Philly Live: DMV Seniors That Balled Out

New readers: Use code Proia30     I spent the weekend taking in HS basketball at two different live period events: DMV Live at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland and Philly Live in Pennsylvania. The goal was to see as many high-level players and teams as possible to get a pulse for talent both in and outside of my area of the DMV. In this article we will break down some of the top incoming freshmen and rising sophomores that I saw this weekend as the next wave of talent that will impact HS hoops. Let's dive in to the top local DMV prospects that performed at a high level this weekend!      29p 7r 3s vs Neumann-Goretti; 29p 3a 2r 2s 1b vs Wood   -Veney was probably the best overall performer as the head of the snake for a Cadets group that should enter the season as one of the favorites to win the WCAC. Veney was a killer from the midrange, attacking closeouts from the wings from either direction or pulling up in transition to knock down shots. Loved the balance and touch on some of the paint floaters and hanging baseline pull-ups with a defender in his face to score as an effective primary for SJC.     16p 5r 2a vs Father Judge; 9p 7r 1a 2s vs Wood   -The physical wing brought his hardhat and bounced back nicely in SJC's second matchup of the day to prove his value in front of a slew of college coaches. Taylor performed his usual hard-nosed duties as an offensive rebounder around the rim but also knocked down a few big perimeter jumpers off the catch---a shot that he is growing increasingly dependable at if he catches in rhythm. His ability to guard up or down in a rotation gives SJC a ton of roster flexibility as he has improved his footspeed and his IQ/positioning to guard 4 different spots at the HS level.     22p 15r 1b vs Imhotep   -Love the confidence that Jones-Lloyd is playing with as a W/F tweener that checks a lot of boxes for a Tech Prep team that needs to replace a ton of scoring production from last season. His touch around the basket has really improved as has his footwork to pivot to create much better finishing angles from 18' and in. The handle has improved to adjust to defensive stunts and double teams and he hit some tough pull-up jumpers from just inside the arc on the wings and faders from the baseline even with a defender draped on his arm. He has a great feel for where the ball is coming off the rim and extends a ton of possessions for his team as a blue collar prospect on the glass. As he grows more comfortable attacking closeouts from the wings and knocking down perimeter jumpers to force his defenders to press up-- he should prove his value as one of the best scorers in DC.     11p 3r vs Neumann   -Bonn Salle came in cold off the bench and immediately went to work on the glass to score two putbacks--the second one being an AND1 bucket that gave his team the lead. He worked effectively as an energy wing that hit the glass, set great screens off the ball to create open looks for his shooters, knocked down an open 3, and worked hard at the defensive end of the floor to deter drives to the rim with his help positioning. Coming in cold off the bench to go 4/4 from the field and 1/1 from the line in maximum 12 minutes of playing time indicates that he could challenge for consistent minutes for a Gonzaga team that is very young but is very good.     4p 6r 3a vs Neumann Goretti   -I wish that I had statted their first game of the day, where Hogg knocked down perimeter jumpers and earned several trips to the FT line in a double digit scoring output. But I got to see his value in the GZ rotation as a heady rising senior that understands how to value possessions and make the most of his touches. Hogg can knock down shots off the catch from the perimeter, understands when to attack long closeouts to create from the baseline on drives to the rim, and is a very pesky on-ball defender that leverages his size to get under his opponents as a pesky gnat of a defensive prospect. His ability to sneak into the paint from the perimeter to come up with big offensive rebounds is accentuated by the IQ to then hit the defender with a pump fake to get them in the air and earn a trip to the FT line. His heady play should be instrumental for Gonzaga this season.

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