Weekly Roundup: 1/5-12

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!   Our Scouts:   <a href="https://prephoops.com/author/colby-giacubeno-author/">Colby Giacubeno</a>: Twitter/Instagram @colbyghoops/@colbygscouting   <a href="https://prephoops.com/author/van-johnson-author/">Van Johnson</a>: Twitter: @johnsonvj   <a href="https://prephoops.com/author/aaronproia/">Aaron Proia</a>: Twitter: @pr0ia| Instagram: owe_hoops   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1 What team(s) have stood out to you this week?</h2>   Colby- I'm not necessarily going out on a limb here, but I'll roll with St. Frances for this week. They sit with a 20-4 overall record and I watched them twice this week where they suffered a rare home loss to Glenelg Country and rebounded nicely with a big win in the Clash of the Titans event on Sunday against Archbishop Carroll. 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='3033125' first='TJ' last='Jones'] had been battling the flu all week and hadn't been on a court in nearly 10 days. He lost weight during that time and safe to say, didn't have anything close to his normal wind. The savvy southpaw scorer gutted it out and laced up yesterday while making much more of an impact than you could've predicted given the circumstances, but the story was the quick rise of newly reclassed 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2878470' first='Carter' last='Fisk']. Fisk's name is trending around the scene (both high school and college) quickly thanks to his polished scoring ability, fluid playmaking and intriguing athleticism. He scored 27 in the win against Carroll yesterday in a game that really took on an old school, intense atmosphere that you love to see in high school hoops.   Van - Archbishop Carroll playing 5 games in 5 days. They go into a Matchup with McLean tomorrow for there 5 game and a 15-5 record.   Aaron- On a local level, John Carroll. Able is the star of the show but the buy-in from this group has been great for Coach Goldberg. Clark has been phenomenal in the frontcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='2453731' first='Parris' last='Lee']'s jump shooting improvements have paid dividends, [player_tooltip player_id='2345828' first='James' last='Westervelt'] has really impacted games in ways that don't show up in the box score, Shoffner/Johnson are a savvy veteran duo. Balanced effort to close out a double digit home win over Calvert Hall followed by a big road win over the #1 team in the league in Mt Carmel–which is a tough venue to win in. Even their JV team has several guys that will be key contributors next season with varsity– the program is in a healthy place.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. What was the best individual performance that you saw?</h2>   Colby- While it came in a two-point loss to St. Frances yesterday, Anthony Brown continues to prove why he is the frontrunner for DC Gatorade Player of the Year and should be on the ballot for coveted all star showcase games once the season concludes. He went for 33 points and seven assists and as Van mentioned, this is a spurt of games in the number of days unlike any team in the area (and possibly the country) has seen. His lethal three-level scoring attack, high-level passing off the bounce and his leadership all took centerstage and had the gym buzzing in Baltimore.   Van - Isaiah Smith 25 points, and 9 Rebound for Oxon Hill HS   Aaron- Locally: Able's 32p 3r 3a 2s and Wood's 18p 12r 1a 3s in the afore-mentioned matchup. Senior bucket getter scoring from all 3 levels as a dynamic CG was huge on the glass and in transition.   Nationally: Miles Saddler's performances as the head of the snake for an extremely talented Bella Vista team that picked up good wins, averaged a double double on the weekend as one of the best passers in the country.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. What game (s) or tournaments are you most looking forward to this week?</h2>   Colby- It's a packed week and weekend here in the DMV. You can't ignore the Battle of Baltimore that is St. Frances and Mount St. Joseph taking place on Tuesday down on Chase Street. The WCAC has a few great matchups throughout as well including St. John's/Bishop McNamara on Tuesday night and St. Johns (DC)/Archbishop Carroll and Bishop Ireton/Bishop O'Connell on Thursday evening. The events taking place at Bowie State and St. James for MLK should be great watches as well.   Van - Looking forward to attending several MLK events at Bowie State and St. James.   Aaron- MSJ at St Frances Tuesday night should be an absolute banger. A Baltimore rivalry that always delivers as two distinctly different styles clash. SFA will be looking to avenge the home loss to GCS that broke a long win streak, while the Gaels will try to tie SFA in the standings as five teams currently have 6 wins in league play.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. What fresh/sophomore prospect are you buying stock in?</h2>   Colby- Going out of town here for this response given the field of teams at the Clash of the Titans this weekend, but give me all the 2028 Enmanuel Valero Melo. A 6-foot-6 guard/wing for Phelps School, Melo was outstanding in my viewing yesterday as they cruised to a win over Calvert Hall. The positional size, versatility and outside shooting that he possesses project for a high ceiling long-term. He isn't a one trick pony, as he can get out on the break and give videographers some content opportunities as well.   Van - Michael Williams, 6-5, F, St. Frances Academy (Class of 2029)   Aaron- I'm going to go with a relatively deep cut in John Carroll 2029 G/W [player_tooltip player_id='3291041' first='Julian' last='White']– whose Prospect Spotlight will air this Wednesday on the Hoop Threads Podcast. White already has good positional size with room to grow, doesn't do anything at an elite level but has a balanced skillbase. He plays unselfishly, has the intrinsic wirings of competitiveness and leadership that usually are good long indicators of success, and he finds ways to impact winning on nights where the jumper isn't falling.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. What team are you holding stock in for the end of the season?</h2>   Colby- I'll go a bit outside of the box on this one and choose SEED School of Maryland. Head coach Eddie Green helped lead the Sabers to a Class 1A state title appearance last season and through their first eight games of 2025-26, has them at 7-1 overall. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2954446' first='Khaled' last='Al-Mateen'] is one of underrated scorers and overall players in the Maryland public school sector and has proven himself on multiple occasions leading SEED to wins over MIAA A Conference opponents. 2026 Malachi Parrott and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='3276191' first='Omar' last='Williams'] are two other names who have provided consistency and experience. All of which will be crucial as they look to return to the Xfinity Center and avenge their title loss from last season.   Van - I am holding stock on Meade HS.   Aaron- St. Andrew's. Their nonconference schedule has been a bear so far this season as they've had some close losses to really good teams. The Lions lost a close one in the Capitol Hoops Challenge to Clinton Grace as a young core that is really grinding to find a way to win–but I think these games are the type that can end up paying off in the back end of conference play to toughen your team's resolve. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2252275' first='Karon' last='Bailey'] continues to put up big numbers with a 23p 5a 7/11 FG 4/6 3P 5/7 FT stat line. Nelson, Wingfield, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3041596' first='Max' last='Raue'] all have pretty bright futures as multi-faceted guards.

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!