September DMV Open Gym Notebook
The season draws nearer with each day, and over the last couple of weeks we’ve been traveling around the DMV to a few local gyms to see what’s what. Here are some notes from each stop along the way.
BISHOP O’CONNELL
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1042860853979164672
O’Connell was the first top on our tour, and the main standouts on the day were ’19 Ayan Teel, ’20 Marcus Dockery, and ’21 Wes Peterson. All three of them shot it quite well. Maryland Head Coach Mark Turgeon was in the gym and offered Dockery a scholarship as a result of what he saw. We’ve also been hearing that ’21 Brayon Freeman is having a strong preseason thus far. ’20 Jake Berry looks as healthy as we’ve seen him in a while, and has definitely toned up since the summer. ’19 Charlie Weber remains one of the best available stretch bigs in the region.
FLINT HILL
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1042886028430860289
We traveled 15 minutes down the road from O’Connell to Flint Hill, where ’22 Saxby Sunderland really caught our eye with his aggressiveness and crafty scoring ability. ’21 Grant Baker and ’20 Ronald Ayers were two relatively new faces who stood out. ’19’s Qudus Wahab and Jordan Hairston were dominant. Lehigh Head Coach Brett Reed was checking out Hairston. ’20 Dowar Jioklow played hard and showcased his versatility on both ends of the floor.
BISHOP IRETON
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1042942493355110400
Bishop Ireton was the third and final stop on what turned out to be a productive day. ’19 Jack Kouba will help a college program with his toughness. ’19 Ethan Lynch is a strong guard who can get in the paint and score in traffic. ’20’s Sese Mobutu and James Berry have both really improved, and should see an increased role this year. ’21 Ariel Goddot is a promising young front-court prospect to keep an eye on this year.
PAUL VI
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1044339800516571136
During our visit to Paul VI, we got a good look at their rising freshman PG Knasir “Dug” McDaniel, who can flat out play. ’20 Jeremy Roach was knocking down jumpers from all over the court, but ’19 Anthony Harris probably shot it better than anyone else on this day.
GONZAGA
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1044700860742356993
Gonzaga has two of the area’s best available seniors in Anwar Gill and Josh Watts, but they also have one of the best young nucleus’ in the area starting with their 2020 class. Chuck Harris was outstanding. Terrance Williams looks healthy, fit, and ready to pick up his production once again this year. Myles Stute was rock solid, and Josiah Hardy is really coming into his own. Judah Mintz and Devin Dinkins are two talented freshmen who showed signs of good potential, and their classmate Jared Turner can flat out shoot it.
ARCHBISHOP CARROLL
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1044737387543375873
We stopped by Carroll to help us dodge the DC rush hour traffic on our way out of Gonzaga, but definitely found the trip to be a productive one. Coach Mike Powell has more depth in his squad than last year, and it will be fun to see how the pieces fit together once the season starts. Tegra Izay, a 6-foot-11 center, is the anchor of the defense and one of the more intriguing low post prospects in the local 2020 class. ’20 Cory Barnes is one of the best perimeter defenders in the area. Kyrese Mullen will be one of several key impact transfers this season.
SIDWELL FRIENDS
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1045133794360131584
The main takeaway from our trip to Sidwell was that Jason Gibson continues to get better and better. Not only did he knock down jumpers consistency with in the gym range, but he also showed that he can blow by defenders and finish at the cup in traffic. ’22 George Perkins has a chance to be one of the better long term prospects in the region. ’21 Afamdi Achufusi has grown a bit, and could pose mismatch problems with his versatility on offense. Seniors Jack and Nick Lewis are the most improved players on the team, and will be asked to play a vital role this year.
W.T. WOODSON
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1045623864959672320
WT Woodson has a very talented senior class, which is highlighted by their two bigs Ben Jensen and Cody Mains. A legit 6-foot-10 face up four man with an intriguing ceiling, Jensen will compliment the physically dominant Mains well. Point guard Joey Lee was outstanding and efficient. Combo guard Alex Anderson has a chance to be very good. Perhaps the best long-term prospect in the gym was Jack Jensen, younger brother of Ben, who is very versatile a 6-foot-5 sophomore with a tireless motor.
ST. JOHN’S
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1045785611410526208
St. John’s has two new players, both juniors, who will make an impact this year. John Wilson, a point guard from New York, and John Square, a forward from Florida, will both likely figure into the rotation. Freshman Christian Watson has grown since the summer, and played well. Victory Naboya has added strength, explosiveness, and some new post moves. Virginia commit Casey Morsell is a legitimate threat on both ends of the floor with his efficient jump shot and potential as a lockdown defender. Darius Maddox scores effortlessly. ’21 Devon Savage has natural talent and can really score it. Devon Dunn and Ishmael Leggett have both added strength and explosiveness. Leggett looked phenomenal.
GOOD COUNSEL
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1046018276650889216
The program at Good Counsel is definitely heading in the right direction, and this is evident by the level of talent in their current sophomore class. Bez Mbeng is the best of the bunch right now, but Antoine Jacks is also very good in his own right. Colby Accardi, Jalen Curtis, DayJuan Waters, and Chidera Nwosu all showed positive signs.
BULLIS
https://twitter.com/AyalewAdam/status/1046065255321939968
Bullis has a crop of very talented young guards in ’21’s Cole Hanin, Erik Reynolds, and ’22 Rodney Rice. 6-foot-4 junior wing Malcolm Alexander and 6-foot-5 junior forward Omari Salvi have both improved, and it will be interesting to see how it all translates once the season begins.