Rockville Players Shine as High Schoolers for a Final Time in the Capital Classic

Rockville’s top high school basketball players put their talents up against some of the best players in the nation on Sunday afternoon as Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro hosted the 38^th annual Capital Classic game.

Montrose Christian School senior Tyrone Johnson shone brightest, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, although his team was largely dominated by the United States All-Stars, who won 136-115.

“Playing in all-star games, you’re always trying to go for yours,” Johnson said after the game. “That is the difference between high school basketball and all-star games. This game was great, you know, I got to play against some good competition.”                

The Capital Classic was Johnson’s last high school basketball game. He has two weeks left in his senior year at Montrose before a summer that he will spend getting ready for Villanova in the fall.

DeAndre Kelly of Rockville High School—Johnson’s teammate in the game—finished with eight points and six rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior showed great athleticism and defensive ability.

Kelly is still unsigned and coming off a rough 8-16 season with Rockville in which he showed great scoring ability, with several 30-plus point games, including a season-high 33 points against Wheaton in January.

Tyler Hubbard, a senior teammate of Johnson's at Montrose, played in the first game of the day which pitted the District All-Stars against the Suburban All-Stars.

Hubbard started the game for the District, on a team that included players from D.C. schools and suburban private schools, and displayed his usual high-arching sharp shooting from the three point line. But he appeared to injure his rib cage in the second quarter and did not return until late in the game. He finished with seven points and two steals.

The crowd was not as large as Capital Classic crowds of recent years, as many of the area’s top players are skipping the game to play in other all-star games that will be nationally televised, including the Jordan Brand Classic and McDonald's All-American games.

However, Johnson and the other players said they were honored to put their high school talents on display one last time.

“My four years went by so fast,” Johnson said of his high school career. “I had a lot of good moments in high school, and I enjoyed it all my four years, ending out with a national championship. A lot of guys can’t say that, so only thing I can say is I want to take my game to the next level and work hard and get ready for Villanova.”