Derrick Thomas

Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, who will be the next great alum from the 36th Annual Capital Classic?  Beginning in 1974 the Capital Classic has been a game which features the top talent from the DC area battling it out with elite players from across the country. 

The Classic took place Thursday night April 9, 2009 at Bender Arena located on American University’s campus, with two games taking place on the evening.

The second game was the main event with the Capital All-Stars taking on the United States All-Stars.  The Capital All-Stars dominated the game with a decisive win over the U.S. All-stars defeating them by a score of 129-98.

The first game split up other talented players from the DC area into 2 teams, the District All-Stars and the Suburban All-Stars.  This was a much closer game but the District All-Stars pulled out an impressive 113-104 victory.

The following are player evaluations from these two contests.

District All-Stars vs. Suburban All-Stars

District All-Stars

Raven Barber (2009, 6-7 PF) committed to Mount St. Mary's
Raven did not get a lot of touches on the offensive side of the ball.  He scored on an offensive rebound put back and a free throw line jumper, going 2-2 from the field.  Defensively he deflected a shot and blocked another.  He boxed out well and pulled down 4 rebounds in the game.

PJ Miller (2009, 6-2 PG) committed to NJIT
This was a quality game for PJ as he scored 14 points and had 3 assists.  PJ displayed his athletic ability on a par of impressive dunks.  He was also able to knock down shots from mid range and closer, but he missed his only 2 shots from behind the arc.

Robert Olson (2009, 6-4 SG) committed to Loyola (MD)
Robert struggled with his shot in this game as he went 1-4 from the field and even missed his only 2 free throw attempts.  His only 2 points of the game came on a mid range jumper.  Robert did handle the ball pretty well and was able to drive his way to the hoop but he missed the tough layup.  He did make a good outlet pass that resulted in a wide open dunk.

Suburban All-Stars

David Golladay (2009, 6-2 SG) committed to Mount St. Mary's
Initially David was not doing very much, but he eventually did make some plays.  David hit a scoop layup and was fouled but missed the ensuing free throw.  He then made 2 back to back steals.  One resulted in a break away two hand slam, but on the other he missed a difficult layup between 2 defenders.

Stephen Griffin (2009, 6-1 PG)
Griffin scored 10 points in this contest and did his best work attacking the hoop.   While driving he was able to hit a couple runners in the lane and also created open looks for his teammates.  Griffin was also able to score out on the break.

Capital All-Stars vs. U.S. All-Stars

Capital All-Stars

Mouphtaou Yarou (2009, 6-10 C) committed to Villanova
The Capital All-stars were led by Mouphtaou Yarou, the 6'10” center from Montrose Christian (MD) who will be attending Villanova University next year.  Easily the most impressive athlete on the floor, Yarou proved why he was such a highly recruited player.  The young center went 9-9 from the floor scoring 20 points and snatching a game high 8 rebounds on his way to winning the games MVP award.  Yarou displayed a barrage of moves to exploit his defenders.  He moved extremely well around the basket and used his enormous body to move defenders off him to make easy buckets. 

Yarou also showed a baseline spin move and dunk that demonstrated the quickness of the center.  The most impressive attribute about this young kid was the way he ran the floor and his dribbling skills.  For a guy that is 6’10” 210 pounds he dribbled up the court multiple times and even finished once with a finger roll after leaping toward the basket in the middle of the lane.  Yarou will be a great fit under the direction of Jay Wright at Villanova next season.  He adds a low post scorer and big defender to a Villanova squad filled with quick guards that can get to the lane and hopefully find the big man underneath the basket.    

Tristan Spurlock (2009, 6-8 SF)
Another treat to watch was Tristan Spurlock, the 6’8” forward from World of Life Christian Academy (VA) who is currently undecided and reopened his recruitment after de-committing from Virginia in light of their coaching situation (Dave Leitao's departure from Virginia).  Spurlock is an unbelievable athlete showing every part of his game at the Classic.  The forward showed his dribble drive ability, made multiple long jumpers, and had a game high four assists going 5-10 from the field (hitting one three ball) and finishing with 15 points.  If Spurlock continues to work on his shooting he will definitely make some noise at any program next season at the small forward position. 

Derrick Thomas (2009, 6-4 SG) committed to Drexel
The biggest surprise from the Capital All-stars was Derrick Thomas.  Thomas, a 6’4” guard from St. John’s (DC) displayed immense talent at the Classic.  Scoring 16 points going 4-4 from behind the arc, including one from well beyond NBA range.  The young guard showed that not only can he get hot and shoot the rock from the outside, but he can also take the ball to the basket with a great first step.  On one such occasion he exploded past his man along the baseline but then quickly stepped back and buried a fade away jump shot.  Derrick showed off his athleticism as well when he caught his teammates missed layup coming off the rim and proceeded to throw it back down with two hands.  Defensively he did a great job of keeping his man in front of him and also made a couple steals.  Derrick looks as if he should be able to contribute right away at Drexel next year, especially if he can continue to shoot the ball well from the outside.

Ian Hummer (2009, 6-6 SF) committed to Princeton
Ian jumped out to a very fast start in this game scoring 6 points right off the bat.  He hit a layup, a short shot and caught an alley-oop pass which he laid in off the glass.  Ian only scored 2 more points for the rest of the game, but he did contribute in other ways.  His lone other bucket came on another alley-oop.  This time he attempted to throw down the dunk but the ball bounced off the back of the rim and dropped back in.  Ian was hustling throughout the game, pulled down 5 boards, and defensively he altered a number of shots.

Isaiah Armwood (2009, 6-7 SF/PF) committed to Villanova
After winning the Capital Classic dunk contest, Isaiah continued to show off his athleticism in this game.  6 of his 11 points were scored on dunks, including 1 incredible alley-oop that he flushed with two hands.  Other than his dunks he was able to hit a pull up mid range jumper and a shot from behind the arc.  Defensively he stuffed his man on more than 1 occasion.

Rashad Whack (2009) committed to George Mason
This was a tough game for Rashad as his shot was simply not falling.  He missed some difficult shots off the dribble as well as a pair of 3 pointers.  On one play late in the game Rashad drove by his future teammate Paris Bennett but could not convert after adjusting to get his shot off in traffic.  He was however able to score in transition and showed some athleticism in doing so.  He got his first bucket when he tipped a pass away, got out on the break and hit a layup off the glass over a defender.  He was also thrown an alley-oop but since he was unable to slam it, he just laid it in.  His most impressive play of the day came when he followed behind on a fast break, he received a pass and threw down a dunk.  Rashad finished with 6 points.

Christian Webster (2009) committed to Harvard
Christian hit a pull up midrange jumper as well as a 3 pointer in this game.  He also scored on a put back and a break away layup after picking off a pass.

US All-Stars

John Jenkins (2009, 6-5 SG) committed to Vanderbilt
The high scorer in the game was John Jenkins, the 6’5” shooting guard from Station Camp High School (TN).  Jenkins scored 27 points as he and the U.S. All-stars tried to rally back in the second half of a one sided game.  Jenkins shot 10-17 from the floor including 5-11 from three point land that proved that the 2009 Capital Classic Three Point Champion can shoot the rock with the best of them.  Vanderbilt will be lucky to have a guy like Jenkins because not only can he shoot the rock but he can also get to the line (where he averaged 81% in high school) and earn easy points. 

Lamont Jones (2009, 6-0 PG)
The second leading scorer from the U.S. All-stars was Lamont “Momo” Jones, the 6’0” point guard from power house Oak Hill Academy (VA).  Jones scored 18 points shooting 7-14 from the field with two 3-pointers.  Jones has de-committed from Virginia Tech (also de-committed from Louisville) and will weigh options from other schools.  A very physical guard who can take the ball to the rim with explosiveness, Jones will definitely be a factor at any program he attends next year.

Paris Bennett (2009) committed to George Mason
This was a quiet game for the future patriot, but he did not get many touches.  Paris did hit a three pointer and scored on a short shot near the hoop.  He missed a pull up jumper from behind the arc late in the game and also pulled down a couple rebounds.