DMVelite reveals Top 40 area recruits for 2015

When it's all said and done, the class of 2015 -- to-be juniors -- may be one of the most talented in the DC/Maryland area in years.

And DMVelite has been hard at work scouting the up-and-coming next big things, releasing its list of Top 40 players. While most of these kids are playing AAU ball for their 16U teams, the No. 1 entry on the list -- prized local big man Marcus Derrickson -- is a key part of Team Takeover's undefeated 17U squad.

Derrickson, who holds offers from Georgetown, Indiana, Miami (FL), NC State and Maryland, isn't in a starring role for Team Takeover just yet. But his team-leading performance as a sophomore for Paul VI this year -- 12.8 points and 10 rebounds per game -- earned him the No. 1 spot in DMVelite's rankings.

Another Paul VI sophomore -- guard Franklin Howard -- earned the No. 2 spot. He, too, was a critical piece to Paul VI's 23-8 season, averaging 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Howard holds offers from NC State, Villanova, Florida, Maryland, Georgetown, Miami (FL) and Cincinnati, among others.

Unlike Derrickson, Howard and the No. 3 player in DMVelite's rankings -- Gonzaga guard Bryant Crawford -- are playing on Team Takeover's 16U team. Crawford averaged 8.6 points per game for Gonzaga, which was led by a pair of seniors in Kris Jenkins (Villanova) and Charles Glover (Mount St. Mary's). He holds offers from Georgetown, Indiana, UConn, Rutgers, Penn State and most recently, Maryland.

An interesting item of note: DMVelite isn't the only site that has these three players -- Derrickson, Howard and Crawford -- highly ranked. All three hold offers from Maryland. Derrickson is ranked No. 30 and No. 37 nationally the class of 2015 by Rivals and 247sports, respectively. Crawford is ranked No. 28 and No. 38, respectively. And Howard is ranked No. 33 by Rivals.

The fourth player on DMVelite's list -- rising junior Leroy Butts -- plays alongside current Maryland commit Romelo Trimble. The Maryland staff saw plenty of Butts' game this past season as he averaged 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds this season. He suits up alongside Trimble on DC Assault, and if Maryland decides it wants him, the Terps will likely have the inside track.

Rank	Player	Pos.	High School / College
1	Marcus Derrickson	F	Paul VI / Undecided
2	Franklin Howard	G	Paul VI / Undecided
3	Bryant Crawford	G	Gonzaga / Undecided
4	Leroy Butts	F	Bishop O'Connell / Undecided

Farther down on DMVelite's list are fellow Team Takeover 16U players Justin Jenifer, Taron Oliver and Kevin Dorsey. And with Maryland's staff sure to be catching plenty of Team Takeover's 17U and 16U's games this season, a brand-new pipeline could be in the works.

Catch the rest of DMVelite's list here.