The Gonzaga DC Classic featured four good matchups for opening night as the event reaches the 30th year of it's existence hosted by Gonzaga College HS and played in the schools Carmody Center gym. This event is always a must see in the DC area and the Gonzaga Fathers Club does a nice job of arranging the field through the efforts of the tournament chairmen Brian Coll, Al Jackson and Mike Williams. There were several outstanding performances on this night and we'll look at each game and highlight them here:
Game #1 Episcopal HS (Bellaire, TX) – 61 Potomac School (McLean, VA) – 51
This contest was of the nip and tuck variety in the first half with Episcopal taking a one point lead to the locker room at the half and the game very much up for grabs. While not exactly the quintessential tale of two halves it was clear that the Knights from Texas were seizing control of the game with their aggressive attacks on the basket by their bookend Junior forwards 6'5' Adam Kanafani and 6'4' Jahari Long. Kanafani in particular was effective throughout the 2nd half as he led all scorers with 26pts on an assortment of strong downhill drives and twisting acrobatic layups. Where he really impressed was his ability to read the defense and make his move accordingly including showing nice form on his pullup midrange jump shot. He had a nice motor and competed inside for 7reb as well as challenging his man defensively. Long had a strong 3rd frame racking up 7 of his 11pts and both of his assists on crisp feeds to Kanafani for quick strike scores while notching 6reb himself and 6'0' '20 D'Avian Houston contributed 2 treys in the 3rd quarter (the only 2 Episcopal 3 pointers) on his way to 10pts 6reb in the victory. One bright spot for the Potomac School Panthers was 6'3' '19 Preston Bacon who finished with 14pts 9reb 4asts in the loss but showed a nice feel for the game to go with his athleticism and I'm told he is a potential D-1 football recruit that is undecided what sport to play in college. He certainly looked like a basketball player on this night with his solid instincts to collect rebounds and set up his teammates with precision passes as well as a tight handle to motor about the court and avoid the swarming defense that Episcopal played much of the contest.
Game #2 Abington, PA Sr. HS – 58 Gonzaga College HS (DC) – 51
In looking back at the dozen or so years I've gone to the Classic I don't remember the hosts losing a first round game and while I am quite familiar with the Galloping Ghosts and their two D-1 signees I expected a close game but thought the Eagles on their homecourt would find a way. Abington though proved worthy of coming out on top as Gonzaga had no answer for the steamroller that 6'7' '19 Villanova pledge Eric Dixon had become in this game as he popped for 29pts 14reb in a dominating performance that left the faithful stunned. Having seen these types of outings from Dixon in the past I am impressed with his dedication to hard work and the constant striving to make himself better that he displays game in and game out. He kept his defenders off balance with deft footwork and crafty fakes and his ability to step out and knock down perimeter jumpers can frustrate the most astute defenders and while he didn't knock down a trey in this contest he did hit a couple of elbow J's while going 13-17 at the FT line. His body is in the best shape of his career and it showed defensively as he closed on outside shots just as easily as he bodied up his man in the paint. Dixon got help from 6'6' '19 Penn recruit Lucas Monroe with 16pts 5reb in the victory in what was an uneven performance from him. Considering that this was the season opener for the Ghosts this was not a bad way to start the year by any means. Gonzaga got a strong 1st half from 6'2' '20 Chuck Harris who bagged 12 of his 14pts and both his three balls in those first two quarters and was aggressive attacking the basket or pulling up from three and was a big reason the Eagles went into halftime down just one. He was less effective in the 2nd half as 6'7' '20 Terrence Williams got rolling piling up 15 of his 17pts in the half. I have always maintained that Williams could be the alpha dog that Gonzaga relies on to rally the troops especially when he blends his perimeter skills with his ability to attack the basket and create opportunities at the rim for himself or his teammates but somewhere along the way he has become more reliant on his outside game while ignoring his interior skillset that can bring balance to the force, ok all joking aside, balance to their offensive attack which appeared much sharper in the final two quarters as he blended his inside out ability to keep them in close contact before coming up short at the end.
Game #3 Whitney Young Magnet HS (Chicago, IL) – 65 St. Vincent Pallotti HS (Laurel, MD) – 63
While I'm sure that at times the Whitney Young Dolphins had a lead in this game the better story is that they never led till the final buzzer and in a game that had OT written all over it 6'1' '20 Tyler Beard (13pts 6asts 6reb) found a streaking 6'2' '19 Myles Baker (16pts 2 treys 3stls 2asts) for the GW layup that momentarily hung on the rim before dropping in as euphoria erupted on one side and utter dejection formed on the other. This contest was well played and close throughout and while my notes weren't all encompassing neither team led by more than six points during the game. Beard did a nice job running the show keeping his teammates alert with crisp feeds in scoring positions and handling the Pallotti Panthers pressure defense. Baker whenever I've seen him has been a model of consistency getting into the seams for driving layups or pulling up from the perimeter for measured three balls with an easy stroke and nice range. He has also shown himself to be far from a one trick pony as he can dish the ball to open shooters with the best of them. Another big piece for this team is 6'3' '20 DJ Steward a slashing wing player who uses his athleticism to get to the rim with twisting drives and some uncanny touch around the basket. He led all scorers with 20pts while contributing 6reb and even showed the ability to shoot from distance knocking down a trey along the way. This Dolphin team relies on quickness to beat you down the floor and they have a tenacity at the defensive end that came in handy in the 2nd half in their close call win. The Panthers went cold from the floor in the second half and especially in the 4th quarter where the offensive output was 3 baskets and 2 FT's and that is always a recipe for disaster. 6'6' '19 Gil Otoo was a workhorse for Pallotti for much of the game and finished with 13pts 9reb 3asts in the loss. Otoo has been on the radar for two years now and he still struggles with his shot at times but today he was aggressive and active at the rim and he knocked down a three which is a step in the right direction. He could always defend and he did a credible job of holding things down in the paint all game long. Another player who stood out for Pallotti was 6'2' '20 Joemel McNair, who was pretty much an unknown to me. He had a smooth stroke with excellent range and led them in scoring with 15pts 3 treys as he moved well without the ball looking for the holes in the opposition defense and exploiting it when he found them.
Game #4 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD) – 64 Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, MD) – 54
The final game of the opening night featured two Maryland private schools each looking for a bragging rights victory and on this count St; Frances seemed to have a slight edge all game long. 6'4' '20 Jordan Toles has long tantalized with his incredible athleticism and leaping ability but tonight he showed another side to his game that I previously had not seen and it was instrumental in the Panthers win. He knocked down 9-10 from the line and looked completely comfortable in hitting pullup jump shots which in the past had been a mixed bag. He put together a nice stat line of 21pts 4reb 3asts and a huge 4th quarter blocked shot when Riverdale Baptist was making a last ditch run to close the gap as time wound down. This young man started playing football last year for St. Frances and I was told he already had generated interest from Alabama but his heart is still with hoops so it will be interesting to see where his recruitment winds up. The Panthers interior guys were also key in the win as 6'6' '20 Jamal West (a transfer from Dunbar) and 6'9' '19 Jason Murphy played good defense as well as providing some effective low post scoring to the outcome. West had 12pts 9reb 2blks and Murphy added 10pts 7reb 2blks in the winning effort. The Crusaders battled hard to establish some foothold on the interior but on the whole shot poorly on the night with the exception of 6'2' '19 Jordan Johnson who pumped in 19pts while hitting one of the teams two treys in the contest. Despite the off night however they kept the game from getting out of hand by playing tough physical defense which sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of a 10 point loss. Due to the number of events in the DC Metro area I only got to spend this opening night at Gonzaga but I certainly do not minimize my interest in this event and the great job they do in running it and like their slogan says 'Great Basketball Supporting Good Works' is a mantra that puts the basketball in perspective for the true purpose of the event and I can always support that.