December 10, 2018
MIDDLE SCHOOL 5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣
1. LOWRANCE. SOLID across the board. They have a Top 3 player at every starting spot. They’re HUGE, with a 6’6, 6’5, & 6’1, they’re a MATCHUP NIGHTMARE for any opponent. Depth may be an issue and Some feel like they haven’t proven themselves vs. a “quality opponent”, well the Christmas tournaments are days AWAY. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
2. BELLEVUE. They’re LOADED. Probably the deepest team in the city, and a SOLID starting 5. No “true bigs” though and strength of schedule is questionable BUT a MAM Championship would SURELY silence all the naysayers.
3. HIGHLAND OAKS. Lost to Ridgeway early but since then they have beaten Ridgeway and Lester. They have the best backcourt in the city, and a solid frontcourt, including a 6’5 big that’s making a name for himself. They face Lester again in a couple of weeks, the outcome will mean A WHOLE LOT!
4. RIDGEWAY. Ridgeway probably has the best collection of guards of any team, a prolific scorer, and versatile 6’4 big. The team seems to struggle a bit when their go to guy isn’t on. An OT win vs. Lester, a split with Highland Oaks, and a close call against Havenview proves that they aren’t invincible.
5. LESTER. Tenacious Defense and a dangerous group of guards, to go with a big that’s big enough to be nicknamed the “Big Ticket” and you have a potent string of starters. BUT depth is an issue and they haven’t been able to close out a big game. They lost at Ridgeway to Ridgeway AND to Highland Oaks at Lester. The Rematches will show if they’re good or great.
HONORABLE MENTION. Easy, it’s Havenview. They won the MLK convincingly and almost upset Ridgeway. A big win could put them in the 5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣‼️
October 15, 2018
Its Middle School basketball time again. Here is our PreSeason Top5 Top5 Top5 Players & Teams.
August 20, 2018
The 2nd Annual FIRST48 Fall League is in the books. Click the link below to read the review.
December 6, 2017
1. LESTER PREP
Undefeated, including wins vs. Ridgeway, Freeman, and Lowrance.
2. MEMPHIS NIGHTHAWKS
You'll see!
3. BELLEVUE
Undefeated, including a MLK Championship win vs. Havenview
4. GERMANTOWN
10-1,the only blemish on their record is a road loss to Ridgeway. But they avenged that loss with a convincing double digit victory at home.
5. RIDGEWAY
12-2, with the toughest schedule in the city, not bad. Their only losses came to Germantown (who they split with) and #1 Lester.
6. JP FREEMAN
Only loss came to #1 Lester who they took all the way to the wire. Also beat Havenview.
7. HAVENVIEW
Beat former Top 5 Snowden convincingly.
8. ELMORE PARK
Undefeated
tie 9. FACS
Undefeated
tie 9. ST. LOUIS
Undefeated, and led by the best player in the city, Chandler Jackson.
11. SNOWDEN
Former Top 5 team with a very tough schedule. Took Germantown all the way to the buzzer.
tie 12. LOWRANCE
Clawed back from a huge deficit to scare #1 Lester in the Lions' Den.
tie 12. KINGSBURY
Undefeated
November 27, 2017
If you thought there’d be no movement in our 5️⃣5️⃣until the Bartlett Christmas Tourney then you thought wrong.
That stand still lasted less than 2 weeks.
Lester is still unbothered in the top spot. And I️ know only a few of you have seen the Nighthawks, but I️ assure you they are legit.
Ridgeway is still looking like the best large school team in the city and hasn’t lost since they ran into the Lions of Lester Prep.
We figured Bellevue would have a chance of breaking the 5️⃣ with a potential MLK Championship vs. Snowden. But then Snowden gets upset by Havenview (who by the way only has one loss, and it was to #3 Ridgeway). Bellevue then beats Havenview in the Championship.
So Bellevue breaks the 5️⃣ and Snowden drops out.
In the coming days we will be releasing our Dandy Dozen.
Who do you think will make I️t? Elmore Park? Havenview? Freeman? Lowrance? Kingsbury?
Check back to find out!
November 22, 2017
(Click the image to view the full story.)
November 17, 2017
SNOWDEN VS. GERMANTOWN RECAP
Chunky Brooks is one of the best players in middle school and Dricus Pittman is one of the best shooters in middle school. Now that we got that out the way let’s talk about the game.
Snowden owned Germantown for the entire game up until 1.7 seconds left. Facts.
Early on the 4 headed monster of Chunky Brooks, Dricus Pittman, KD Dandridge, and Armani McFadgon looked elite. Led by Brooks, it looked as if Snowden would win the game by double figures.
Brooks attacked the basket and finished whenever he wanted to. He drew fouls and made free throws. Steph Pittman, excuse me, Dricus Pittman hit big 3 after big 3.
Snowden led by as much as 11 but could never pull away from Germantown.
Snowden’s ability to control the game was partly due to the fact that Germantown didn’t take advantage of their size mismatch. They could’ve forced the ball inside on every possession and won by 20. Basically every time the Red Devils fed the post they scored. There was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING Snowden could do with them in the paint. But instead of exploiting the inside they played a “Four Out” offense where they had two bigs on the wing and the other at the free throw line. Germantown’s offense consisted of taking a lot of three point attempts. Oddly enough I️t wasn’t their shooter, Chris Martin, that was taking the shots.
Long story short, Chris Martin hit a buzzer beater 3 to win the game.
HERE’S WHY SNOWDEN LOST: Two things stood out. Over the course of the game Snowden’s guards turned the ball over TOO MUCH! They had chance after to chance to put the game away but just turned I️t over. Sometimes back to back, allowing Germantown to go on quick 4-0 and 6-0 runs. And down the stretch Snowden made some mistakes that turned out to be very costly. Initially I thought Germantown pressing would be a bad idea. If Snowden had anything working in their favor it was guard play. Aside from that pressing often leads to foul trouble which Germantown really couldn't afford. BUT the Red Devils’ full court press caused Snowden problems and was probably THE determining factor of the game. GTown has long athletic guys like Cam Miller and Deshaun Dunn at the top of the press and they were effective. This hurt Snowden because all they have is guards. They have 4 8th grade guards that should’ve been able to break the press, handle the ball, and close the game.
Secondly, and most importantly; 1.7 seconds left on the clock, Germantown is inbounding the ball under their own basket. If you’re Snowden ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS FIND CHRIS MARTIN! And what happened? They let the best shooter in Germantown jersey get a good look.
GAME OVER!
Click the link below to check out 901 Prep Scoop's Snowden vs. Germantown Highlights.
November 16, 2017
Snowden v. Germantown
This should be a good one! You have the best backcourt in the city vs. the best front court in the city.
Snowden boasts four tough, seasoned, aggressive, 8th grade guards; Chunky Brooks is on a rampage this season. He’s a physical kid on both ends, he’s got a solid build, and he knows how to use I️t. Chunky does I️t all! Scores, defends, and rebounds. Team him with Kyler Dandridge who has nice size for a guard and may be the best defender in the class, Dricus Pittman a cat quick, 3 point specialist that can score in bunches, and Armani McFadgon a long kid that causes fits on defense and is more than capable of putting the ball in the hole.
Germantown features Cam Miller, a 6’3 super athletic big that will cause problems on both ends, Daniel Egbuniwe, another 6’3 kid that does I️t all, and Deshaun Dunn, a big aggressive defender that can get buckets!
Obviously Snowden has superior guard play due to depth alone. And obviously Germantown wins the battle of the bigs.
This game will come down to two things;
GERMANTOWN’S GUARD PLAY: The Red Devils will need Chris Martin and Jhamal Ross to most importantly take of the ball and limit turnovers, and secondly be leaders and be vocal on the court. After watching Germantown let the game slip away against Ridgeway it’s clear that they need leadership on the court. Aside from that if Martin, who is a superb outside shooter, is able to knock two or three trey balls, he alone may be able to separate the Red Devils from the Green Dogs.
COACHING: Both teams have advantages that can put them over the top, and disadvantages that can be exploited. Coaching and adjustment making will play a huge key in who pulls out this win.
Germantown is the favorite to win. But Snowden really has nothing to lose. In our opinion the pressure is on the Red Devils who are in need of a quality win after a devastating loss to Ridgeway earlier in the season.
November 10, 2017
LIONS, TIGERS, NO BEARS!
Whitehaven v. Dubois
Whitehaven vs. Dubois just may become the new “Whitehaven Classic”. With Whitehaven forever being a powerhouse and Dubois being the hottest up and coming high school program in the city, this game was billed as a must see!
Whitehaven jumped out early and basically never looked back. But this game wasn’t as much about the now, as it was about the future, and even more so about THE CULTURE!
The cameras were rolling, as both Sportslife and MyKal Anthony were in the building.
The gym was packed and the pregame warmups were just as exciting as the actual game, there was more dunking than a dunk contest! Emmanuel “E” Bynum tried to make a movie, throwing himself an alley off the gym wall! ! And “Lil Jesse” Payne even threw one down just as the teams walked to their benches.
I️t was great to see so many high profile AAU kids playing varsity ball in a single game. And We loved seeing so many underclassmen in the starting lineups!
Dubois started freshmen “Trai Day” Mitchell and sophomore “Lil Rod” Jackson.
The Haven started “Mr.Hard To Guard” himself, Alvin Miles, and fellow sophomore and human highlight reel Matthew Murrell.
Though Dubois is not the Dubois of last year, losing studs like Chris Mitchell and Rameek Wooten. They have still managed to field a solid young team that will give anyone a run for their money.
Dubois is super athletic with kids like Kenshun White and Jamey Sanders, along with "E", that can jump out the gym and get it and go! But Kenshun white !!! He shot it well from behind the arc, attacked the rim on sight, and rebounded and defended well.
The Lions’ Zay Maclin is another post presence that will bring a lot to the table. He’s a physical enforcer type, a Bruiser on defense and can score on the offensive end.
Trai Day, the baby brother of Chris Mitchell, looked solid on the varsity stage. He handled the ball well despite being undersized, took big shots, and was pesky on defense. He even had one sequence where he got a steal and an easy lay.
Sophomore, “Lil Catt” Moore came off the bench and also looked like he was ready for the varsity stage. A proven scorer and known arrow gang member, he was able to score by penetrating and drawing fouls, even with his outside shot not falling.
Martavius “TayTay” Bernard was another freshmen guard that showed flashes! At one point he single handedly beat the press,went coast to coast, found a teammate for the open layup and got the assist.
Now Whitehaven’s mascot is the Tiger but they should be the Savages! They are so deep! So long! And so aggressive!
You have to start with Cam Jones, a 6’6 wing that can do IT ALL. He was easily the best player on the court. He knocked down threes, threw down dunks, and found open teammates.
Al miles was in the starting lineup and looked like he belonged there. Of course he took care of the ball, rebounded surprisingly well, defended well, and his shot selection was impeccable.
Fellow sophomore Mathew Murrell started and is ready to contribute FULL TIME! He scored and rebounded well.
Sophomore Jesse Payne came off the bench and dropped 3 3s and a bunch of free throws and looks to be a solid contributor in the Tigers rotation.
Another bright spot off the Tigers bench was #12, high motor Simmie Jones. HE CAN SHOOT IT! He came off the bench with a lot of energy. And knocked down some BIG 3s. His aggression on defense was unmatched. Look for him to make a lot of noise this season.
More proof of the Tigers depth, stud guard Markavius Lobbins and sophomore sensation Antwarn Smith didn’t even play due to injury!
Dubois got off to a slow start and might have trailed the entire game. Though they didn’t seem to be phased by being undersized they turned the ball over more than they could afford to versus such an elite team. Their upperclassmen must be smart and remain disciplined. At times some of their veteran players seemed selfish, even overlooking shooters, only to force bad shots.
But don’t be fooled, once Coach Jason Johnson’s younger players buy into his “CONTROLLED CHAOS” system I️t will be business as usual!
This would definitely be a good matchup to catch a month or two from now when Whitehaven is fully loaded and Coach Johnson has worked some of the kinks out!
November 9, 2017
Lester Prep v. JP Freeman
The first game of the Lester Prep v. JP Freeman series tips off today at Freeman.
Lester, as I’m sure you’ve heard is the best team in the city. They can go 7 or 8 deep without missing a beat and boast a couple of the city’s best 8th graders in Markese Washington and Chauncey Holmes, a couple of the city’s best 7th graders in Jamarion “Woody” Harvey and Marcus Crawford, and one of the city’s most coveted 6th graders in Khylan Payne.
Freeman has a few high caliber kids on their roster as well!
Three Team Thad 2022 players will suit up for the Panthers: Bryce Dailey, who is easily one of the best players in the class, a versatile big with nice ball handling skills, and shooting ability, that can play in the post or on the wing, Harold “HD3” Draper will be relied upon heavily to handle the ball and knock down shots, and Eric Steward, a highly aggressive forward with superb defense but will help with the scoring.
Add 7th grade Wareagle Langston Rogers and you see that Freeman fields quite a talented squad.
BUT vs. Lester, like all of Lester’s will have to, Freeman will have to play a near perfect game. They will have to keep Lester from penetrating and force them to make shots from the perimeter. On offense Freeman will definitely have to play mistake free and hope to get a Lion or two in foul trouble.
We predict Lester by double digits.
Make sure you check back for our next features: 2021 Player Rankings, Ridgeway RoadRunners, and Kingsbury Falcons, and Jamarius"Mane" Carter!