Patriot #23
Patriot's Isaiah Vick realized a very significant bit of his massive upside in 2022-2023.

2022-2023 All-NOVA Junior Boys Team, Public School

STARTERS
F. Isaiah Vick, Patriot–One of the musts for Patriot to achieve its lofty aspirations this year was improvement and consistency from Vick, an explosive forward with an impressive heritage. Yeah, uh, that happened. Vick had shown flashes of brilliance his sophomore year–this season he played with far more consistency. Strong and fast, Vick is a strong finisher who can impact/dominate a game on both ends of the floor. Scary part is there’s still very significant upside. Fellow juniors Dez Hopkins and Mekhi Dillard could easily be on this team as well.

F. Grant Polk, Gainesville–Part of an impressive Cardinals junior class that also features the talented, underrated Trevor Moody, Polk is easily one of the area’s best shooters. He buried 76 three-pointers this year at a clip of three made per contest. He’s tall at 6’6″, so the college interest is obviously there. While Polk’s shooting often steals the show, we feel he’s not given enough credit for several other facets of his game. He always does good work on the boards (seven rpg), has good athleticism, and is solid off the dribble.

G-F. Tey Barbour, Osbourn–Some Division I school is going to get an absolute warrior in Tey Barbour, a shooting guard with good size. Barbour averaged almost 25 ppg this season and was named Cedar Run District Player of the Year, a district chock full of very good talent. Barbour is cerebral and understands the importance of getting his teammates involved, but also when it is time for him to take over. He has no significant weaknesses that we can see–he’s a good shooter, has an explosive drive, is a willing and able defender, etc.

Osbourn's Tey Barbour
Osbourn’s Tey Barbour saw a ton of defensive attention this season, but he still averaged around 25 ppg..

G. Tavarres Riley, Freedom-Woodbridge–Gosh, 25ppg is impressive, but it feels like we could use some more scoring. Why not Riley, who averaged almost 30 ppg? Freedom had some inconsistency, but there’s little argument their guards could beat just about anyone, Riley especially. The Cardinal District Player of the Year can be virtually un-guardable. We could talk about his quick crossover, fearless drives, good shooting, etc. but let’s not forget the combo guard’s passing and defense as well. In a game this year he had nine steals versus West Springfield.

G. Kye Robinson, Alexandria City–Robinson is the perfect choice to run this talented starting unit. The Titans point guard is a tough defender who also excels at delivering the clutch shot on offense. Don’t get us wrong, Robinson can score all game, too, if necessary. The lefty has a good outside shot and a strong drive to the basket, and he hit 20 points a bunch of times this season. He’s got solid size at over six feet tall, which makes him harder for smaller points to handle as well. Robinson heads a very good Titans junior class that also includes Teko Bostick, Jr. and Sean Burbage.

Alexandria City point guard Kye Robinson helped lead the Titans to a regular season Patriot District crown.
Alexandria City point guard Kye Robinson helped lead the Titans to a regular season Patriot District crown.

RESERVES
G-F. DJ Thomas, Edison–Thomas had a very good season in his first year at Edison, collecting first team all-district and region accolades. His offensive game is pretty well balanced, as the 6’5″ Thomas can work you pretty equally from the perimeter, on the drive, and down low. Love his handle for his size already, and it continues to develop. If he’s on, such as when he scored 31 against TJ, you’re in trouble.

G. Brian Kennedy, South Lakes–The electric transfer guard from Westfield was a major factor in South Lakes’ success this season. Although a smallish guard, Kennedy has the dominant athleticism that enables him to stand out against any type of competition. He has a very solid offensive game but loves to set his teammates up first, and he was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Concorde.

The Seahawks' Brian Kennedy helped quarterback his team to the state semis this season.
The Seahawks’ Brian Kennedy helped quarterback his team to the state semis this season.

G. Kobe Davis, Wakefield–Once again the Wakefield guard piled up numbers for Tony Bentley’s team in the Liberty, averaging almost 20 points per game. We still marvel at how smooth Davis’ offensive game is, though don’t be fooled–he’s a Warrior in every sense of the word. He rebounds like his life depended on it, often getting them over much taller or bigger opponents.

G. Kenneth DeGuzman, Potomac–Potomac had another solid team this year and DeGuzman was often the catalyst for the Panthers’ success. The efficient guard crushed opponents by getting to the rim in transition and more impressively, weaving his way through defenses in the halfcourt with his tight handle. When the Panthers were rolling, the all-Cardinal selection was usually in the middle of it.

When Potomac really got going as a team, Panthers guard Kenneth DeGuzman often had a lot to do with it.
When Potomac really got going as a team, Panthers guard Kenneth DeGuzman often had a lot to do with it.

G. Joshua Prince, Potomac Falls–You could make the case that up to four players from 20-win Potomac Falls’ outstanding junior class could make this team: Colby Margeneau, James Delaney, Potomac District POY Johnny Opiola, or Prince. We went with Prince, as he really stood out to us in certain games we saw live. Clutch and unafraid to take the big shots (see playoff win over Albemarle), Prince is a dynamic combo guard who is capable of taking over games.

G. Shamar Sisco, Freedom-Woodbridge–This guy isn’t Robin to Tavarres Riley’s Batman–Freedom-Woodbridge is just blessed with multiple Batmans (all of which play guard). Sisco averaged over 20 points a game this season, tormenting opponents that came out to try and stop him from canning a three by weaving his way to the rim or canning a floater. Sisco has a ton of varsity experience, and the Eagles are in good shape when he has the ball (as are they with Riley).

G. Jayden Johnson, Tuscarora–Johnson had a great season after transferring over from Loudoun Valley. A prolific scorer (1,000 point, already) his entire varsity career, Johnson does a good job fighting his way into the lane to attack the rim and is a very solid three-point shooter. Solid size and athleticism allows him to help out Tusky’s bigs on the boards significantly as well.

Tuscarora's Jayden Johnson can light up the scoreboard in a hurry for the Huskies.
Tuscarora’s Jayden Johnson can light up the scoreboard in a hurry for the Huskies.

F. Aiden Billings, South Lakes–The South Lakes forward’s athletic future is presumably in football, but he is an enormous factor locally in basketball as well. He is not ridiculously tall, but his strength and bulk allows him to (legally) play pinball with opposing players. Don’t underestimate his skills, either. The first team all-region choice can handle the ball, drive, shoot, and despite his strength is very light on his feet.

F. Miles Franklin, Madison–Wouldn’t quite call him a human highlight film as of yet, but the athletic wing sure put together a lot of noticeable plays this year. From crowd-pleasing dunks, to threes, to harassing defense, Franklin seemed to be everywhere and do a little of everything this year. While he was first team all-Concorde this season, a lot of observers think he will break out even more next year as a bona fide star.

The dynamic Miles Franklin took a significant jump this season in production.
The dynamic Miles Franklin took a significant jump this season in production for the Warhawks.

HONORABLE MENTION
Landen Conrad (Loudoun Valley), Nate Boner (Loudoun Valley), Joey Danielson (Loudoun Valley), Dez Hopkins (Patriot), Mekhi Dillard (Patriot), Trevor Moody (Gainesville), Ryan Bradshaw (Langley), Isaac Bell (McLean), BJ Willis (Wakefield), Ricardo Snyder (Wakefield), Luke McDermott (Herndon), Jason Penn (Marshall), Jose Fudd (Marshall), James Zschunke (South Lakes), Tyler Andre (South Lakes), Noah Toole (Oakton), Ivan So (Chantilly), BJ Nkumah (West Potomac), Sean Burbage (Alexandria City), Teko Bostic, Jr. (Alexandria City), Ronnie Peters (Fairfax), Cam Love (Fairfax), Josh Smith (Fairfax), Jamal Miles (South County), Sean Donovan (W.T. Woodson), Ethan Conklin (W.T. Woodson), Scott Van Antwerp (Robinson), Jeremiah Hightower (West Springfield), Teddy Morgan (Edison), Andy Ramirez Novas (Hayfield), Jahleel Jackson (Hayfield), Owen Pottenburgh (Hayfield), Sahil Kapadia (Thomas Jefferson), Santiago Criado (Thomas Jefferson), Caleb West (Falls Church), Ashon Brice (Mount Vernon), Genesis Smith (Mount Vernon), JR Nelson (Annandale), Josh Jones (John Champe), Tavyahn Faison (Osbourn), Brenden Ahlers (Osbourn), Daunte Williams (Gar-Field), Shaun Farmer (Hylton), TJ Bethea (Potomac), Peter Mitchell (Potomac), Roman Hendrix (Forest Park), EJ Reid (Freedom-Woodbridge), Gabriel Coulthurst (Stone Bridge), Johnny Opiola (Potomac Falls), Colby Margeneau (Potomac Falls), James Delaney (Potomac Falls), JJ Johnson (Independence), Colin Pollock (Broad Run), Shane MacMillan (Dominion), Trey Moore (Brentsville District), Grant Greiner (Meridian)

2 comments

  1. Owen Pottenburgh of Hayfield should be on the Honorable Mention list. At 6 foot 8, probably would have started for any public school in the area except Hayfield or maybe Patriot.

    1. It’s a good point and agree. We restricted juniors to those who made all-district teams but certainly can’t argue in Owen’s case on that team. Added.

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