2024 Player Rankings: Baltimore Prospects
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Yesterday we released our first edition of the 2024 player rankings. The list consists of 25 players who made lasting impressions on us over the calendar year. For this breakdown article, I’ll take a look at the prospects within the…
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Continue ReadingYesterday we released our first edition of the 2024 player rankings. The list consists of 25 players who made lasting impressions on us over the calendar year. For this breakdown article, I’ll take a look at the prospects within the 25 players listed that play in the Baltimore area.
Derik Queen Derik Queen 6'9" | PF Montverde Academy | 2024 State #18 Nation FL | 6’8 | St. Frances/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 1
Queen cemented his top spot in the rankings after what was a dominant freshman campaign at St. Frances where he not only started, but was a main factor in their success. He was awarded National Freshman of the Year by Max Preps after averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game. Queen is a unique prospect with his size, polished skillset and mature basketball IQ. Queen holds offers from Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, LSU and DePaul.
Bryson Tucker Bryson Tucker 6'7" | CG IMG Academy | 2024 #15 Nation FL | 6’6 | Mount St. Joseph
Ranking: No. 3
Tucker was a name that took many by surprise this winter but it didn’t take long to realize that he wasn’t your average freshman. His efficiency and decision-making as a 14-year-old was rare. You could tell that growing up he played a lot with older kids or grown men just based off the reads he would make in any given situation. Since the conclusion of the shortened high school season, Tucker has grown two inches and now stands 6-foot-6. He was invited to USA Basketball’s mini camp this spring and despite not playing AAU, is on the radar of many high major programs already. Maryland offered Tucker following his play at DMV Live.
Malachi Palmer | 6’5 | St. Frances/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 7
All things lead to believe that Palmer will be suiting up for St. Frances this winter. The 6-foot-5 guard playing his freshman season in Pennsylvania and emerged as a highly regarded prospect within his class. Palmer is a smooth operator with the basketball and can make shots from all three levels. He glides in transition and possesses the athleticism to finish above the rim with regularity. Nebraska, New Mexico State, LSU, Arizona State, DePaul, Virginia Tech, Georgetown and Creighton have all offered Palmer.
Daquan Davis Daquan Davis 6'1" | PG Overtime Elite (GA) | 2024 #119 Nation GA | 6’0 | St. Frances/Team Durant
Ranking: No. 10
Davis is one of the overall toughest players in this class. He plays with an edge and a chip on his shoulder on both ends of the floor. It doesn’t matter who he is matching up against, the 6-foot guard has every intention to make their life difficult. He’s becoming a more consistent shooting threat, but is at his best in transition where he can use his speed to get to the basket and finish before the defense knows what’s going on. Davis is always one of the first players on the floor diving for 50/50’s and is more than willing to step up as a weakside defender and take a charge.
Andrew Dixon Andrew Dixon 6'1" | PG Mt. Carmel | 2024 State MD | 6’1 | Mt. Carmel/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 12
Dixon emerged as a consistent producer for Mount Carmel this past season and played both on and off the ball. Dixon is extremely shifty and often times uses his quick crossover in the open floor to blow by defenders who pressure him or to create space in isolations. He has soft touch on floaters and can finish with craft around the rim with either hand. The 6-foot-1 rising sophomore brings it on the defensive end and always looks to pick up the ball-handler before half court and force them to turn multiple times before getting into a set.
Sincere Barfield Sincere Barfield 5'11" | PG Patterson | 2024 State MD | 5’11 | Parkville/Team BBC
Ranking: No. 25
We didn’t get to see Barfield in action this winter due to COVID-19 shutting down the Public School season, but he had a strong spring with Team BBC and shows potential to be an overall solid prospect within this talented class. At 5-foot-11 he has the explosion and athleticism to finish above the rim, has a strong body with a good frame and a good approach to the game for his age. There’s still plenty of untapped potential in many of these prospects, but if Barfield taps into his somewhere within the next two seasons, you could see Division I programs get into the mix.