EBA Play Day Takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday the EBA Play Day took place at Parkville High School where 14 teams from surrounding counties (and one program from New Jersey) took the floor for a preseason primer. I'll have content surrounding the event being released throughout the week, but wanted to start with some general takeaways as 12 hours of hoops were enjoyed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Carmel with quality depth</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars are coming off a season where they made an appearance in the MIAA A Conference title game. However, there were voids left behind due to seniors graduating and others transferring. Yesterday they earned two quality wins over Rosedale Christian and Olympus Prep's post-grad team. Leading the surge was 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1482974' first='Omarion' last='Reid']. The 6'6 big commanded the paint on both ends and used his strong frame to bully defenders inside. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1164829' first='Mitchell' last='Kalu'] had a handful of rim-rocking dunks to help further assert their inside presence and was also a major factor on the defensive glass throughout the two contests. Guard play from 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1127307' first='Andrew' last='Dixon'] and 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1370512' first='Mario' last='Tatum'] balanced the scoring around the floor and provided aggressive on-ball defense that piled up turnovers for the opposition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bizzelle ready to lead the Cardinals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's been no shortage of 2024 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1536021' first='Tyrin' last='Bizzelle']'s rise this summer here on Prep Hoops. He stayed the course and proved why he is one of Baltimore's top lead guards with an explosive 27-point outing in a win over City to go with six assists and five rebounds. In the second game in a win over St. Mary's he recorded 19 points and again dished out six assists while hauling in a handful of boards. Bizzelle is a dynamic three-level scorer who can impact winning at a high level. His name is certainly one to track as the year of 2022 comes to a close.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Parkville will be the entertainment in Baltimore County</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights have remained consistent as a top contender in the county for the last 3-to-4 years and throughout, they've had explosive athletes who can supply highlight reel material. They have another squad that fits that mold this season headlined by one of the most athletic leapers you'll find in the Baltimore Metro Area in 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1573230' first='Favor' last='Okigweh']. The 6'5 senior caught a reverse alley-oop coming off a back screen that ignited the crowd and swatted shot after shot on the defensive end. 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1127304' first='Sincere' last='Barfield'] is always looking for chances to catch the crowds' eyes with crafty finished around the hoop while 2024 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1579098' first='Josiah' last='Legree'] will emerge as another athletic finisher as the season begins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Loyola's young guards</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Dons will feature a young roster overall this season, but much of the production will fall on the shoulders of the young guards in the stable. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1598809' first='Mason' last='Ellison']'s long-term potential is as intriguing as any when you consider his fluidity, ability to score from all three levels and athleticism that continues to become more explosive as he matures. It was 2025 Quron Elliot that really took advantage yesterday as the 5'10 southpaw guard hit the go-ahead three to defeat Parkville in their first game. It was a trend throughout the two games for Elliot where he used his quick, confident trigger from outside to make the defense pay for any delay in a closeout effort. 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1366895' first='J'Lin' last='Brown'] plays a little bit of each position, which speaks to his versatility at 6'5 and provided a balanced scoring approach throughout. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>List of young guards to monitor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The area is littered with young talent and that was proven yesterday. The guard positions especially are in good hands. Here are other names who weren't mentioned in the above takeaways that caught eyes. (Standout articles will follow this week)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782668' first='Tristen' last='Wilson'] (Rosedale Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782665' first='Christian' last='Ware'] (Largo)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1782667' first='Marcus' last='Williams'] (McDonogh)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2724441' first='Tyriq' last='Liggins'] (Rosedale Christian)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1371863' first='Omarr' last='Smith'] (Curley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1414526' first='Trent' last='Egbirmolen'] (City)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->