5 Takeaways DeMatha vs Eleanor Roosevelt
12-6-17. DeMatha Catholic HS. 4301 Madison Street, Hyattsville, MD. 20781
DeMatha Catholic Stags 86 Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders 49
Justin Moore is looking great, he will be a 5 star.
DeMatha 6’4″ 2019 G, Justin Moore made his long awaited debut since his injury last January 3 when he tore he is ACL. Tonight Justin totaled 19 points & scored from 3 level.He played a great overall game on both ends. Justin is ranked #1 our 2019 DC/MD rankings & this is where he belongs . This #1 ranking is not based on reputation, but his current level of play from the last month. Justin is still wearing an ACL brace which is long & cumbersome, & takes away some explosion. However, Justin has mastered creating space, a NBA 3 point range quick release jumper & an array of new moves in the paint. Additionally, he is playing superb defense & all the others aspects of basketball. Each time Justin plays, we see more pop in a move elevation on his jumper. At his current level he is top 75 player & once healthy I rate him as a top 25 player. Prep Hoops raves about Justin & will continue to do so.
Earl Timberlake can play & guard 5 positions & he is a 5 star talent.
So what is Earl Timberlake’s position? We will call him a point forward. At an apparent 6’6″ Earl can play all 5 postilions on both sides of the ball. Tonight he totaled 8, 8, & 9 scoring all 8 of his points at the foul line , unofficially on 8-9 FT shooting. Earl is more than capable of erupting for a huge scoring night, but every game he is wreaking havoc defensively, grabbing rebounds, protecting the rim, recording steals & playing lock-down defense. Earl & Hunter give DeMatha 2 physical players who will not back-down from anyone. At 6’6″ Earl is very long & athletic, with superb basketball instincts & reactions. He is a huge addition to DeMatha & possesses tremendous offensive firepower. He excels in transition & breaking down his defender off the dribble with ability to score from all 3 levels on or off the ball. His handle is outstanding & some of his moves are off the charts. He owns one of best spins & crossovers in the MD/ DC & probably nationally. His IQ, motor, defense, passing, handle & attacking the rim off the dribble are elite. On the court Earl is all business & never loses focus or confidence. While Earl has climbed to @ #40 national ranking from 24/7, he is underrated. He can fit in to any high major at the next level. He is winner & warrior.
Jahmir Young is good enough to be nationally ranked & will have breakout year.
6’1.5″ PG/CG Jahmir Young is a fantastic player who had a superb summer playing for team Takeover 16U who finished #2 in the nation. When we saw him this fall, Jahmir stood out immediately & we predicted he would start. Tonight Jahmir scored 21 points hitting four 3 pointers & played an excellent overall game. He is a slam dunk chemistry fit for DeMatha & fits in beautifully with the Stag Triangle (Earl, Hunter & Justin). In tonight’s line up, Jhamir started @ PG, but he is more than capable of playing off the ball with Earl & Justin possessing PG skills. Jahmir does everything very well on both sides of the ball. At the point, Jahnir has a very solid handle & can get DeMatha into their half-court sets very well. He has excellent court vision, a very high IQ & a very good facilitator. & ball mover. He plays with a very smooth high motor. His explosiveness, vertical, speed, quickness are excellent, yet very underrated. Tonight Jahmir displayed his elite transition skills. He made the proper reads & always made the correct pass without hesitation. Jahmir is superb when he attacks. He gets to the rim very very quickly with his smooth stride. He gets up very high exploding off one leg & can score with numerous acrobatic moves with either hand. This season he will make transition dunks of either hand & some backdoor some alley oops dunks. Tonight Jahmir converted a nice right handed dunk off a fast break, Jahmir moves very well without the ball & his teammates found him several times on the corner wing. Jahmir is an elite jump shooter with great mechanics & shot preparation. When receives the ball, his feet & body & are prepared & ready, then pops up immediately for his picture perfect jumper. Jahmir is the perfect new firepower & chemistry piece for the Stags lethal & diverse offense & he is an impact newcomer. Our 2019 MD/ DC class is very , very strong & deep with superb Mt. St.Joseph guard James Bishop ranked in the top 125 nationally & #7 in our 2019 DC/MD rankings. Jahmir is ranked #11 in our MD/DC rankings, and I believe he is currently a top 130 national player. While James & Jahmir are both superb lefty jump shooters they are different players with both possessing top 100 potential this season. We will be watching Jahmir this season & will be interviewing him very soon. Jahmir is a winner & will impact the game when not scoring.
Eleanor Roosevelt ran into a buzz-saw last night, but is sill a top PG 4A team with excellent players
We know Eleanor Roosevelt very well & while they suffered the loss, it was against one of the top teams in the nation. There are very few public schools who have to go against a roster with a 5 star 7 footer & 2 other 5 stars & another nationally ranked players. ER & DeMatha have played each other the last 4 years which included last years 73-65 loss. This season ER lacks height, but we really like 6’5.5″ 2019 CG Cameron Brown (#15 ) who was the best player for the Raiders tonight scoring 15 points. Cameron already has a D1 offer form High Point. 6’5″ 2018 CG Jaden Faulkner (left) is very highly regarded but is still adjusting after playing QB for the ER Raiders this season. He is currently ranked @ #34 in our 2018 rankings & receiving interest for several D1 mid majors. Jaden can score in the mid range & at the rim, rebound, defend & pass very well. Once Jaden gets a few games under his belt we will write a Recruiting Report article for him. 6’4″ 2019 WG Isaiah Gross is ranked @ #22 for 2019 & is a strong athletic player who excels in defense & scoring at the rim. Tonight Isaiah scored 4 points, but ran into the DeMatha buzz-saw & had an off night. He is an excellent recruit who we will update in the near future after we see ER live 2-3 more times early this season. 6’3.5″ 2018 Juston Bailey (right) hit two 3s tonight & played well. He is in excellent condition & looks to be improved since the summer. He is an athletic wing we currently rank @ #92 for 2018. Juston is a scholarship player & we will update his Recruiting Report in the same time frame as Cameron, Jaden & Isaiah. 6’2″ W Jamiir Butler hit four 3 pointers tonight & was impressive. We will watch him this season & write a report for him. Going forward for ER ,their next game will be vs. #4 ranked & defending MD 4A State Champions Perry Hall on December 10 @ DeMatha. The Gators return nationally ranked Twin Towers 6’8″ Anthony Higgs (Ole Miss), 6’9″ Laquill Hardnett & 6’8″ junior Anthony Walker (#26) & 6’4″ PG Tyler Holley (#41). The DeMatha & Perry Hall games will help the Raiders in PG 4A play. We still rank ER, Wise, Bowie & Bladenesburg as the teams to beat
Head DeMatha Coach Mike Jones has created a nationally ranked team
We had the fortune of attending DeMatha practices & pickups since early September. Coach Jones added 3 fantastic players to his 2017/18 team. 6’6″ 2020, play him anywhere Earl Timberlake played superbly for DeMatha in their BSN summer league & was a lock to start with 2020 7’0″ Hunter Dickinson. Hunter played a fantastic game, scoring 15 points, blocking 5 shots & dominating the paint. He is in elite shape, quicker & stronger, On one play he made a steal & drove off the dribble from beyond half court & finished with a power dunk. Hunter clearly deserves his #8 2020 national ranking. 6’4″ 2019 G Justin Moore was beginning to practice this fall, but not back to backs. Juniors Jahmir Young & 6’2″ PG Josh Wallace were just beginning their new careers at DeMatha. From early September thru November 1 Coach Jones was tinkering with his starting lineup & rotation. Early on we penciled in Jahmir to join Hunter & Earl in the starting 5. Justin Moore made daily strides & when Justin started last month in scrimmages vs Flint Hill & Mt. St. Joseph, he played so well everyone realized he would be the 4th starter. In both scrimmages 6’6″ 2019 Carsten Kolgenik started & tonight. In our preseason assessment the 5th starter would come down to Carsten & PG Josh Wallace. Carsten is off to slow start with his shooting, & but tonight drained a beautiful 3. He is moving very well & we will see him attack the rim this season. However, Carsten may be pressings some & he just needs to get a couple jumpers to fall. However, he played very good defense & played very well in other areas. Josh played well but like Carsten may be pressing some However, once Josh gets his game going he is an excellent player. Both Carsten & Josh each make great cases as to whom should start. We chatted with Coach Jones but not in regard to the starting lineup. However, we believe it may be possible that Josh & Carsten could both start depending on the opponent. We are very high on Carsten & Josh, but all they need to do is settle in & relax. We predict this will happen in the near future. We did chat with Coach Jones in regard to the very deep DeMatha bench. He did disclose that his teams of the past would go 11 deep in the rotation & this year could be the same. The key DeMatha Bigs off the bench will be 6’9.5″ 2019 forward Jamel Melvin & 6’8.5″ 2020 forward Paul Smith who is working his way back after missing time with an injury.We have written Recruiting Reports for both Jamel & Paul & are very high on both players. 6’4″ plus 2018 WG 6’4″ Deven Richmond (right) is a very athletic & strong excellent prospect. He is the top WG off the bench. He has been playing basketball for just 3 years & has a huge upside. Tonight he scored 8 points playing very well offensively & on defense. 6’1″ senior CG Markanthony Fidelis will be in the rotation & has looked very good this preseason. 6’1″ 2021 PG Brayon Freeman is a fantastic PG prospect & one of the best freshmen in the nation looked great tonight, & will be in the rotation. He could very well receive increased playing time as the season moves forward & remember his name.
Video by our friend Marc Stern @ Capitol Hoops
Next Up for DeMatha is the National Hoopfest Tournament at DeMatha this Saturday & Sunday. DeMatha will play Oak Ridge HS on Saturday who feature 6’6″ 2018 5star forward Emmitt Williams who played at the Hoopefest last year for the IMG Academy. Archbishop Wood is ranked in the top 20 Nationally by Max Preps.
Saturday, Dec. 9 2017 at DeMatha High School
10:45a Cesar Chavez (DC) vs Friendship Tech (DC)
12:30p McNamara (Md) vs Holy Spirit (GA)
2:15p Eleanor Roosevelt (MD) vs Perry Hall HS (MD)
4:00p Westtown (PA) vs Georgetown Prep (MD)
5:45p Wheeler HS (GA) vs IMG (FL)
7:30p Paul VI (VA) vs Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)
9:15p DeMatha (MD) vs Oak Ridge (FL)
Sunday, Dec. 10 2017 at DeMatha High School
10:00a 8th Grade All Star Game
12:00p Holy Spirit (GA) vs Westtown (PA)
1:45p Oak Ridge (FL) vs Paul VI (VA)
3:30p Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) vs Mount St Joes (MD)
5:15p IMG (FL) vs St Johns (DC)
7:00p DeMatha (MD) vs Archbishop Wood (PA)