WASHINGTON POST: Baba Oladotun will play for hometown Blake — and could reshape the Maryland state title race. Freshman Baba Oladotun, a 6-foot-9 guard, transformed Blake basketball when he enrolled at the public school. Day after day in the fall, a blue Infiniti SUV puttered down Route 1, traversing the highway cutting across Maryland in a path often hindered by traffic and construction. Inside sat one of the top boys’ basketball players in the Class of 2027, Baba Oladotun. His father, Ibrahim, drove him from the family’s Colesville home to DeMatha’s Hyattsville campus. Oladotun looked ready to join the Stags, adding another name to the long list of elite talent at private schools. But, largely because of a tedious commute, he switched to his nearby public school, Blake, in late October.
“I underestimated the power of the hours that we spent on Route 1, especially during rush hour,” Ibrahim said. Baba was not made available for an interview.The freshman went from a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference powerhouse to a Montgomery County program that has never won a state title and has not made the semifinals in more than a decade.The move ignited a fervor in and around the school, elevating a solid Bengals squad that has lost in the region finals for three straight seasons to the inner circle of Maryland state title contenders. It mirrored similar moves by local basketball players, mostly boys, that seemed to counter the parade of talent to private programs and deepened the competition in public leagues. South Lakes, Broadneck, St. Charles and more have former private school players on their rosters. Those players’ reasons for switching often center on three desires: different roles, familiar communities and smoother logistics.
Oladotun is likely to be the most impactful of them. He’s a 6-foot-9 guard and still growing. Some call him “Baba the Baller,” as his Instagram name suggests, and the content of that account validates the moniker. In a September highlight reel, he starts with a dunk and knocks down a three-pointer. Later, he snakes through the defense on a pick and roll and finishes with a reverse layup.
“He doesn’t make those freshman mess-ups. He’s just more ready for the game; he’s already polished. He’s ready to go,” Blake senior Nick Womack said. “… He has that ‘dog’ mentality where … he wants the next 10 buckets.”
Those skills have come thanks to hours of dedicated practice in a schedule no longer disrupted by a long commute. Being at Blake, a breezy 11-minute drive from the Oladotuns’ house, allows Baba to reestablish his rigid routine with his father, who played basketball at Virginia Tech from 1989 to 1991. When school ends at 2:30 p.m., Ibrahim picks up his son with a meal — usually Chipotle or leftovers — and takes him to the nearby Aspen Hill Club.The two have worked out there for years. Oladotun shoots for about two hours before he hops back in the car, inhales a PB&J sandwich and fruit and goes to Blake’s 5 p.m. practice.“That routine has been consistent since we started at Blake,” Ibrahim said. “You got to trust your process.”
Baba Oladotun began the school year at DeMatha before coming home to Blake. Oladotun’s 170-pound frame probably would have limited his early opportunities at DeMatha. It might take him a few years to bulk up enough to be a star in the bruising WCAC.That level of competition doesn’t exist in Montgomery County and Maryland public schools, allowing Baba to get extensive game experience. He’ll have the ball in his hands and play every position for the Bengals as he physically matures, not after he does so.A similar desire for a more expansive offensive role influenced Aiden Woodberry, a 6-5 sophomore wing, to transfer from Bishop Ireton of the WCAC to St. Charles, a public school in Southern Maryland. Freshman guard Kaylen Chilton was set to start high school with Bishop O’Connell before a summer playing with W.T. Woodson made him feel the Cavaliers would be a better fit. Not everyone’s choices are purely because of basketball.
Ashton Sellman, who transferred from St. Mary’s to Broadneck after one year, felt he didn’t fit in at the Annapolis private school and away from the people he grew up with.“I really didn’t like it, honestly. The social aspect of a private school, I don’t really think I fit in with the people around. I just felt like I fit in only when it was basketball season,” said Sellman, whom Bruins Coach Jeff Starr expects to be a key contributor.
Sadie Shores played her junior season at Paul VI. She transferred back to Woodgrove, where she is a bona fide star. Senior guard Sadie Shores helped the Woodgrove girls’ team reach the Virginia Class 5 state final in 2021 but transferred to Paul VI as a junior in search of tougher competition and to boost her college recruitment. The financial toll of attending a private school — Paul VI costs at least $20,000 per year for first children — brought Shores back to the Wolverines for her last year.
Shores, a Stony Brook commit, said she earned college attention the summer after her sophomore year with a strong performance on AAU circuits. Her brief stint with the Panthers helped in the recruitment process by maintaining the coaches’ attention, she said. Top girls’ players such as Shores usually go from public to private school. In the past two years, two stars, Riley Nelson from Clarksburg and Meghan Yarnevich from defending state champion Howard, moved to Bullis.
“I think, if you’re good, you’re going to be seen,” Howard Coach Scott Robinson said, celebrating the players who stayed with the Lions and still went on to play college basketball. “You’re going to get the recognition that’s deserved.” Ibrahim Oladotun and Blake Coach Desmin Wade expressed similar sentiments, noting the increased importance of the AAU circuit in recruiting. That could devalue the exposure provided by private schools, which typically have deep budgets and tailored schedules. Robinson, when trying to keep players at Howard, said he tries to highlight the value of playing for your neighborhood or town.
Blake boys’ basketball coach Desmin Wade tries to foster a familial atmosphere. Seemingly everyone knows everyone in Silver Spring. Those relationships intensify the rivalries between the teams but also create a tightknit atmosphere among those who care about the area’s high school basketball. Ibrahim Oladotun and Wade, members of that web, have known each other for years. Their frequent conversations two falls ago helped bring Baba to Blake.
One of Oladotun’s sisters played volleyball for the Bengals, and their practices came right before Wade’s team started its offseason workouts. Ibrahim, waiting for his daughter, would pop by and chat with the coach to pass the time. Conversations remained about more general topics, even as Oladotun neared his high school decision. But one day, Wade posed a seemingly radical idea: What if Baba stayed home with the Bengals?
Ibrahim had questions about the program’s operation, Wade recalled, but left the talk with an appreciation for Blake’s work ethic and for the ability to have Oladotun remain within the community. Ibrahim, who coached some of Blake’s players in youth leagues, called the Bengals a “familial environment.”
“It’s nothing better, bigger than being able to play in front of aunties, uncles and friends that know you and see you growing up,” Ibrahim said.Oladotun will get that opportunity. He’ll give Blake at least one shot at the ultimate goal. Everything after that remains uncertain. “It just makes sense for the first two years. It may be longer — who knows?” Ibrahim said. “But we’re going to enjoy it, take everything year by year. Nothing is guaranteed.”
