MABC Best of the Underclassmen

James really asserted himself on the glass in this game. He was a big force in the paint all game long for St. Mary's, and took over in the closing quarters. Seemed like any miss around the rim went into his hands. He showed a good feel for knowing where to be on the court to best help his team. On offense he gathered a plethora of points from being in the dunker's spot down low and catching quick feeds from the slashing guards. Defensively, he was able to deter and deny shot opportunities at the rim from staying disciplined and defending straight-up, avoiding the foul call. In the later parts of the game DiBitetto started stretching out to the midrange and hitting some close float shots. He was effective in the post when he could work without the double team, but when the DT came he was usually able to find the right man to extend the play.     Overall Mahki had a pretty steady performance for Bowie in their PG County showdown. He knocked in a couple threes in each half, shot well when he was open. Did not take many shots, focused on doing his job at point guard and ran the show. Made on time passes, rarely held the ball too long, minimized turnovers. While he didn't have huge numbers in this game, he had a calming effect on the team at times. Martin was not sped up by defensive pressure, still found a way to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers. Martin is fast and has a sneaky-quick handle that he used to leave the defense in the dust at times. I like the sound and fundamental game that Mahki presented.     Jovanni shot the ball extremely well in the first half, burying threes with some regularity when he was left open. Handled the ball pretty well when he had control, made for a nice backcourt duo with his teammate. Showed he could dribble well and didn't force too many plays to happen. He looked for his teammates well and found his big man down low with a couple of nice reads. Would've liked to see him be more aggressive in the second half after a pretty solid 1st and 2nd quarter, as his team may have needed it to prevent the Epic South (NY) comeback W.     Luke put on a show running point guard for Avalon. Superb feel for the game, picked his spots efficiently when he chose to attack. He was elusive with the ball in getting past the defenders all game long, either finishing at the rim with either hand or using a nice move to draw a foul. Couldn't afford to leave him open outside defensively, and when they pushed up their pick-up point, Arulefela was able to get around for a nice pullup jumper. Had some very nice isolation plays where he broke down his defender Could see his leadership qualities show, playing solid defense and communicating on the court. Very excited to see his progression over the next few years.     Clark was very active on both sides of the ball the whole game, almost too active at times winding up in some foul trouble late. But his energy and drive was incredible to see. He was after everything on the glass offensively and defensively, putting a lot of misses back up and starting the break on the opposite side of the court. He is very athletic and is growing as a playmaker, showed he could start the break off of his defensive rebound and take it all the way down if not confronted by defense. Caleb does not shy away from contact inside, and he very willing to defend. Takes his matchup personal, can see he puts his all into defending both on the ball or as backside recovery.     You can feel the presence Jordan brings to Avalon's offense when he's got the rock. Averaging 15 on the season as a freshmen, and added in 23 points in an eventual loss to New Hope. He showed some flashes of his electrifying basket-making ability. He had some nice on-ball steals that he converted into layups during both halves of the game. Very confident shooter who showed he will find a way to get to his shots. Quick trigger outside that he used to his advantage, knocking down a couple deep threes before the closeout could reach. One of the best scoring combo guards in his class.