MIAA B Championship: Standout Prospects

UMBC was once again the host to the MIAA Championships this year and while the C Division game was able to sneak in before the inclement weather on Saturday, the A and B Division games were moved to Tuesday evening. In the first game of the night, St. Paul's took the bragging right for the B Division as they defeated Severn by a final score of 61-53.   Below are the prospects that caught my eye during the contest.    A dual-sport standout, Cooper has been an impact all season for head coach Phil Hahn with his blend of size, physicality and athleticism. Yesterday was no different as the 6-foot-4 senior who slides between either forward spot secured multiple 50/50 balls in crunch time to go with his six total rebounds on the night. He led the charge in scoring with 17 and finished while absorbing contact with regularity. He embraces the physical frame that allows him to shine on the gridiron to the hardwood as he had great impact on catches from the high or mid-post where he'd face up and use his first step before initiating the bumps on the way to the bucket. Cooper can pose a mismatch problem for opposing teams thanks to his size and strength paired with his ability to operate on the perimeter off the dribble in spurts.     The Shenandoah commit has been the top prospect in the conference and maintained that spot all season. Once again, was the engine for Severn in this one as he initiated offense and set the tone with a couple of three's before becoming more of an off-the-dribble threat in iso's. Harvey did a nice job of slithering his way into driving lanes with his long stride or using his wingspan in transition to force defenders in fouling scenarios. He tied his backcourt mate for a game-high 19 points in this contest and although Severn came up short on the scoreboard, there were plenty of instances where Harvey showed promise to have a productive start at the Division III as a freshman.     Expect Edwards to be a force in the B Conference for the next two years. Another dual-sport standout, Edwards knows how to use his 6-foot-6 frame with mass to his advantage in overwhelming longer forwards as he can bury them under the rim before laying it in. He was effective in creating and maintaining leverage on the block to put himself or others in position to swoop in for rebounds. He set effective ball screens and remained active as a roller or diver as others penetrated the paint or baseline. Edwards went on to score 12 points, grab seven rebounds and dish out three assists as double-teams presented themselves on touches inside later in the matchup.     Harvey and Lee are the ones that make things go for this Admirals group and they play off each other in a complementary fashion. Lee has a big more wiggle and twitch with the ball to get into the paint or maneuver his way to the cup for crafty finishes. He's also quick from end-to-end with the ball in his hands and on a few occasions, pushed it himself in transition and finished the job going coast-to-coast. He connected on one shot from deep, but depends on his quickness to play 15-feet and in where he can use soft touch on floaters if the big rotates to contest. He tied Harvey's 19 for the game as both combined for 38 of the team's 53 points.     Edwards provides the dynamism from the guard spot that ultimately wins championships in this league. Hahn has a host of others in his backcourt that provide value, but Edwards in the straw that stirs the drink with his ability to knock down shots from outside, break his defender down off the dribble and create plays for himself or others if the half court set crumbles. His production in the second half was critical for St. Paul's to string together a 22-points third quarter and establish control of the lead late in the fourth as he scored 10 of his 12 points in the final two frames. His presence on the glass from the guard position was just as impressive as he'd go on to finish with nine total boards to go with three assists.     Jones caught my attention from the jump with his lengthy frame and fluid mobility. To add, he showed off a smooth shooting stroke off the catch as he sunk two triples in his 10-point outing. There wasn't a category that Jones really popped off the stat sheet at you, but it was his physical makeup and the flashes that left an impression on me as a guy to monitor moving into a spring and summer that could help jolt some activity within his recruitment.

UMBC was once again the host to the MIAA Championships this year and while the C Division game was able to sneak in before the inclement weather on Saturday, the A and B Division games were moved to Tuesday evening. In the first game of the night, St. Paul's took the bragging right for the B Division as they defeated Severn by a final score of 61-53.