Posted on 04 December 2008 by .
By Angela Watts
Assistant GM, Washington D.C. Metro Area
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Chantilly sophomore center John Manning has grown quite accustomed to having his own vision of the world. At almost 7-feet tall, Manning stands well above not only his teammates and friends — but virtually every one he passes all day long. He has his own unique view.
That’s part of the reason he was not the least bit fazed by all the rumors and speculation that surrounded him a year ago.
It seemed everyone who saw the talented Manning play had a very vocal opinion as to whether the freshman with huge potential should finish his career with the Chargers or move to a private school where his talents would be more widely showcased.
But for Manning, it was a no-brainer.
That’s why his career continues at Chantilly.
“Everyone talked about it,” Manning said. “But I like the coaching staff here and have a lot of friends that go here. I thought staying was the best thing for me.”
It’s also a big part of the reason why the Chargers — at least to outsiders — enter this year among the favorites to win the Northern Region crown despite starting only one senior in standout All-Northern Region guard Justin May.
“I was just telling our kids that Herndon and Westfield have combined to win the last seven [Concorde] District championships — it hasn’t been Chantilly — so until we’re capable of beating those teams and beating them in big games then I don’t really think we’re the favorite,” Chargers’ Coach Jim Smith said. “And if you look at the Northern Region, I don’t remember too many people beating T.C. Williams lately, so until someone beats those guys I’d make the favorite. I think we have the potential … but I don’t think we’re in any way, shape or form the favorite. We don’t have the track record to be in that category yet.
“But we do have potential. And that’s exciting, but I think also it’s the same thing as with coaching John and preparing him for the next level, it’s a great responsibility. Potential can be a dirty word because you want to make sure that potential is actualized. And that’s partly on them and partly on us. It’s exciting, but we need it to transfer into a very high level of basketball.”
May and Manning will be joined in the Chargers’ starting lineup by sophomore point guard Devin Ballam and junior forwards Matt Dewitt and Adam Fridy. But expect big contributions as well from sophomore sixth-men Kethan Savage, who will be the first guard off the bench, and Jake Weigand, who will be the first post player off the bench.
“I’m looking forward to playing with all the new players because,” May said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who will be out there this year, a lot of sophomores. And I know that because I’m the only senior starter I have to be the leader. I haven’t always been vocal in the past, but I’m stepping up now. I have to.”
While May has been actively working on his leadership skills — Smith said part of his legacy will be seeing how his teammates develop — Manning, who already possessed good moves near the basket, has been working on his outside game.
“John is a dream teammate,” May said. “He’s not only one of the best big men I’ve ever played with, but he makes a difference on both ends of the floor. Every shot he doesn’t block, he changes. And he’s gotten a lot stronger, and he can shoot three’s as well as anyone on the team. Really.”
Manning, when asked if opponents should be surprised to see him shoot from behind the arc this season, simply chuckled and said, “No comment.”
But Smith echoed May’s praise of his savvy sophomore.
“John’s much stronger, much more able to hold his position this year,” Smith added. “Last year he was a 15-year-old playing with 18-year-olds a lot and he got beat up quite a bit. But I don’t think that’s going to happen as much this year. His size obviously makes him special. he dominated games last year on the defensive end because of his size and I think with his strength this year he’ll be able to dominate on both ends of the floor at times. He’s just filled out, worked hard in the weight room and that’s going to make a difference this year, I think.
“We take John being here, staying with us, very seriously because we know he’s a special player and could have gone other places. And as coaches we take that very seriously. We want to teach him everything we possibly can and make him not only the best player he could be in high school but also prepare him to be an outstanding college player as well. It’s important to us, and it’s something we talk about a lot. But I think John also realizes it’s a special thing for him to be here at Chantilly, playing in front of people that he has grown up with.
“We’re hoping it’s quite a year.”
**DISTRICT PREVIEWS**
CONCORDE
While Chantilly Coach Jim Smith said he doesn’t consider his Chargers to be the league favorite — since it’s Herndon and Westfield that combined to win the last seven Concorde District titles — everyone else in the area does.
But Smith is right about one thing, both the Hornets and the Bulldogs should be in the mix again this season. Herndon, which is athletic from top-to-bottom and boast exceptional backcourt play, returns three key members from last year’s team in junior Randoll Anane (5-10), senior Isaac Johnson (6-3) and senior Jared Johnson (6-8).
Isaac Johnson led the Hornets a year ago with 14 points per game, while Anane was honored as one of the league’s top defenders a year ago. Jared Johnson, who Coach Chris Whelan said had an excellent summer, should be a force inside the paint.
Westfield, the defending Concorde District tournament champion, lost a lot to graduation — including standouts Mo Hubbard and Jamie Richardson. But the Bulldogs do return senior guards Jay Jackson and Peter Scanlon along with a host of athletes from the school’s football team, including senior transfer Jordan Anderson. If Anderson makes as big of an impact at guard as he did at running back this season — finishing second in the region in rushing yards — Coach Doug Ewell will assuredly be pleased.
Centreville struggled last season, finishing below .500 both in district play and overall. But the Wildcats were young a year ago, and while they still are underclassmen-heavy they are also much more experienced. As a result, Coach Drew Murphy says he is looking for his team to compete this season for a berth into the Northern Region tournament. Back are 6-foot-3-inch junior forward Warren Denny (12 ppg, 8 rpg), 6-foot-4-inch senior forward Tommy Meador, a defensive standout, 5-foot-9-inch junior guard Nick Tisinger and 6-foot-5-inch junior swingman Bobby Warhurst.
Robinson, which last season advanced to the Concorde District tournament semifinals, returns a trio of senior starters from that roster, including shooting guard Stephen Boettke (6-0), point guard Jimmy Brewer (5-10) and forward Brandon Kuter (6-7). The Rams also boast a pair of sophomores who deserve keeping an eye on in forward C.J. Cleaves (6-4) and guard Matt Zanellato (6-3), who is solid on the glass.
Oakton, because its football team advanced to the state semifinal round, has gotten a late start to the season.
And the Cougars suffered a loss when senior returner Chris Coyer, the teams’ quarterback, fractured the C-7 vertebrae in during a clean hit by an Oscar Smith defender. Coyer will miss at least six to eight weeks with the injury. That’s an especially tough loss for a team that will be loaded with underclassmen, but there’s no denying the valuable varsity experience those players will get this season.
The only two other returning players are sophomore guard Steele Shemeld and junior guard Andrew Daniels. But keep an eye on senior guard Thomas Vitale, who broke his wrist in the first game last year and missed the remainder of the season, and junior guard Kris McNeil, who was on the junior varsity team a year ago.
LIBERTY
Much like their counterparts in the Patriot District a year ago, the Liberty this year looks to be very tight in the middle. The preseason favorites look to be Langley and W.T. Woodson — but there is plenty of debate as to which teams are most likely to take the crucial third- and fourth-place spots, which grant a berth into the Northern Region tournament.
Langley graduated standout forward Ryan Davenport — who was widely regarded as one of the toughest players in the Northern Region — but return plenty of tenacity from last season’s squad that won the Liberty District, finished second in the Northern Region and advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history.
Coach Travis Hess will start five seniors this season, including key returners Derek Baker, Barrett Hunter and Thomas Kody, alongside Jack McLindon and Danny Pritchett.
Woodson Coach Doug Craig returns eight members from last year’s team, including four starters. One of them, however — second-team All-Liberty District junior guard Max Lenox — will be out until at least February with a knee injury. Last season, Lenox led the Cavaliers, averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Still, the Cavaliers have plenty of others to lean on.
Topping that list is 6-foot-6-inch senior swingman Stephen Stepka, who was a first-team all-district selection a year ago. Stepka averaged 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 blocks per game last season. Also returning are 5-9 senior guard Dylan Robeson, a standout defensive player, and 6-5 senior forward Dane Huling. Others to watch include 6-2 junior guard Steven Noe, 6-5 sophomore guard John Schoof and 6-0 junior forward James Johnson.
South Lakes will have all new starters on its line-up this season, but four of the five newcomers are seniors, ready to bring Seahawks’ basketball back to prominence.
Senior point guard Travis Williams did start five games last season, and three times led South Lakes in single-game scoring with 18, 18 and 21 points. Joining Williams in the starting lineup will be aptly-named senior shooting guard Steve Kerr, 6-foot-5-inch senior center Jamal Hulum, junior forward Jamal Cooper and senior small forward Brandon Price, the younger brother of former Seahawk standout and current Penn State football player A.J. Price.
This group — which Coach Darryl Branch says is not as athletic as last year’s team, but shows greater chemistry and a better understanding of their roles within the system, will also look for help from junior guard Ramin Shaheedian and sophomore point guard Alex Shipp.
McLean Coach Kevin Roller’s squad will have a much different look this year with the departure of Liberty District and Northern Region Player of the Year Tarek Ammoury. Between Ammoury and two others senior starters the Highlanders graduated approximately 35 points and 14 rebounds per game — which means it might be mid-season before this new group defines its roles and its personality.
McLean returns two starters in 5-foot-10-inch senior guard Peter Brosnan (6.6 ppg, 3.8 apg) and 6-foot-2-inch senior forward Grayson Dahl (2 ppg, 2 rpg). Other players to watch include senior guard Matt Baruch and junior forward Sean Fitzgerald, both of whom will be asked to take a bigger role this season.
Madison looks to be one of the more inexperienced teams in the Liberty — if not all of the Northern Region. The Warhawks enter the season with only one of its 13 players having ever started a varsity game. And that player — senior guard Omi Ogolo — will be sidelined for at least two weeks as he continues to recover from hip surgery. That means the on-court leadership, at least early on, will fall to the teams’ only other returning lettermen in seniors Will Clarkson, Gavin Hilburn and James Sams and junior Jack Reichl.
Coach Chris Kuhblank‘s Warhawks look to be a defensive-oriented team — Ogolo will certainly help in that area upon his return — and one that will show a tremendous amount of patience on offense in an effort to feed the ball inside to Clarkson.
Last season, Thomas Jefferson finished just 9-13, but Coach Ed Grimm has more than enough returning to push the Colonials’ over the .500 mark. Jefferson will be led by 6-foot-9-inch senior center Spencer de Mars, who last season averaged 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and also totaled a team-best 52 blocks for the season. Also back is senior forward Mike Ross (6-4), who averaged 10.6 ppg a year ago.
The Colonials also expect help from a host of returning players who came off the bench last year, including senior guard Wooyoung Moon (5-7) and senior forward Mikas Kuprenas (6-4), as well as newcomers Daniel Barnes, a 6-foot-4-inch sophomore forward, and a pair of 5-foot-11-inch senior guards in Mason Freedman and Cameron McCord.
Marshall returns a good group of seniors who Coach Bobby Forst hopes will provide leadership to the newcomers that will be expected to contribute on the varsity level this season. Leading the way is senior guard Bryan Whittington (6-0) and junior forward Daniel Mcclain (6-3). Newcomers to watch include junior center Will Simonton and 6-foot senior guard Kenton Fisher.
Stone Bridge already did something in the first week of the season that it couldn’t do last year — win a district game as sophomore transfer Nik Brown (Paul VI) poured in 27 points in the Bulldogs 70-56 win over Thomas Jefferson. Bulldog coach Sonny Green is looking to run an up-tempo style this year with a roster full of guards including Michael Prince, Ryan Lowdermilk and another transfer, Richie Berry. Stone Bridge will have one interesting “big man” in senior Brian Slay, an athletic 6-3, 270-pound football recruit for North Carolina State who is on the team for the first time as a senior. Slay adds much-needed depth to a front line that includes two returning senior forwards Ricci Patrick (6-3) and Jerel Wright (6-4).
NATIONAL
Certainly Mount Vernon takes a hit with the graduation of All-Northern Region standout point guard Marquel De Lancey, who took his 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game with him to Old Dominion University. But don’t go feeling too sorry for Coach Alfonso Smith and the Majors. Mount Vernon return a wealth of talent this season — and one “newcomer” that could take teams by surprise.
Back are two second-team All-National District selections a year ago in senior swingman Robert Coleman and senior guard Skylar Jones, as well as honorable-mention honoree Robert Smith, a junior defensive stopper. Other expected to contribute at the guard position are returners Brian Green, Jesse Konadu and Derek Pruitt. And returning after a year absence from basketball is senior football standout Kyle Ricks, who should be a formidable presence in the post.
Mount Vernon has also a pair of true newcomers to the post in Darron Fennell, a military transfer from Japan, and Mohamed Alie-Cox, a sophomore transfer from South County.
Edison looks to make some noise in the National District again this season with an athletic group that won’t hesitate to run the floor. Seniors Jemal Fair (6-6 post player) and Richard Waldron (6-0 swingman) are both three-year varsity players who showed growth during summer-league play. Fair scores well in transition and deep in the paint, and has a knock for blocking — or at least changing — an opponents’ shot. Waldron is quick and strong, and plays aggressive on both ends of the floor.
Look for newcomers Connor Glenn (6-4 junior forward), Jerrell Haywood (5-8 junior guard), Aaron Jackson (5-10 sophomore guard) and Tomeem Khairzada (6-1 senior forward) to also contribute significantly.
Stuart Coach Antonio Harris,
whose team is coming off its first winning season in more than a
decade, returns his entire squad from a year ago, which should also make
this an awfully fun group to watch.
It’s Harris’ son — sharpshooting,
6-foot-2-inch junior guard Antonio Harris — who highlights the list. But the Raiders also boast a trio of returning senior starters in 6-foot-5-inch forward/center Mo Ibrahim, 5-foot-10-inch guard William Ford and the high-flying, 6-foot-4-inch forward/center Raymond Watson.
Wakefield has no returning starters from last year’s team, but that doesn’t mean the Warriors lack talent. Wakefield, which won the Northern Region in 2005 and finished as the region runner-up in 2007, will be led by Jonathan Ford, a 6-foot-4-inch swingman who will play both forward and guard. Wakefield is 105-48 in Coach Tony Bentley‘s six previous seasons at the helm as always has a way about peaking at the right time.
This marks the first season that the Falls Church players have gone through a complete off-season of training with Coach T.C. Papageorge, and he’s hoping the hard work they put in will pay off. The Jaguars kept 15 players on its varsity roster, including four seniors — Sam Gerima, Kyle Gotcher, Evan Hansen and Colin Kelley — a whopping nine juniors and one sophomore.
PATRIOT
T.C. Williams is the reigning Virginia AAA state champions. That does not change despite the fact the Titans lost head coach Ivan Thomas, their emotional leader, and graduated a host of seniors who contributed to the title run, including standouts Travis Berry and Anthony Winbush.
So this year’s group of Titans — which includes senior returners Dominique Copeland, Edward Jenkins and Gavin Peterson and junior Ryan Yates — must prove quickly they can continue the tradition.
Hayfield was one of the more athletic — and entertaining — teams to watch a year ago and that should be no different this year. That’s because the Hawks a bevy of players from a year ago, including all but one starter.
Heading that group are standouts Chad Canady, a strong, 6-foot-3-inch junior forward, Brandon Winbush, an electric, 5-foot-10-inch junior guard, and T.J. Wilson, a 6-foot-3-inch senior swingman who may very well take over as the area’s most prolific dunker.
Also back are senior post Vince Aylor, junior post G.I. Cummings, sophomore swingman Tayron Gibson, senior post Laurent Newsome, senior forward Andre Renner and junior guard Rayshawn Rigans. Newcomers who could also make an immediate impact are juniors Leon Cureton and Sean Michael King and sophomore transfer Devonte Williams. The Hawks are that deep.
Lake Braddock won’t be nearly as flashy, but much like last season the Bruins will be a contender. Starting senior point guard Dominic Morra (5-10) is among the best in the area, and Lake Braddock returns two other starters from last year’s squad in elusive junior guard Patch McLucas (5-8) and senior forward Jared Watson (6-2).
Annandale graduated the Northern Region’s most explosive player in forward Erik Etherly, now at Northeastern University, but return four other key contributors from last year’s team that 10-4 and took second in the district in regular-season play. Topping that list of returners is sophomore point guard D’Angelo Boyce, a player with a high basketball IQ who started on varisty as a freshman.
Also back are sophomore forward Melvin Robinson — who turned heads this season at wide receiver for the Atoms — senior sharp-shooting guard Allen Stalp — one of the regional’s best three-point shooters — and sophomore forward Karl Ziegler.
This year’s
West Potomac team will feature a much faster brand of basketball than
in years’ past.
Coach David Houston hopes that the length and speed of
the team will help the Wolverines overcome their youth. This is a team
that should get better as the season progresses. West Potomac will be
led by four returners — junior point guard Shawn Lee, senior
forward/center Will Kreger, junior guard Martez Redfearn and junior
forward Keevyn Hankins. Newcomers who are also expected to contribute
include Daryl Copeland, Matt Cunningham, Jalen Dawson and Erik Gwynn.
Expect
South County to play especially tough in the backcourt, where junior
captain Antonio Butler, a 6-foot-3-inch returning starter will be
joined by senior point guard Kiunte Watkins (6-3).
Email: awatts@digitalsports.com
Thank you to all the Northern Region coaches who contributed to this report. — AW
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