We’ve documented the big spring/summer that Early Jr. had with Team Melo and this weekend was another reminder of his ability to emerge as the primary offensive option for the Gaels this season. The southpaw combo guard created his own looks with regularity off the bounce and is becoming lethal within the mid-range area as he sank jumpers stopping on a dime or netted floaters with feathery touch. Not only was he generating offense for himself, but he also is improving as a set-up guy. It doesn’t take long for opposing defenses to figure out he’s the guy to contain on this team, so the double teams on drives happen earlier than usual and he’s done a nice job of not forcing the issue and instead, delivering passes to teammates where they can convert clean looks. Mount St. Joe went 1-1 in their showing with win a win over Penn Charter (PA) and a loss to Perkiomen National (PA). He averaged 20.5PPG in the two contests and hit the game-winner against Penn Charter. Big outings continue for the junior guard.

A quick and shifty lead guard, Early consistently got to the rim and converted, averaging 20.5 points across his two games. He finished an efficient 19-for-30 from the field, using his handle and quick first step to reach his spots before finishing through traffic. Early has the tools to become a significant stock-riser in the Baltimore area this season.

Early is coming off an impressive summer with Team Melo at the E16 level and while he had his highs-and-lows as a sophomore, I expect him to hit the ground running as a junior. Stepping into more of a leadership role for Mount St. Joseph, the southpaw combo guard will be expected to do a little bit of everything, but looks to be the primary option when games get tight. He plays with an effective change-of-pace approach to get to his spots in the half court. If he can consistently hit the three-ball, it’ll allow him to really expose his defender with the manner he gets to his spots off the dribble from 15-to-17. In transition, Early is liable to put it on defender’s heads. He caught a couple of posters last season and has only since become more of an explosive athlete. The Gaels are expected to be contenders in the BCL/MIAA and while they have their share of talent in the backcourt, Early will be the determining factor when all is said and done.

12p 6r 4a 4s vs Warriors HGSL

-Early has really grown on me as a prospect because of the substance to his game that balances out all of the flashy skill work. Love the way that he keeps his head up as soon as he grabs a defensive rebound or outlet to advance the ball as quickly as possible to get good looks at the other end before the opposing team can get set up. Early knocked down a baseline pullup jumper, completed a smooth high pickup lefty floater off the window, hit a hanging layup through contact off the window, and got the step on his matchup to finish at the rim several times in transition. What he lacks in explosiveness he makes up with in off-ball positioning at the defensive end of the floor, goading opponents into making crosscourt passes or post entries that he can pick off and take the other way. Love the stop n go pace that he plays with in ball screens to keep both his defender and the helper honest to either score or deliver passes to teammates at just the right time.

22p 3r 3a 2s (50/50/80) vs Riverdale Baptist

-Early is a shifty guard that could create space in a phone booth with some advancing footwork and scoring craft as he maneuvered to his spots in the halfcourt. He knocked down a 3 off the catch, hit several pull-ups going to his left off the bounce, utilized his pivot well to create clean looks to score or facilitate from vulnerable spots in the middle of the defense, and does a good job of keeping his dribble alive when processing offensive options or when blitzed with double teams in ball screens. His shooting touch and unorthodox change of pace in transition makes him a difficult cover despite different defenders that RBS threw his way throughout the game.

Early Jr. was coming off a weekend at Spooky Nook getting back to his scoring ways within the mid-range that he established himself with as a freshman. This past weekend however, it was good to see his willingness to be more of distributor and make high level dimes off the live dribble. On multiple occasions whether it was off ball screen actions or him establishing advantages on drives, Early zipped passes around the floor and put the ball right where it needed to be for quick scores around the rim or to shooters in their pocket where they could immediately get into their jumper before a closeout could occur.

Early got his spring off on the right foot in his showing at East Mania this weekend as the 6-foot-1 southpaw combo guard knocked down shots with improved rhythm from what I saw during the high school season. He seemed to be more sure of himself when he put the ball on the deck to find holes in the defense for stop-and-pop jumpers. As a result, the efficiency followed, reaching double-figures in the scoring column throughout his team’s 2-0 showing. He has the ability to play on or off the ball and on this squad, it looks to be featured more as a two with Eyan Valadez or Chauncey Word Chauncey Word 5'11" | CG/PG Mount St. Joseph | 2028 State MD at the helm. Continuing to play with the confidence he showed this weekend will be a key factor for Melo once they hit the EYBL Circuit, as their wing and froncourt rotation will hold sturdy from a talent perspective.

Early had a nice bounce back game after he went through some shooting struggles on Friday night in a win over Glenelg Country. Fortunately, the Gaels were able to sustain there level of play and combine it with a much better shooting performance out of the 6-foot-1 southpaw guard on Saturday in their victory over Gonzaga. Early got out in transition often and made nice plays both as the ball handler or the streaker. His timely passes as the defender committed or the ability to withstand contact in the air helped the Gaels establish an advantage and maintain a tempo that favored their side of the deal. When he wasn’t in transition, Early looked to attack from the perimeter and in this case, he was able to knock down a couple of jumpers that he struggled with the night before. The three-headed monster of BJ Ranson BJ Ranson 6'1" | PG Mount St. Joseph | 2026 State MD , Early and Chauncey Word Chauncey Word 5'11" | CG/PG Mount St. Joseph | 2028 State MD allow this team to run on all cylinders. That was the case Saturday morning as Early finished with 16 points.