Olasewere emerges from the shadows

Springrook junior hoopster beginning to show vast potential

‘‘The first time I saw him he dropped like 20 or 30 on us, and I knew he was coming to Springbrook,” said the junior Olasewere. ‘‘It’s been my dream to play with him since then. I think the biggest difference between this year and last year is just getting the opportunity. C.J.’s our go-to guy, but getting the chance to show my game, too — cleaning up the boards, blocking shots, playing inside and taking people off the dribble. I consider myself a go-to guy as well.”

Yes, Olasewere can do a little bit of everything. He is an intriguing talent, one who hasn’t scratched the surface of his potential but has shown plenty of it. In Springbrook’s hard-fought, home-opening, five-point victory over Paint Branch, he made the difference inside, collecting 16 rebounds to complement 15 points. He played bigger and even better in their Dec. 17 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase, leading all scorers with 23 points, grabbing eight boards and absolutely annihilating four B-CC shots with volleyball-esque spikes.

He has beaten teams in a variety of ways. At a muscular 6-foot-4, he has been too much for opponents under the rim, and is extremely proficient at getting deep position for lay-ins. He also has perimeter skills unusual for a post player in high school, taking big men off the dribble with solid ball-handling ability, and even stepping out to hit the 3-point shot occasionally. In the Blue Devils’ victories over Whitman and B-CC, Olasewere connected three times from beyond the arc in total.

Above all, though, is his tenacity under the glass, evidenced by the double-digit rebounds he averages per game. He is too springy and powerful for most opponents, and is just as likely to outlet pass into Springbrook’s dangerous fast-break as he is to nab a missed shot and put it back for a bucket.

‘‘Jamal’s just playing so well right now — he’s killing the boards and getting the ball out,” said Garner. ‘‘Coach [Tom Crowell] is always getting on him, though. Even though he’s starting to play well, they want him to play better and better all the time.”

And Olasewere will attest to that. He has had to fight for every minute he’s gotten with the Blue Devils, dating back to last year. As a sophomore, he made the varsity squad, but had to vie with senior bigs Eric Johnson and Marcus Cotton for minutes. In actuality, he got very few, and thus got sent back to junior varsity for three games in the middle of the season.

Even as he’s emerging as one of the county’s premier inside presences this year, he says the coaching staff keeps pushing him for more, especially on the defensive end. Springbrook does have another capable defender in the paint, 6-4 starting center Ebou Touray. Bit if Crowell is hard on Olasewere, it’s only because he knows the multi-dimensional junior is a potential gem.

‘‘He could be — Jamal’s very talented,” said Crowell. ‘‘He’s got a great body, he blocks shots, he can rebound, he can do it all. But sometimes he does some really silly things. And we’re working on that. He’ll get there.”

It’s tough to notice those things to the audience, though his missed alley-oop attempt near the end of Springbrook’s 26-point victory over B-CC may have been one of them. But even Olasewere admits it to be true. He knows he can get better, and is driven to do so. He’s honed his game with several DC-area AAU teams, including the Washington Shock and Triple Threat. And though his team was preparing for a bout with also-unbeaten Magruder last Friday, he feels his improved game [‘‘I knew I was going to come out and make some noise.”] combining with players like Garner could make Springbrook downright unbeatable.

‘‘I think we can win states the way we’re playing right now,” he said. ‘‘I think we can beat anyone in the county, and that’s including private-school teams. We can beat Montrose Christian, we can beat DeMatha and O’Connell. We’re good.”