City of Basketball Love

Matthew Ryan (@matthewryan02)

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In preparation for the start of July’s live period later this week, players were back with their grassroots teams this past weekend.

The DMV Warmup hosted by The St. James in Virginia had EYBL, UAA and 3SSB teams compete during the two-day event, along with numerous different programs that aren’t affiliated with shoe brands. Most of the teams hailed from D.C., Maryland or Virginia, though there were some local teams in attendance like Philly Pride and WeR1.

Here are the standouts for the entire event:

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Curtis Blair III (2023 | VA Havoc UA Rise 17U | Steward School, Va.)

In a 74-54 loss to Team Takeover, Blair, a 6-foot-5 guard/wing, shot the lights out. He made five threes, most of them off the catch, and multiple mid-range jumpers, including a tough fade away. The Liberty commit, who is a three-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, also threw down a dunk on his way to a 25-point outing.

Elijah Brown (2024 | Philly Pride 16U | St. Augustine Prep, N.J.)

Across Philly Pride’s two games, Brown averaged 13.5 points per game, scoring 16 against Team Durant and 11 against New World. Throughout both games, the 6-foot-4 guard showed his ability to get inside, where he would finish layups and dunks, routinely going to the free-throw line. He was also crashing the glass and came down with two rebounds that he put back up for layups. Brown currently has an offer from Albany and has been in contact with numerous other schools.

Caden Diggs (2024 | New World 16U | Bullis, Md.)

In New World’s 72-49 win over Philly Pride, Diggs scored a game-high 17 points. The 6-7 wing did most of his work down low, finishing layups and dunks — he used a smooth euro step to get around his defender to throw down his first dunk — and even getting some offensive rebounds which he put back up. He also showed off his mid-range, knocking down at least two jumpers, and he went 5-for-6 at the free-throw line. Diggs currently has eight offers, including one high-major offer from Xavier.

Donnie Freeman (2024 | Team Takeover 17U | St. John’s, D.C.)

One of the most highly ranked players at the DMV Warmup, the 6-8 Freeman averaged 16 ppg in his two games on Sunday, including a 21-point outing against VA Havoc UA Rise. The five-star forward did most of his damage around the rim and in the mid-range, knocking down numerous jumpers while also getting trips to the free-throw line. Freeman has more than a dozen scholarship offers, including from high-major programs Georgetown, Maryland, Syracuse, Xavier, Ole Miss, Marquette, Texas, Alabama and Virginia Tech.

DeShawn Harris-Smith (2023 | Team Takeover 17U | Paul VI, Va.)

There wasn’t a play on Sunday that generated more excitement than Harris-Smith’s poster dunk. In Team Takeover’s 74-54 win over VA Havoc UA Rise, the 6-5 guard was running down the floor when he got a pass from his teammate, took one dribble and two steps and then rose up for an and-one jam with his left. He had nine points and at least four assists in the first half and scored 11 points earlier in the day, all in the second half in a win against We R1. The lefty showed his ability to distribute the ball and get to the basket, and he knocked down a three against We R1.

Amani Hansberry (2023 | Team Durant 17U | Mount Saint Joseph, Md.)

Going head-to-head for most of the game with five-star recruit Derick Queen of Team Thrill, Hansberry more than held his own. The 6-8 forward scored 24 points, mostly down low, where he finished through contact multiple times, and he hit a jumper and six free throws. Hansberry was a monster on the boards, where he grabbed multiple offensive rebounds and put them back up, including a put-back dunk. He also made his presence felt as a rim protector, blocking multiple shots. He and Queen went back and forth as Team Durant fell, 65-55.

Thomas Haugh (2023 | We R1 17U | Perkiomen)

In two games on Sunday, Haugh scored 16 and 17 points to help We R1 to a 1-1 record. The recent Florida commit showed his ability to score inside, finishing dunks and layups — scoring a couple through contact — but also knocked down a jumper and a pair of threes off the catch. The 6-9 wing had at least five blocks on the day as well, with two coming on three-point attempts and four of the five in a 67-53 win over New World.

Elmarko Jackson (2023 | We R1 17U | South Kent, Conn.)

One of the more coveted players in the class of 2023, Jackson showed why on Sunday. Across two games, Jackson averaged 14 ppg and scored 16 points in a 63-56 loss to Team Takeover. He showed his ability to create his own shot at all three levels and also shot the long ball off the catch, finishing with four threes total on the day. The 6-4 guard got to the basket, finishing layups and dunks, and showed his athleticism with a chase-down block. Jackson has a plethora of offers, including recent ones from Villanova, Indiana, Texas, Michigan and Kansas.

Drew McKenna (2024 | Team Melo 16U | Glenelg Country, Md.)

Down the stretch against DC Premier, McKenna was the definition of clutch. With under 1:30 left, he made two free throws to tie the game up, and with 52 seconds remaining, he made two more to give his team a two-point lead. After DC Premier tied things up, Team Melo went back to McKenna, who hit a tough fade-away jumper that bounced around and dropped as the eventual game-winner to give him 21 points. The 6-8 wing currently has high-major offers from Marquette, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgetown, DePaul, Illinois and Rutgers.

Royce Parham (2024 | Team Durant 16U | North Hills)

With Matthew Gilhool not in attendance for Philly Pride, Parham feasted down low. The 6-8 forward scored 19 points, mostly on layups, though he did knock down a three-pointer off the catch early on. He was also a big factor on the boards as Team Durant topped Philly Pride, 71-66. Parham currently has offers from schools like VCU, Penn State, Rutgers, TCU and Pitt. 

Eli Rice (2023 | Team Thrill 17U | IMG Academy, Fla.)

In one of the most-watched games of the day, Rice scored a team-high 22 points as Team Thrill topped Team Durant, 65-55. The 6-7 lefty guard/wing had 18 of his points in the second half, making two threes and six free throws as well as scoring inside the arc. Rice has received offers this year from Georgetown and St. Bonaventure.

Honorable Mentions

16U: Teyvien Barbour (2024 | DC Premier | Osbourn, Va.), Ty Burton (2024 | Philly Pride | Lampeter-Strasburg), Greg Guidinger (2024 | Philly Pride | Central York), Jamari Hodnett (2024 | New World | Bishop Ireton, Va.), Emmanuel Okitondo (2024 | Team Durant | Archbishop Carroll, D.C.), Sara Soumare (2024 | New World | Christchurch School, Va.), Ryan Williams (2024 | Philly Pride | Malvern Prep)

17U: Isaiah Abraham (2024 | Team Takeover | Paul VI, Va.), Darren Harris (2024 | Team Takeover | Paul VI, Va.), Delamortay Jones (2024 | Team Durant | Rock Creek Christian Academy, Md), Jaeden Mustaf (2024 | New World | Carmel Christian, N.C.), Derik Queen (2024 | Team Thrill | Montverde Academy, Fl.), Jeremiah Quigley (2023 | Team Takeover | Bishop McNamara, Md.), Bobby Rosenberger (2023 | We R1 | Perkiomen), Khalil Williams (2023 | New World | Potomac School, Va.)