DMV Preps Selects Myles Stute as MVP of the Coach Francis Classic

Myles Stute is a high energy wing guard the can score in a variety of ways. He can get to the rim in transition and finishes with authority or he can stop and knock down a pull up jumper. His three point shot is lethal and he range to 25-feet + and knocks it down with consistency; defenders must respect him at all times.

From the wing Stute probes the defense looking for an opening to attack to score or draw and kick to an open teammate; he show great vision, has a unselfish nature, and is committed to making the high IQ right basketball play. Stute attacks the top foot of defenders and possesses a great first step; his quick catch and go move is extremely effective made more potent by his shooting ability.   

At 6’5 Myles is capable of defending multiple positions and could develop into a lock down defender in the future because of his size and physicality.  His natural ability to score and fluid nature in which he does it speaks to tremendously high ceiling; Stute is just beginning to combine elite level athleticism with an already mature and diverse skill set – we honestly assert that Stute will be and remain in the conversation as one of the top prospects in the DMV for years to come and conversely given the strength of the class of the market; look for him to also impact the national ranking boards.  For those that didn’t know he’s one of the areas bests kept secrets – but not any longer Stute is here to stay.

Myles Stute was selected as the DMV Preps MVP of the Coach Francis Classic after posting 23-points, 7-rebounds, 2-assist, on 9-14 shooting, and 5-10 from behind the stripe for Tea Downtown; join us tomorrow when we name the Team Uptowns MVP from the Coach Francis Classic.

The Big Dog is off the Leash Terrance Williams out West Catching Bodies

Those who reside in the DMV have grown to watch 2020 Gonzaga bound Terrance Williams grow and develop over the course of many years.  Many have questioned over the course of time Williams ability to transition to the wing position; some even openly doubted.

Locally forced to play more of a back to the basket high/low post style the substance in Williams game and his hard work and continued development has been lost somewhat nationally.  His team has performed as one of the best in the country but we have not seen the prolific play that propelled him to the top of the national rankings in his class.

Until now; in similar fashion as his appearance last season with the legendary “Terror Squad” Williams went Bi-Coastal suiting up and for the West Coast All-Stars which finally let the world see what Williams has been spending hours in the gym creating.  He unleashed with a fury unknown to mankind, taking bodies, catching bodies, and returning to the form that the DMV and world has wanted to see for a very long time – call him “Prego” ‘cause dammit it’s in there!

There is fine line between creating success for someone else and doing so for oneself – this past weekend Williams "did him" (which every KID should have the right to do) at the highest level; we dare someone to watch the clips below and say differently.  

#WESTSIDE #WELCOMEHOME #HESBACK

A video posted by @takemytalent on Jun 22, 2016 at 5:03pm PDT

Middle School All-American Game Announces Coaches for Inaugural Game

Steve Turner, Gonzaga High School

Steve Turner whose tenure at Gonzaga High School has been defined by excellence, is arguably one of the best basketball minds at the High School level on the DMV.  Coach Turner has been selected and will also serve as a Coach in the Middle School All-American game.

Coach Turner who also boast mutliple coach of the year awards as well as multiple WCAC Conference and tournament championships – most recently this past year leading his Purple Eagle squad to a victory over Dematha at a sold out Bender Arena at American University in Washington, DC.

Turner has built a reputation on producing Division I basketball players, quality young men, and great citizens.  He has developed such players at Nate Britt (North Carolina), Kris Jenkins (Villanova), Bryant Crawford (Wake Forest), Tyler Thornton (Duke), and most recently current guard Chris Lykes who recently received an offer to the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes are amongst many other players who have been coached by the legendary Steve Turner and are also playing at the college level.

Turner also supports both the high level NIKE, USA Basketball, and the NBA Camps.

Bruce Kelley, Bullis School

Bruce Kelley, a long-time boy’s basketball coach at Potomac’s Bullis School, who was recently selected to coach in the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game will also serve as Coach in the Middle School All-American Game.

Coach Kelley took over the Bullldog program in 2004, since then Bullis has won 6 Interstate Athletic Conference title and produced several college player as well as several all league players.  Kelley led the school to three straight conference championships prior to this season. 

In addition to his selection to the McDonalds and Middle School All-American Game staffs Kelly was also selected and coached in the nation’s oldest high school all-star game, the Capital Classic High School All-Star Game which is played annually in the DMV.  Coach Kelley throughout the years has been selected by multiple media outlets and publications to receive Coach of the Year Honors.

                                                                                                                                

David Gately, McDonough High School

The new headman at McDonough High School in Baltimore County has laid the foundation for future success in a very short time.  David Gately who has a passion of the game and player development is one of the best sideline tacticians in the DMV.  Gately as well has been selected to Coach in the Middle School All-American Game on August 21, 2015.

Gately's hard working style is why he's regarded as one of Baltimore's best basketball players over the last 30 years. A former standout at Mount St. Joseph, Gately was a four-year starter at Loyola College (now Loyola University), finishing his career as the program's second all-time leading scorer (1,706 points).

Gately, currently third all-time at Loyola, is a member of the athletic Hall of Fame at Loyola (inducted in 1994) and Mount St. Joseph (2001). He played professionally for one year (1988) in Ireland.

"I was never the most talented player but the one thing I did was practice and play hard," said Gately, who was an all-BCL Tournament selection in 1983 and helped the Gaels to the BCL XI title match the year before. "I believe in practice done right."

At Loyola, Gately starred for Mark Amatucci, who was a Baltimore Catholic League Hall of Fame coach at Calvert Hall. Gately said Amatucci has been his coaching mentor.

Patrick Behan, St. Mary's Ryken

Patrick Behan is the youngest coach in the nations best basketball conference, the WCAC, controlling the reigns for the St. Mary’s Ryken High School.  One the hardest working recruiter he is determined to build a powerhouse in the Southern Maryland area.   Coach Behan whose actual first year at Rykan was this past season spent the two prior seasons at St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C. as an assistant coach. In his time with the Cadets, Behan was instrumental in all facets of the game, including recruiting, game preparation and scouting, as well as player development.

Coach Behan helped guide St. John’s to winning the WCAC regular season with a conference record of 16-2 during his last year there. At one point during the season, St. John’s won 24 straight regular season games. They spent much of the year rated in the USA Today Top 20, and several weeks at #1 in the Washington Post.

Behan has coached several players who have received full scholarships to the D1 and D2 levels.

While Behan is new to St. Mary’s Ryken, this is not his first stay in Southern Maryland. In 2011-12, Behan was an assistant coach at St. Mary’s College. Behan was the lead recruiter of the program in his one season. That year, St. Mary’s College won the Capital Athletic Conference regular season, and received an at-large bid to the Division III NCAA tournament before falling to Virginia Wesleyan in the round of 32.

Behan grew up in Leesburg, VA, playing his high school ball at Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg, VA. He helped guide his team to winning a Virginia State title while competing against a national schedule. He played his collegiate career at Bucknell University. Behan played for Pat Flannery for two seasons, and Dave Paulsen for the other two. While a member of the Bison, Behan was an All-Patriot League performer in 2009. He was also awarded the Benton A. Kribbs award for most outstanding player and received the coaches’ award for leadership and dedication to the program.

After college, Behan played professionally in Gotha, Germany before starting his coaching career.

DMV Preps: WCAC Champs Gonzaga's Purple Reign

WASHINGTON, DC – The worlds of two programs collided in WCAC Championship game last night at American University’s Bender Arena.  To add to the drama the sold out atmosphere in the gym was coupled with a lobby full of fans who refused to leave in the hopes of gaining entry to one of the best games of the year in the DMV.  

The 2^nd Ranked Stags of Dematha (24-7) facing the #7 Purple Eagles of Gonzaga (21-10) had already taken two from their Washington DC counterpart earlier in the year in two very competitive games.  The WCAC Championship game was no different and frankly may have been the best of them all; not just in their match-ups but arguable in all the match-ups in the WCAC this season.

From the onset no one could establish control as both ran solid offense and established defensive patterns that kept the game close; exemplified by the knotted 16-16 score at the end of the 1^st quarter.  It was much of the same in the 2^nd quarter as the back and forth battle end at the half with Gonzaga up a bucket 31-29.  Not to overlook any aspect of the game as the players performed and the Coaches operated their chess match in unison.  Oddly Dematha spent the entire half-time in the locker-room game planning for the stretch run and didn’t take a single warm-up shot prior to the start of the 3^rd.

 The extra chalk talk worked marvelously as the Stags open with an 8-0 run which included some very impressive plays at the rim from 6’7 DJ Harvey.  The run looked like it may be the difference in the game as they used it to put the Eagles into a 13-point deficit halfway through the 3^rd.  Relying on the experience of Coach Steve Turner the players all echoed the fact that Turner continued to stress calmness in the midst of this challenging time.

Bryant Crawford (Wake Forest commit) who didn’t dazzle on the stat sheet made many plays to don’t show up in the scorebook to keep his team in the game.  Momentum stopping buckets, assist, and amazing challenges and defensive plays in the paint – setting up for an amazing 4^th quarter finish for all in attendance.

Chris Lykes (21-points 5 3-pointers) who led the scorers in the first half was also a major factor in the 2^nd half along with freshman guard Prentiss Hubb who contributed 16-points all in the 2^nd half.  A remarkable performance for the guard who was a late season call up to the varsity level; like the best player he proved his worth on the court.  He rolled off 9 straight points in a key run that allowed the Eagles to go ahead 53-51 late in the last stanza.

Big-time players and step up in big time games as both teams down the starch went to their horse DJ Harvey (18-points 11-rebounds) and Markell Fultz  (16-points) who was named WCAC Player of Year and should be an example to all youth players took it on their shoulders as the game drew close to an end.  But the Eagles had a “hitter” of their own as Sam Miller who is being recruited currently by the Dayton Flyers – who dropped 19-points in the 4^th quarter  and overtime alone; scoring all 7 in the initial OT session.  Millers bucket after Fultz made two clutch free-throws is what got the game to the first OT session, not only were his shots big they were timely.

Lykes and Crawford started the 2^nd OT session with bookend 3’s that ultimately proved too much for the Stages to recover from as they went down by as many as 10 point in the 2^nd OT.  The difference in this very well-played game may have occurred at the line as the Eagles iced the game from the stripe whereas the Stages shoot just 13-21 missing some crucial game changing one down the stretch especially in the 4^th quarter.

Coach Turner who started his time at Gonzaga with a core value of philosophy, providence, and passion along with a goal and dream to see his own kids come through the institution has used this to propel Gonzaga into a position that he has become very familiar with at the DC school – WCAC Champion.  Not always having all of the resources and options as some other schools the 77-68 victory on Thursday was very special and sweet.  The beauty is that this was a special and sweet game to play in for both teams as well as watch for all in attendance even if some never stepped foot in the gym the excitement could be felt throughout the entire facility.  

Congratulations to both teams as the show gets rave reviews.