With the national high school summer season heating up
across the country, with all the major
shoes brands NIKE, Adidas, & Under Armor all opening their circuit play. Attention
in the DC Metro area, as well as all over American has shifted slightly to the
high school arena.
There have been numerous rumors and rumblings in the DMV
area regarding a shift in the balance of power at the middle school ranks and
it deals directly with the NIKE circuit.
At the collegian level 44 of the 65 BCS institutions don the NIKE swoosh
and historically their circuit houses the largest stable of the nation’s top
players.
For several years the DMV area has been dominated by the
Team Takeover program led by Keith Stevens.
Stevens and the TTO brand have consistently attracted the top area
players to the circuit and have established its program and players as a premier
competitor each year at multiple age levels.
In what may turn out to be one of
the most strategic moves locally and nationally; program Dwayne Wise and Kirk
Lee who represent NIKE Team Melo has partnered with national middle school guru
Coach Francis to fully load their entire middle school grassroots program.
Previous reports had Francis and some of the nation’s top
talents at various age groups affiliating themselves with quickly floundering Team
Durant brand; that presumable has lost some of the country’s top team faster
than they had gotten them. The demise of Durant was epic, as in some cases
never having any top elite players put on uniform to represent the brand at all. In speaking with an anonymous source familiar
with the situation it was stated that “…the Team Durant group made a lot of
promises they either were unwilling or unable to keep – they let down a lot of people
in the area and hurt a lot of kids. “ Additionally
the source revealed, “What the top guys at Durant have done is an embarrassment
that will dramatically affect their ability to compete in the future if ever”.
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| Not Pictured: Montez McNeil '20, Odell Dickinson '19 & Cameron Byers '20 |
Team Melo immediately went to work this weekend; putting their
“new” 2019 product on the floor for the
first time and was very impressive in winning the Spring Jam Fest Championship
in the 2018 age group playing up a year.
The most valuable piece of them all may be the nationally renowned “Terror
Squad” (class of 2020) who many recognize as the #1 7th grade team
in the country and the former Durant coo at the 2021 level, the former Team
Glory leader requires no introduction – Team Melo now boast undisputed national
#1 player Zion Harmon as part of their future construct. The building blocks
for the future positions Team Melo to be the top high school program in the area
in very short order.
Standout performers from the 2019 championship group from
this weekend who will garner immediate national attention and become household
names in quick order with the construct and coaching infrastructure in place
are as follows:
Che Evans ( 6’6 Wing/Forward) – Five position players has
begun to come into his own while showing a whole new package of tools and
intangibles. Evans played freely &
w/ passion never seen before making an impact on both ends of the
courts. Defensively his length paid
tremendous dividends as he played the passing lanes, worked the glass, and both
altered & blocked shots. Offensively
he passed well and showed vastly improved court vision, while working
exceptionally well in the mid-range with pull ups and floaters – but was
special when attacking the backboard and finishing with both hands; even looking
to dunked missed shots. Rumors have been
confirmed & Evans will be reclassing which will position him as a top
national prospect and the Melo program the home of country’s #1 team.
Jason Murphy (6’7 Center) – Jason Murphy has improved so dramatically
in recent months that he very well be the bests back to the basket bigman in
the entire DMV area. Murphy has the size, strength, and length to dominate –
literally he is trying to duck everything at the rim and when he does; he is doing
so with authority. Showed great dexterity around the rim and
finished with both hands; as well as a jump hook with both hands that make him
truly difficult to find and answer for on the block. He post up strongly and is able to establish block
side position and his strength allows him to hold it. A surprisingly good passer off the post – he understands
the value of the kick and repost process; and he is very unselfish focusing on
winning the game. Where Jason is next
level and dominant is on the boards and as a shot blocker; he changes shots and
blocks the ball on the release at its highest point the definition of an elite
shot blocker.
Cameron Byers (6’6 Forward) – Byers has come into his own in
the last few months by staying in constant rotation against high level
talent. His confidence is at an all-time
high and watching Byers play with another premier post has put on display an entirely
different skill set. Known as a power
big; Byers has diligently worked on this face up game and he is able to cause
havoc with a face up game that few can rival. An above average ball-handler for his size
spacing him away from the basket has accentuated his ability to put the rock on
the floor and finish. Rebounding
continues to improve and he love to defend and block shots. When Byers is engaged and focused there are
not many in his league; dominated for long stretches even at the 9th
grade level – and even with him playing with Melo 2019 Byers is a 2020
kid. 
Mahki Long (6’4 Wing Guard) – The wildcard of the bunch, we
hadn’t seen much of the lanky wing this season, but with the Team Melo group he
played major minutes and was a major producer.
Somewhat of a hybrid at this juncture, Long looks to be long-term a big
two who can guard multiple positions – operating with a unbelievable motor he made
a difference in virtually every possession.
Long grabbed boards, blocked
shots, guarded the primary offensive threat, and still had energy to get in out
on the lane on the break and showed he is an elite level finisher. Good vision and unselfish he is the ideal
teammate for this ultra-talented bunch.
An underrated shooter, Long knocked down a few jumpers from distance,
but is comfortable and at his strength attacking the paint – the beauty is that
it simply may be a confidence issues as the shot mechanics look solid. A summer with the ball in his hands could dramatically
change the rankings in the area as Long will make a bigger impact at the high
school then he ever did in middle school.
When Team Melo played the above players together they made
up one of the biggest teams in the country across the board and it isn’t just
size is talent and a diverse grouping of skill and talent. There is no longer an invisible boarder
between Maryland, DC, & Virginia. The
best kids clearly want to play with the best kids regardless of zip code – and
parents have finally figured out that it makes no sense to watch someone else
play when you can have an opportunity on the same circuit; as parents look out
for the best interest of their kids opposed to the best interest of the program
the climate is quickly changing and
right now the winner is NIKE Team Melo.
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