MPSSAA: Winners

New readers: Use code Proia30     Our staff is prioritizing making it out to MPSSAA Regional games this week to provide coverage of the local public school leagues as there is a ton of untapped talent to shine a light on throughout the region. Playing a winning brand of basketball doesn't always lead to a winning outcome, as was the case with a few of the players mentioned here, but I feel like it's important to recognize players that contribute unselfishly at both ends of the floor to put their team in a good position on a nightly basis. Let's tap in with some of the impactful guards that we saw this week!       '26 13p 9r 5a 1s vs John F Kennedy   -Woods plays a winning brand of basketball as a do-it-all guard that sneaks in for offensive rebounds, gets into gaps to create for teammates, makes the extra pass on the perimeter, and sprints the floor in transition to spot up for 3s on the offensive end and provide ball pressure on the opposite end. Woods started things off with a C+S 3, scored off a hop step floater in the middle of the paint, had a grenade toss assist to a shooter on the perimeter, blew by his matchup to hit the reverse layup, drove baseline before hitting the inside hand layup, and had a beautiful cut from the corner to the rim to hit the game-tying layup through the foul contact. Loved his willingness to make plays for others in the halfcourt with his touches and his ability to mix it up in the paint for rebounds enough to collect a near double-double despite his size.     8p 5r 3s 2a 1 charge drawn vs Blair   -The senior didn't score to his normal level but did back up his reputation as a stat sheet stuffer throughout the evening to contribute in different areas. Madhi always seems to be around the ball (3 steals to go with several forced TOs), flying around defensively for his team to generate stops and beating opponents to 50/50 ball with relative ease due to a combination of quickness and a turned up sense of urgency. He avoided committing an offensive foul by taking a well-executed hopstep around the defender before finishing at the rim, chipped in on the glass to close out several possessions late in the game with defensive rebounds, and had two big FTs late to keep the Blair lead within one basket late in the game.     20p 4r 1a 1s vs Richard Montgomery   -The senior did a great job of spacing the floor for the home team throughout the game by serving as an effective movement shooter. Kebede started things off with with a lift from the wing to the top of the key for a 3 off the catch then hit a C+S wing 3 in transition a few possessions later, ripped an opponent trying to come off a ball screen and converted that steal into a layup at the other end twice in the 2H, and had a crucial 3 that helped stave off a RM run. Love the lift and consistency of his release on the perimeter jumpers, getting into his shot quickly off the catch or off the bounce because of well-executed footwork.     14p 10r 1a 2b 3s vs Blair   -Even in a rollercoaster shooting game by his standards, Oyekan turned in a double-double performance off of willpower by rebounding most of his misses to score in the paint or draw FTs. Oyekan started things off with a post feed over the top to feed his big, had an exposive off-ball cut down the middle of the floor for a double-clutch bucket through the contact, face cut to the rim off the BLOB for the bucket, and was super impactful defensively throughout the game. Although he has a slight frame, the motor and aggressive play at the defensive end of the floor really stand out as a defender that made several "not on my watch" plays. He high-pointed a block off his back heels in transition, recovered to punch a layup attempt from behind after he got hit by a screen, swiped a shot attempt on the way up to ignite a fastbreak headed the other way, and forced several turnovers by forcing his matchup to tightline the sideline or baseline without committing a block foul. The blend of speed, quickness, and an aggressive style of play bode well for the long term outcomes for a player that has grinded his way into our top 15 and should continue to climb in our next rankings update.     12p 11r 1a 1s 4b vs Richard Montgomery   -The reigning POY didn't contribute to his normal level as a scorer for the Cavaliers but found other ways to impact the game to lead to the eventual win. Colston used a strong frame and sharp positioning instincts to serve as a timely rebounder that came up with some tough boards in traffic just because he kept playing through the whistle. Loved his impact defensively as an effective shot-blocker both on and off the ball who uses an explosive leaping ability to recover or rotate well to block shots around the rim. Colston came to life offensively in the 2H by hitting the high pickup euro step floater in traffic, bullying his way to the FT line (often by crashing into multiple opponents to snag offensive rebounds), and hitting an and-1 game-winning 3 just before the <a href="https://x.com/JFK_Hoops/status/2028697113496859083?s=20" id="https://x.com/JFK_Hoops/status/2028697113496859083?s=20">buzzer</a>. Since eliminated, Colston should make a name for himself this spring on the AAU circuit as a hidden gem that will definitely be a riser in our next rankings update.     13p 6r 2a 1s 3b vs New Town; 15p 3r 4a 1s 1b vs Centennial    -Barrett didn't produce to his normal level in either game that I went to but still reached double figures and impacted the game as a switchable defender. He can match up with guards on the perimeter, chest up to block the shot of bigs in the paint on switches, and is especially effective at jumping passing lanes to disrupt offensive flow with deflections . Barrett hit corner 3s to space the floor, snagged some important offensive rebounds, and was effective attacking long closeouts with drives to the basket to score or kick opposite to shooters to force the defense to rotate late.     15p 3r 2s vs John F Kennedy   -Liked the versatility in Davis' offensive arsenal throughout the road matchup with JFK. Davis caught a late pass in transition before hitting a short jumper off glass off the spin move, made up for some rushed 3s in the 1H by flying around at the defensive end of the floor, and hit some big shots down the stretch of the game for his team. The first of those moments came when Davis hit a huge wing 3 to cut it to 2 with 33s in 4Q then a go-ahead 3 early in OT, showing his ability to step up in big moments. Expecting a big senior year next season out of the shooter as RM graduates some productive depth in the backcourt.

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