Weekly Roundup: Trending Prospects/ Teams, Upcoming Games, + More

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   William Lloyd: Twitter: @knownhoops / Instagram: @knownhoopswill   <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>   Aaron - Georgetown Prep- Winners of 11 of their last 13 games, the Little Hoyas' most recent league win comes in OT against SSSA, with another 20+ point performance from junior floor general [player_tooltip player_id='2454538' first='Bruiser' last='Edwards'] as he netted 25 points and hit the game-winner. Backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='2454539' first='Jarrard' last='Desire'] has played a key role as a high level defender and transition initiator whether he is coming off the bench or started alongside Edwards. The wing trio of Yalcin/Davis/Pierre-Louis and guard duo of Hedequit/Bhaskor give G Prep some defensive weapons to ratchet up the intensity as the frontcourt tandem of Huan/Aguek protect the rim. A daunting schedule of summer and early season non-conference opponents seems to be giving Coach Blue's group a boost as the mostly-new group of varsity contributors has bounced back well in the middle portion of the season. IAC title talks have to include the Georgetown Prep Hoyas moving forward in a league powered by elite young talent.     Colby - Going with DeMatha here. This isn't to say that they were overlooked by any means given their history in high school basketball at a national level, but the Stags entered this season as a more polarizing team within an always competitive WCAC. 2026 Ace Meeks has stepped up as expected as the alpha senior leader that is leaned on to be the primary scoring threat throughout games, but more so during crunch time. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2113258' first='Jaden' last='Shoultz'] remains one of best unsigned seniors in the DMV, 2027 Danny Abass continues to trend in the right direction and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2802627' first='Jared' last='Jeffers'] has been one of the most improved bigs in the area regardless of class. The team is operating with great cohesion and it's shown as they've locked in the No. 2 spot in the conference for the time being after a resilient win over St. John's (DC) on Sunday.     Van - Mt. St. Joseph's gets my vote this week and for the last two weeks. They have won 10 out 11 games.  Only lost coming from St. Frances. 7-1 in the always tough BCL. Leading the way is high scoring guard [player_tooltip player_id='2252277' first='BJ' last='Ranson'] the St. Joseph's signee has continued to put up impressive numbers. Chauncy Word the crafty point guard continues to play with poise and confidence. [player_tooltip player_id='2353590' first='Zikom' last='Etolue'] just powers his way to getting buckets consistently. The trio is going to be a tough out going forward.     Will - Blake went undefeated over the last 2 weeks including big wins and huge rival victories over tough opponents, all with their best player Baba sidelined. Answered a shaky end of December with an undefeated run in the month of January, looking to be fully in stride now. Most recently took down JFK in OT, followed by a strong follow up win against Richard Montgomery. Last game before the snow-break was another solid win over a tough Northwest squad, scoring a team-high of the week in points with 77 in a commanding victory. Was their toughest stretch of games to date and they proved they may be the scariest team out in Montgomery.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. What was the best individual performance that you saw?</h2>   Aaron - Ace Meeks' stat line of 26p 4a 1r 1s 1b in a big home win for the Stags over St John's was definitely the loudest of the week as his shot-making from all 3 levels carried the water for DeMatha. Meeks hit some tough shots early then used that scoring gravity to make plays for his team off the bounce. He hit his biggest shot of the game by taking a DHO and turning downhill to lay the ball in through the contact to give DeMatha its first lead of the 2H with 35 seconds remaining in the 4Q after his made FT. Would not be surprised to see him earn a 1st-Team spot in the WCAC at the end of the season.     Colby - 2027 Terence Jones' 23-point performance willed St. Frances to a win over St. John's (DC) in dramatic fashion in a battle that took overtime to decide. Jones came off the bench in this one and went into the locker room at halftime with just three points. It wasn't really until the fourth quarter until the crafty southpaw scoring guard got into his flow state and went for 16 points in the frame. None of his buckets were louder than an and-1 three pointer that tied the game up after converting the free-throw that followed. Less than a minute or so later, he flashed up to the top of the key and let another deep ball go from a few feet beyond the arc and sunk it as the buzzer sounded to force overtime where St. Frances would eventually win. There was never any question around Jones' competitiveness, but this is just another example of how he separates himself from others in his class.     Van - [player_tooltip player_id='2353538' first='Eric' last='Turner'] Coolidge 2026 scoring 28 points on 11-14 shooting over Bell.     Will - [player_tooltip player_id='2454538' first='Bruiser' last='Edwards']. Capped off his big week of wins with a buzzer-beater to take down tough SSASA squad Sunday. Been an elite floor general for GP all year and has continued to impress our scout team. All-around star putting together complete games on both ends of the floor. Been stacking up game MVP's along the way in addition to his multiple 20+ point outings. This game was another example of his control over the game, another 20 point night to add to the collection. Loving the way he's stepped into any role his team has needed this year, ending the year strong and looking like a serious IAC Player of the Year candidate.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. What game(s) or tournaments are you most looking forward to this week?</h2>   Aaron - I'm looking forward to seeing Dunbar (15-4) /Coolidge (18-4) as the hosting Crimson Tide have been a hugely impressive team under 1st year HC Dominick Rowe. Deep stable of guards and athletic wings for Dunbar should make for a fun clash with a Coolidge team that has been really good as well to start the season.      Colby -  SEED hosts City in a dual of two top Baltimore City Public School programs on Tuesday evening. Plenty of individual matchups to look forward to here, but the narrative will be around who can separate themselves as being the true favorite in the city in this one. SEED is coming off a Class 1A state title appearance last season and hasn't shown any signs of taking their foot off the gas this go around. City is the reigning Class 3A champs and despite losing critical pieces to graduation from last year's team, head coach Omarr Smith has his group maintaining the standard as new names emerge as leaders.     Van -  Paul VI vs DeMatha on Wednesday should be a great game with the WCAC's two top seeds facing off in Hyattsville.   / Kipp DC Legacy College vs T. Roosevelt (Fri)     Will - Roosevelt vs Jackson Reed (mon)  /  City College vs Seed (tue)  /  Georgetown Prep vs Bullis (Tue)  /  Gwynn Park vs Largo (Thu)  /  Edmondson-Westside vs Lake Clifton (fri)    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. What fresh/sophomore prospect are you buying stock in?</h2>   Aaron - [player_tooltip player_id='2524425' first='Myles' last='Money'] - Stat-sheet stuffer that really impacts the game. Money can guard 1-4 in the county, plays well on or off the ball at both ends of the floor, generates paint touches for his offense, and doesn't settle for jumpers.     Colby - Give me [player_tooltip player_id='2194753' first='Dave' last='Mbuyamba'] here. Although Gonzaga would come up short against Mount St. Joe in their showing at the ‘A Very Melo Classic' event this weekend, the 6-foot-7 big man shows all the signs of being a dominant paint presence for the next two years in the WCAC. While he doesn't have elite size for the five position, Mbuyamba possesses elite understanding of leverage and has strength that wears down his defender throughout the course of a game. He's constantly leaning on guys during half court possessions that puts himself in the perfect spot for clean-up opportunities on the offensive glass. When he gets his touches on the block, he taps into advanced footwork in getting over his right shoulder for soft-touch hooks or savvy step-throughs off the pivot. He translates his physical play to the defensive end where he can act as an anchor, corral rebounds in bulk and quickly finds guards to dart outlet passes to before putting his head down and rim running.     Van - Kareem Smith Bey, St John's College the talent of the 6-5 wing is obvious. Bey possesses the size and skill set to be an impactful player going into the last month of the season. And will be the key to the Cadets winning big in the WCAC playoffs.     Will - [player_tooltip player_id='2194789' first='Xavier' last='Gurdak']  /  St. James 2029 - Averaging a healthy 12 points a night with 6 boards and 3 steals a game to add. Enjoying a solid freshmen year and his impact is utilized all over the floor. Can shoot the open 3, and attack the basket already with control and strength. Plays a vital starting wing role as a big young guard, confident and versatile piece for a tough St. James team. Looking for a MAC championship run after a disappointing end last year.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. What team are you holding stock in for the end of the season?</h2>   Aaron - Old Mill - High level shooter in Bryce Daugherty with balanced scoring in the backcourt and a physical room of forwards to make up for their relative lack of size should make them a good team to place your figurative bets on down the stretch run of the season. Really athletic group to prepare to play against.     Colby - John F. Kennedy is a team I'm keeping close eyes on in a deep Montgomery County pool. Led by 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2639997' first='Gabe' last='Colston'], who's liable to hang absurd scoring numbers on any given night. 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='3453608' first='Mike' last='Wright'] has the looks of being one of the more underrated public school prospects in the state as a strong, versatile forward and 2028 guard Max Joshua is streaky enough of a shooter from deep who can erupt at any time to change the course of a game.     Van - DC Kipp Legacy 18-1 the top team in the PCSAA-A Division and defending state championship     Will - Lackey - beaten some of the top teams in PG county and other public school programs in the area. This could be the year Lackey takes the state championship after a disappointing loss in the Semis last season. Looking to ride their momentum into the postseason for another strong run.

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!