Virginia Challenge Standouts (Part 2)
This past weekend was the second annual Virginia Challenge, a wonderful idea that brings together private school programs from the Northern Virginia area and the rest of the state (this year was all Richmond) giving each other opportunities to play…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend was the second annual Virginia Challenge, a wonderful idea that brings together private school programs from the Northern Virginia area and the rest of the state (this year was all Richmond) giving each other opportunities to play different programs and let guys like us see teams compete that usually don’t meet. This year the event was held at Trinity Episcopal in Richmond, and featured four good matchups. Unfortunately, I was unable to get there in time for the first matchup (sorry St. Chris and Potomac School, I owe you one), but I did get to see plenty of big time performers in the event. Here’s a look at part one of my three part standouts series from the Virginia Challenge.
Potomac School 57 St. Chris 48
Episcopal 73 Benedictine 65
St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 62 Collegiate 27
Flint Hill 88 Trinity Episcopal 85 (OT)
Qudus Wahab | 6’11” C | Flint Hill 2019
One of the best available big men in the country, Wahab is set to make his college decision on January 30th, but against one of the top junior forwards in the country in Henry Coleman he showed why he’ll make one college very happy. I’ve watched Wahab for four seasons now and the amount of improvement in his game cannot be understated. In their win over Trinity Episcopal, he showed a soft touch on the midrange jumper, scored well with his back to the basket, dominated the paint on both ends and made his free throws at a good clip. He finished with a dominating 27 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Jordan Hairston | 6’0” PG | Flint Hill 2019
While Wahab may be one of the best available bigs in the country and is close to making his decision, Hairston is one of the best available point guards in the DMV, and he’s still not known by many. With an option to go 2020, he could be a perfect fit for a division one school who needs a smart and steady PG option. He’s a good decision maker, dog on both ends of the floor and he showed some tough shotmaking ability off the bounce from all three levels. He finished with an impressive 24 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds, scoring 16 of his 23 points in the second half.
Tyler Michael | 5’10” PG | Trinity Episcopal 2019
A role player who continues to make more and more of an impact as the season goes on for TES, Michael was a big reason the Titans were able to battle back from a double digit deficit and force overtime against one of the best private schools in the Northern VA area. Michael provides a much needed weapon from behind the arc for the Titans, and he hit three triples for them and finished with 12 points on the game.
Tymu Chenery | 6’6” F | Episcopal 2020
Chenery’s upside is one of the best in the state as far as a wing goes, because he has all of the physical and athletic tools to play the position at the next level, and he has a ton of room to grow on the offensive end. He’s extremely long at 6’6”, and while he needs to fill out he’s able to use that size and good feet to guard on the wing, and as he fills out he should be able to guard in the post as well. Defensively he’s an impact guy now, and offensively he shows signs that he can improve moving forward. He’s a streaky shooter with average mechanics, but he’s able to hit from 15 out to the three-point line, and he’s an athletic finisher at and above the rim. He finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in their win over Benedictine.
Jack Fitzpatrick | 6’2” G | Episcopal 2020
The unsung hero of the starting five at Episcopal, Fitzpatrick made some big plays throughout the game for the Maroons and it was much needed against a scrappy Benedictine squad. Usually a catch-and-shoot guy, he made some big plays against the press breaking down the defense and getting to the rim for easy layups. He also shot the ball well from deep, going 2-for-3 from deep, and the coach’s son stepped up big for his Dad and his teammates in the win finishing with 12 points, four rebounds and two steals in the win.
Xavier Lipscomb | 6’1” PG | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
One of the more underrated guards in his class in the DMV, Lipscomb has all the tools to be a solid floor general. He doesn’t put up gaudy scoring numbers or anything, but he has good size and athleticism, he sets the tempo and tone on both ends of the floor and he’s a playmaker with good vision and good passing ability. He finished with 8 points, 4 assists and three steals in limited action in their blowout win over Collegiate.
Andre Screen | 6’10” PF | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
He’s still somewhat of a project, but it’s hard to watch Screen now and not think he’s a legitimate division one prospect with an upside that could make him a steal at the mid major level. He’s a legit 6’10” and needs to fill out but has the frame for it, he has soft touch out to the midrange, he runs the floor well and he finished with both hands around the rim. In limited time he finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds, and with continued work and improvement there’s no way we don’t see a number of division one schools offering him moving forward.