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National Hoops Fest: Four-star Brandon Slater fulfilling potential

Brandon Slater
Brandon Slater

HYATTSVILLE, Md. -- For the second day in a row, four-star junior wing Brandon Slater walked away with game MVP honors in a win for Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI at the National Hoops Festival. He was one of many stepping up their game.

SLATER MATCHING PERFORMANCE TO POTENTIAL

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There has never been much question about whether or not 6-foot-5 junior wing Brandon Slater of Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI had the tools to be a good player. The flashes of shooting from deep, high level athleticism and ability to attack off the dribble were enough to get him ranked No. 44 in the class of 2018.

Now, Slater is starting to turn all of that potential into regular production. In two games at the National Hoops Festival, Slater also showed some edge to his game while racking up a combined 39 points and 18 rebounds in his two outings.

There were plenty of important eyes in the building watching. Indiana head coach Tom Crean plus an assistant watched. Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Stallings watched as did assistants from Kansas, Louisville, Miami, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Maryland, Villanova, West Virginia and Virginia among others.

Pitt, Virginia, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Villanova, West Virginia, Temple, Miami, Virginia Tech and others have offered and Slater looks to be on his way to more offers and potentially, a rise in the rankings, if he continues his stellar play.

ROCK CREEK LOADED WITH TALENT

Earl Timberlake
Earl Timberlake

Head coach Chris Cole has himself a very nice looking group of talent at Clinton (Md.) Rock Creek Christian Academy. In fact, Cole has potential high major prospects on his roster from the classes of 2018, 2019 and 2020 and they were all on display in a 63-54 win over the Westtown (Pa.) School.

Leading the way is 2018 Rivals150 power forward Jermaine Harris. At 6-foot-8, Harris is a big man with strength who cleans the glass, has athleticism and while it's not the prettiest jump shot ever, he's not afraid to take and make open jumpers. Harris told Rivals.com that he's got offers from programs like Cincinnati, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Providence, Seton Hall, Rhode Island, Rutgers and Kansas State.

A little lesser known at this point -- though he does have an offer from Stony Brook -- junior shooting guard John Preston is also coming on. The 6-foot-2 three-star scorer has a rifle from deep and put up 24 points while earning MVP honors.

Though he was plagued by foul trouble early, 2019 guard Sherif Kenny is another with a big reputation. He's strong, he's athletic and he surprised with his ability to run a team and get others involved when he had looked like more of a scorer than setup guy in the past. Kansas State, Boston College and Penn State have already offered.

Finally, we may have been most intrigued by class of 2020 combo guard Earl Timberlake. Timberlake only scored five points but his 6-foot-4 size, long arms, athleticism ability to handle and most notably his defense and competitive spirit caught our attention and that of college coaches. He looks to have a very bright future and already has Virginia Tech, Kansas State and Penn State offers.

HIGH MAJORS FINDING FORRESTER, MORE NOTES

Jake Forrester
Jake Forrester

... Westtown School took a loss to Rock Creek Christian, but 2018 power forward Jake Forrester was very good in a 19 point and seven rebound outing. Around 6-foot-8 tall, Forrester is a mobile big who can face up and shoot and he competes aggressively on the glass. Indiana head coach Tom Crean offered almost immediately after watching and Providence followed shortly after. Earlier offers came from the likes of Penn State, Temple, Rice, St. Joseph's, Richmond and others.

... A junior teammate of Forrester's at Westtown, five-star Cameron Reddish needs no help with exposure given that he's already ranked No. 6 overall in the class of 2018. However, after a tough game on Saturday, Reddish came out of the gates looking like he might have an epic performance on Sunday. Now grown to 6-foot-8, Reddish was smoking jump shots early and essentially functioning as a point guard. He wore down some late but still finished with an impressive 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kansas, Miami, Maryland, Villanova, Syracuse and UConn were all on hand to see him.

... Currently ranked No. 71 in the class of 2018, high scoring and tough combo guard Eric Ayala is open to enrolling as a member of the class of 2017. 2017 is Ayala's natural class and he could be willing to skip out on planned prep year if the right situation can be found. Physically, Ayala looks ready to make the jump and he was very impressive in an 18 point, six rebound and three assist outing on Sunday. A teammate of Ayala's at Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy, power forward Alexis Yetna had a very nice weekend. He's likely closer to 6-foot-6 than his listed 6-foot-8 but Yetna plays with energy, crashes the glass and seems to accept his role as an energy guy. He was 9-11 from the field to score 21 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in just 30 minutes of action over the course of two games.

... We only made it in for the tail end of four-star junior Hameir Wright's morning game, but he looked to do much of his damage late in his Albany (N.Y.) Academy's 57-50 loss to Ft. Washington (Md.) National Christian. We still like Wright as more of a natural combo forward/stretch four type than a pure wing but we can see why coaches can see him becoming a full time wing. With Tom Crean, Maryland's Mark Turgeon and Providence's Ed Cooley watching he went for 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, five steals and 10 turnovers.

... Playing without five-star junior point guard Immanuel Quickley, fellow 2018 prospects Montez Mathis and Nate Roberts didn't have enough in the tank to help Bel Aire (Md.) John Carroll fight off an inspired Paul VI team. Ranked No. 95 overall, Mathis is a bully ball style two guard with power and toughness at the rim. Still a work in progress and ranked No. 126 overall, Roberts is a fluid 6-foot-9 big who chases rebounds and shows potential on offense. Look out for him as a high major big man.

... James Madison has landed a good one in 2017 combo guard Matt Lewis of Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell. WIth 6-foot-4 size he can play on or off the ball and looks like he will be a good defender and a slashing guard who has potential as a jump shooter. Providence bound big man Nate Watson had to fight off a lot of bodies in O'Connell's loss to IMG Academy. The 6-foot-8 center did look a little bouncier than in the past and has a good body for the Friars to build on in the weight room.

... Forrestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara has an intriguing trio of sophomores to keep an eye on in Makhi Mitchell, Makhel Mitchell and Johnathan McGriff. Ranked No. 31 overall in the class of 2019, Makhi Mitchell has great hands, is a pretty good shot blocker and a high level of overall skill. As he matures physically and works his way into shape, he could develop into a very dangerous big man. His twin brother Makhel isn't quite as developed offensively but he's not too far behind his brother and looks like another potential high major. Standing around 5-foot-7 or so, McGriff is a small point guard who has the ball on a string and loves to entertain the crowd. As he learns to focus on substance over style, McGriff has a high ceiling despite limited size. He's got a good jump shot and can certainly create separation off the dribble.

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