The 2026 Lethal Shooter Showcase once again brought together a plethora of top talent here in the DMV for a day of hoops, fellowship, life lessons, and honoring some of the legends of the past and present from the area. The showcase, held at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus, featured structured stations (3-on-3, shooting, ball handling), scrimmages, and group sessions led by an accomplished collection of high-level trainers, coaches, and former players who are committed to pouring into the next generation.
Organized by Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews and Brian Inge, it has quickly become a must-attend event on the summer scouting schedule. Last year’s MVP was Arkansas’s Jordan Smith Jr.. who is poised for a fantastic freshman campaign and is one of the front runners for the first pick of the 2027 NBA Draft. Who were the top standouts from this year’s showcase?
Brandon Woodard | 2027 | Wing | 6’8” | Bishop McNamara (MD)
Brandon Woodard earned co-MVP honors with an electric performance that highlighted his explosive tools, projectable positional size, and upside. For anyone new to the Brandon Woodard Show, the four-star wing is an effortless NBA-caliber athlete who will have defenders making business decisions at the rim.
Woodard, long and audacious with quick twitch, threw down dunk after dunk in the halfcourt and transition, both as a play finisher and ball-handler during the scrimmages. His performance was highlighted by a 360 one-hand slam and a two-hand oop slam where his head was level with the rim. Across both the scrimmages and stations, he flashed enticing ball-handling and multiple-level shotmaking. Woodard hit a few pullup jumpers, with my favorite coming on a deep three in front of the opposing bench where both sides had some competitive, but playful words for each other.
Woodard’s pairing of breathtaking athleticism and an evolving skillset is a dream for evaluators. As he continues to find consistency and advance his game, the sky is the limit.
Jamaal McKnight Jr. | 2027 | Guard | 6’0 | Iowa Prep United (IA)
Sharing co-MVP with his Team Durant teammate, Jamaal McKnight Jr. dazzled from beginning to end. Though a shorter guard, I wouldn’t necessarily classify him as “small.” He’s stout, compact, and strong with an understanding of how to leverage physicality, speed, and ball skills to beat defenders for scoring and playmaking opportunities.
McKnight Jr. got anywhere that he wanted on the floor and scored on all three levels with pull-ups, snaking scores, and shifty slashes into tough rim finishes. There was no doubt that he was focused on being aggressive and showcasing his scoring arsenal. However, there were still glimpses of his playmaking ability on drop-offs, spray outs, and a well-placed lob assist to Woodard for an oop slam in transition. During the shooting station, McKnight Jr. asked a great question about faceup footwork on perimeter catches that excited the coaches.
Transferring from Long Island Lutheran (NY), he’ll play his senior season at Iowa Prep United and recently narrowed his college choices down to seven schools: Boise State, Butler, California, Pepperdine, SMU, UNLV, and Virginia Tech.
Junior Mancho | 2027 | Big | 6’9” | Mount Carmel (MD)
Junior Mancho thrived doing the crucial things for bigs: play with physicality, run the floor, finish at the rim, protect the rim, and rebound. He even mixed in a catch-and-shoot three from the top of the key and a couple of jump hooks in the lane.
Mancho’s ability to defend in space continues to be appealing. Utilizing his mobility, length, and quick hands, Mancho got stops in the pick-and-roll, including a deflection and steal in the pocket. The tools and energy are there for Mancho to be a valuable big on the collegiate level, especially defensively, as his skillset refines.
Corey Dixon | Guard | 2027 | Bishop O’Connell (VA)
Every time I watch Corey Dixon, he just oozes confidence and gets better and better. Dixon’s outing here only adds to my growing belief in his game and transition to the collegiate level.
Both the on-ball and off-ball work were exciting. With the ball, Dixon was aggressive and creative getting downhill, whether it was all the way to the rim or getting to a controlled pull-up middy. Additionally, he got to his tween pull-ups and stepback jumpers with ease. Off the ball, Dixon showed his clean and effortless mechanics to knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers alongside a perfectly timed backdoor cut for a layup.
Considering Dixon’s NBA bloodlines, advanced skillset, and development trajectory, the four-star guard could be an immediate collegiate producer for multiple seasons.
Isaiah Carpenter | 2027 | Wing | 6’6” | The St. James Academy (VA)
Isaiah Carpenter is a long and athletic wing with a growing 3-and-D skillset. Carpenter is more of a shotmaker than a shooter, but he confidently knocked down shots and didn’t appear to let misses bother him. He shined on direct line slashes in the halfcourt and as a transition play finisher, where he had the play of the day: a vicious poster dunk that erupted the gym.
Carpenter was recently offered by St. Bonaventure this past July and would be an excellent fit there.
Daylen “Bam” Bolding | 2027 | Guard | 5’10” | Archbishop Carroll (DC)
Bam Bolding was absolutely a tough matchup for defenders and often seemed one step ahead. The dynamic and shifty guard mixed terrifying speed and quickness with ball skills and multiple-level shotmaking. He routinely created paint touches on his own in the halfcourt and transition for scoring and playmaking chances. Bolding is coming off a breakout junior season, and he appears poised for a stellar senior season.
Jahmai Drayton | 2027 | Big | 6’10” | The St. James Academy (VA)
The mix of size, length, fluidity, and mobility that Jahmai Drayton brings to the floor is impressive. Drayton impacted games at the rim in his usual play finishing/shot blocking role. From the stations to the group conversations, he took coaching and constructive criticism well. Drayton is another toolsy big man with upside to believe in.
Majok Aguek | Big | 2028 | 7’0” | Georgetown Prep (MD)
It was an up-and-down day for Majok Aguek as he missed some easy chances at the rim and had trouble with the physicality of matchups getting into his thin frame. However, the tools remain so intriguing and impactful.
Aguek never quit when things didn’t go his way; he stayed engaged and competed. Aguek is long, rangy, and mobile, and he showed terrific shot blocking timing on the ball and on the weakside. He continued to show his glimpses of touch and on-ball coordination at the various stations as well. Aguek is raw and toolsy with an ability to impact winning, especially defensively. Look for him to take another step forward this season.
Honorable Mentions
Jordan Hunter
Tristan Franklin
Kye Gray
Jacoby Briscoe
Dave Mbuyamba
Jahlil Waheed
Brandon Brooks
Great article and evaluations. I am motivated to see as many as I can of this young talent group doing the upcoming basketball season in the DMV.
another day another eval