St. Johns Cadets vs IMG Ascenders 10 Best
12-10-17. DeMatha Catholic HS, National Hoopfest Tournament / Washington, DC.
IMG Ascenders 72 vs St. Johns College HS Cadets 65
This was a match-up featuring opposing Coaches who are very close friends. Head IMG Coach Sean McAloon was the St. Johns Head Coach from 2013/4 thru last year the last seasons & won the coveted WCAC Championship in 2016.The Cadets were led by Anthony Cowan who is having superb season @ Maryland and All Big Ten candidate & Jeff Dowtin (Rhode Island starter). Coach Behan coached under Coach McAloon @ SJC several years ago. 7’3″ Chol Marial who is ranked #4 nationally for 2019 sat out the game & is expected back in the near future. IMG is currently ranked @ #5 in the nation & the Ascenders are good enough to challenge for a national title. St. Johns is ranked #8 in our MD/DC rankings which includes All NOVA team in the WCAC, ICAC , MAC & Capitol Beltway Conferences. The Cadets face a tough home contest vs 14t nationally ranked & WCAC rival DeMatha @ SJC on Friday & play an improved Good Counsel squad at home on 12-12-17. This was a valiant effort by undersized SJC who refused to quit. The Cadets played with great intensity & in the 2nd half won the battle 40-38. We give 2 thumbs up to Head IMG Coach Sean McAloon, the SJC players & Coach Patrick Behan & his great staff.
Player of the Game : MVP: Silvio DeSousa, 6’8.5″, 2107/18, F/ IMG. Committed to Kansas
Silvio is currently ranked #28 by ESPN & #26 by 24/7 which is too low for this superb player. Silvio is one of the most impressive powerful & athletic players I have seen at the HS level. He is close 6’9″ ,chiseled with elite explosiveness & timing, His will cover ground at incredible rate of speed & quickness to block shots, alter them, or rebound. Silvio shot 11-12 which included 1-2 from 3, & 5-6 from the FT line for a total of 28 points. He grabbed 11 rebounds & blocked 3 shots, but we recorded 5 while sitting under the basket. His IQ fundamentals are superb & Silvio recorded 3 assists. We scouted Silvio last year & his jaw dropping play a year ago is now head shaking & better. If he clears his exams Silvio will enroll at Kansas this month & the unconfirmed word is he will be eligible to play. If true Silvio should see playing time very soon at KU.
Offensive Player of the Game: Silvio DeSousa, IMG
Silvio displayed a excellent mechanics & a nice touch from the free throw & 3 point line. His 11-12 shooting which included several highlight film dunks with great power & his superb overall offensive game earned Silvio Offensive POG.
Defensive Player of the Game: Silvio DeSousa, IMG.
Silvio is on constant hustle mode & at 6’9″ he runs the floor at both ends like a gazelle. His intensity is off the charts & he close out speed, instincts & timing are elite. Silvio can guard on the perimeter, but his forte is on the blocks. The entire game he was locked in & he will intimidate teams on the college level. He is elite defender & his effort awards him DPOG.
Best Underclassman: Breakout Player : Delonnie Hunt, 5’10”, PG, St. Johns Cadets, 2020.
We have been writing about Delonnie since this fall @ SJC practices. Coach Behan has brought him along superbly & Delonnie played a great a game vs WT Woodson last game & we awarded him Best Underclassman & Co Best Floor General with teammate Tre Wood. Delonnie played so well vs IMG he would be deserve mention for Game MVP 2nd player. In just 15 minutes he shot 5-9, scored 15 points, & dished out 3 assists & snatched 1 steal. His performance is impressive on so many levels. Delonnie “Slice & Diced” diced his way into the paint over 6’9″ 6’7″ & 6’5″ G players with superb poise without committing a turnover. We were close up saw his superb concentration. For he record we have seen him do this every time &he never gets intimidated. He shot over & around the long wingspan IMG defenders who were going after him, but could not contain Delonnie. He added 2-2 from 3 & his floor game & defense were superb. Delonnie has elite speed, quickness & explosion. We will be writing his prospect Highlight this week.
Best Player off the Bench : Delonnie Hunt, SJC.
There was no player off the bench who impacted the game in the manner Delonnie did. This award was a no brainier & we predict he will see more playing time this month & as the season progresses will climb the rankings. Over the last few weeks we have tried to compare Delonnie’s style of play to college or NBA player, but we can not. Slice N Dice is a unique & special who is his own player.
Best Under the Radar: CO Breakout Player: Ishmael Leggett, 6’2″, Wing, 2020, St. Johns Cadets.
Ish ael played with tremendous heart & intensity with the rest of his never say quit Cadets. This the manner in which ISH plays every time out. He was a key player in both halves & helped SJC settle in the game in the 2nd period. He proved SJC could keep up with the athletic & taller Ascenders. Ish scored 16 points on 5-10 shooting with 2-3 from 3 & added 1 assist, & 1 steal. His toughness in the paint & high motor do not show up the stats but were huge. He went into the paint & used his athleticism & toughness to help give SJC confidence they could play with IMG. Ish is a SJC mainstay starter who is picking up a lot of momentum & ranked @ #8 in our very deep DC/MD rankings.
Play of the Game: Ishmael Leggett, SJC
Despite numerous dunks, we awarded Ish Play of th Game when converted a 1st half buzzer beater with a 3/4 length of the court 3.Additionally, he delivered a superb entry pass from the perimeter to Richard Njoku for a slam dunk. See both plays below from Monumental Sports Twitter Feed (great work)
Best Intangibles : Richard Njoku : 6’7″ C/F , 2018, St. Johns Cadets. Committed to the US Naval Academy
Richards stats were modest with 7 points & 4 rebounds, but his value to SJC was enormous. He battled the IMG front line the entire game & scored on 2 huge dunks going over heavy coverage by IMG. Richard was on the floor gaining possessions & saves for SJC. He wins the Warrior award & Best Intangibles for the 2nd SJC game in a row. Richards energy & heart inspired the entire SJC roster , fans & us. Former SJC & now Head IMG Coach Sean McAloon praised Richard on Twitter describing how relentless Richard has always played.
Most Consistent : Casey Morsell: 6’3″, CG, 2019 St. Johns Cadets.
Casey stabilized the Cadets early & played a superb all around game which is his usual MO. He scored 16 hard earned points on 7-13 shooting, grabbed 3 rebounds & dished out 3 assists. He excels on every level & always plays with great heart, intensity & leadership. Last game out he won Game MVP & is currently ranked @ # 197 nationally by 24/7 consensus & @ #70 by 24/7 who advised move Casey up. The University of Maryland was on hand & may offer Casey in the near future.
Special Mention : Tre Wood, 6’01/2, PG, St. Johns Cadets, 2018. Committed to : UMass.
Tre impacted the game with heart,intensity & athleticism. While he scored just 6 points, Tre got into the paint & challenged IMG in the 1st half by getting his shot off with his athleticism & craftiness. He had several near misses in his 9 FG attempts & he dealt out 4 assists & was credited with one steal, but we saw several. Look for Tre to have top notch games this week. This past summer Tre was a key player for #2 nationally ranked Team Takeover 17u who won the Fab48 in Vegas & in or opinion made a strong case for #1.
Takeaways from game :
SJC proved they can play & compete against taller athletes at the highest level in HS basketball. This win should give SJC confidence the remainder of the season.Tonight the Cadets play Good Counsel at home & DeMatha on Friday. Will SJC be drained from the loss & overlook the improved & under the radar Falcons? We say no, but will find out tonight. IMG is loaded with talent & athleticism & in our opinion this game was not a wakeup call & the Ascenders took SJC seriously. We must mention the following IMG Players:
Josh Green (#00) 6’5″ WG, 2019. Josh is ranked @ #31 ESPN . His offers include Arizona, Arizona Sate, Kansas, TCU, Texas A & M, UCLA, Oregon, Cal, Oklahoma, Stanford & more. Josh came to IMG from Hillcrest Prep (AZ) after arriving in the USA from Australia 2 years ago. He is a superb player & his #29 national ranking is justified. He only totaled 8 points today, but he is super explosive, can score from all 3 levels & defend. In transition he goes to the rim hard where he glides in fast & hard. Josh will throw down some jaw dropper dunks & he is a very focused player who plays hard on both ends with a high IQ.
Jahmius Ramsey (#3) #104, 6’4″WG 2019. IMG . Jahmius is ranked @ #104 nationally & holds offers from Florida, Kansas State & Texas A&M. He has some similarity to Josh in the manner the attacks the rim with explosive power & overall he is an elite athlete. Jahmius was standout performer this summer playing for Hard Work 16U. One of his teammates for Hardwork is 2020 Micah Peavy who already holds offers from Texas A& M & Tennessee. Jahmius can shoot the 3 ball, facilitate & defend. We predict his rankings will move up. We chatted with Jahmius before the game & he told us he is originally from Dallas, Texas. Like all of his IMG teammates we wish him the best.
Darrius Days, 6’7″, PF, 2018. IMG : Committed to LSU.
Darrius is ranked in the top 60 range nationally & has a very powerful build. He can really drain the 3 where he connected on all 3 of his attempts. Darrius has the ability to be a force in the paint & play inside out. He transferred to IMG from The Rock(FL). He will join 6’9″ 5 star Nazeron Reid from Roselle Catholic (NJ) & top 35 PG J’Avonte Smart from Baton Rouge, LA at LSU next season. Many experts attending the game said that Darius is a legitimate Top 40 player in the nation & underrated.
Noah Farrrakhan : 6’1″ PG, 2020 .IMG We scouted Noah last season when he was a freshmen for powerful St. Benedict Prep. He hit a key shot in the final minute when the Gray Bess knocked off Montverde Prep in Hagerstown, MD. On Sunday, Noah scored 9 points & dished out 5 assists in 27 minutes. he spent 15 of them with 15 of them battling SJC 2020 PG Delonnie Hunt. Noah is ranked #13 in ESPN 2020 rankings & we have always been impressed by him. Noah has very, very long wingspan & is very tough tough competitor. He came back into the game after receiving over 8 stitches in his jaw. While he plays with a chip on his shoulder which we like, he got into a verbal match with a fan on an out of bounds. Noah is in only in grade 10 & this was the only blemish we saw from him this year & last. We are very high on him.
What goes around comes around @NavyBasketball commit Richard Njoku SLAMS one on Kansas commit Silvio De Sousa. @SJCAthletics not letting down or going away! pic.twitter.com/vMAmc2NZmV
— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) December 10, 2017