Coard is coming off a sophomore season with a 19-4 Severna Park group and now looks to step in as the primary option for the Falcons as a junior. So far, the signs are promising and this was clear in their game against Kennedy (MD), another highly touted public school program in the state. Coard stands 6-foot-1 and seems to have put some much needed muscle onto his frame as he’ll not only be handling the ball more for the Falcons, but can expect opposing defenses to play physical with him and keep the ball out of his hands. He’s the definition of a driller from deep. Whether he’s in a half court setting or in transition with/without the ball, the defense must know where Coard is at all times. Even when there’s good defense or closeouts taking place, he can bury three’s with volume and change a game in 2-to-3 possessions. He went for 26PTS on 9-of-14 from the field and despite coming up short in the matchup against Kennedy, it’s a sign of what’s to come this season for the Anne Arundel County sharpshooter.

Coard was lights-out in a Saturday evening battle with Kennedy (MD), pouring in 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Severna Park eventually fell short in a 51-44 loss, but Coard carried the load to keep them in striking distance, at one point netting 21 of his team’s first 33 points.

A more under-the-radar prospect that I’ll be paying close attention to this season is Coard, a 6-foot-2 combo guard with true sniping ability from range. Coard played a vital role as a sophomore on a Severna Park squad who handed Meade one of their two losses on the season and return a few key core players from last year’s roster, including Coard, that should allow them to make another run in AA County.

Coard’s ability to space the floor with be key to the Falcons’ success, but now that teams understand his strengths, the development as a threat off the bounce will be the deciding factor in just how big of a season he puts together.

Coard had a very quiet game in Severna Park’s win a couple of weeks back. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has put together a season that has put him on the map in the county and he got back to those ways on Saturday as he was the high scorer for the Falcons with 19 points. A lethal long range shooter with a quick release, Coard does a nice job of constantly moving when his team has the ball in a half court setting. Not only does it demand his individual defender’s attention throughout a game, his gravity opens up driving or cutting lanes for others as he comes off pin downs, flares to the corner or runs hard on DHO’s. Meade attempted to play some zone in this one and before long, Coard found weak spots in the corner to drill catch-and-shoot triples. There isn’t much depth to Coard’s attack off the dribble game to this point, but he doesn’t need it considering he can get to spots quickly off 1-to-2 dribbles and pull the trigger before his defender can get a clean contest. He accounted for four three’s in this showing.

19p 3r 1a vs Crofton

-The sophomore combo guard showed great feel as a mover off the ball that found open pockets in the defense to serve as a connector and scorer around the paint. Coard started things off with a C+S wing 3, got 2 feet in the paint pretty regularly on his drives to the rim, hit a huge wing 3 with 44 seconds left in the game to cut the Crofton lead to 2, and threw a nice dime to cutter to start OT in a good road win for SP. The balance of playing unselfish basketball while still remaining aggressive within the flow of the game was impressive to see from a sophomore that has carved out a big role for this Severna Park team.