Updated 2021 Player Rankings: Baltimore Small Forwards
Earlier this week, we released our updated 2021 MD/DC Player Rankings. As usual, the flow of content follows with different breakdowns of the updated list. I’ll be focusing on the Baltimore prospects and break down each position and move onto…
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Continue ReadingEarlier this week, we released our updated 2021 MD/DC Player Rankings. As usual, the flow of content follows with different breakdowns of the updated list. I’ll be focusing on the Baltimore prospects and break down each position and move onto the small forwards.
For the Baltimore point guards, click here!
For the Baltimore combo guards, click here!
Jared Billups Jared Billups 6'5" | SF McDonogh | 2021 State MD | 6’5 | McDonogh
Overall ranking: No. 21
Positional ranking: No. 6
Watching Billups’ development since his freshmen season has been a joy. Not only has he chiseled his body into a college-ready frame, but his overall skillset is polished making him the top small forward prospect in Baltimore. The Siena commit has freakish athleticism to finish above the rim whether it’s in the open floor or in traffic. His jumper used to be a major blemish in his game, but Billups has dedicated the necessary time and effort to become a capable shooter especially from mid-range. I was looking forward to see how far he has come as a ball-handler and playmaker as a senior, but it’s looking more likely I’ll have to wait until he suits up for Siena to see the progress. Defensively Billups is as valuable as they come. He can legitimately guard positions 1-4 and makes his presence known in the box score throughout a handful of categories.
Barry Evans Barry Evans 6'7" | SF Poly | 2021 State MD | 6’7 | Poly
Overall ranking: No. 24
Positional ranking: No. 7
Evans made the move from Oakland Mills to Poly to finish out his high school career and play his senior season for the Engineers. COVID has since put a major question mark on whether or not he’ll get the chance to officially play under the whistle, but we’ve been fortunate to see him play in exhibition games throughout the fall and early winter. Evans is a skinny, long-limbed wing with the tools to be a very intriguing prospect. The 6-foot-7 lefty can surprise you with his explosive bounce and he’s made huge strides in overall toughness when it comes to crashing the offensive glass, finishing through contact or diving on the floor. His jumper is streaky at this point in time and he still needs to incorporate more arc on the ball following his release. Defensively his size and length make him a shot-blocking presence around the rim and give him ability to guard multiple positions. Evans still needs to put on weight before being ready for the college level, but getting into a college lifting and conditioning program will fix that quickly. There have also been rumors he may look to prep after this season and become a 2022 prospect.
Ramon Villanueva Ramon Villanueva 6'5" | SF Sparrows Point | 2021 State MD | 6’5 | Sparrows Point
Overall ranking: No. 95
Positional ranking: No. 22
Villanueva continues to fly under the radar as he plays for a school that doesn’t get much basketball attention. Don’t let that fool you, he’s been a walking double-double and has the IQ and feel for the game that should help him transition to the college level pretty smoothly. He has good size at 6-foot-5 and can score from all three levels. He isn’t going to break his man down off the dribble in isolations, but he understands how to move without the ball and put himself in positions to be a scoring threat. He won’t be the best athlete on the floor, but Villanueva has great timing on his pursuit for rebounds. High-caliber Division III programs should be on him closely and it wouldn’t surprise me if Division II programs began seriously recruiting him.
Dinari Boykin Dinari Boykin 6'4" | SF Archbishop Curley | 2021 State MD | 6’3 | Curley
Overall ranking: No. 142
Positional ranking: No. 31
Boykin had a nice junior campaign as he played a key role in helping the Friars win the MIAA B Conference title. His slashing ability in the half court and in transition added another wrinkle opposing teams had to game plan aside from the other skilled seniors that he played next to. When focused, Boykin is a stout defender who can guard multiple positions. He has a tendency to lose that focus for stints and that’s when things don’t look as good. Boykin was set to take on a much bigger role this season and become a go-to primary option offensively. I was looking forward to seeing whether or not he could live up to that challenge.
Jaylen Amoruso Jaylen Amoruso 6'4" | SF Dulaney | 2021 State MD | 6’4 | Dulaney
Overall ranking: No. 145
Positional ranking: No. 33
Simply put, Amoruso plays like his hair is on fire. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player play as hard and never get tired quite like him. He has explosive athleticism that comes to light on both ends whenever he’s around the rim. Amoruso is at his best when he’s in the open floor or getting downhill for straight-line drives to the bucket. He’s an aggressive defender that sometimes gets himself into foul trouble as a result of that aggression. He never hesitates to dive on the floor for 50/50s and he pursues rebounds as if it’s his ball and it belongs to no one else. The way that I see Amoruso is he has the energy and effort level to be a really good player, but tapering some of that energy and making use of it in other areas would greatly help his chances of being a productive college player.