A Very Melo Classic: Impactful Sophomores

The 4th annual 'A Very Melo Classic' took place at Hill Field House on the campus of Morgan State on Saturday and featured a five-game slate that included elite national talent. The coverage concludes with the 2028 prospects that caught my eye throughout the day.   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/a-very-melo-classic-2026-eye-catchers/">For 2026, click here.</a>   <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/02/a-very-melo-classic-2027-notables/">For 2027, click here.</a>    Mbuyamba showed why he's going to be a force inside for the next two years in the WCAC. A 6-foot-7 forward who has made evident progressions with his body and mobility since the beginning of the season, the way that he establishes and maintains leverage makes up for any size mismatch that may come his way. Throughout the course of a game, that sort of constant physicality can wear down a lot of bigs at the high school level. Not to mention Mbuyamba' plus wingspan that comes into play quickly snagging offensive boards for second chance points to add insult to injury. When he's operating on the block with his back to the basket, Mbuyamba uses textbook footwork to create angles before softly lofting shots over his right shoulder. He's a reliable defender who maintains verticality around the bucket to alter shots in the paint and tracks misses quickly. Despite the loss to Mount St. Joe, his impact was felt en route to a team-high 16 points.     Washington used his freshman season to introduce himself to the area as a top defender regardless of class. Despite taking on the starting role and much more usage offensively as a sophomore, Washington hasn't let it deflect his impact on the other end whatsoever. While certain aspects of his offensive game are still rounding out, the instincts and anticipation he brings in controlling a game from the point of attack defensively is like no other point guard in the area. He faced a familiar foe in Jamaal McKnight as Sidwell lost a tough game against LuHi, but Washington made sure to make his matchup feel uncomfortable, sped up and out of sync while contributing with 12 points in the effort.     Early had a nice bounce back game after he went through some shooting struggles on Friday night in a win over Glenelg Country. Fortunately, the Gaels were able to sustain there level of play and combine it with a much better shooting performance out of the 6-foot-1 southpaw guard on Saturday in their victory over Gonzaga. Early got out in transition often and made nice plays both as the ball handler or the streaker. His timely passes as the defender committed or the ability to withstand contact in the air helped the Gaels establish an advantage and maintain a tempo that favored their side of the deal. When he wasn't in transition, Early looked to attack from the perimeter and in this case, he was able to knock down a couple of jumpers that he struggled with the night before. The three-headed monster of [player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'], Early and [player_tooltip player_id='2194760' first='Chauncey' last='Word'] allow this team to run on all cylinders. That was the case Saturday morning as Early finished with 16 points.     Word was coming off a Friday evening performance where he went bonkers in the third quarter as he drilled four-straight triples en route to 20+ points. A mere 13 or so hours later he was manning the offense once again for the Gaels against a hot Gonzaga team. The 5-foot-11 guard picked his spots throughout this one as he plays with good change-of-pace and the burst he gets off his back foot combined with his low center of gravity make for one tough check. His balance and lift on his mid-range pull-up allow him to capitalize on any space he creates and as stated earlier, he's a volume bucket-getter that the defense must account for at all times or else the game can quickly become out of reach. Word effectively ran the offense in a half court setting, attacked off swings with quick dribbles and decisions and pressured opposing guards in to turnovers. He accounted for 14 ponts.     The ultimate unsung hero of any team in the DMV, Bahr's efficient scoring and ability to touch any positive category on the box score has been evident this season. He brings positional size to hover between either forward position, brings elite timing and instincts as a cutter and can make things happen in quick 1-to-2 dribble attacks while making sound decisions as a passer. All of which were on display in PVI's strong win over Oak Hill on Saturday night while Bahr scored his 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Bahr seems to always be in the right place at the right time and have the IQ to make the right read in any scenario he's put in.     Smith-Bey did a lot of little things that catch your eye as an evaluator that, despite the lack of true production in St. John's loss to St. Frances, keeps you high on his long-term trajectory. His frame has steadily improved this season and his footwork on both ends making the sort of plays that are expected at the high major level in college is all present. He'd finish with 11 points and did a nice job of getting downhill into driving lanes and drawing contact to visit the line where he scored more than half his points. His defensive tools were evident as he kept the ball in front in space, effectively walled up as the rotating weakside guy and helped close down possessions on the glass.     As McNamara's starting five has been riddled with injuries, Phillips has been one that has taken full advantage of the opportunity to not only get more minutes, but win out a starting spot late in the season. The 6-foot-4 guard/wing checks plenty of boxes, but most importantly on this team, can generate opportunities and points for himself off pure hustle plays. Whether that means crashing the offensive glass with aggression, creating deflections for runouts or staying on his toes and making sharp cuts as others penetrate, Phillips has embraced the low-maintenance approach and as a result, become a player that is now relied on to produce consistently. McNamara's lackluster start against The St. James dug an early hole that they weren't able to get out of despite a huge push in the fourth quarter, but Phillips effort and energy were consistent as he finished with 10 points.

The 4th annual 'A Very Melo Classic' took place at Hill Field House on the campus of Morgan State on Saturday and featured a five-game slate that included elite national talent. The coverage concludes with the 2028 prospects that caught my eye throughout the day.