Standouts From Jump Ball High School Season Tip Off (Phase III)
Last night at St. Frances Academy, the Jump Ball High School Season Tip Off continued its tour around the DMV with two games. In the first match up, Rock Creek Christian escaped with a 70-62 win over Glenelg Country. St.…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLast night at St. Frances Academy, the Jump Ball High School Season Tip Off continued its tour around the DMV with two games. In the first match up, Rock Creek Christian escaped with a 70-62 win over Glenelg Country. St. Frances came through like a wrecking ball in game two and walked away with a 87-50 victory over Coolidge (D.C.). For this article, we’ll take a look at the standouts from the four teams that were featured.
Jahmal Banks | St. Frances ’20
St. Frances was without VCU commit Ace Baldwin, so it called for others to step up in his absence. Banks looked up to the task from the opening tip as the Wake Forest football commit recorded 24 points in dominant fashion. Banks was physically imposing on his drives to the rim and had multiple finishes through contact. Banks routinely anticipated passes as the middle man in their full court trap press that sparked easy buckets in the early minutes. The 6-foot-4 wing showed just how valuable to this team he is despite this being just his fifth game as a Panther.
Delonnie Hunt | Rock Creek Christian ’20
In the first game, Hunt has his fingerprints all over it with a stat line comprised of 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The 5-foot-11 floor general set the tone for his team early with strong drives to the basket and aggressive man-to-man defense. His energy and willingness to win was contagious as his teammates started to step up in the second quarter and help give them breathing room on the scoreboard. Hunt’s aggression with the ball helped draw fouls and get to the free-throw line where he converted on eight-of-10 attempts.
Noah Batchelor | Glenelg Country ’22
Batchelor got off to a rough start in the first half, but once the third quarter came around, he started to find his groove. It all started with a strong two-handed dunk in transition that seemed to pick his energy up. Batchelor then started finding his shot from deep and finished the game with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds. All of Batchelor’s 16 points came in the final 16 minutes of play.
Jamal West | St. Frances ’20
As usual, West was a bull in a china shop as the South Alabama commit scored 14 points, pulled down eight rebounds, blocked six shots and dished out five assists. With Baldwin out, it gave West some more opportunities to work with the ball off the dribble. His handles have seemed to improve over the summer as he was able to make plays for others during those stints. He finished everything violently around the rim and commanded all presence in the paint as a rebounder and shot blocker.
Noah Charles | Glenelg Country ’20
Charles put together a solid outing with balance of being his team’s facilitator and primary scorer when needed. The 6-foot-1 point guard scored 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the loss. Rock Creek Christian supplied constant ball pressure throughout the game, but Charles handled it well as indicated by just one turnover in 30 minutes of play. In many occasions, Charles made his defender pay for being too aggressive and attacked the rim where he finished with soft touch.
Zaakir Williamson | Rock Creek Christian ’21
Rock Creek doesn’t have a ton of size, but luckily Williamson is a load down low. At 6-foot-6, he overpowers defenders whether they’re taller than him or not. Williamson didn’t have a breakout scoring game, but still finished with a double-double of 11 rebounds and 10 points. He did things the stat sheet doesn’t show, such as box his man out and clear out the lane for other teammates to grab rebounds. He was also sound on his weak side rotations and altering many shots around the rim.
Igor Yoka-Bratasz | Glenelg Country ’20
Yoka-Bratasz was a big reason for the Dragons sticking around in the early goings. The 6-foot-1 guard poured in 15 points on the night going 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep. All 15 points came in the first three quarters. Yoka-Bratasz didn’t allow the defense to speed his shot or pace up whatsoever. He’s an efficient scorer and doesn’t waste dribbles. Every time Rock Creek forgot about him on the perimeter, Yoka-Bratasz made them pay by burying a three.
Julian Reese | St. Frances ’21
Reese was a human eraser in St. Frances’ win last night. It’s become a common theme and a reason why he will be a front-runner for MIAA and BCL Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 forward finished with 11 blocks in total. Reese is on constant alert in the paint and showcases great timing on his blocks. He does a nice job keeping his body away from the offensive player to avoid picking up the foul.
Kyree Freeman | Rock Creek Christian ’20
Freeman put together an efficient night in Rock Creek’s win. The senior guard scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and converted on three of his five makes from deep. With Hunt’s attack being geared more towards attacking the rim, Freeman brought immense value and spacing with his outside shooting to make it very tough on Glenelg Country.
Khyrie Staten | St. Frances ’21
Staten is quickly becoming an x-factor off the bench for the Panthers. He was one of the players who stepped up in Baldwin’s absence by being inserted into the starting lineup. Staten played the front man on their full court press and was rewarded with plenty of transition opportunities. The 6-foot-1 junior guard scored 15 points and three steals in the blowout victory.