Germantown Hosts High-Profile Basketball Tournament

The Discovery Sports Center in Boyds hosted the DC Metro Showcase basketball tournament over the weekend.

The NCAA-certified, AAU event coincided with the July recruiting period, giving college basketball coaches from all levels a chance to scout a variety of players.

“There’s never been an NCAA-certified event in Germantown,” said tournament director Kevin Jones, a 2000 Northwest High School graduate. “I think it was a great turnout.”

More 100 college recruiters attended, including Big East Conference head coaches John Thompson III from Georgetown and Jamie Dixon with Pittsburgh. There were also appearances by George Washington head coach Mike Lonergan and Towson head coach Pat Skerry — both in their first season at new jobs.

 “All the coaches were impressed,” said Jones. “They loved the facilities.”

There was also an impressive showing in the crowd.

Former NBA players Sam Cassell and Harvey Grant watched their sons play. Sam Cassell Jr. competed on the Baltimore Elite AAU team, and Jeremi Grant played for Team Takeover.

Among the top local players represented were Germantown resident Andre Walker, a 6-foot-10 rising junior at Clarksburg High School. Walker competed for Mid-Atlantic Select and has already drawn interest from major Division I programs such as Maryland, DePaul, Cincinnati, UMass and Wake Forest.

Gaithersburg resident BeeJay Anya, a 6-foot-8 rising junior at DeMatha Catholic High School, helped lead Team Takeover to a pair of victories on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Rockville’s Montrose Christian School captured the U17 Tunnel Vision championship by winning five consecutive games during the two-day showcase. Montrose Christian rising senior Kevin Larsen led three players in double figures to lead the Rockville Mustangs to a 61-59 victory over the Chester Panthers in the title game. Michael Carrera scored 13 points and Gavin Peppers added 12 points in the win.