Loudoun County, Va. — For this boys basketball season, the good folks over at LoCoSports have decided to let me do our boys basketball rankings. What were they thinking? I’m not sure, but for this season, every other week, you can expect me to make some readers happy and some readers very very angry.
Of course, if you’re into hard numbers, check out the full Cedar Run District, Potomac District, and Dulles District standings.
For the first time ever, I have the pleasure of saying, welcome to the LoCo Top 5.
[adrotate group=”5″]1. Loudoun Valley (0-0, 3-1) —
Trent Dawson is that dude. In a storied Loudoun Valley program, he’s going to go down as one of the best. When he dribbles the ball up-court, he is the conductor of the Valley offense. The quick outlet ahead? That’s the crescendo of violins as the black-clothed arm shoots into the sky. The step-back three? That’s the crash of the drums. The behind the back pass to Cooper Thunell to seal head coach Chad Dawson’s 300th win? That’s the split second of silence right after the conductor closes his hands and before the audience stands up in rousing applause.
The Vikings have been getting a lot of applause. It starts with Dawson, who throws long outlets ahead for easy buckets two or three times per game, but it extends past that, with tenacious defense from senior guard Avery Nance and timely shooting by senior forward Umayr Obaid, setting the Vikings up to be the favorites in the Dulles District.
Senior transfer guard Zion Ball has shown signs of becoming more comfortable, and he should be expected to be a difference maker as he settles into the Vikings’ system and develops more chemistry with Dawson.
Next up: Loudoun Valley travels to Broad Run on December 16
2. John Champe (1-0, 4-0) —
If you predicted this coming from the John Champe Knights this season, I would like you to fill out a lottery ticket for me (that college tuition isn’t paying itself folks).
All jokes aside, what’s happened with the Knights this year has been remarkable. First-year head coach Walter Webb and twin junior guards Jalen and James Jasper join established star Tyler Savage on a team that looks nothing short of dominant. Last year, Savage struggled as the only real scoring threat on a team that disappointed, but the Jaspers have added a great deal of skill to this team.
Jalen is a deadly sharpshooter, pulling up from well behind the arc and using the tight defense he garners to get to the rim and make plays from there. His twin brother James is a clear point guard. Some of the passes he makes demonstrate a great understanding of pick-and-roll coverages and an ability to manipulate defenses is far beyond his years.
John Champe won the LoCoSports Tip-Off Tournament, but their true statement win was a 82-52 thrashing of the next team on the list.
Next up: John Champe hosts Briar Woods on December 18
3. Potomac Falls (0-0, 4-3) —
There’s a 6-foot-2, 190-pound asterisk next to John Champe’s win over the Panthers, and it’s Jalen Coker. The senior super-athlete didn’t play in the loss, but despite that, this is clearly a different team than last year’s Panther team that started the year with more than 20 straight wins.
Ian Anderson is gone, and with his loss comes a return to a dogfight atop the Potomac District. Three losses in their first seven games isn’t ideal, but with two of those losses coming to teams No. 1 and No. 2 on this list, the record can be a bit misleading. They aren’t the powerhouse they were before, but anyone sleeping too soundly on this team is in for a rough surprise.
It starts with Landon Hawes. The senior is finally the number one option and he’s thriving. 37 points against Potomac on December 14 demonstrates his otherworldly talent.
Too big to defend with a guard, too quick to guard with a big, Hawes is a unique talent that’s being used perfectly.
His father is also the winningest coach in the county, recently securing his 400th victory, but here’s my question: after seeing his stomps on the sidelines of games, could Coach Hawes touch backboard?
Next up: Potomac Falls travels to No. 4 Dominion on December 19
4. Dominion (0-0, 2-1) —
This season looked like it may get away from Dominion. After losing to Potomac Falls in the season opener and then looking sluggish for the first part of their game against Briar Woods, there was a moment where in an alternate universe things would go down a dark path.
Dominion is interesting because they have pieces that look like they should fit together on the archetypal basketball puzzle. The lead guard getting to the rim Sam Shelton, the lockdown wing defender Adam Thomas, the streaky shooter who can put up points in a hurry Max Mancuso, the stretch bigs that add a different element to the offense Mark Schroeder and Justin Mann, the incredibly beautiful broadcaster Varun Shankar, and the ex-player coach Anthony Eifler, who still has the youthful looks and could possibly suit up at any moment.
For some reason or another, it hasn’t all clicked yet, but the potential is there, and they’ve got a winning record for now with a matchup against Independence coming on December 16. We’ll learn a lot more about this Titan team in the upcoming weeks, especially on December 19 when they get a long-awaited rematch with their rival No. 3 Potomac Falls.
Next up: Dominion hosts No. 3 Potomac Falls on December 19
5. Freedom (1-0, 3-3) —
Loudoun has some very nice basketball families. The Hawes and Dawsons come to mind immediately, but there might be another name added to the list: the Easters. Angelo Easter roared to prominence in last year’s playoffs, becoming a giant killer as he took down Potomac Falls in both the district and state tournament.
Angelo, unfortunately, tore his ACL during football season, but his younger brother, Elijah, looks to be ready to pick up the challenge. There are some stark similarities in their games. Both shoot the ball well and use that extra space to get to the rim.
The younger Easter scored 14 points in the Eagles’ dominating win over Briar Woods and hit the game-deciding basket against Stafford. After losing three in a row, including a tough loss to Loudoun County, things looked grave in South Riding, but head coach Justin Powers and senior forward Lance Johnson have righted the ship and put the team at the top of the Potomac District standings to start the year.
Freedom is by no means a finished product, but if last year’s team showed us anything, it’s that counting out the Freedom Eagles is a mistake.
Next up: Freedom travels to Patriot on December 17
On the bubble: Loudoun County (0-0, 3-2)
Wanna discuss the rankings? Hit me up via email at varun@locosports.info or on Twitter/Instagram @byvarunshankar.
