The National District in its present form has been around four years, and the Hayfield Hawks‘ district record in that span is 56-0. Last year, as in a lot of years, Hayfield was the only team out of the National District to have any success in the Occoquan Regional Tournament, winning two games. No one else in the district won a game in that tournament.
Again, Hayfield is the favorite in the National despite losing another very solid senior class, plus promising players Cam Prosper and Aiden Pratt to transfer. That’s because the Coach Carlos Poindexter and the Hawks have built considerable program depth.
Several returnees seem to have embraced expanded roles in the preseason. Senior guard-forward Landon Judy is a very good shooter who has shown the ability to score in bunches. Not only that, he’s a plus defender on the other side of the ball and a capable rebounder. He’ll be a breakout performer this season. There’s another talented wing on hand in Rodney Carmichael II. Carmichael is athletic, physical and strong and effective in transition and on defense. He’ll get a chance to score a lot more this year. As will swingman Aiden Moore, a Hawk with a pretty solid outside shot.
Junior guard Grant Cage returns as well–the younger brother of former Hawks standouts Braelen and Parker. He’s his own guy, but there’s definitely a lot of his brothers’ skills earned and embedded in him as well. The Hawks are rich at guard, with underrated senior Joshua Brown and freshman Christian Towe. Towe is very skilled, and is ready to contribute immediately as a starter.
6’7″ junior forward Sean Colbert has gained strength–if he’s ready for minutes it will help because the Hawks aren’t very big. Poindexter’s team is still physical enough to do a good job on the glass, however. And, the Hawks’ “next man up” mentality will make them a threat to qualify for the state tournament again this season.
Once again, the Hawks’ main threat in the National will come from the Edison Eagles. While the sensational Isaiah Skinn is now with his dad at George Mason, the Eagles have several promising young players returning from a team that won 18 games last year.
Big guard Jahad Mansour made our All-Northern Virginia Freshman team last season and is primed for a big year. He’s a weapon both from the outside and inside, where he does a great job on the offensive glass. Fellow sophomore Tyson Lacey is a smaller but very quick guard who isn’t afraid to shoot the three-pointer. He will step into a much bigger role this season with Skinn gone. Coach Tre Ford also has another sophomore who gained valuable varsity playing experience last year in athletic guard-forward Tyler Hankins.
The Eagles’ firepower won’t all come from sophomores, though. Senior Denari Nesbitt, a second team All-National selection a year ago, returns as well. Nesbitt played off the ball a lot last year, but Edison will want the guard with the ball in his hands a lot more this season. Junior guard Ian Oldham and senior Tristan Walton, rotation pieces last year, are back as well.
The Eagles’ strength is in their talented sophomore class, which also includes Denari’s little brother Khairi Nesbitt. The Eagles are talented enough to possibly defeat Hayfield this year, and it will be interesting to see if by February they can be a threat in the Occoquan Region.
The Annandale Atoms went 10-4 in the National District regular season, tying Edison for second place. District Coach of the Year Jerome McAvoy lost nine graduates from that team, however, so challenging for the National crown will be difficult, especially without the program depth to rival Hayfield or Edison.
The Atoms should still be solid, however. One massive reason for that is the return of senior guard Nathan Pewett. Pewett is a very good ball-handler and shooter who was voted First Team All-National last season. He’ll see even more defensive attention this year, but he’ll be able to handle the pressure and score a lot. He’s a cerebral next-level prospect.
The problem is, will the players around him be able to produce enough for the Atoms to reach their ceiling? Athletic senior guard-forward Jeremiah Nelson can take some of the scoring pressure off Pewett, especially with his ability to drive the basket. Senior forward Samy Cheikh will also be key, as he’s comfortable operating on the blocks and was a starter last year.
Beyond that, a lot of minutes will be up for grabs. Junior guard Esay Ghirmay is a 6’2″ guard shows promise, and tall junior Jason Allen should be counted on to take minutes at forward. There isn’t proven depth, but if the Atoms stay healthy they will be dangerous.
Like Annandale, the Thomas Jefferson Colonials were hit by graduation somewhat hard, losing seven seniors including all-district selections Anish Khandavalli and Chetan Maviti. Not only that, Coach Mark Grey-Mendes decided to step down as head coach. Gray-Mendes was well-regarded, known for getting the most out of his teams.
He is still on staff at the school on the team, however, and Gray-Mendes kept eight juniors on the roster last year, so those returnees will at least have experience. Of those, forward Ashwin Menachery is now a senior, having been a part of the main rotation last season.
It remains to be seen who will step up for TJ, but the Colonials should still be able to lure teams into playing the way they want under Stone Bridge grad and new coach Julian Albizo.
While the Mount Vernon Majors lost only five seniors from last year, three of those were starters. However, a lot of eyes on last year’s team were on the Majors’ youngsters, especially bigs Corey Sutton and O’Neal Allotey.
The 6’6″ Sutton transferred after a nice freshman campaign but Allotey, now a junior, returns. He continues to look like a budding star. Allotey is around 6’7″, and can knock down the three-pointer over defenses. He’s also good at running the floor and displays good footwork attacking the rim. As he continues to get better, he has the potential to take the region by storm.
The Majors will get the ball into Allotey’s hands as much as they can. When he’s doubled, other Majors will have to step up. There’s raw ability, but few proven options at the varsity level. Four returnees from last year will be counted on: Kaden Coleman, Ja’Mil Smith, Malachi Craig, and Amani Matowo. Matowo, a guard, will have his little brother Baraka on the roster to help as well.
The Justice Wolves finished tied for sixth last year in the standings, but aspire to challenge for higher this year. The Wolves only lost four seniors and most of their firepower returns, so a finish in the top half of the National isn’t out of the question.
Back in the backcourt are senior guard Natan Belachew, an Honorable Mention All-National District selection, and Second Team All-National selection junior Isaiah Tedros. Tedros is a fun guard to watch and an underrated prospect. He can score in bunches, pick pockets, and run the point. He can also slide off ball, because Justice is pretty well-fortified with talent in the backcourt. In addition to Belachew, junior guard Jackson Anderson can handle the ball as well.
The question is in the frontcourt. The Wolves lost 6’9″ slender but promising freshman Finley Devereux to transfer and 6’6″ Ethan Karki to graduation. They do have promising sophomore forward Yamanuel Agonafir, however, which will likely pay dividends soon.
The Falls Church Jaguars also seek to climb the standings this year after finishing last in the district last season. They almost certainly will, as last year’s roster was ridiculously young and featured only two seniors.
Senior guard Stefin Schneider was Honorable Mention All-National last season, and three other starters return in forwards Elijah Lewis, sharpshooter Joseph Shukran, and Tyreke Euell, a very good rebounder. There’s depth up front with Kristian Lewis and Tyrese Euell, also.
The question is if the Jags have the next-level guard play to win the close ones. We’ll keep a close eye on guys like sophomore Bennett Blair and junior Jayden Assi-Revis, who both responded well when thrown into the fire last year. If they have taken another step, it will bode tremendously well for The Church’s chances.
The Lewis Lancers haven’t been able to put any continuity together as a program, and they lose the supremely talented Logan Balatbat to graduation. Even with Balatbat, the Lancers were only able to tie Justice for sixth last season, and now the Lancers have yet another head coach this season.
Still, there is young talent with as many as nine Lancers eligible to return that were on last year’s varsity. A lot of the younger talent is in the backcourt, with guys like sophomore Alsen Josh Ferrer.
–Chris Jollay