Friendship Tech vs Takoma Academy: 10 Best
12-18-17 Takoma Academy, 8120 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD.( photo below compliments of Finest Magazine showing Friendship Tech )
I would like to thank The Takoma Academy for their great hospitality. The Academy has a great gymnasium & beautiful campus. This was tremendous game to watch & unfortunately only one team could win. It was very intense contest where numerous players dove to the floor multiple times. Both teams displayed great sportsmanship with each squad making one great play after another.The Takoma Academy prevailed 84-80 in OT. I know numerous players from both teams and I am proud of all of them on & off the court. Head Takoma Coach David Credle & Friendship Head Coach Dwayne Shackleford have deep DC roots. Both are fantastic Coaches who do a superb job of mentoring their players off the court & on & in fact both are close friends. Coach Credle starred at Gonzaga HS who is a member of the powerful WCAC & later played at D1 Loyola of Maryland where he averaged 10 ppg & 4 rebounds for the Greyhounds in his senior season. Coach Shackleford was an All Met performer at Annacostia HS in DC, then averaged over 21 ppg (12ppg freshmen) in his sophomore year at Allegany JC in Cumberland, MD, & played his final 2 years at USC. I have met Coach Credle years ago & knew of Coach Shackleford. Both Coaches, like othersCoaches in DC, MD & NOVA spend countless hours with their teams & basketball year round. I must commend Coach Credle & his great staff & Coach Shackleford & his superb staff for being great role models & Coaches. Finally & most importantly I applaud the players from both teams.I found many hidden gems in this game who are great college prospects from D3 to D1.
Takoma Academy Tigers 84 Friendship Tech Titans 80 (OT)
Player of the game: Michael Brown (Takoma Academy)
Michael & his brother Milton are playing their first season at the Takoma Academy after transferring from nearby Spencerville Adventist. Michael averaged a team high 12.3 ppg as a freshmen & Milton 7.2 as a junior last season. This summer I saw the Brown brothers at the DeMatha Summer League & they both impressed me. Michael is a breakout player who will enter our 2020 rankings in the future which currently consist of 50 players for MD/DC. He totaled a game high 29 points, hitting many clutch shots. Michael is not just a scorer, he rebounded, facilitated, got steals & defended. Michael stands at 6’3″ & he is a fantastic athlete, & really understands how to play. Last night he continually got to the rim off the dribble & converted dynamic finishes. Michael utilizes great explosion & hang time going to the bucket. Some of his drives were coast to coast with several showcasing a great handle. Micheal is fearless, plays with a great heart, a high IQ & court vision. He is long, can defend & rebound. This was my 1st live game scouting Michael who was fantastic, but there will be many more for this breakout sophomore.
Offensive player of the Game : Michael Brown (Takoma )
Michael scored from all angles & his FG% was very high last night for his game high 29 points. In the future we will scout his perimeter game on & off the dribble. Michael did show nice shot mechanics with nice pop & elevation on his jumper. At the rim & mid range he is dynamic.
Defensive Player of the Game & honorable mention Player of the Game :
Malik Miller (Friendship Tech)
Standing at a shade over 6’3″ , Malik Miller is a relentless rebounder & averaging over 20 caroms per game this season. We do not have his totals from last night ,but Malik was probably well over 20. He uses his wingspan, timing & instincts to get rebounds in traffic & at the rim. If Friendship won the game I would have awarded Malik Player of the Game, but I award him honorable mention POG. Malik was obviously dejected after the game & I did chat with this polite young man who also scored 27 points. Malik did hit some 3 balls, & displayed a very good handle, but for Tech his role is 15 feet & in. Like many players on both teams Malik is a warrior. We congratulate Mailk on his commitment to D1 Morgan State of the MEAC. This weekend he won Game MVP in the North Point Classic in the Titans huge 85-71 win over Theodore Roosevelt of the DCIAA. Malik is averaging 23 ppg & an astonishing 23 rebounds a game. He is a 6’3.5″ Moses Malone on the glass.
Best off the Bench: Andre Latimore Jr. ( 2021 Friendship Tech)
& Milton Brown ( 2018 Takoma Academy)
I might have to a edit a potential correctable error on this award, but I will award 2 players 4 grades apart. If 6’3″ 2018 CG Milton Brown did not start I will award him a Co Player off the bench award. Milton did a lot of the of the intangibles & played a great floor game impacting the game without scoring. We will be chatting with Milton this month & he is an intriguing college prospect. Co Player off the Bench is 6’3′ 2021 Andre Latimore from Friendship Tech. Andre totaled 5 points & was impressive with his reactions for loose balls & rebounds. He plays with great energy & scored inside. We will be scouting Andre more this season & he has some very, very nice upside.
Best Floor General : Michael Liriano (Takoma Academy)
Micheal is a 5’9″ 2018 PG who played a beautiful game on both sides of the ball. He made several dynamic dribble moves to get past defenders & get to the to rim. He scored 13 points, but more importantly he ran the Tiger Offense to perfection & controlled the game tempo. Michael is very tough & an ultra competitor. He dealt out multiple pin point assists, played excellent on ball defense constantly going over & thru screens. Michael will play in college & he is an intriguing prospect as a true PG at the next level. We will have his Recruiting Report in the near future.
Play of the Game Pick-Em :
There were possibly 10 plays of the game. Michael Brown drove the full length of the court thru traffic & soared for an above the rim layin. Malik Miller hit a buzzer beater 3 pointer to send the game into OT. Michael Liriano made several elite handle moves going coast to coast & dropping a great drop off pass for an assist. Christian Flaherty, already injured, dove to floor gained possession & made an immediate key timeout to preserve the Takoma Academy victory. Darrell Smith made a similar play, hit some huge shots & grabbed key rebounds down the stretch.
Best Underclassman : Mike Brown & Rasheed Dupree
Mike won Player of the Game, Best Offensive Player & is a breakout underclassman for 2020. 5’5″ Rasheed Dupree (left) starts for Friendship Tech & he is the Titans #3 go to player. Rasheed plays way beyond his years, is tough as nails, & a very skilled warrior. His style of play is similar to teammate star CG Kenneth Tyree. Rasheed is fearless & plays with a very high IQ. His jump shot & mid range game is superb. Rasheed can get to the rim off the dribble, facilitate & defend. He is a DC DMV & MD Mighty Mite which will be a new Award this Season for excellent players 5’9″ & under & there are many.
Best Intangibles : Darrell “DJ” Smith
DJ is a wide body who stands at 6’4″. He bangs inside & can hit 3s. DJ has some Kris Jenkins in his game. Last might DJ performed every intangible from hockey assists, multiple floor dive possessions while playing with great composure. He moves & jumps very well & is certainly skilled enough to play college basketball. We need to scout DJ more & I will be chatting with DJ this month for his Recruiting Report
Best unsigned Seniors :
Kenneth Tyree : (Friendship Tech)
Last night Kenneth totaled 22 points & he is an excellent college prospect, averaging over 22 ppg this season. He has great lift on shot from all levels. Kenneth can shoot the 3 on & off the dribble & mid range. He has an an excellent handle, can facilitate, is very tough, plays with a high motor & can defend. His skills translate very well to college. We will update his Recruiting Report in the near future. Kenneth is outstanding scholarship college prospect who I rate as D1 mid major.
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/recruiting-report-2018-kenneth-tyree/
Christian Flaherty : (Takoma Academy)
Christian aka CJ was very impressive this summer at the DeMatha BSN Summer League & I wrote his Recruiting Report in the link below which we will update in the near future. Last night he scored 13 points which included a beautiful 3. However, Christian sustained a left wrist injury, & missed playing time. He is a warrior, got taped up several times & re entered the game. He made several clutch plays down the stretch & in OT. At 6’1″ Christian can play on or off the ball, score from all 3 levels, run in transition, all at a high level. He is averaging over 22 ppg & has had several big scoring games. Christian plays with a high IQ & is winner. Last night he played well enough for an award. Christian was elated with the win, but disappointed with his performance which was largely impacted by his injury. We pray Christian will heal & be ok. He is an excellent college prospect.
https://prephoops.com/2017/06/recruiting-report-2018-christian-flaherty/
Miles Weaver (Takoma Academy)
Miles played a superb game. He is a 6’6″ transfer from TC Williams & last season averaged 15 ppg & lead the Titans in rebounding. Last night he & scored 14 points with one trey & rebounded well. Miles runs the court very nice & he is a very good athlete. He is am impressive college prospect & my 1st time scouting him. We will write his Recruiting Report in the near future. Please note the photo on the left for Miles is one year old. He has grown & is stronger since.
Darryl Smith Takoma Academy , I will be writing a Recruiting Report for Darryl aka DJ this month, He is a good one.
Milton Brown is the older brother of Game MVP Mike Brown. Milton is an intriguing college prospect & I will be writing A Recruiting Report for him in the near future.