2025 Tayeshaun Smith (Team 1 of 1): Smith is a young prospect that should have more eyes his way, especially with the activity level he has in the paint and on the boards. Smith does an exceptional job in getting on the boards, creating extra opportunities, and showing his ability to get to the line. He is a young, strong, 6'8 forward that plays with a great motor and effort down low.
2025 Gevonte Ware (Team 1 of 1): Ware is another one that you will want to know about and write down to watch if you haven't yet' the future looks bright for this young big man.' You just don't see too many 6'9 freshmen with his frame, his strength, his mobility, his hands, and his touch on both ends.' This is a young man that checks off a lot of boxes early on and if he continues to put in the work, has a chance to be a national name.
2022 Jordan Cooke (Believe Prep): Cooke had a strong showing, really displaying his ability to be a scorer on the floor from multiple levels. He displayed a nice, confident jumper from inside the arc and outside, as well as pick his spots to attack. Cooke led the charge with 19 points for his team in Game 1.
2022 Tajuan and Takai Simpkins (Liberty Heights): The Simpkins twins were at it again and they look to be the leaders of this Liberty Heights varsity team. It still surprises me that more schools aren't getting involved with their playmaking ability, their athleticism, and their ability to play at a great pace and attack the basket. What is great about both is that one can take over in the first half and then you can have the other step up and takeover in the second' they play really well together but also produce by themselves.
2022 Chas Stinson (Liberty Heights): Simply just a fan of what Stinson provides on the court. At 6'4, he gets after it on both ends, is relentless in how he attacks, plays within the offense, and doesn't need to be the star to be effective. He simply just helps teams win games and can really fill up the stat sheet.
2024 Javian Drake (Richmond Jammers): Need to really start looking out for this Richmond squad. They have some talent coming through and on Day 1, 2024 Javian Drake really stepped up in the second half and showed how much of a perimeter threat he is from the floor. He was filling it up with his jumper which included seven 3-pointers in the win.
2023 Donovan Raymond (United We Stand): Every time I get a chance to watch Raymond in action, you can see that he continues to put it all together. There still is work to be done but with his long frame, helping block shots and be a force down low, along with his mobility and footwork at his size, there is a lot of potential with this young man.