10 Best Capital All Stars, Capital Classic
MVP
Luka Garza (pictured above) The 6’11” stretch 5 from Maret High School in Washington, DC, played his typical relentless game, scoring 18 points and clearing 14 boards. While Luka can step outside and drain 3 pointers, he did his damage today inside the paint. Through very hard work Luka has improved each season and is now ranked #5 for Maryland / DC by us and earned a very coveted 1st team All Met this year by the Washington Post. He is one of the toughest players in the DMV and Luka’s versatility should easily translate to Iowa next year.
Video Courtesy of Capitol Hoops/Marc Stern
Best Floor General
Aaron Thompson, at 6’3″ can attack the rim with athleticism and strength in traffic. Aaron is an excellent facilitator and totaled 4 assists today in addition to many hockey assists. While Aaron can excel in transition, he is excellent in the half court. Aaron will play next season at Pitt and could see very early playing time. Playing at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, VA this season, Aaron is ranked by #7 Prep Hoops in Virginia’s very talented class an earned the very high honor of 1st team All Met this past week.
Best Inside/Out WF
Anthony Duruji, will play next season at Louisiana Tech and the 6’7″ WF played this season at St. Andrews HS in Potomac, MD. Anthony had several great finishes in the paint and hit an excellent baseline 19 footer with great form. He is another fantastic DMV sleeper and Anthony is known for highlight real dunks and rebounding prowess. Prep Hoops believes Anthony will be very successful at Louisiana Tech.
Photo Courtesy of the Washington Post
Best Dunk/Play of the Game
DeMatha Catholic star DJ Harvey landed a superb tomahawk dunk in transition. DJ has had many highlight reel dunks this year, and the 6’6″ WF will play next season at Notre Dame. In addition, DJ possesses a deadly step back 3 and mid range game. We feel DJ’s skill set will translate to the Fighting Irish and he will become a very, very good player in South Bend.
Video Courtesy of Capitol Hoops/Marc Stern
Most Versatile.
Deion Hammond is a high flying 6’4″ WG from Riverdale Baptist HS and displayed his all around game today. Deion had several off one leg high speed swoops to the basket and he is a superb transition player. Deion stepped outside, hit some jumpers today and has proven he can light it up from 3 point range off the dribble this season. Today he was an excellent distributor and defender. Deion will play next season at Monmouth and we feel the Hawks are getting an impact player.
Video Courtesy of Capitol Hoops/Marc Stern
Best Power Forward.
Nate Watson, played this past season at Bishop O’Connell in Arlington, VA and will take his skills next season to Providence of the Big East. At 6’9″, 250, Nate bullied his way in the paint and scored 14 points on 7-11 shooting. Through the course of the year and today, Nate showed very good explosion for a big flushing several dunks and collecting 6 rebounds. For a powerful PF he can run the court very well and is very good at posting up. Providence is getting a fantastic low post PF.
Video Courtesy of Capitol Hoops/Marc Stern
Best Under the Radar
Kaleaf Tate is a multi dimensional 6’3″ WG from Cesar Chavez High School in Washington, DC. We have seen Kaleaf several times this year and and are always impressed with his all around game. He is fantastic at getting to the basket in transition or in the half court and displayed these skills today. Kaleaf once again displayed his very good basketball IQ and made some great passes. He totaled 7 points , but his value was much, much higher and he brings high intensity and a nice shot to the table. Kaleaf to our surprise, is unsigned and we will have a Recruiting Report for him in the next few days.
Best Defender
Ejike Obinna. At 6’9″ plus Ejike was a defensive force in the blocks today. He collected 8 rebounds with 5 on the defensive end, and blocked a shot while altering others. Offensively, he scored 6 points on 3 for 5 shooting and does most his scoring in the post. Ejike played this season at Virginia Academy and has signed to play at Vanderbilt for next year.
Best Combo Guard.
Micheal Speight. At 6’3″ 190 is a very powerful guard who can get to the rim or mid range off the dribble. He played this season at Wise HS in Upper Marlboro, MD and helped lead the Pumas to a 22-1 record. Micheal is an excellent all around player, a tough defender, and has displayed very good shooting mechanics at and knocked down a 3 today. We will be writing a Recruiting Report Update for Michael this week and he is currently unsigned. Michael was awarded the cherished 1st Team All Met by the Washington Post this past week.
Best Student
Micheal Meyers, is a 6’3″, 180 pound WG for Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC. The Eagles finished the year at 32-5 and a well deserved #1 ranking in the DMV by the Washington, Post. Michael started almost the entire year and was an integral part of the Gonzaga’s success. We will be writing a special article on Michael’s Academic Achievements and basketball season this week. He will play next season at Williams College.
Special Mention
Chris Lykes, Gonzaga High School. The 5’8″ superb PG was under the weather today and did not have his best game. However, Chris might be the most dynamic player in the DMV and will play next season for the Miami Hurricanes. Chris won many awards this season, most recently The Washington Post Player of the Year. we will have a wrap up article this week for Chris who is ranked #1 in our Maryland /DC rankings.
We will be providing an updated Recruiting Report this week for the following 3 players:
- Brandon Simpson, 6’3″ WG from Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, MD who is currently unsigned.
- Quinton Drayton, 6’3″ WG from Bowie High School and who will play next season at Towson State.
- Dominic Doyle, 6’3″ WG from St. Andrews High School who is unsigned.
Congratulations to the great players on the 2017 Capital Roster.