WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Each December, a stop in the Capital is a must. As

usual, the weekend began at Gonzaga College High School for the 27th annual

Gonzaga DC Classic featuring many top Catholic School programs from the region.

It was a day for point guards to make you think as Top 50 senior Tony Carr showed off why he can be a game changer for Penn State and three-star

junior Chris Lykes showed why he's forcing people to think outside the

box.

The 2016 recruiting class for Penn State has been touted as perhaps the

program's best ever and the four-man crew is currently ranked No. 18 nationally.

Three of those four signees play together at Philadelphia (Penn.) Roman Catholic.

Friday, four-star forward Lamar Stevens was saddled by foul trouble but

three-star wing Nazeer Bostick and top 50 point guard Tony Carr did their thing.

I want to start with and focus the most on Carr because I really feel that the

6-foot-4 point guard is a difference maker. Ranked No. 47 nationally, he's the

highest-ranked player to commit to Penn State during the Rivals.com era and he's

backing up his lofty status. Carr's size for the position is easy for anybody to

see but the subtle things in his game are impressive. He was in total control of

his team mixing scoring, passing, defense and leadership. Roman Catholic won in

a romp over Washington (D.C.) Coolidge so he never really had to turn it on but

there was no question about his effort and who his teammates were looking to.

While Carr scored 14 points, Roman Catholic was actually led in scoring by his

current and future teammate Bostick who scored a day high 25. Athletic and

tough, Bostick is a transition finisher and potential ace defender who has the

tools to develop into a very valuable guy at Penn State.

Future #PennState point guard Tony Carr has looked outstanding. Size, confidence and total control of his team. #GonzagaClassic— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) December 12, 2015

Maybe surprised isn't the right word, but 2017 point guard Chris Lykes

of host Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga is going to make people like myself and

college coaches think outside of the box when it comes to evaluating him. Though

he probably stands no taller than 5-foot-6, the sheer force of will with which

he plays the game and the toughness he has to impose that will has to be

respected and accounted for. It's one thing to have will, but the three-star

junior has developed skill to go along with his toughness. He is very creative

with the dribble, passes extremely well and he knocks down open shots. He is an

A-type personality on the floor and his teammates gravitate to him.

Miami, Richmond, VCU, George Washington, George Mason, Tulane,

La Salle and Dayton are among those who have seen enough to offer while

others like Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Virginia are

looking hard as well. Currently unranked, Lykes deserves serious consideration

for the Rivals150.

Sophomore teammate Prentiss Hubb is a four-star shooting guard and he

looked solid. A good jump shooter with 6-foot-2 size and the skills to slide

over and play the point, he did an excellent job playing off of Lykes before the

game got out of hand in Gonzaga's favor (which didn't take long). Lykes listed

offers from Xavier, N.C. State, Cincinnati, George

Mason, Maryland and Penn State. He recently took an unofficial

visit to Georgetown.

Three-star

junior shooting guard Keith Williams of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Bishop Laughlin

said after dropping 20 points in an opening round win that he feels a little

underrated. He's got 6-foot-4 size, is physical and is athletic and uses those

tools to attack off the dribble. He gets to the rim when he wants to and his

jumper is showing some promise. He's not currently in the Rivals150 but should

at least be in the discussion and currently has offers from VCU, Dayton, Hofstra,

St. Peter's and Bowling Green. Virginia, Rutgers and Minnesota

are also keeping tabs.

Even

though they have two four-star juniors on the perimeter in point guard

Isaiah Washington and small forward Sid Wilson, St. Raymond's

from the Bronx (N.Y.) took a loss to Olney (Md.) Good Counsel. They looked

rattled by Good Counsel's defense for stretches and the excellent team play of

Good Counsel led by point guard Cameron Norman and junior wing

James Valle was too much to overcome. Norman is small at around

5-foot-9 but he had excellent command of his team and made the right plays at

the right time while Valle proved to be a tough scorer and did a good job of

getting to the free throw line.

All isn't lost for Washington, Wilson and St. Ray's. They have a team with lots

of nice options and those two will get it together. Washington can create off

the dribble and knock down shots but he has to be sure to blend it with getting

others involved. Wilson is a long and slender wing who can attack the rim but

has to be careful not to tune himself out of the game and to make sure he stays

in attack mode.