10 Best Mt. St. Joseph vs. St. Johns: Charm City Challenge
This was game 3 of the Charm City Challenge which was an 8 team Showcase sponsored by TrueSite Sports who covered the games & streamed them. We appreciate the hospitality from TrueSite Sports who did a wonderful job & UMBC. The Mt. St. Joseph Gaels earned an impressive win over the St. Johns Cadets to boost their record to 4-1. Jalen Smith was phenomenal & James Bishop was super clutch in crunch time for MSJ. Please enlarge photos by clicking on them.
Mt. St. Joseph Gaels 64 St Johns Cadets 51
Player of Game/ Game MVP: Jalen Smith, 6’10”, F, 2018 (MSJ)
Jalen did everything tonight which is the typical “Sticks” MO. Jalen is committed to the University of MD & is a consensus top 25/5 star player nationally. He is ranked 2nd in our 2018 MD/DC rankings behind Immanuel Quickley from John Carroll HS who is committed to Kentucky. Jalen recorded a game high 21 points scoring from outside/in of if you prefer inside/out. He is one of the most unique, versatile, fundamentally sound & diversified players in the nation. While he is very lean, Jalen protects the rim at a high level & can rebound in traffic. His reactions to loose balls are superb & Sticks uses his great wingspan to his advantage in every aspect of the game.He will come up with big plays on both sides of the ball. Jalen’s IQ ,court vision, facilitation skills are vastly underrated & in fact excellent. He stays very active the entire possession on both sides of the ball, is a great teammate & quiet leader. Jalen can play & guard 3 plus positions & is obviously a match up nightmare. Jalen has superb jump shot mechanics he uses to hit 3s on a & off the dribble. He rarely settles & knows when to go inside or out with ability to score from anywhere & all angles, including post ups. Tonight he broke down a defender off the dribble from the perimeter & scored at the rim. So was this a one time move or fluke? No, we will see Jalen do it this year & next. Does Jalen have a weakness? Some say he needs to get stronger, but he is sneaky strong & can mix it up inside. Tonight he was the difference maker on offense & defense. Mt.St. Joseph, Team Takeover & Jalen’s Trainers have done a superb job in developing his game, but it all comes down Jalen’s God given talents, great work ethic & attitude.
Defensive Player of the Game : Jalen Smith, 6’10” 2018 (MSJ)
This evening Jalen controlled the paint & made it a hard go for SJC to score inside. He came up with huge rebounds & blocks, in addition to playing excellent man to man defense. Jalen has superb timing & reactions to the ball. Another under appreciated aspect of his game is that he is rim runner on the defensive end. Jalen could have easily recorded a few more blocks tonight that were erased by 2 questionable calls. He was a game changer tonight on the defensive end & will be moving forward.
Best Rebounder : Jalen Smith committed to Maryland
Superb timing, quickness to the ball, very quick 1st & second jumps are all skills which Jalen possesses. He can either box out or use his 6’10” athleticism to clear rebounds. Jalen very seldom miscalculates or miss jumps on his rebounding. Once he goes for a board, Jalen has superb hands for his snatch & great ball security after. He is an excellent outlet passer & is always one play ahead.
Offensive Player of the Game: James Bishop, 6’3″, WG, 2019. (MSJ)
James hit 4 threes tonight on & off the dribble, in addition to scoring at the rim. He is an extremely hard guard on the perimeter & James knows how & when to get open moving very well off the ball. If you give James a second the opposition is in serious trouble & he will rise up high for his picture perfect elite jumper. James is sneaky athlete who can score from all 3 levels. He blends in very well with MSJ starting senior guards Tyree Meyers & Kendall McMillan who are hard nosed rim attackers & excellent facilitators. Currently James is ranked in the top 125 nationally for 2019 & he has potential to move up.
Best All Around : Casey Morsell 6’3″ CG, 2019, (SJC)
Casey had the best game for SJC totaling 14 points & playing an excellent overall game. He played both WG & some PG whiled defending well. Offensively he took the ball very hard to the rim with several fantastic finishes & hit a few perimeter jumpers. Casey’s perimeter shot is much improved over last season & he is now a legitimate 3 point threat on & off the dribble. He rebounded very well & came up a few steals while playing very solid on ball defense. Casey possess a very high IQ & has become a national recruit ranked in the 125 range.
Play of the Game: James Bishop (MSJ)
With MSJ leading by 1 point with under 4 minutes reaming, James hit back to back 3 pointers to boost the Gaels lead to 54-47 @ the 3;32 mark. In the Capitol Hoops video bellow this sequence can be seen at 4:09 thru the 4:22 mark. From that point on it was all MSJ.
Most Unsung: Kendall McMillan, 6’2″, CG, 2018. (MSJ)
Kendall did a little of everything & was a major factor in the Gaels win last night. Only 5 players score last night for MSJ with the 5th scoring just 2. Kendall totaled 10 points & he impacted the game when was not scoring. He is a very tough & scrappy CG who mixed it up inside giving Jalen Smith added support. Kendall came up with several key defensive plays, hockey assists, steals & loose balls. Kendall can interchange with Tyree Meyers at the PG position & he currently being recruited by a list of schools that includes: St. Thomas Aquinas, Wheeling Jesuit, New Haven, Seton Hill, Catawba, Millersville, Roanoke, Marymount, Penn State-Harrisburg, Randolph Macon and Hood. Please read our excellent Recruiting Report for Kendall below by Coby Giacubeno :
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/recruiting-report-kendall-mcmillian-2018/
Best Floor General : Tyree Myers, 6’0″, CG, 2018 (MSJ)
Tyree played an excellent floor game recording several key assists & hockey assists. Additionally, he helped dictate the game tempo while scoring 11 points. Tyree had really came on last season for the Gaels, this summer for Team Melo & to the current. He is currently ranked @ #52 in our 2018 DC/ MD rankings. He is a total team player & a very tough competitors who can defend. We really like his motor, IQ, toughness & leadership. Tyree has developed into an outstanding college prospect who is a winner & great teammate.
Best off the Bench : Darius Maddox 6’4″, Wing, 2020 (SJC)
Darius had an excellent summer & he moves up to the varsity after playing JV last season. He scored 10 points last night & was clearly the best player off the bench. In his 1st varsity game Darius looked like he belongs as we predicted. His overall game was very solid & Darius made very few mistakes if any. He is #24 in the Capitol Hoops video below & he makes a nifty mid range move @ the 1:11 mark. Please read our Recruiting Report for Darius below:
https://prephoops.com/2017/11/recruiting-report-2020-darius-maddox/
Best Underclassman on the Rise: Delonnie Hunt 5’9″ PG, 2020, (SJC)
This fall Delonnie caught our eye in preseason workouts & has now moved into the SJC rotation. He moves up to the varsity this season & he could be the Cadets PG of the future. We have nicknamed him “Slice N Dice” because of his slicing/slashing ability to get to the rim to score or facilitate. Slice is an excellent athlete with great explosion, speed, quickness & a very high vertical. As the season progresses we believe his PT will rise & he relieve superb senior PG Tre Wood. Delonnie scores at 1:30 mark & he gave the Cadets a nice boost early. He gives SJC 2 true PGs in the Cadets rotation while Casey is a CG can play PG. Additionally, SJC has a very promising 2021 PG in Guy Fauntleroy who impressed a lot this fall. We will be adding a photo for Delonnie ASAP & look forward to watching develop this season.
Thanks to our friend Narc Stern @ Capitol Hoops, great job.