Keon Scott kept his eyes pinned on North County. Fifteen seconds remained in the county championship game. While officials worked out a clock issue before a North County possession in a tied game, Scott assessed the situation.
A call from coach Mike Glick made Scott turn his head.
“You can pluck him!”
Scott looked toward Knights junior Kevin Burks, clearly positioned to receive the first pass, and tensed to pounce. Burks sprinted in his direction, spun to avoid the Meade guard and shield the ball from his right.
But Scott attacked from the other side.
Before Burks realized his hands were empty, the Meade sophomore was driving for a game-sealing basket.
Most players wait until their senior years for such a crowning moment. But Scott made himself ready – not only to take over the county title game, but every game his teammates needed him.
Without him, the Mustangs would not have dominated Anne Arundel teams for a perfect 13-0 conference record, nor forge a 21-win streak that lasted until the Class 4A state semifinal. He led in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game. He was resoundingly elected the season’s top player by county public school coaches – and he’s this year’s Capital Gazette boys basketball Player of the Year.
“It’s genuine confidence for me,” Scott said, “and not taking any of those moments lightly.”
Everything Scott did in those next eight minutes brought his team back. He peppered shots from the perimeter and inside, picked loose balls free for possessions, fed his teammates if they opened up and hit all his foul shots.
“He’s successful because he’s coachable,” Glick said. “He listens to criticism. He wants to get better.”
Awe heralded Scott’s arrival as a freshman. Everyone knew he’d be good, a prediction confirmed by Glick naming the first-year high school player to varsity instead of junior varsity as planned, as well as starting Scott over seniors by mid-December.
Glick challenged him to be more assertive as a freshman. But as a sophomore, Scott needed to take it to another step.
Meade opened the season badly. Turnovers and poor shots led to losses to Arundel, Annapolis Area Christian School and South River.
Scott looked around the locker room, at teammates goofing around.
“I realized I had to take control,” the sophomore said, “and become the leader I am.”
Most who casually know Scott describe him as a quiet kid. Even on the floor, Scott moves silently, letting his steals and shots speak for him.
But on the sideline and in the huddle, Scott rattles off everything he’s seen and how to fix it. He verbally rearranges his teammates’ positions and reshapes the defense. His coaches take his advice. His teammates absorb what he says.
“He sees the game differently than a lot of others do,” Glick said.
Before that Old Mill game, Glick tested his seniors by telling them the sophomore would be given the lead role in key play situations. Instead of harboring jealousy, they accepted him.
“His personality was the driving thing, along with the fact he’s an unbelievable passer – and a pass-first player,” Glick said. “Players love to playing with guys that give them open shots. He’s unselfish.”
A balanced team with more height and athleticism at the net than most of their foes, the Mustangs didn’t need Scott to be their champion every night. Others put up team-leading numbers throughout the winter.
But in Laurel, Meade met its match. Scott anticipated it; he grew up next to plenty of the Spartans. The sophomore ripped possessions out of Spartan hands and all but single-handedly led Meade to a tied score after a quarter and a three-point deficit at the half. Eventually, heavy foul calls sidelined both of Meade’s bigs and in the final three minutes, Laurel used its sudden lopsided height advantage to run away with the semifinal win. At the end, multiple Laurel players flocked to Scott to hug and commend him.
Somehow, Scott will need to assume an even larger role next season, as most of his teammates cross the graduation stage in May.
He embraces the challenge.
“It just makes me work harder and gives me more confidence,” he said. “I think we could be right back in the state semifinals.”
Coach of the Year
Mike Glasby, Severn
Glasby already proved his worth as a head coach when he guided the Admirals to their first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference title in 31 years in 2024. He cemented his legacy as one of the most influential figures in the program’s history this winter when he piloted them to a back-to-back crown and a 20-5 record, despite suffering major setbacks during the season.
When a hamstring injury sidelined leading scorer and irreplaceable defensive force Jacob Randall for over a month, Glasby made sure the Admirals did not miss a step and earned the No. 1 seed in the B Conference Black Division.
The MIAA named Glasby the Basketball Coach of the Year for the second consecutive time.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our team and their ability to mature, stay resilient, make adjustments, represent our core values through the course of the season,” Glasby said. “Our young men played an unselfish brand of basketball that took pride in defending and making teams uncomfortable. On offense, we emphasized execution, whether we were playing with pace or in a more deliberate game. Each player and coach embodied attitude, toughness, intelligence, passion, and joy throughout the season. We were truly worthy champions.”
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