The three-headed monster of Matthews, Canton and Etolue will be the engine for head coach Rod Harrison. Etolue had his spurts throughout the weekend, but has been one of the offensive focal points in the early fall events and I expect that to carry over to the season. At 6-foot-4, he’s at his best playing off the ball where he can hover around the perimeter. His range off the catch extends a few feet beyond the three-point line, but his ability to put in on the deck and score amongst contact is what keeps his defender on edge. Defensively he keeps guards/wings in front of him with a frame that allows him to guard players 2-to-4 inches taller. His active hands result in deflections and his hardhat mindset surfaces as he hauls in rebounds at a plus rate for a guard.

Another prospect for Mt. Zion who was a key addition as the Prep and National team merged was Etolue. A well-put together 6-foot-4 guard, Etolue’s strong frame and ability to play through contact will be huge in the Warriors’ tough EPL/Grind Session schedule. He’s a threat to score from all three levels. He understands spacing and timing on actions that involve paint touches for others where he can spot up around the perimeter and knock down shots off the catch. He’s effective at attacking closeouts where he can stop on a dime from 15 for mid-range pulls or maneuver his way to the rim for finishes with either hand. More importantly, he has a good feel as a ball mover and the ball doesn’t die when it touches his hands. Defensively, he’s stout and able to cover three positions with competency at the high school level. He and Matthews bring a tremendous amount of skill, athleticism and toughness to head coach Rod Harrison’s starting lineup.

New only in the sense of this class’s rankings, Etolue made the move from Mount St. Joseph to Mt. Zion to play under Dublin as well while also reclassifying from 2027 to 2028. A strong-framed guard who can get downhill and finish through contact, he’ll supply further toughness to a backcourt that will face some top prospects on the national stage. Etolue is wrapping up his summer with Team Takeover being tested by some of the elite prospects in the high school landscape, so when you combine that and the experience he gained over his years at MSJ, he’ll be a contributor within the rotation from day one as we saw during DMV Live.

Etolue’s decision to reclass to 2028 while transferring to Mt. Zion Prep should do wonders for his recruitment. He was already considered a Division I prospect, but the extra year and continued signs of improvement that he’s shown with Team Takeover and this weekend could have MM’s join the party. He closed the weekend helping Mt. Zion go 2-2 while averaging 12.8PPG, 7.8RPG and 2.3APG all while throwing down some impressive dunks along the way.

Etolue made a splash with his new team in Mt. Zion Prep National and with his combination of positional size, strength and athleticism, ensured that he would be on radars moving forward. His downhill attack was felt by his defender as he took advantage of driving lanes and uses his brute frame to absorb contact before finishing floaters or in some cases this weekend, one-handed dunks that made opposing bigs think twice. He’s a stout defender who can guard multiple spots, rebounds with urgency and is improving his decision making as a passer off the bounce. Mt. Zion went 2-2 this weekend, with both wins coming as Etolue was their leading scorer. In those games, he recorded 20 and 18 points respectively.

This MSJ team thrives when Ranson has another guy with him to fuel the scoring production and while Word exploded in the second half, Etolue was that guy in the first two frames. Particularly in the second quarter where he scored all of his 11 points as Glenelg Country looked to gain control of the game. The 6-foot-3 bully guard had a response for every bucket that his team gave up and he was most effective getting downhill or attacking gaps in the zone off swings and drawing contact in the air. He forced the Dragons out of their zone look when he knocked down two catch-and-shoot three’s to add to the Ranson outpour. Defensively I think I saw Etolue guard just about every position, especially when head coach Pat Clatchey used a smaller lineup, but he’s able to with Etolue’s physical traits to make up for the lack of size battling against opposing bigs.

Etolue was the next bright spot for the Gaels as he followed Ranson in the scoring column with 14 points. The 6-foot-3 off-ball guard is a valuable two-way weapon for head coach Pat Clatchey and tends to be assigned to the opposing team’s best perimeter threat. He spent part of his night guarding either Jones or Fisk and did a nice job fighting over screens to make things difficult despite their big nights. Offensively, Etolue was in rhythm with his catch-and-shoot opportunities from the perimeter and was assertive on his drives while absorbing contact on his trips to the rim.

A key secondary scorer alongside Ranson, Etolue scored 13 points including a key bucket and free throw in the closing minutes to help ice the game. He thrived as a physical downhill driver, showing good body control in the paint with sturdy handle on the perimeter to create advantages without a ball screen. Etolue showed the ability to create his own offense from nothing or attack decisively off the catch against a rotating defense. While he’s not the most consistent perimeter threat, he shows potential as noted by a 1-dribble pullup 3 and a smooth midrange pullup. He tracks as a clear scholarship-level prospect with a chance to earn D1 attention over the next year.