The Challenge: Saturday's MD/DC Available Senior Standouts

The Challenge took place this weekend at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, PA where over 170 programs attended to compete in the two-day event. We'll have content flowing throughout the week and possibly into next as we break down different aspect of the standouts, stock risers and other team takeaways as we continue to prepare for the high school season to come.    There has yet to be a game this fall where Bolding hasn't made a huge impact whether he's scoring the ball or not. His dogged approach to competing doesn't allow missed shots to negatively effect his efforts elsewhere and despite Archbishop Carroll leaving Spooky Nook 0-2 with losses to Mt. Carmel and Springdale Prep (OT), he left a huge impression on college coaches with his relentless tenacity. Particularly in the overtime game against Springdale, which will go down as the game of the weekend, Bolding's alpha surfaced in crunch time of regulation as he hit an array of pull-up jumpers or was the reason why others were getting wide open looks at the basket thanks to his ability to break down his man and get into driving lanes prior to kicking it out. He dove on the floor for any 50/50, continues to grow as a verbal leader and is just the type of guy as a coach that you want to go to war with in any environment against any opponent.     Three of the best public school prospects in Maryland were in attendance at The Challenge and will be highlighted in the next three evals. We start with Brooks, who is the biggest mismatch in the MPSSAA due to his size, skill and strength that he can impose in the paint. He isn't just a bruiser when a smaller player is matched up on him, he can force opposing bigs to step out and guard him on the perimeter with the way that he can convert from beyond the arc. He's an anchor defensively who gathers rebounds in bulk and was good enough for 14PPG in Flowers' two dominant victories on Saturday.     Expect Colston to post some silly scoring numbers this season as one of the best public school prospects in the state. At 6-foot-4, he brings great positional size and the ability to toggle on/off ball while remaining a consistent threat as he can score in a variety of ways. His range extends a few feet beyond the HS line and the gravity he demands whenever the ball is in his hands allows him to shift into another gear to blow by defenders. He can stop and pop from the mid range, finish floaters with soft touch or get all the way to the cup where he can absorb contact and remain balanced. All of his skills were on display in his 20-point outing that included six rebounds in a win over Severna Park.     Another guard prospect in the public school sector who I expect a big season from is Wood. At 6'3"-6'4", Wood can get downhill and overwhelm opposing guards with his bulldozing approach and when he's in the open floor, the athleticism pops. Heading to Poly after spending his first three seasons at Calvert Hall, Wood will look to showcase his scoring versatility for the Engineers as they look to make a real push in the Baltimore City landscape. The key with Wood will be learning how and when he needs to take over games. His combination of size, strength and skill will be hard for opposing teams to match on a consistent basis throughout the course of game and if he plays to his potential, he has a real shot at City POY honors and helping Poly to make a run in state tournament play.     McAfee was a new face for me as he took the floor for Riverdale Baptist, but his size at 6-foot-8, length and vertical athleticism drew me in quickly. In my viewing, he was an effective play finisher at the rim and whether he was in the dunker's spot or making timely dives to the paint from the top of the key, he's liable of catching defenders off guard as he gets off the ground quickly for dunks. Defensively he uses his length to disrupt drives, shots around the rim and it allows him to close down possessions by snagging rebounds at their peak. His best game came in a win over Saliesanium as he scored 19 points on 6-of-7 from the field.     Lacey joins Southern Maryland Christian Academy after spending last season at Clinton Grace and immediately asserts himself as a primary option. The early returns are optimistic as the rangy guard/wing brings intriguing positional size, confidence in finding his spots off the bounce and a quiet, but intense competitiveness to him. Head coach Hillary Haley did a nice job of constructing his roster this season by adding a few key transfers to go with impactful returners that could position SMCA well in completing a three-peat in the MCST Division I state tournament.     Not many players in the MIAA B Conference have improved over the last year like Colvin. A 6'4"-6'5" bouncy athlete, Colvin was competing with a purpose this weekend and it was evident in the intensity that he brought on both sides of the ball. He was guarding his yard with immense pride, but what stood out to me was how aggressively he attacked the rim. He embraced contact in the air and in years past would've allowed the bump to take his concentration away from finishing the play. Nowadays, he's able to take on the contact and either slam it on a defender's head or his soft touch to lay it off the glass despite the harm. He's going to be a key piece for Concordia as they look to make their run at a MIAA B Conference title in an even field of teams.     Logan's blend of size, skill and shot making are all reasons why college programs should have them on their radar. He'll be the engine this season for Riverdale Baptist and what I liked so much about his performances over the weekend was his focus on being a two-way producer. He took on the challenge of guarding one of the best prospect in the country, 2028 Colton Hiller, in Riverdale's 4-point loss to Coatesville. In the other two games, he used his instincts and length to make life difficult for any guard or wing he was checking. Offensively he's always been a fluid shooter off the bounce from inside the arc, but is showing more burst in his attack to get to the rim where he can finish with a bit of craft to avoid shot blockers. He's not a guy who will dribble the air out of it and gets a lot of his looks within the flow, which will translate well to the college level along with his positional versatility.     Duncan continues to provide evidence that he'll require a bump in the next rankings update. One of the best available prospects in the state, you simply won't find a more translatable wing who can fit seamlessly in terms of size, athleticism and strength to the college level. Duncan is being sought after by elite Division II programs and it wouldn't shock me to see more Division I's start to invest their time in his film. This fall alone, the 6-foot-5 wing has shown off the improved mechanics with his jumper to force his defender to respect him on catches in the corner or the wings, but where his bread is buttered is in the open floor where he can be the elite athlete that he is. The aspect of his game that really stood out was his motor and willingness to crash the offensive glass where he kept countless possessions alive for Springdale over the course of their four games. In an absolute classic against Archbishop Carroll (DC), Duncan played hero as his half court heave in overtime banked off the backboard, giving his team the win. He made several plays on the defensive end that allowed Springdale to regain control in the extra frame, but his presence was felt throughout thanks to his two-way effort and sheer versatility.

The Challenge took place this weekend at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, PA where over 170 programs attended to compete in the two-day event. We'll have content flowing throughout the week and possibly into next as we break down different aspect of the standouts, stock risers and other team takeaways as we continue to prepare for the high school season to come.