Written by Nicki Kupchan
On May 27th, two former state champions will match up in week two of the Capitol Hoops Summer League. The Blake Men’s basketball team went an impressive 25-3 last season, which was made possible by their star player, Baba Oladotun. Baba, standing at 6ft10, was one of the best players in the country last season, proving unstoppable to guard with his combination of elite handles, mid-range shooting, and ability to get to the rim. However, Baba is graduating this year and will be playing basketball at Maryland next year. The big question for the defending 4A state champions is whether the Bengals can continue to dominate amongst Maryland public schools without Baba.
The defending 3A State Champions, the South River Seahawks, had an impressive 21-7 record Last season. The standout players for South River consisted of the big three: Jaden McDuffie, Jonah Hall, and Jamie Finn, who were all seniors. The Seahawks are looking for their 6-9 big man, Nick Yotter, to take a bigger role this season.
Both teams have lost valuable players and are looking to repeat the success they had last year. It was the first state basketball championship for both programs, and this game is a chance to prove that winning it all was not just a one-time occurrence, but the beginning of a new powerhouse program for whichever team comes out on top
The game will be played at 5:00 pm on court 1.