Chapelgate Christian vs St. Maria Goretti : 5 Takeaways
11- 16-17 Marriotsville, MD. St. Maria Goretti 77, Chapelgate Christian 47.
Chapelgate Christian Academy Hornets, 2600 Marriotsville Road, Marriotsville, MD. 21104. Head Coach : Frick Fierson (Conference : MIAA B)
We would like to thank Chapelgate Christian & Coach Fierson for their great hospitality at their beautiful school. This off season Chapelgate lost 6’8″ 2109 talented center Jason Murphy who transferred to St. Frances Academy. While this was big loss the cupboard is not bare & we think Chapelgate can be competitive in the MIAA B division which includes: Archbishop Curley, Friends School, The Gerstell Academy, Indian Creek, The Severn School, St.Johns Catholic Prep & St. Paul, while Annapolis Area Christian moves up the the MIAA A. Coach Fierson is recognized as an outstanding Coach & we are impressed with Coach Fierson on & off the court.
St. Maria Goretti Gaels. 1535 Oak Hill Ave, Hagerstown , MD. 21740. Head Coach: Matt Miller
(Conference BCL & IPSL)
Last season Goretti posted an outstanding 29-8 overall record & an 11-3 BCL record tying Mt. St. Joseph for the BCL regular season title. Additionally, theGaels play in Inter Parochial Athletic Conference (IPSL) & won the won the IPSL championship last season over Hagerstown rival St. James. The Gaels graduated 6’6″ Jake Kuhn to Cornell & 6’3.5″ Elijah Clarence to Illinos State & 6’4″ CG Amir Harris to nearby St. James. With 3 major departures is this a rebuilding year for for Goretti? The answer is no. Can the Gaels duplicate or better last years great seasons record? We are not sure at this time, but we rate Goretti in the top tier in the BCL with the potential to be an excellent team. While Head Coach Matt Miller has received numerous awards which include the prestigious 2017 BCL Coach of the Year we feel he is one of the best & most underrated Coaches in Maryland.
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/st-maria-goretti-hs-team-overview-college-prospects/
https://prephoops.com/2017/05/maryland-team-western-md-eastern-western-shore/
Goretti guard tandem of Josh Mack (#4) & Rahsaan Edwards (#3, #10 this season) have great chemistry & overall skills as the Gaels starting back-court.
Both Josh (6’1″) & Rahsaan (5’11”) can play on or off the ball, but if we had to choose 1 player as the primary ball-handler it would be Rahsaan. However, we can envision both players switching off on PG duties when they are in the game together.. The Gaels back-court is different than last season when Goretti started senior D1 guards 6’3.5″ Elijah Clarance & 6’6″ Jake Kuhn who are playing at Illinois State & Cornell respectively & Josh. We really like the chemistry between Josh & Rahsaan who feed off each other very well. Both players play with a very, very high IQ, posses excellent facilitation skills, high motors, can defend & are very tough. They can knock down perimeter shots & get in the paint. Josh can take it to the rim & score thru contact in addition to hitting shots from all angles & distances. Josh appears to be an elite defender & like Rahsaan has a great passion for basketball. Rahsaan is deceptively quick & we believe is ready to take on the BCL. The duo attended many showcases this past spring, summer & fall & are winners who play unselfishly. Josh totaled 15 points & would win our Best All Around Player if we were in our 10 best format. He played close to a perfect game hitting shots from all 3 levels, performing all the intangibles & playing lock-down defense. While Josh has received offers from top tier D2 Shepherd College & Wheeling Jesuit, he is on the brink of becoming a D1 mid major. Rahsaan dished out 7 assists & played a fantastic floor game in addition to scoring 5 points & playing excellent defense. Rahsaan would win our Best Floor General award. We will be providing Recruiting Reports for Josh & Rahsaan this coming week.
Watch out for 6’8″ St. Maria Goretti newcomer Abdou Tsimbila via Cameroon.
Abdou is a very powerful & chiseled 6’8″ center who runs the floor very well & will start in the post for the Gaels. This is our 1st time seeing Abdou & his upside is huge. He was the game MVP scoring 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, & blocking or altering numerous shots. He dominated the paint & appears to have a very good IQ. The question is whether Abdou translates his game to the BCL ? We say yes, but are not sure if Abdou will have a learning curve or how long it will be take since he was a total mismatch for undermanned & undersized Chapelgate bigs. We will scout Abdou again when Goretti plays powerful Gonzaga on December 8 @ 5pm in the Gonzaga DC Classic. We will have Recruiting Report for Abdou after the Gonzaga game. Matt Rogers is an up & coming 6’6″ sophomore PF/ C who has shown flashes & will develop into very good player this season. 6’8″ Marial Mading who already holds several D1 offers sat out the game with a very minor injury & will play in the Gaels next game vs Loyola Blakefield on 11-29.
6’5″ 2019 Wing RJ Blakney can impact the game in many ways & is a D1 high major recruit.
On Thursday RJ just missed double figures with 9 points, but was the Defensive Player of the Game. He has the potential to become an elite defender & we believe he will this season. RJ plays with high IQ & motor with elite athleticism. We awarded RJ as a top Doctor Dunk this fall due his fantastic explosive & high rising dunks. RJ has fine tuned his perimeter game & can hit jumpers from the 3 point line & score in the mid range. At 6’5″ he is very versatile who will translate to WG at the next level, but in today’s position-less basketball he can play with 2 other guards in college as Wing. RJ can perform all the intangibles & we have seen him develop under Coach Miller adding dimensions to his game each season since his freshmen year. RJ has inherited great genetics from his mother who attends all his games & was a standout basketball player for the University of Maryland.
Chapelgate Christian has 4 talented college guards with 6’4 junior Odell Dickerson (#1)
possessing a great upside
Senior guards Blake Hatcher (#2) & 5’10” Brandon Wise (#3) pictured right are very solid players who will play in college. Blake is an excellent ball handler & passer who plays with a very good IQ. He scored 6 points & is a very tough player with leadership attributes. We know he is good enough to play in college, but want scout Blake a few more times. Brandon Wise totaled 11 points & is very similar to Blake & like him, will play in college. Odell Dickerson pictured far left (#24) is a very long 6’4″ who led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 14 points & looks poised for breakout season. We really like his shot off the bounce with deep range. He was very impressive & we will have a Recruiting Report for Odell during the week of Thanksgiving. Cameron Heard (#11) pictured left is a very athletic 5’11” CG who was under the weather with flu like symptoms but still manged 9 points. In fact Cameron had one the best plays of the game after a steal, then converting a high elevation layin off the glass. 6’5″ senior center Bo Wesley & Paris Young show promise.
Przemek Golek (#20) is an impact 6’4″ 2019 newcomer for Goretti
Prezemek arrived at Goretti this season from Poland & fits in very, very well with Gaels. He is a superbly skilled player who can potentially play 3 positions. Prezemek tallied 15 points Thursday night & if we wrote our 10 best format he would have won Offensive Player of the Game. Prezemek has very deep range with excellent shot mechanics & while he has finesse to his game, Przemek can mix it up inside. We are very impressed with his all around basketball skills & comfort level, since this is Prezemek’s 1st go around playing basketball in the USA. We will be writing a Recruiting Report for Przemeck in the near future.
Photograph credits to the Herald, by Colleen McGrath. Thank You & nice work.