Season Preview: MIAA Black Division

We’re almost to 2021 and there’s still no concrete answer on whether or not there will be a high school season in Baltimore. A handful of meetings have taken place with plenty of target dates discussed, but the fact of the matter is no one knows how quickly students will be able to return to school for in-person learning and that will be a determining factor for officially getting started. Still, we want to preview the different leagues as if there will be a season within the next few months. We’ll start with the MIAA Black Division. Headlines Can Gilman repeat as champions? -Gilman surged through the back half of their schedule in conference play to eventually be crowned the top seed in the Black Division heading into the postseason. They lost key contributors to graduation, but return junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="777071" first="Christian" last="Winborne"], who has a real argument as being one of, if not the, top player in Baltimore. The progression of 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="904677" first="Jalen" last="Marshall"] helps relieve some pressure from Winborne in the backcourt and others such as 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="1049642" first="Matt" last="Cooper"] and 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="902036" first="Malik" last="Missouri"] bring production from the wing and power forward position. While this year’s Gilman team won’t be as talented as last year, Winborne’s ability to impact a game by himself will keep them in the thick of things at the top of the standings. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Jared-Billups-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1030303" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Jared-Billups-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Health is key for McDonogh The Eagles entered last season as a true contender on paper, but it didn’t take long until the injury bug quickly spread throughout key players in their lineup. 2022 forward [player_tooltip player_id="904633" first="Preston" last="Howard"] dealt with a couple of different injuries that severely limited his time. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="837923" first="Everett" last="Cooper"] got off to a hot start before being sidelined for more than half of the season with a leg injury. Cooper and Howard were two starters primed for breakout seasons and would’ve had the Eagles as a top contender not only in the division, but the conference. Instead, 2021 wing [player_tooltip player_id="775326" first="Jared" last="Billups"], 2022 center [player_tooltip player_id="904635" first="Dani" last="Dennis-Sutton"] and 2023 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="957023" first="Mathani" last="Paul-Swinson"] had to take on the load. Billups, a Siena signee, is at his best when surrounded by shot-makers because of his ability to get into the paint and create. The lack of shooters made things difficult and he had to take on more offensively than he probably should’ve. Dennis-Sutton was relied on to play bulk minutes and be the one true paint presence on the roster while Paul-Swinson was thrown into the fire and expected to produce as a freshman point guard in a league that has plenty of stout talent at the position. As for this season, Howard makes his return to the lineup along with Billups, Dennis-Sutton and Paul-Swinson. 2023 Carlton Carrington has grown from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 over the summer and should be the outside shooting presence that helps spread the floor while 2024 Gabe Grant is on par to be one of the fantastic freshmen in the area at 6-foot-9. If healthy, this McDonogh team is easily the biggest threat to dethroning Gilman for the top spot in the division. Never count out Boys’ Latin If head coach Cliff Rees has proven anything over his tenure at Boys’ Latin, it’s that he can never be overlooked. Rees is a top coach in the DMV and consistently gets the most out of his roster no matter the talent. The Lakers lost the majority of their production to graduation from [player_tooltip player_id="832966" first="Lorenzo" last="Donadio"] and [player_tooltip player_id="900193" first="Kendall" last="Walker"], but still have pieces that make Rees’ offensive system effective. 2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="577849" first="Tre" last="Green"] would be a name that I expect to take a big step this season after s summer showcasing a more polished game with Team Choo. 2021 Will Spencer gives Rees the floor-spacing presence and decision-maker from the forward slot and 2023 Jake Stout is primed for a solid sophomore campaign after showing flashes a a freshman. Glenelg Country loses their guy News broke at the end of November that 2022 wing [player_tooltip player_id="904620" first="Noah" last="Batchelor"] would be transferring to IMG Academy (FL). In a vacuum, the loss of Batchelor is a huge hit for the Dragons. On top of losing the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="832910" first="Igor" last="Yoka-Bratasz"], [player_tooltip player_id="900172" first="Noah" last="Charles"], [player_tooltip player_id="832934" first="Jarod" last="Robinson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="832887" first="Jordan" last="Brathwaite"] it would likely mean for a bunch of new faces. Head coach Garrett O’Donnell is always diligent about bringing new talent and although I don’t have intel on what that would look like for this year, I’m confident that he would bring in a group who would push teams to their limit. On a positive note from last year’s team, O’Donnell returns a trio of players in 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="902031" first="Cole" last="Paar"], 2022 Sam Ejindu and 2022 Garvin Sween who should each be looking to take the next step within the system. POY Candidates 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="777071" first="Christian" last="Winborne"] (Gilman) 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="775326" first="Jared" last="Billups"] (McDonogh) Potential Breakout Prospects 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="904633" first="Preston" last="Howard"] (McDonogh) 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="904635" first="Dani" last="Dennis-Sutton"] (McDonogh) 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="957023" first="Mathani" last="Paul-Swinson"] (McDonogh) 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="904677" first="Jalen" last="Marshall"] (Gilman) 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="902060" first="Jeremiah" last="Stanton"] (Gerstell) 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="902071" first="Dayyan" last="Noble"] (Gerstell) 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="904643" first="Samuel" last="Ejindu"] (Glenelg Country) 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="837958" first="Garvin" last="Sween Jr."] (Glenelg Country) 2021 Jordan Trusty-Smith (Annapolis Area Christian) 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1049819" first="Dylan" last="Long"] (Annapolis Area Christian)