The Expo: MVP and First-Team

The Expo took place today in District Heights as Athletic Republic welcomed over 105 prospects to play in front of college coaches and our scouting staff. It was a day filled with competitiveness, intensity and individuals making their case to be moved up in the rankings OR provide a body of work as to why they should be included in the next update.   As the dust settled, we announce our MVP and First-Team from today's action.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MVP:</h2>    McCoy made it clear from the opening possession of the event, which happened to be the 3v3 portion, that he was going to play with a sense of urgency that was unmatched by anyone else in attendance. The 6-foot-3 guard comes with a bruising frame that he used getting downhill and bullying his way to the rim as he cleared out defenders before finishing at the rim. If his defender was able to take on the initial bump, McCoy would counter with a step-through and use either hand combined with a bit of English on the ball to skip it off the glass and into the net. He took advantage of his open looks from three, which mostly came from the top of the key.   McCoy snagged a boatload of rebounds at their peak before leading the attack himself, pushing the tempo and finding gaps in driving lanes or forcing defenders to step up where he delivered no-look dump-offs for easy scores. There wasn't much that McCoy wasn't doing. Factor in that his team refused to lose and it was only right to award him MVP honors.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">First-Team:</h2>    Costley is primed for a productive season as McDonogh's floor general, but what makes him effective is his ability to adjust to what the game needs in order for his team to win. Today was another example of that adaptability as he played more as an off-ball guard and took on more of scoring role. Costley was effective in space, especially when he drew switches on ball screens where he could string the switching forward/big out into the open floor for iso's and use his first step to blow by for points in the paint. There were occasions where he had to pull the trigger from 15-to-17 feet off the dribble or shoot off movement after timely lifts. In both instances, he had nice balance and body control to go with his high release.   Costley's IQ, ability to expose mismatches and defensive versatility were all key components in his team's victories in 3v3/5v5.     There were long spurts where Chaplin was nothing short of dominant. Particularly in the first 5v5 game, Chaplin had a dozen buckets consisting of powerful dunks in transition or drives baseline, three's from the top of the key and creative finishes if he didn't have a clear path for takeoff.   As valuable as he was offensively, Chaplin brought the same level of presence on defense. He was quick to put his head down and sprint in transition where he swatted away or pinned layup attempts on the glass. It looks like he's getting closer to 6'7" every time I see him, which played a role in this setting as a dominant rebounder to close down possession and limit the opposition to one shot.     Brown was definitely one of the bigger stock risers from this event and set the tone as one of the massive foundational pieces for John Carroll's program moving forward. The future is bright as the 6'3" nearing 6'4" guard let the gym know about his athleticism with a share of high-flying dunks. He gets into his shot off the bounce with minimal time, space and effort with his mechanics. He made good reads as a drive-and-kick threat where he maintained floor vision during his attack and zipped passes with either hand. Brown competed on the boards, pursued 50/50s and was the only player I saw take a charge in transition to save his team from giving up a bucket.   All in all, Brown will be heavily on my radar moving forward. Not just because of his performance today, but the rapid rate of improvement over the last 4-5 months.     Super productive day for May as he backed his ranking of a top-40 prospect in a loaded 2029 class locally. He separated himself from the jump with his commanding voice on both ends of the floor. He ensured organized attacked for his team in a half court setting offensively and quarterbacked his defense off the ball as he called out any action that took place.   It wasn't just the communication side of things where May shined. He was a blur end-to-end with the ball and put immense pressure on the defense as he slithered his way to the cup for scoop finishes on either side. If he had to embrace contact on the way or while airborne, it didn't impact the results. He drove with the purpose of creating for others, controlled the tempo when it got out of control and embraced his role as a leader on his squad, who had no trouble in stacking wins throughout the afternoon.     All of the signs were clear today that when we debut our 2030 rankings in December or so, Cooper will be amongst the cream of the crop. Currently a part of our watchlist, the 6-foot-1 southpaw hopes to carve out a role on a young, but very deep Gonzaga roster. With performances like today, he shouldn't have an issue as he operated with mature pace, quick processing skills while maneuvering his way through traffic and consistently finishing over contests around the rim. At one point during the 5v5 portion, Cooper accepted the challenge from McCoy and embraced it. Some could make the argument he got the better of it for a stretch, but it speaks to his game and competitiveness as a freshman to go head-to-head with a Division I prospect.   Cooper made the right, simple reads on drives, but used his eyes to manipulate the defense on catches around the perimeter to open passing windows along the baseline before throwing a dart to cutting teammates.   Cooper's frame is another aspect that makes him so intriguing. With broad shoulders and long arms, give him some time in the weight room and you'll see him transform other aspects of his game as he tracks to be one of the many Division I prospects in a talented 2030 talent pool.

The Expo took place today in District Heights as Athletic Republic welcomed over 105 prospects to play in front of college coaches and our scouting staff. It was a day filled with competitiveness, intensity and individuals making their case to be moved up in the rankings OR provide a body of work as to why they should be included in the next update.