“[Junior year] went pretty well,” he said. “I averaged 19 points, 12 or 13 rebounds, four blocks. We won like two conference games. But we made it to the playoffs, due to a technicality with the snow. But it was a good season.”

Schmidt, who wants to eventually go to law school, shouldn’t have any shortage of college options. Several Ivy and Patriot League schools are heavily recruiting him, but he doesn’t have any favorites just yet.

“All of them [stand out], really,” Schmidt said. “I just want to play at an institution that emphasizes academics along with athletics.”

• In the case of James Milton, Detroit’s loss was Baltimore’s gain.

Milton, a 6-foot-6, 217-pound forward, said there was “too much trouble” surrounding him in the Motor City. So last year, Milton made the journey from Michigan to Maryland, moving in with family here and enrolling at Parkville.

On Saturday, Milton led Team Baltimore in scoring with 15 points. The best part of Milton’s game was on display – repeatedly.

“[I had] six dunks,” he said. “That’s my game.”

Milton was a complete unknown before his junior year, but that has changed after he averaged around 17 per game for the Knights. He should become even more of a household name among local basketball followers with a summer spent on Nike Baltimore Elite's roster.

“Somebody gave my name to them,” said Milton, explaining how he caught on with the team. “[I] came up to tryouts.”

Milton’s high-energy game hasn’t caught the attention of any college coaches just yet, but that should change in a hurry this summer. For now, he’s just thankful for the change in scenery.

“[It’s] different for the better,” Milton said.

• Moving from New Jersey to Baltimore was a whole new ballgame for City forward Rashaun Rasheed.

Rasheed played for Atlantic City (N.J.) High as an underclassmen before transferring to City before his junior year. He joined the defending Class 2A state-champion Knights and played an integral in helping them defend the title.

While Rasheed had plenty of success, adjusting to his new team wasn’t always easy.

“It was hard at first,” said Rasheed, who scored four points Saturday. “I had to get used to Baltimore basketball. My conference that I played in before wasn’t that strong. City is a lot of competition and tough basketball. I just had to get used to it and play through.”

Rasheed, who averaged about 10 points per game throughout City’s playoff run, will team with several of his Knights teammates again this summer playing for Nike Baltimore Elite.

“It’s going well,” Rasheed said. “We started off slow, but we’ll get it together by the end of the summer.”

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Rasheed thinks he’ll play the 3 in college. Several mid-major – and a couple high-major – programs have already been in contact.

“I’ve heard from George Mason, Siena, St. John’s, St. Joe’s, a little bit from Temple, Boston College,” Rasheed said. “I like George Mason and Siena.”

• After starting his high school career at St. Frances and doing a brief stint at Princeton Day Academy, Mike Cheatham finally found the right fit last year.

Cheatham, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound combo guard, transferred to City midway through 10th grade after starting his sophomore year at PDA in Lanham. He sat out the basketball season because of transfer rules, but assumed a starting role for the Knights as a junior.

“I thought we were going to struggle when I first [saw] the team,” Cheatham said. “But as it came along, it started to get better.”

Cheatham said he averaged around 15 points for the Knights, who won a second-straight Class 2A state championship. Thanks to junior year and his AAU play with Nike Baltimore Elite, several schools have taken notice of his game.

“Xavier, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Virginia [have expressed interest],” said Cheatham, who scored five points Saturday.

There’s very little defense played in all-star games or in an AAU setting. Cheatham, however, prides himself on defense first, along with “shooting and dribbling, getting to the rack.”

“I just stick all the top people on each team,” he said. “I don’t mind playing defense. It’s just what I’m good at.”