National Hoop Festival Recap

Hyattsville, MD - Now in its eighth year, the National High School Hoop Festival run by Keith Stevens and Team Takeover was filled with tremendous matchups that paired local DMV powers against some of the top high school programs in the nation for one very exciting day of hoops.

2016 Prime Prep (TX) shooting guard Terrance Ferguson - Ferguson continues to get better and better when shooting the ball from deep. While he can slash to the basket, Ferguson was more focused on shooting the ball to put his team back in the game. He did just that with his ability to shoot off the catch and create off the dribble, along with a few impressive finishes due to his leaping ability. The five-star prospect even threw in his crossover to help create space and lead to open shots. Even when he was highly contested by several defenders, his shooting form, release and follow through were so crisp that the ball went in the basket from beyond the arc. Ferguson is being carted by plenty of schools nationally, but has been to several Oklahoma State games this year, and has been on the campus quite a bit during his high school days. He doesn't have a set list at this time, though.

2016 St. John's (DC) point guard Anthony Cowan - Cowan had a strong all-around performance on both the offensive and defensive end. He got into the lanes using his speed and distributed to his teammates. But when he needed to, he scored in the lane or shot the long ball. Cowan's timely shooting not only led to one, but two, buzzer beaters from deep. He plays hard on defense and forces turnovers with his pestering size and speed. Scheduled to visit Louisville unofficially next weekend, he is also looking at Florida State, Xavier, Maryland, Georgetown, Penn State and others.

2015 West Charlotte (NC) power forward Simeon Carter - With a top three of SMU, Maryland and Virginia Tech at the moment, the unsigned senior big performed well on Saturday. An active low post player who needs to play with more aggression, he has the fundamentals down and helped his stock. With length, mobility and leaping ability, his game is maturing and progressing as he can rebound and adjust shots, but will have to continue to gain quicker timing on the defensive end. He hopes to take some visits toward the end of the season.

2015 Our Savior New American (NY) wing Davon Dillard - One of the better unsigned senior scoring wings, the Indiana native is making the most of his time at the Long Island powerhouse. Dillard is no longer just an athletic slasher. He has the ability to shoot the ball off the catch, but still struggles to create off the dribble. The improvement has opened up his game with an improving jumper. When attacking the hole, he must not be afraid to take contact. He hesitates off the dribble or in mid-air when a defender is coming at him around the post, and that leads to a questionable shot. Once he isn't afraid to punish defenders, Dillard has a chance to be a more consistent threat scoring the ball. After visiting LSU and Marquette over the summer, he also has the attention of Oregon, Providence and California with the intent of making a decision after the season.

2016 Orangeville Prep (CAN) forward Matur Maker - After recently taking visits to Louisville and Kentucky - both of which schools and staffs impressed him - the younger Maker brother came out and made a major impression on the basketball world. He no longer plays second fiddle to his older brother, Thon, as he showed some tremendous skills on offense. Maker can grab a rebound, push the ball up the court extremely quick and make an accurate outlet pass in transition. He also has the ability to breeze by defenders in the open court for a strong, athletic finish at the basket with a spin move. The sophomore is still developing his perimeter and wing skills in order to be able to take defenders off the dribble and create his own shot in the half-court as opposed to when he is excellent in the full-court.

2015 Montrose Christian (MD) guard Kyle DePollar - After transferring to Montrose for his senior year, the combo guard has picked up some low D1 college interest. He proved his value by showing a lot of heart on the court despite being a bit undersized. DePollar drew contact when attacking the basket, shot the ball well from outside and ran some of the offense. He wasn't afraid to get knocked around and hustle despite being outmatched physically. Several schools are showing interest, such as Fairleigh Dickinson and numerous Ivy League programs, in the guard.

2015 Oak Ridge (FL) shooting guard Antonio Blakeney - While there was a lot of negative attention that came with his decommitment from Louisville, including Rick Pitino going off in a press conference about the influence of which shoe companies hold on basketball, Blakeney says he has not dealt with that at all and is only focused on basketball. His recruitment features LSU, NC State, Oregon, Missouri and Kentucky. He has already been on the LSU and Missouri campuses from the fall, and says he could possibly visit NC State in January. Blakeney did not shoot the ball very well, but always stayed aggressive. When there was a timely shot to be made, he made it and kept his team in it en route to an overtime win that featured a few key Blakeney buckets from deep and inside.

2016 Oak Hill (VA) center Rodney Miller - Miller is still not there athletically, but he continues to grow into his body and running the floor, as well as moving, much more fluidly. He isn't a rim protector yet but is athletic enough and does a good job timing wise to swat some shots. His offensive game is coming along, but will still take some time to develop as he is able to finish around the rim but still has to work on post moves and footwork. He was recently offered by UConn, Tulsa and Georgia Tech with plenty of more schools involved. Miller is far from a finished product and that is the best part about him. He continues to progress, and although it has been slow, it is progress in all the right areas under coach Steve Smith.

2016 DeMatha (MD) shooting guard Markelle Fultz - A fall stock riser, Fultz has really improved his game by utilizing a pull-up jumper as his biggest strength. This goes along with his aggressive nature off the dribble where he can get to the cup and use his body to make contact and score. Fultz plays hard on both ends and has a really good motor and ability to find the right shots. This has led to a major boost in his recruitment with new offers in the past few months from Wake Forest, South Carolina, Memphis, Georgetown, Cincinnati, George Mason, Maryland, Miami and Washington with several others who offered during the summer.

2016 Chaminade (MO) wing Jayson Tatum - Versatility is the name of the game for Tatum, who can play the one through four for his team. With Chaminade alum and Washington Wizard Brad Beal watching on, Tatum scored in a variety of ways by using his mid-range jumper and adjusting around the rim for fantastic finishes in transition. He uses his size, footwork and high skill level to his advantage by using crafty dribble moves to his advantage regardless of where he was playing. The junior prospect can float at times when playing off the ball and needs to be involved at all times. When he does get involved, and stay involved, he is extremely tough to stop. The St. Louis native's recruitment remains down to Arizona, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Saint Louis, UConn, and Wake Forest.

Event Sleeper

2016 Oak Hill (VA) power forward Khadim Sy - He played sparing minutes, but was productive out there. Sy has a really good nose for the ball and has established a reputation as one of the better defensive post players in the junior class. While he can finish around the rim, his post moves are still a work in progress. Still, he is fairly unknown, but is carting a lot of interested schools in Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Washington State, Old Dominion, Saint Louis, Kansas and Kansas State.

For the latest in college basketball recruiting, head to TheRecruitScoop.com for the latest details and notes on offers, visits, commitments and more. To contact Alex Kline, you can reach him by email at MaryKlineClassic@gmail.com or on Twitter at TheRecruitScoop.