The ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoop Fest kicked off Friday evening here at Dematha Catholic HS in Hyattsville, MD and I picked up the action starting on Saturday with a six game slate tipping off at noon. This event always draws a crowd and for this day the building was packed to the gills so to speak and I was told that quite a few folks were turned away so as not to aggravate the fire marshal. It's safe to say however that in my opinion this was definitely a sellout crowd that brought great enthusiasm and energy into the building. The following players stood out as we look at the first three games on the day in part 1:

Game #1 Rock Creek Christian Academy (Upper Marlboro, MD) ' 93 Cesar Chavez PCS (DC) – 56

Despite the one sided score in this contest the young men from Chavez battled hard and trailed by 14 entering the fourth quarter when the wheels fell off and shots that were falling earlier started rimming out instead of dropping in and as frustration mounted a double technical foul ensued and Rock Creek took advantage by way of a 32-9 final frame thumping in their runaway win. The catalyst for this team on this day was 5'10' '21 Guy Fauntleroy who darted and dashed his way around the court hitting quick strike buckets as well as setting up his cutting or open teammates with razor sharp dishes that led to great scoring opportunities. I had seen Fauntleroy in the summer and thought he played a bit out of control and a little bit wild but he was absolutely in control here today putting up 20pts (6-8 FT's) 8asts 7reb 4stls in a heady game MVP performance that caught a few coaches eyes and a notation for a future viewing of this youngster. He had help in the backcourt as his more established mate 5'11' '20 Delonnie Hunt chipped in 17pts (6-8 FT's) 6reb 3asts while creating a dilemma for the Chavez defense of the pick your poison option. Both these guys can play downhill in getting to the basket but they bring the added presence of mind to keep their heads up to track their teammates for the scoring pass they can deliver when cut off from their foray to the cup. They both have shown that they're smart, tough and resilient defenders continually thwarting the Chavez backcourt from penetrating the lane especially down the stretch. Another weapon that emerged for Rock Creek was '20 Milton Matthews who drained 5 treys enroute to his 18pts and he did it with a smooth and balanced shot that featured a quick and measured release and he clearly established himself as their go to shooter when they need a three ball to loosen up a defense. For Cesar Chavez Soph Missiah Brown showed some potential as a steadying influence kind of guy as he led them with 14pts 4asts while proving efficient at handling the pressure thrown at him by the Rock Creek guards. He showed me enough to put him into my worth a further look column and it is well deserved.

Game #2 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) ' 72 Archbishop Carroll (DC) ' 63

Roman got a big boost back in October when 6'3' '20 Lynn Greer III announced he was aborting his brief sojourn to famed Oak Hill Academy and returning to Broad & Vine in Philly to once again join the Cahillites. As this is the opening weekend for PIAA member schools Roman Catholic was playing it's first game of the year and so there were bound to be some opening hiccups accompanying this initial outing and my unofficial count of 21 turnovers certainly was a big hiccup if we're nit picking a win over a quality side like Archbishop Carroll. The Cahillites turned up the pressure in the 2nd half turning a one point halftime lead into their nine point final margin of victory and they did it despite hitting just 9-16 from the line in the 4th quarter as their staunch defense turned the tide in securing the win. Game MVP 6'6' Penn State signee Seth Lundy led Roman with 20pts 9reb and again showed his versatility as an inside out guy by getting to the basket for tough in traffic finishes then stepping out to nail a perimeter jumper of which he had 3 treys in the contest. He has been maligned in the past as a soft player but that label in my eyes went away after a team camp game at Villanova in June of 2017 when he was battered by Imhotep Charter and kept on ticking and he did a nice job here grabbing 2stls and playing tough physical defense in the paint against Carroll's 6'10' Jr. center. As I mentioned earlier Lynn Greer III is back and on first glance you'd think he might be more advanced in his preparation than his teammates being as he spent time at Oak Hill and played in a few games before announcing his transfer back home. Alas he had by my count 8 turnovers in the contest but not to worry his teammates were not that sharp either and most of these could be chalked up to timing issues that a few more games will solve for the most part. Greer is of course their primary ball handler and I expect him to turn it over at times but his overall instincts and handling skills go a long way in orchestrating the Roman attack and he had 16pts 5reb while contributing 2asts and 2stls in the winning effort. 6'6' '19 Hakim Hart (St. Joseph's signee) added 15pts 3 treys 6reb 3asts in another workmanlike performance that sometimes goes unnoticed but his contributions to this team are vital to their success. One of the better freshman prospects not only in Philly but in the whole country also had a starring role in this victory as 6'9' '22 Jalen Duren contributed 15pts 10reb 3blks coming off the bench but this won't be a long term deal cause this young man can really play. He is explosive around the hole with quick reactions to the ball on both ends of the floor and a good nose for the ball as well. I suspect we'll be hearing his name a lot over the next few seasons. For Carroll I first saw 6'3' '20 Corey Barnes when he was at Cape Henlopen HS in Lewes, DE and really liked his energy and enthusiasm for the game and he did nothing here to change my mind as he was the unquestioned leader of this squad with 20pts 5asts while hitting all 6 of his FT attempts. He had 12pts in the 4th quarter while trying to keep his team in the game and showed true leadership qualities that I hadn't previously seen in his game. An intriguing prospect for Carroll was 6'10' '20 big man Tegra Izay who added 10pts 6reb to the totals while showing off some decent footwork and lithe body control in getting to the basket and I was a bit perplexed by his virtual disappearance in the fourth quarter as he wasn't in any foul difficulty. While he is still a work in progress I thought he could be of some value as a rim protector down the stretch but the coaching staff had him in and out of the game like he was a situational type player so I definitely want to see this young man some more to gauge his effectiveness in all aspects of the game.

Game #3 Nicolet HS (Glendale, WI) ' 62 St. John's College HS (DC) ' 60

Nicolet took a 10 point lead into the final stanza here at Dematha only to see the Cadets of St. John's storm back to nearly force an OT before falling short by a basket. The crowd was starting to fill the venue and the energy level was pretty high and my guess was that most of them were rooting for St. John's which certainly fueled their comeback bid. In the end 6'9' '20 Jalen Johnson proved to be too much for his opponents as he led the way with a Co-MVP performance of 28pts 2 treys 16reb 8asts 2stls while hitting all 4 of his last minute free throws. He was an astute passer in this contest hitting his open teammates with crisp feeds and he was aggressive on the boards ensuring the Cadets only one shot by grabbing 13 defensive rebounds against this quick bunch that still managed 16 offensive caroms in the contest. In that weird way you hear about from time to time Johnson managed a triple double but the third figure was his only weakness on the day as he had 10 turnovers several of them from trying to force feed his teammates in poor position in relation to the basket but nevertheless it was a solid outing from this young man. 6'7' '20 Jamari Sibley was another bouncy athlete for this Nicolet squad who lent a helping hand with 17pts 2 treys 9reb 3asts while doing the bulk of his work on the offensive glass by garnering 6 of them to lead all players in this category. He had excellent leaping ability and timing and he appeared to get the jump on his man on most occasions to at least contend for the missed shot. This team has some young talent and showed some toughness down the stretch to hang on for the W. St. John's did a nice job of coming back in this game when they looked to be dead in the water and in earning a Co-MVP 6'4' Virginia signee Casey Morsell led the charge finishing with 24pts 3 treys on offense but on defense he snagged 5stls with 3 coming in the last quarter and they came at opportune times for the Cadets. He was strong defending his man and in addition to his steals he forced at least 3 turnovers in the critical frame as well. 6'3' '20 Ishmael Leggett chipped in with 15pts 2 treys In the loss and was a nice second option to Morsell on this day with his smooth buttery stroke and solid three point range. Going small most of the way proved beneficial for St. John's as they used their quickness to create problems for their opponent by getting 12stls and forcing 22 turnovers unfortunately their 36.4% shooting from the field ultimately did them in.