BSN Summer League Week 1 Takeaways
HYATTSVILLE, MD — The Annual BSN Summer League got underway at DeMatha last week. Here’s what we learned in the first few days of action.
GEORGETOWN PREP ROLLING
Georgetown Prep are 3-0, and looking good with St. Joe’s commit Jared Bynum running the show. ’18 Mezie Offurum had some nice moments in their blowout win over Ryken on Sunday. The Little Hoyas are playing well even without ’18 Ike Nweke, who is on a mission trip in Los Angeles. ’19 sharpshooter Kamdyn Curfman is also absent due to injury, but ’18 Will Mulquin has stepped up in his absence.
SADDIQ BEY LEADING SIDWELL
Considered one of the biggest stock risers in the country, Saddiq Bey has seen his recruitment expand tremendously in recent weeks. The 6’7 wing is doing a bit of everything for Sidwell, who cruised to two easy wins last week. ’19 point guard Jason Gibson is providing support on the perimeter. ’19 Elijah Williams, younger brother of Penn commit Jelani Williams, is a strong athlete who demonstrated good defensive potential. ’19 big man Walter Rouse, who is nursing a minor thumb injury, will be a welcomed addition upon return.
DEMATHA’S YOUNG GUNS LEADING THE CHARGE
’20 Hunter Dickinson has been a force in the paint for the Stags. Recent transfer, and classmate Earl Timberlake has fit in seamlessly in his first week. Both played key roles in DeMatha’s win over St. John’s on Saturday. With star combo guard Justin Moore still recovering from a torn ACL, the young guns will have plenty of opportunity to showcase their talent. ’20 Paul Smith is one player who has taken advantage of the first week to showcase his improvements.
GONZAGA STILL DOMINANT
With the departure of key seniors Chris Lykes, Eddie Scott, and Mike Myers, many wondered who would step up for Gonzaga this season. The answer is everyone. Led by senior commits Myles Dread (Penn State), and Prentiss Hubb (Notre Dame), the Eagles won games over Bishop McNamara and Eleanor Roosevelt. The return of Anwar Gill has been welcomed. ’19 Josh Watts and ’20 Chuck Harris have stepped up in the back court, and ’18 Allin Blunt has seen a serious uptick in usage and production.
BISHOP O’CONNELL LOOKING STRONG
Xavier Johnson has the keys to the offense for O’Connell this season, and that could mean scary things for opponents. Johnson put up an easy 25 in a blowout win over Springbrook. Three-point ace Matt Becht nailed 7 of 12 from deep in O’Connell’s rout over Bullis, and ’18 Quentin Millora-Brown has developed into a bonafide shot blocking machine. The 6’9 big man flirted with a triple double (11 PTS, 16 REB, 7 BLK) on Sunday. ’20 Jahmal Banks has also seen a considerable uptick in usage, and the much improved wing is producing at a high level.
PALLOTTI TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
Steven Cannady has been one of the more underrated point guards in the entire region, and has done a nice job at the help for Pallotti. The Panthers feature a plethora of talent, including top five local 2019 prospect Karim Coulibaly. While ’19 Gilbert Otoo, Olanrewaju Olamuyiwa, and Ronell Giles are still realizing their potential, ’18 Amir Warrick has excelled alongside Cannady in the back court.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Mitchell twins are an absolute force in the paint for Bishop McNamara. Now that Makhel Mitchell is getting close to being fully fit, he is an absolutely tremendous shot blocker. Makhi Mitchell compliments him well, and the Mustangs are still without star point guard Johnathan McGriff, who is recovering from a minor foot injury. ’19 RJ Forbes caught our eye on Friday night with his hot shooting, but ’19 Garrett Kirkland has been the more consistent guard.
- Maret has two very good shooters in ’18 Luke Downing and ’19 Raphe Ayres. We were impressed with how each of them played both ends of the court, and gave max effort on defense.
- ’18 Richard Njoku is becoming more and more consistent for St. John’s, and has developed into an absolute force inside. ’18 PG Tre Wood is doing a nice job facilitating the ball to his teammates, while ’19 Jalin Abbott has stepped up to match the production of classmate Casey Morsell. Keep an eye out for ’19 Devon Dunn, who has sneaky good upside. ’20 Ishmael Leggett is becoming indispensable, and ’18 Zachary Spooner provides tremendous leadership intangibles.
- ’18 Matt Urbach and Nate Spurlock looked comfortable against high level competition in Woodson’s matchup vs. St. John’s. ’19 Joey Lee, a transfer from Bishop Ireton, has been steady at the lead guard spot while ’20 wing TJ Gadsden is developing at a rapid rate.
- High flyer ’18 Matthew Balanc has been an offensive standout for Springbrook. Look for ’20 Anthony Thomas to continue his emergence as the summer progresses.
- ’18 Jaden Faulkner will be the main man for Eleanor Roosevelt this year, but ’19 wings Isaiah Gross and Cameron Brown have shown that they can provide plenty of support.
- ’19 Mekhi Long plays with a tremendous amount of energy, and could be a double double threat on any given night this season for Ryken. Look for ’18 Wynston Tabbs to burden the scoring load, while ’19 Jahmir Young has the ability to go off at any moment. ’20 Mike Sumner has joined the fold, and will provide an added dimension in the back court.
- ’18 Christian Jones of Annapolis is a flat out stud, and a sure fire division one guard prospect. Fellow rising senior Brennan Ralph has caught our attention with consistently strong play as well.