lines along with video so that we can highlight as many of our young athletes as possible. We will use the same 5 guiding questions each week, and we hope it is representative of the hotbed that is DMV Basketball. Let's dive in!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. What team(s) have stood out to you this week?</h2>   Aaron- Catonsville- Winners of 3 straight to move up to 2nd place in Baltimore County Region 2 as the Comets welcome back [player_tooltip player_id='1782587' first='Elijah' last='Barrett'] (21 ppg average in his first three games back) to the lineup before losing senior [player_tooltip player_id='2954436' first='Gavin' last='Edwards'] for the next two. The overlapping game together in a win over Woodlawn showed the upside this group has at full strength with 4 prospects capable of going for 20 surrounded by a hard-working supporting cast.   Colby- Whitman continues to roll through Montgomery County and take the look of the favorite as we approach the last stretch of regular season games. They're 12-1 with their only loss coming to a good Downington West (PA) team at Governors Challenge. Any local opponent has yet to upend them as the trio of 2027 Max WIlliams, 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2886343' first='Bobby' last='Zedak'] and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2347770' first='Will' last='Shapiro'] have been the engine for head coach Chris Lun. They head into this week, weather pending, facing a tough Sherwood team twice and Bethesda-Chevy Chase.   Van- Dunbar HS (DC) Winning 3 straight (Maret School, Bard and Cardozo) games which has the Crimson Tide in the 4th place in the DCIAA conference with a 11-2 conference record and a 15-4 overall record going into the last week of January.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. What was the best individual performance that you saw?</h2>   Aaron- We kept him in the top spot in our rankings and [player_tooltip player_id='2767938' first='Jordan' last='Costley'] immediately showed out, finishing with a near triple-double (15p 11r 6a 2s) despite fouling out with 3 minutes left to go in regulation in a 2OT road win over PGCA. Costley hounded the ball at the defensive end, forcing turnovers and rushed shots while switching ends of the floor quickly to push his team in transition. His ability to hit shots and serve as a connector from the wing was crucial for his team in a nice league win. Definitely deserving of Team USA Minicamp consideration.   In the same game, ‘27 [player_tooltip player_id='2347764' first='Wisdom' last='Carter'] has really turned the corner as a leader for PGCA, as shown by his statline of 22p 13r 1a 1b. On a night where his perimeter jumper wasn't falling at its usual clip–Carter attacked the glass at both ends of the floor to close out possessions on the defensive end and extend possessions at the offensive side of the ball. His value cannot be understated for this group.    Colby- I liked what I saw from our No. 6 ranked 2028 prospect in [player_tooltip player_id='2494248' first='Abdul' last='Tarawally'] in Gwynn Park's win over Eleanor Roosevelt on Friday evening. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is a Swiss army knife with his blend of size, strength and power as he showed in his 31-point outing. He scored it from all three levels, showing off the touch from beyond the arc, the balance in the mid-range on jumpers or floaters and his ability to finish through contact on attempts around the cup. He spends time defending all five positions throughout games, which speaks to his versatility and continues to prove himself as the straw that stirs the drink for the Yellow Jackets as they sit 12-3 overall.   Van- Anthony Brown, the Vanderbilt signee, pumped in 34 points against Bishop McNamara.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. What game(s) or tournaments are you most looking forward to this week?</h2>   Aaron- If the game happens in the midst of this crazy weather, DC International vs McKinley Tech Monday night should be a really fun DCIAA matchup between two deep teams with some hidden gem prospects. Conference matchup with St James on the road at Sidwell Tuesday should also be a great one, if it isn't delayed or cancelled due to the weather. A young but scrappy St James group will look to take advantage of a Quakers group that is battling through some injuries.   Colby- A couple of events taking place this week have my attention. From a non-local perspective, the EYBL Scholastic League makes its way to Garrett College (MD) on Thursday and Friday followed by the 4th annual A Very Melo Classic, which will be held at Morgan State on Saturday. The event features a slate of six games and is loaded with national talent and intriguing Baltimore/DMV matchups.   Van- If it takes place the Bishop O'Connell at Paul VI Catholic on Tuesday. Good chance the game will probably be postponed to a later date. Attending the St. James Tournament on Saturday.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. What fresh/sophomore prospect are you buying stock in?</h2>   Aaron- Olaitan Olorungbohinmi ‘29 CG PGCA. The physical freshman prospect gave his group some good minutes off the bench as a secondary slasher that gets downhill well against upperclassmen— using a strong frame to force TOs and not cede any ground to drivers. Like his tenacity and advanced frame at this stage in his career   Colby- It came in a loss against Spalding earlier on Friday, but 2029 McDonogh forward [player_tooltip player_id='3072084' first='Christian' last='Rhodes'] showed me even more reasons as to why folks should buy stock now as the 6-foot-6 freshman went into the matchup without his frontcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='2455425' first='Carlos' last='Ferguson']. Against a talented Cavalier frontcourt duo in [player_tooltip player_id='2715192' first='Nash' last='Avery'] and Braxton Bogard, Rhodes competed his tail off and made several key defensive plays early on whether it was his primary assignment or not. As the season progresses, layers of his offensive skillset continue to emerge. He'll be a foundational piece for head coach Gerry Abrams next year and for seasons to come.   Van- Aiden Brown the 6-4 sophomore from Dunbar HS (DC) has been putting up impressive numbers in the last two games. The Bard School scored 27 points on 12-15 from the field. Against Maret School 20 points.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. What team are you holding stock in for the end of the season?</h2>   Aaron- St. Albans. Losses to Landon and Bullis drop STA down to 1-3 in IAC play but 11-5 overall. Good contributions from senior PG [player_tooltip player_id='1588110' first='Lincoln' last='Razi'] compliments the inside-out ability from Will Mali. Sophomore big [player_tooltip player_id='3420314' first='James' last='He'] (6'9) and junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2744316' first='Isaac' last='Wallsten'] have begun to make waves with their two-way play and upside. Well-coached group that could make a run late in the season in a league full of teams led by inexperienced varsity players.   Colby- All Oakland Mills has done is win. At 12-1 overall, head coach Kyle Harmon has his team performing a year ahead of schedule when you consider the weight pulled by his junior class as well as an intriguing sophomore prospect. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3317783' first='Daniel' last='Ndiritu'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3311759' first='Caleb' last='Redd'] are two of the best 2027s in Howard County while 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='3041576' first='Jonathan' last='McCoy'] has put together nothing but evidence as a sophomore that he'll emerge as one of the more versatile prospects in the public school sector once he's a senior. While you can't overlook any opponent, the Scorpions already defeated the other top team in Howard County, Marriotts Ridge, earlier this season. If they play to the standard they've set this season and maintain focus, you could realistically see this team enter playoff time with 1 blemish to their overall record.   Van- Jackson Reed HS (DC) has quietly gone about their business with a 11-1 conference record and a 12-3 overall record. The Tigers first year coach Bill Bourgouin led by the guard of Aven Knight 5-10 junior PG, [player_tooltip player_id='2623334' first='Lane' last='Mahan'] 6-4 junior SG and 5-10 freshman guard Amir Brutley.

Our staff of scouts wanted to start a weekly roundup where we touch on some of the players, teams, and matchups that have stood out to us the most over the past week. This will be a weekly post where we try to speak on as many players as possible, please feel free to reach out to our scouts with game scores and stat lines along with video so that we can highlight as many of our young athletes as possible. We will use the same 5 guiding questions each week, and we hope it is representative of the hotbed that is DMV Basketball. Let's dive in!