2026 Summer Madness: 2028 and 2030 Eye-Catchers

The seventh annual Summer Madness event tipped off over the weekend at Suitland High School where over 15 programs participated for what has become a great preview event for the month of June. It's always interesting to see who is where, but as we know, these rosters won't be finalized until school starts in September, which would make you a fool to assume that these will be the official rosters moving forward. Still, it's a chance to evaluate progress that these players have made over the last few months. Here's what I gathered from some 2028 and 2030 names   [player_tooltip player_id='2524445' first='Kaleb' last='Clark'] | 2028 | KIPP Legacy   Clark was one of the winners from this event overall and the performances that he put forth on Saturday alone stood out among the rest. He's an interesting prospect in that he stands around 6'4" and doesn't really fit the mold as a specific position. His strength and physicality allow him to battle with bigs in the paint establishing leverage, he has some underrated athleticism that allows him to snag rebounds at their peak and he's quick/instinctual enough to keep shifty guards at bay when he's defending on the perimeter. He'll be leaned on heavily as the primary offensive option for KIPP this season and showed even as a rising junior, he's more than prepared. He scored it from all three levels, but is at his best getting downhill where he can initiate contact on drives and finish through them. He also showed off plenty of touch from deep on kickouts or feathering out to the wing and knocking down shots off the catch. He finished with 30 or more point in both of the games we took in on Saturday.   [player_tooltip player_id='2758600' first='Patrick' last='Shime'] | 2028 | Gonzaga   Shime demands our attention with his intriguing frame, fluid skillset and when he's making shots at the clip that he was this weekend, your mind tends to wander about just how high he could project long term. He was getting it done in the mid-range making timely flashes to the high-post against the opposing zone where he converted face-up jumpers with confidence and regularity. In the open floor, he can finish high and strong above the rim with his 6'8" frame and plus wingspan. Shime is a prospect who always caught my eye, but consistent production will be key in determining just how high we decide to bump him in the upcoming rankings update next month.   [player_tooltip player_id='2951999' first='RJ' last='Muhammad'] | 2028 | City   City is poised to be one of the top public school programs in the Baltimore Metro area in 2026-27 and when they're operating at their best, it's because Muhammad is in a groove. Other key contributors such as 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2935812' first='Noah' last='Cowan'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3560519' first='Ethan' last='Chinnia'] are major pieces to the puzzle, but Muhammad is the one that makes everything flow and after a rough start to their first game Saturday, he responded with a strong second half that allowed them to claw their way back into the game. He's a quick-twitch southpaw lead guard with feel and court vision. He's someone the defense must account for beyond the arc with aggressive closeouts. He's improving with the way he probes through traffic and dissects the defense on his way to the paint to make quickly processed reads all over the floor. All of these aspects were on display and are reasons why he's a prospect to monitor this summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] MHC and this winter with the Knights.   [player_tooltip player_id='2524418' first='Jahlil' last='Waheed'] | 2028 | Gonzaga   Gonzaga is one of the deeper teams in the area, but the unique part about their roster is the talent that it boasts from a non-senior perspective. Waheed is one of the swing guys who could help the Purple Eagles seriously contend in WCAC play when he's making shots from deep to space the floor even further. I see Gonzaga being the sort of group who has 5-6 players hovering around 8-to-15 points, which will make them a tough team to gameplan for. If Waheed can put together outings like he did in their win over Mt. Carmel this weekend where he shot it with precision en route to 15 points, the ceiling of this team is raised.   [player_tooltip player_id='2886157' first='Khyri' last='Tomlinson'] | 2030 | Gonzaga   Our 2030 watch list will debut in the near future and Tomlinson is sure to find himself high within that list. He poses great positional size at 6'5" with a frame that will not only translate immediate to the varsity level, but can even allow for mismatches to emerge. What stood out most to me with his performances on Saturday was his mindset on the glass. He skied for rebounds at both ends and just seemed to have a more urgent motor and determination than other players on the floor. You feel his presence whenever he's involved in paint activity and if he sees a driving lane with a clear path for takeoff, he'll rise up and rock the rim with a powerful finish. Defensively he'll have some adjustments to make just as any freshman coming into high school will, but he has a tremendous foundation to work with thanks to his combination of size and athleticism.   Henry Larranaga | 2030 | Sidwell Friends   With as much time as we spend in gyms and the amount of prospects we get eyes on throughout the year, it's a breath of fresh air when you see a shooter with textbook mechanics and fluidity within those mechanics let it fly. Larranaga will be firmly in the argument as having the prettiest jumper in the DMV and the results were outstanding in my viewing on Saturday. He buried three triples in their loss to St. Frances, but Larranaga was tied with a team-high 13 points. He isn't just a guy who hovers around the arc and awaits kickout passes. He was running off pin downs with tight footwork and proved on multiple occasions that he needs very little time or space to get it off.

The seventh annual Summer Madness event tipped off over the weekend at Suitland High School where over 15 programs participated for what has become a great preview event for the month of June. It's always interesting to see who is where, but as we know, these rosters won't be finalized until school starts in September, which would make you a fool to assume that these will be the official rosters moving forward. Still, it's a chance to evaluate progress that these players have made over the last few months. Here's what I gathered from some 2028 and 2030 names