HYATTSVILLE, Md. -- Held on the campus of DeMatha High School, the two day National High School Hoops Festival has become a must stop event over the years. Saturday, the 2014 edition kicked off with several five-star players taking the floor.
Markelle Fultz made a name for himself during host DeMatha's win.
Fultz makes his name
Saturday's nightcap at the National High School Hoops Festival was highly anticipated and the battle between host Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha and St. Louis (Mo.) Chaminade lived up to the billing. Thanks in large part to junior shooting guard Markelle Fultz, the host Stags survived 24 points and eight rebounds from Chaminade's star junior, five-star wing Jayson Tatum.
Fultz's numbers weren't outrageous in the 55-54 win, but they were impressive. The 6-foot-4 scorer finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists and he did so in a variety ways. After the game, Fultz said that his pull-up jump shooting was only the second most dangerous part of his offensive game behind his ability to get to the rim. Make no mistake, Fultz is quick and bouncy and can get to the rim. But, it's his ability to create and make mid range scoring opportunities with just one or two dribbles that stands out.
"At first I wasn't really making shots so coach told me to get in the lane and start getting going," said Fultz. "So I started doing my one dribble pull-up and that started going for me and I think that went pretty well for me."
Though late-bloomer isn't a fair description for a high school junior, Fultz has seen his recruitment really take off since the fall. He says that Georgetown, Wake Forest, Washington, Maryland, Xavier, Towson and DePaul are among the programs that have offered and he has already seen Georgetown, Maryland and Xavier unofficially.
Fultz -- who looks like a lock to enter the rankings in the four-star range in the spring -- says that he will probably look to set up official visits beginning in January and hopes to make a decision by May. Until those visits start, though, he is letting the attention he's earned through hard work sink in.
"I'm just enjoying it right now, I'm really enjoying it," said Fultz. "From having no scholarship offers to having over 14 scholarship offers has been overwhelming."
Blakeney shrugs off slow start
It wasn't a vintage performance from five-star senior shooting guard Antonio Blakeney, but it was a strong one all the same.
The No. 13 player in 2015, Blakeney shook off a poor start and made the plays that Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge needed him to make to score a hard fought 75-72 overtime win over the St. James (Md.) School.
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Blakeney arrived in the D.C. area just an hour or so before tipoff after taking the ACT in Orlando on Saturday morning. Looking a little rusty, he struggled to make just 3-of-11
from the field and picked up three fouls in the first half.
After regrouping at halftime, Blakeney was a different player in the second half. He got his pull-up jumper going from between 15 and 22 feet, made some key defensive plays and provided just enough offense to keep his team within striking distance before he made game winning plays in overtime finishing with 33 points (12-28 FG, 4-10
3PT) in a 75-72 win.
On the recruiting front, Blakeney is still in a holding pattern. He has one official visit left to use and he'll pick from N.C. State, North Carolina and Oregon for that while Kentucky, LSU and Missouri continue to give chase as well.
West Charlotte duo dominates
In the day's second game, senior teammates Simeon Carter and Isaiah Blackmon put on one heck of a show as Charlotte (N.C.) West rolled over Potomac (Md.) High 83-54. A three-star power forward, Carter made 8-10 shots while scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Not to be outdone, Blackmon was even more efficient. The six-foot tall combo guard made all 14 of his field goal attempts while scoring 31 points, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out four assists.
During the summer, Carter showed flashes of potential and the 6-foot-8 four man is putting it all together. He is relatively lean, but has wiry strength, runs the floor and he is very quick off the floor. Once he adds some weight in a college weight room he is looking like a guy that could help out on the high major level. Not surprisingly, Carter reports that he is now getting recruited at that level. SMU has offered and had Larry Brown and an assistant on hand to see him and he also claims offers from Virginia Tech, Maryland, Georgia, Nebraska and South Carolina.
Quick and elusive off the dribble, Blackmon is wired to score and can be a real pest on the ball. So far, he only has an offer from Old Dominion (who was there watching him) but he also reports some interest from High Point and Western Carolina. He sure looks like a guy that regional mid majors should be taking a look at and it's surprising that none of the low to mid major programs in his home state have offered a scholarship.