Weekly Roundup: Playoff Talk, Intriguing Prospects/Teams, More

<p>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!</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. What team(s) have stood out to you this week?</h2>   <p>Colby- John F. Kennedy had a big week reeling off three wins against Wheaton, Richard Montgomery and Blair respectively. They sit 13-3 overall and a perfect 10-0 in division play in MoCo south. 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2639997' first='Gabe' last='Colston'] is putting up silly numbers as a lead guard, 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='3453608' first='Mike' last='Wright'] is one of the under-the-radar senior forwards who trends to be a productive college prospect and 2028 Max Joshua's streaky scoring acts as the ultimate boost to put them over the edge against good teams. The MoCo race will be a riveting one to watch down the stretch.</p>   <p>Van- Dunbar HS 19-4 (DC) defeated Coolidge HS 15-6 (DC) 75-70 and Bard 61-59 in the Quarterfinals. The depth of Dunbar is impressive with the strong play of 5-10 junior guard Xavione Brown, 6-3 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2992610' first='Radley' last='Strong'] and 6-4 [player_tooltip player_id='3352309' first='Aden' last='Brown'] are going to be a hard out in the DCIAA and DCSAA State title.</p>   <p>Will- Really impressed by DeMatha's bounce back in the WCAC after a couple big losses last week. Won 65-63 over nationally ranked Bishop O'Connell and stopped a confident couple of opponents in Gonzaga and Good Counsel prior to. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. What was the best individual performance that you saw?</h2>   <p>Aaron- One of the more impressive shooting displays came from Glenelg Country senior [player_tooltip player_id='1588137' first='Donavan' last='Marshburn'] in a road win at Pallotti on their senior night, with the unsigned senior pouring in 17 points on ⅚ shooting from the field in the 1st half alone. He finished with 28p 8r 3a 1s on the night.</p>   <p>DeMatha sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2194567' first='Major' last='Jones']' 24 points in a road win over O'Connell was huge in the absence of Meeks, hitting timely shots and two buzzer beaters to win it for the Stags. The coach's son stayed ready so he didn't have to get ready, and it paid off in a major way (pun intended).</p>   <p>Colby- It was arguably the best performance to date for The St. James' [player_tooltip player_id='2458579' first='Jacoby' last='Briscoe'] over the weekend in a win over Christ School. The 6-foot-7 junior wing racked up an impressive double-double of 29 points and 17 rebounds. From the jump, he was aggressive in every sense whether that came in crashing the offensive glass (8 of his 17 total boards), hitting open shots off the catch or disrupting things defensively in the passing lanes. Briscoe is an ultra-toolsy wing with fluidity. Pair that with the assertiveness that he showed in this game and you hope he can continue to momentum for the rest of the season.</p>   <p>Van- Anthony “Ant” Brown (Archbishop Carroll), 6-2 senior score 31 points against Bishop O'Connell</p>   <p>Makhai Adigwe (Suitland), 6-0, senior guard (Suitland HS) scored 32 points against Douglass HS</p>   <p>Will- [player_tooltip player_id='1782669' first='Jayden' last='Yates'] for Saint James takes the honors for me. 26 efficient points against Georgetown Day to help gain momentum heading into MAC postseason play. This performance followed St. James huge win over St. Andrew's earlier in the week where he scored a team-high 22. Great way to end his senior season and enter postseason play</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. What game(s) or tournaments are you most looking forward to this week?</h2>   <p>Aaron- Landon vs St Albans. Both teams filled with young talent, are well-coached, and could play spoiler in the IAC playoffs as they have came within a few points of knocking off the top teams in the league during the regular season. </p>   <p>Colby- The MPSC title game on Monday night has my attention. The No. 3 seed Clinton Grace will take on the No. 4 Highland at Bowie State for an 8pm tip. The game offers a boatload of prospects with high-level feel, athleticism and plenty of familiarity with each other to set up a can't miss meeting for the conference bragging rights.</p>   <p>Van- WCAC Matchup 2/16 - Bishop O'Connell at Paul VI  | DCIAA Semi-Final Thursday 2/19 (5) Coolidge at (1) Jackson Reed | (3) Dunbar at (2) T. Roosevelt | MAC Playoffs Quarters 2/18, Semis 2/19 and Championship 2/21. | WCAC Playoffs Quarterfinals @ Gallaudet.</p>   <p>Will-  Looking forward to the IAC postseason this week, particularly the later rounds. Georgetown Prep and Bullis is the expected outcome, but things could go differently with Episcopal having such an outstanding year and achieving a first-round bye. Also excited to see how the MIAA playoffs turn out as it is wide open this year in all brackets.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. What fresh/sophomore prospect are you buying stock in?</h2>   <p>Aaron- Dunbar sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3352309' first='Aden' last='Brown']. He's physical, aggressive, can put the ball on the floor, is a good on and off-ball defender, and is a gamer. His ability to guard 1-5 at the DCIAA level makes him so incredibly valuable to Coach Rowe's group. Expect him to be key to their run in the playoffs, and blow up on a national level in AAU.</p>   <p>Colby- 2028 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194771' first='Carter' last='Brooks'] from Walter Johnson caught my attention in their game against Whitman last week. He's a shifty, dynamic lead guard with high-level feel and ability to create space for his own scoring opportunities, which his team needed with the fabulous freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='3453657' first='Jeremiah' last='Williams'], sidelined for this one. Brooks' name hasn't surfaced as a staple yet in a loaded 2028 MD/DC class, but I could see him catching real momentum this spring and summer on the circuit with how he operates so confidently on the ball.</p>   <p>Van- I am buying stock in two prospects both from the same Good Counsel team [player_tooltip player_id='2548919' first='Kyle' last='Brown'], 6-1, PG Sophomore sleek lead guard. Has played with poise of an upperclassmen. Zechariah Tchoubfong a talented 6-4 freshman, a powerful young wing that has played big throughout the WCAC this year.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. What team are you holding stock in for the end of the season?</h2>   <p>Aaron- Glenelg Country. They have the senior leadership in Williams/Harris/Marshburn, they do a good job of generating turnovers in the halfcourt, and they execute offensively. A MIAA-only team has never won the MIAA Championship, Coach O'Donnell's group has a sneaky chance to go on a run. </p>   <p>Colby- The momentum that Overleas has established cannot be ignored and while Dulaney has had a firm stranglehold on Baltimore County at 15-2 overall, the Falcons from Overlea are winners of 12-straight and are peaking at the right time heading into the final two games of the regular season against Kenwood and Perry Hall respectively. </p>   <p>Van- Largo 14-4 overall record and a 13-0 in 3A/2A/1A league play going into the last week of league play with games against Oxon Hill, New Hope Academy and Potomac HS. </p>   <p>Will- I am holding out hope for Dunbar as they enter the DCIAA semis this week vs Roosevelt. Strongly believe in their chances to make a run for the Championship this week.</p>

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!