Saturday, January 8th Rivals.com was on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD for the 9th Annual 100 Black Men of Baltimore Basketball Academy, a three day event that manages to place a strong emphasis on classroom learning while still fielding a competitive slate of basketball games.

The Basketball Academy is a comprehensive, three-day program that offers the participants academics, athletics, cultural enrichment, and service learning. Workshop topics include SAT Prep, college admissions, NCAA Guidelines, and Rites of Passage among others. Participants visit cultural enrichment sites like the National Aquarium, Great Blacks in Wax, and the National Museum of Dentistry, and actively earn service-learning credits.

Of course, the participants also compete in the basketball tournament held at the Hill Fieldhouse, and it's typically the season's best look at public school basketball in the Baltimore region.

5-foot-9 junior guard Walter Sanders led Mervo with 15 points. For Owings Mill, 6-foot-3 senior Julian Bradley had 19 points and 9 rebounds in the loss.

6-foot senior guard Kashif Brown led Aberdeen with 17 points, including 4 3's. 7-foot center Robbie Jackson chipped-in 11 points and 9 rebounds. 6-foot-1 sophomore Terrence Jones had 14 points to lead Lake Clifton

6-foot-2 junior guard Jamal Barney continued his torrid scoring pace, scoring 31 points to lead Southwestern. 6-foot-3 sophomore Jon Higgins had 12 points to pace Randallstown.

6-foot-5 junior forward Makei Slaughter-Thomas had 13 points and 9 rebounds to lead Cardozo. 5-foot-11 junior guard Lester Williams added 12 points and 4 assists. 6-foot-3 senior guard Troy Smith had 13 points to lead Douglass.

6-foot-8 George Washington signee Robert Diggs was dominant with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots to lead Gwynn Park. 6-foot-2 junior guard Corey Allmond added 10 points. Towson signee Velmar Coleman struggled to get 7 points and 6 boards in the loss.

6-foot-1 senior guard Chris Singleterry had 16 points and 5 rebounds to lead Dunbar-Baltimore, as the Poets pounded their Crimson Tide rivals from the south. Darron Edwards added 12 points and 6 rebounds for the Poets. 6-foot freshman guard James Stewart led Dunbar-D.C. with 11 points. 6-foot-2 sophomore Jamar Harrison added 10 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.

6-foot-3 senior guard from Walbrook HS in Baltimore. Coleman, a Towson signee really had problems scoring in this game. His perimeter shot was consistently off target, and he couldn't even get a few chippies to fall. Did a good job on the glass and made good decisions with the ball, but couldn't make the plays his team needed at the offensive end of the floor. We've seen him play a lot better in the past. Chalk this one up to a bad day.

6-foot-8 195 pound forward from Gwynn Park HS in Brandywine, MD. Diggs was one rebound and one block shy of a triple double. Dominated the paint area on defense and altered a number of shots as well. Played with a lot of bounce and confidence, which bodes well for George Washington, with whom he signed in November. He's still on the thin side, but he's getting bigger. That will be key for him at the next level as he'll need to be stronger to be a paint presence in the Atlantic 10.

7-foot 265 pound center from Aberdeen HS in Maryland. Jackson continues to progress as a prospect with very good hands and touch around the basket. Can pass the ball from the high post and is tough on the boards. Needs to sustain his intensity level for longer stretches and improve his foot speed. Appears to be a hard worker, and with his size that's a very valuable trait. Will probably need to attend prep school and reclassify to 2006 next season.

6-foot-7 210 pound PF from Gwynn Park HS in Brandywine, MD. White showed flashes of ability to become a quality rebounder and baseline scorer in college. He signed with Coastal Carolina in the fall. Needs to be more active, and play smarter at the defensive end of the floor. Has talent, but is not very productive at this point.

6-foot-2 170 pound guard from Southwestern HS in Baltimore. Barney is perhaps the city of Baltimore's best pure scorer. Currently averaging over 30 points per contest, he had 35 points on Friday evening and 31 on Saturday. Slick ballhandler with good size. Has a great stroke from beyond the arc, and is very tough to stop going to the basket. Randallstown held him to 7 points in the first half, but he exploded for 14 points in the third quarter and 10 more in the 4th. As Southwestern's only real scoring threat he sees lots of defensive schemes designed to stop him, but very few have been successful. Handles it well enough to be a combo at the next level. High major alert!

5-foot-11 160 pound guard from Cardozo HS in Washington, D.C. Williams made his reputation last winter in the Washington, D.C. City Championship against Bishop O'Connell when he went off for 33 points in Cardozo's upset victory. He played well in the spring and summer for the DC Assault's loaded 16 and under squad, so expectations are high. Williams did not play as well at this event as we've seen in the past. He forced shots and didn't make a very high percentage. Possesses good quickness, but he's not an outstanding athlete. Probably a good low-to-mid major prospect at this point.