The District Basketball Club, & 17 & U team update / college recruits.
We visited The District basketball several times in recent weeks and talked with Coaches Devin Williams and Walter Booth at length. Coach Williams says, “Walter and I wanted to start our own program and do things a little different. Things are going very well right now and we are proud of our Club. We strive education and discipline and if the players are not doing well academically or not playing up to our standards they can not play for us.”Coach Booth says, “We are growing each year and very proud of our overall program, 17 & U, 16 & U, 15 U Teams, players, Coaches and our relationships with the families involved. We are close knit family and truly care about everyone past and present. ” We watched the DBC go thru their drills which were very intense and precise. Team drills included opposite hand spin moves, power dribbles thru chairs with pulls ups on both sides thru contact, opposite hand dribbling drills thru chairs and lay ins thru contact, fast break kick out drills and other fundamental drills. Throughout the practice 6 DBC Coaches constantly Coached the players critiquing their fundamentals, decision making and effort. The practice was culminated with an intense scrimmage and a evaluation by each DBC Coach to the players after the game.
Despite the fact the District Basketball Club was formed just 3 years ago from scratch, the DBC who play on the Powerade Circuit are thriving. The District Basketball Clubs graduates are as follows:
2016 District Basketball Club Alumni :
AJ Barnes, 6’6″, F/C, Bowie HS, Bowie, MD. Concordia (NY).
Ejigah Boyd, St. Johns Prospect Hall HS, Frederick, MD, 2016. Widener University (PA).
Tyjhai Byers, 6’10”, C, Bethesda Chevy Chase HS, Bethesda, MD, 2016. Morgan State University.
Ryan Gomes, 6’10”, C/F, 2016. Ryan played last season at Mt. St. Marys and will contend for a starting position as a sophomore.
Jamal Wright, 5’11” PG, Riverdale Baptist HS, Upper Marlboro, MD, 2016. High Point University (NC). Jamal started for High Point as a true freshmen and did very well.
2017 District Basketball Club Alumni :
Donald Carey, 6’5″, PG, Frederick Douglass HS, Upper Marlboro, MD, 2017. Mt. St. Marys College, MD.
Kyle Copeland, 6’4″, Tuscoara HS, Lessburg, VA., 2016. Holy Cross (MA).
Zion Cousins, 6’8′, F, Frederick Douglass HS, Upper Marlboro, MD, 2017. Howard University Bison (MEAC, Washington, DC)
Jake Kuhn, 6’6″, CG/WG/F, St. Maria Goretti HS Hagerstown, MD, 2017. Cornell University.
Michael Mceneney IV, St. Stephens/St. Agnes HS, Alexandria, VA, 2017. Hamilton College (NY)
Michael Meyers, 6’4″, WG, Gonzaga HS, Washington, DC. 2017. Williams College, (MA).
Denmark Slay: 5’11” PG, St. Stephens Agnes, HS, 2017. D1 High Point University (NC).
Ace Stallings, 6’10”, Sidwell Friends HS, Washington, DC, 2017. D1 Mt. St. Marys (MD)
Charles Snowden, 6’7″, F, St. Albans HS, Washington, DC. 2017. While Chris could have played D1 basketball he committed to play for football for Virginia.
The District Basketball Coaches:
Devin Williams : Coach Williams is a Co-Founder of District Basketball Club. He also is an Assistant Coach for the Gonzaga HS Eagles (Washington, DC) who were ranked #8 in the nation by Max Preps last season. Gonzaga will be a powerhouse again this season, with top 20 national potential. Additionally, Devin also Coaches for USA FIBA basketball. In college he played at Frostburg State College where he graduated.
Walter Booth: Walter is a Co-Founder of the District Basketball Club and Head Coach for the DBC 17 & U team. He was named first time ever full time Assistant Head Coach at St. Marys College in Maryland. He will also serve as the Assistant Director of Game Operations for St. Marys. Walter is an alumnus of North Carolina A& T where played for 4 seasons ,led the in assists his junior & senior year, was named All Academic MEAC. Additionally, Coach Booth was an Assistant Coach at NC A& T for 4 years in addition to The Takoma Academy and Bowie HS
District basketball Club 17 & U Assistant Coaches:
Assistant Coach Quinton Dulic:
Assistant Coach Wes Dunning:
Assistant Coach Sholape Oriola:
2017 District Basketball Club roster:
Head Coach: Walter Booth, Current 17 & U record is 19-5.
Dee Barnes, 6’4″, WG, 180, Kings Christian Academy Callaway, MD, 2018.
Dee teamed with DBC teammate PG D’Angello Tull to lead Kings Christian Academy to a 21-1 record and a Maryland State Christian School Championship. He averaged 21.5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists per game last season and he can defend. Dee can score from all 3 levels and is an excellent college prospect. We will have a Recruiting Report for Dee shortly.
Christian Flaherty, 6’1″, PG, Takoma Academy Takoma Park, MD, 2018.
Christian is a D1 prospect and a very under the radar PG in the DC DMV. He has made a nice improvement in the last year and he has several offers to date. Christian is a very athletic high motor guard who can score on 3 levels, and defend the 1 and 2. We will have a Recruiting Report for Christian in the next few days.
Curtis Holland III, 6’3″, 207, WG, Southern HS Harwood, MD, 2018.
Curtis is perhaps the top player in Anne Arundel County this coming season and he has numerous D1 offers. He is a very powerful and athletic guard who can light light up the scoreboard and defend. We will provide and updated Recruiting Report for Curtis shortly.
Ian Krishnan, 6’3″, CG 175, Clarksburg HS Clarksburg, MD, Proctor Prep Academy HH), 2018.
Ian excels at attacking the rim, light up the scoreboard and is an excellent passer. He is a very strong guard who can defended and is still developing with a great upside, Ian will prep next season at Proctor and we will have an updated Recruiting Report for Ian shortly.
Victory Mbagwu, 6’7″, F, Takoma Academy Takoma Park, MD, 2018.
Victory has tremendous upside and he has been in the USA for 2 years, but already is an excellent college prospect. He can hit the face up 3 and defend. This summer Victory is displaying some shot blocking skills in addition to attacking the rim. We will provide a Recruiting Report for Victory this week.
Justin Nwosu, 6’5″, 210, St. Andrews Episcopal HS Potomac, MD, 2018.
Justin is a very strong forward who can play inside and out and rebound and he is a key player for the DBC. We will have Recruiting Report for Justin in the very near future.
Devon Sims, 6’4″, WG, Paul VI HS, Fairfax, VA. 2018.
Devon Sims is an excellent defender with an excellent wingspan who can guard multiple positions. This past week at The Maryland Team Games he had several scoring outbursts and helped lead Paul VI to a championship. He has an excellent upside and has not peaked yet, but an excellent college prospect. We will have a Recruiting Report for Devon shortly.
Zachary Spooner, 6’4″, CG, St. Johns College HS Washington, DC 2018.
Zachary has a very high basketball IQ and a glue player who will see a big role for St. Johns HS this coming year. We will provide a Recruiting Report for Zachary very soon.
Nate Spurlock, 6’7″, WG/WF/Stretch4, WT Woodson HS Fairfax, VA, 2018.
Nate helped lead WT Woodson HS to a 26-6 record and a Virginia 6A State Championship. He is a very mobile lefty WG/WF/Stretch4 who can score at all 3 levels. Nate excels in the pick and pop, is an excellent passer, and strong on the glass. He has several D1 offers to date and we will have an updated Recruiting Report for Nate shortly.
D’Angelo Tull, 5’9″,PG, 170, Kings Christian Academy Callaway, MD, 2018.
D’Angelo is a powerful true PG who has made great strides in the past off season. Kings Christian Academy needed D’Angelo to score this past year and he came thru in a big way. He averaged 24.6 ppg, shooting 50% from the field, 3.4 assists per game. For the District Basketball Club D’Angelo plays true PG and setting up his teammates. He can defend, get in the lane and score when needed.We will have a Recruiting Report for D’Angelo in the next few days.
The District Basketball Club remaining schedule:
July 13-16, Powerade Finals, Charlotte, NC.
July 21-23, Elevate Hoops Showdown, Philadelphia, PA.
July 26-30, Adidas Summer Championship, Las Vegas, Nevada.