WASHINGTON, DC AREA REPORT
by Steve Turner, Washington, DC Area  Editor of the HOOP SCOOP
Published November 6, 2002

***Denotes a player who will be in his 9th semester of high school when his class reaches its senior year.

Editor's Note:  Turner's list of the top 115 seniors, 68 juniors, 41 sophomores, 48 freshmen, Four 8th graders, and One 6th grader can be found by clicking below on Turner Ranks Em:  The Top High School Players in the Washington, DC Area

TRANSFERS & BALANCE APPEAR TO BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY IN THE WASHINGTON, DC AREA
by Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP, and Steve Turner, Washington, DC Area Editor of the HOOP SCOOP

                    You almost need a scorecard to keep track of where all the players are going to and coming from in the Washington, DC Area.   And right at the top of the list is 6'8 Linas Kleiza from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is originally from Lithuania.  Next is 6'8 Darian Townes, who started his high school career at Alexandria (T.C. Williams) VA, but is now at Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC.  Then, there is 6'8 Omari Israel, who transferred briefly to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, but who has played his entire career at Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD.  This fall 6'7 Patrick Ewing, Jr transferred from Marietta (H.S.) GA to Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD and 6'7 Barbacar Thiem from Washington (Spingarn) DC is the first of several imports from Africa that we'll mention.  Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA was where 6'5 Ricky Lucas, 6'3 Nick Grant, and 6'4 Robert Taylor all started, but after several years at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Lucas is now at Herndon (H.S.) VA, Grant is at Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, and Taylor is at Reston (South Lakes) VA.  Also 6'6 Joe Young from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD started his career at Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD and 6'8 Jerome Hable previously was at Bartonville (Paint Branch) MD, but now is at Bethesda (Walt Whitman) MD. 
                    And that's just the players in the senior class!  If you will recall, 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia-Ehis, who is originally from Nigeria, came close to enrolling at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, before finally enrolling at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD this fall.  Washington (Dunbar) DC is the 4th school for 6'2 Jr Earl Risby, who started at Washington (Gonzaga) DC, but also spent time at New Hampton (Prep) NH and Ft. Washington (National Christian) DC.  Also 6'8 Jr Keith Darden from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD is originally from Greensboro (West Guilford) NC and 6'4 Jr Randy Hampton from Washington (Dunbar) DC started his high school career at Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  So did 6'3 Jr Chris Howard from Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD, while 6'3 Jr Tommy Moss from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD started at Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) DC and 5'11 Jr Tyler McKittrick from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD started at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, but then transferred to Germantown (Northwest) MD.  Another talented import from Africa is 6'11 Jr Tunji Soreye from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and 6'4 Jr Travis Lay from Potomac (Bullis) MD started at Bethesda (Walter Johnson) MD.  In the sophomore class 6'0 Soph Eric Price already is at his third school.  If you will recall, he started at Washington (Gonzaga) DC two years ago and was a repeat freshman at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD last year.   Also 6'0 Soph Abdullah Jallon from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD started at Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, but then transferred to Forestville (McNamara) MD and 6'2 Soph Ryan Scott from Reston (South Lakes) VA and 6'6 Soph Travis Ivery from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD both started at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  And yet another foreign import is 6'8 Soph Uche Uchefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  Nobody in the freshman class has transferred yet, but give them time - school only has been in session for a couple of months. 
                     However, the biggest story, according Steve Turner, who is our Washington, DC Area Editor, is the overwhelming balance.  Sure, you have three legendary coaches in Morgan Wootten of Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, Stu Vetter of Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and Dick Myers of Washington (Gonzaga) DC, plus some other great coaches, like Bob Brown of Washington (St. Albans) DC and Danny Harwood of Rockville (Margruder) MD, as well as some of the top up-and-coming coaches, like Kevin Sutton of Forestville (McNamara) MD, like Joey Wootten of Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA.  But Turner thinks the best team in the entire area is Washington (Spingarn) DC.  Not only has Spingarn won back-to-back DCIAA Championships, but they also advanced to the championship game of the prestigious Charlie Weber Invitational, where they lost to DC Assault in the finals.  The two guys that make Spingarn go are Thiem and 6'3 Solheim Frazier and we're talking about two of the most unheralded players in the area.   Neither also did anything on the summer circuit outside the DC area, so most people in our business don't even know they're alive, much less how good they are.  Frazier is listed as a wing forward, because that's the position he'll project at for the next level, but what he does best is use his incredible wing span to block shots, defend, and rebound.  Thiem is still learning the game, but he's a big time athlete, a tough hardnose competitor, and his game is extremely well rounded.  He also is a legitimate top 100 sleeper nationally, which means Thiem ranks right up there among the top seniors in the area, along with Kleiza, Townes, Isreal, Ewing, Lucas, 6'1 Tre Kelley from Washington (Dunbar) DC, and 6'8 Sheray Thomas from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, all of whom get top 100 consideration nationally.  Another player who might also move into this group is 6'8 Jerome Hable from Bethesda (Walt Whitman) MD.  Not only is the lefty who blocks shots, plays above the rim, and runs the court like a gazelle a total sleeper, but he is not on anybody's radar screen outside of the DC Area. 
                    The senior class also has good depth with players like Frazier, Grant, 6'8 Steve Danley from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'0 Lorenzo Miles from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'0 Wes Otis from Suitland (H.S.) MD, 6'4 Delonte Taylor from Washington (M.M. Washington) DC, 6'3 Rashard Nixon from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD.  Taylor, Grant, and Nixon all fall into the same category, because they can both slash and shot the basketball.  Nixon actually is the least athletic of the three, but he is the heart-and-sole of the Oxon Hill team and he's tough to stop when he gets the ball along the baseline.  Grant plays above the rim and is the best athlete of the three, while Otis also is a great athlete, as well as the best 3-pointer shooter of the three.  Danley, who is an absolute steal for Pennsylvania, is the ultimate blue collar player and he does all the dirty work inside for DeMatha.   Miles is the ulitmate floor general who makes his teammates better, breaks you down off the dribble, and keeps you honest with his jump shot.  Otis is a scoring point guard who instantly turns Suitland into one of the teams to beat in Prince George's County.  While Thiem, Hable, Miles, and Frazier all fall into the sleeper category, the fastest rising player in the area is Ewing.  Not only was he sensational at the Charlie Weber Tournament, but he impressed Turner with his outside shooting, intensity, and ability to finish in traffic.  In other words, Ewing was not the same player this fall that we saw during the spring and summer when we questioned his position, outside shooting, and heart.  The best player in the senior class hands down is Kleiza, who is best described as a multi-dimensional athlete with a blue collar work ethic.   Townes edges out Israel for the #2 spot, because he's really polished his offensive game and already is an intimidating force at the defensive end.  In contrast, Israel's game appears to have plateaued as he wants to be a three, but has to be a four.
                    The junior class has all the makings of a great class, because it has great talent at the top, as well as plenty of size and a lot of depth.  The great talent right now consists of 6'9 Jr Brian Johnson from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA and Odia-Ehis, both of whom should be locks for the McDonald's All-American Game a year from now.  Johnson also finishes a close second to Kleiza in the race for top player honors in the area regardless of class.  We're talking about a guy with excellent post moves and a soft touch at the offensive end, a desire to play good defense, rebound, and block shots at the defensive end, and the ability to get up and down the floor with the best of them.  A lot of people think Johnson is already a near lock for North Carolina, but Turner isn't so sure.  "I know he wants to take all his visits and go through the recruiting process," says Turner.  "Florida, Maryland, Georgetown, and Duke were the schools he mentioned last time I talked with him, but I still the Tar Heels the leader."  Odia-Ehis is a phenomenal athlete who can shot, pass, handle, and defend, which means Montrose Christian has what has to be the best one-two punch in the area with Kleiza and Odia-Ehis.
                    However, 7'0 Jr Roy Hibbert and 6'8 Jr Davis Nwanko at North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD could become a dominating force, especially, if Hibbert can stay healthy and finally start to live up to the incredible hype and expectations.   But, even if Hibbert doesn't make major strides this year, Nwanko is one of Turner's favorite players, because he combines a great body with good athleticism and a blue collar-like game.  Another "paint-eater" is 6'9 Jr Jarrett Gaither from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD.  Not only does Gaither clog up the paint with his size, but he has good hands, finishes well around the basket, and is good at the defensive end.  Even more size is provided by Johnson, Darden, Soreye, and 6'8 Jr James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD.  6'9 Jr Jerome Johnson from Potomac (Bullis) MD has an unpolished offensive game, but Turner tells us Johnson is a force to be reckoned with at the defensive end.  And that alone will make him a high major recruit.   Darden is best when he's facing the basket, while Soreye is best in the low post and, as a result, he provides Montrose Christian with dominant force inside to complement Kleiza's inside/outside game and Odia-Ehis on the perimeter.  Gist is a high flying athlete who will combine with Israel to provide Good Counsel with what might be the most athletic front-court's in Prince George's County.
                    The junior class also has great depth, as is evident by the fact that 13 players are listed on our six All-Washington, DC Area Teams, include the top players in the area regardless of class and position.  Risby is the only point guard in the class to make any of the six teams, which are listed at the beginning of this report, but he is the prototypical point guard who breaks you down off the dribble, defends, and creates for his teammates.   And don't be surprised if 5'10 Jr Steve Harley from Temple Hills (Crossland) MD and 6'3 Jr Brad Ferrell from Herndon (H.S.) VA pass up some of the seniors we currently have listed ahead of them.  Harley, who had several 40-plus point games a year ago, is best described as a scoring point guard.  Ferrell, who is described by Turner as one of the biggest sleepers in the class, is a point guard with size who is similar to Maryland point guard Steve Blake many ways.   Out on the perimeter 6'1 Jr Manny Quazada from Washington (St. Albans) DC can flat out score, and 6'3 Jr John Vaughn from Laurel (H.S.) MD also puts up prolific numbers, although Turner thinks Vaughn has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to develop into a point guard down the road.  Another slasher/athlete that Turner likes is 6'5 Jr Jason Flagler from Dumfries (Potomac) VA.  In contrast, 6'4 Jr Fred Stanback from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA has an Adrian Dantley-like game.   "Stanback is a throwback to another era," says Turner.  "He's not a great athlete, but he can shoot the three, knows how to use his body, and always seems to find a way to score. 
                    The sophomore class is extremely guard heavy, as four of the top seven players are point guards and seven of the top dozen players in the class play either the one or the two spot.  However, that's a story for future reports, as here we will only focus on the top five players - Price, 6'5 Soph Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'8 Soph Desmond Adedeji from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5'11 Jr Stephen Snowden from Germantown (Watkins Mill) MD, and 6'8 Soph Michael Freeman from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD - in the class.  Price not only is one of the top five sophomores in the nation, but he does it all, including play great defense.  "Price is a great on-the-ball defender," says Turner.   Ginyard is a slasher/athlete/defender.  Adedeji is expected to be the perfect complement to Danley inside at DeMatha, because he can score inside and finishes well in the low post.  Snowden is a powerful point guard who looks to pass first and score second.  Freeman is an athletic big kid with a tremendous upside, good handling skills for his size, and excellent finishing skills around the basket.