Marcel Boyd has lost count of how many times people ask him, "Who do you play for?"

Until recently, the sophomore at Gwynn Park High School never had an answer.

Standing 6-foot-8, it's easy to assume Boyd is a star on a high school Amateur Athletic Union basketball club.

"When I was younger, coaches used to come up to me and ask me to play for them [on a basketball team]," said Boyd, who is the tallest person in the building at the Brandywine school. "I would tell them that I'm not that interested in basketball; I want to play football. I didn't really like basketball that much."

Now that Boyd is a center on Gwynn Park's boys' basketball team, he can offer an instant answer to the questions he has heard for years.

This is not only Boyd's first year with the Yellow Jackets — it's his first year playing basketball. Despite being just a beginner, Boyd has an important role on his team. He's playing anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes per game and is averaging 1.1 blocked shots and 3.5 rebounds per game. Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick said Boyd's inexperience is actually a virtue.

"Marcel has grown tremendously in learning the game," Glick said. "The No. 1 reason he's grown is because he has an excellent attitude and he's open to learning, and he's receptive to criticism and he's his harshest critic. The fact that he hasn't played a lot of basketball has translated into the fact he doesn't have a lot of bad habits. It makes him more hungry instead of if he was playing AAU since he was 8. Obviously he's improved by leaps and bounds."

Boyd and his family are still relatively new to the county. The Boyds have moved around the country as Marcel's father, Frank Boyd, is in the army and is currently stationed in Afghanistan. The family has previously lived in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

Boyd's mother Consuelo said Marcel has matured as his father has been deployed for extended tours of duty.

"Marcel is a really good kid," Consuelo Boyd said. "In ways he does take over the father spot because he has two younger brothers. He actually tells them right from wrong. He wants them to play sports and is trying to groom them."

The Yellow Jackets find themselves in the thick of the race in a competitive County 3A/2A/1A League, and that means they need Boyd to catch on quickly. He has received increased playing time lately, as Gwynn Park senior forward Mike Hemsley has missed two games because of a broken left pinky.

"I know I have to step up and be the starting center, and I see myself as probably the best big man defender on this team," Boyd said. "Every time I put my hands up, I alter shots so that's basically what I'm used for."

Chances are that Boyd will greatly help the Yellow Jackets once the postseason starts, as county teams have discovered in recent years that their lack of height has been a downfall in the state playoffs.

Last season, Friendly High lost 75-50 in the state Class 3A title game to a Lake Clifton squad that featured four players 6-foot-6 or taller. Friendly had no players taller than 6-foot-5. In the state Class 2A title game, Frederick Douglass lost 55-42 to a City College team that had three players who were 6-foot-7 or taller, while the Eagles' tallest player was 6-foot-5.

The buzz in Prince George's County prep basketball circles is that many taller players opt to play at private schools or focus on their AAU clubs in order to gain the most exposure. Many private school teams travel to play in high-profile tournaments and showcase events, and the summer AAU circuit is built to serve as a showcase for top-level players.

Boyd said he has been approached by private schools, including Gilman and Cardinal Gibbons, both in Baltimore. But he said he feels comfortable at Gwynn Park.

Glick said playing for a public school could be beneficial for Boyd's development.

"I think that his size is unique," Glick said. "There are not a lot of kids in the county with his size and skills. Marcel has made a great decision with coming to Gwynn Park. He's gotten a lot of individual attention as compared to being a role player off of the bench at a private school. The only way he's going to get better is by playing."

Boyd is still keeping his options, adding that he will try to play basketball and football in his junior year.

"Everybody is telling me I'm good in basketball because of my height and everything, but I love football," Boys said. "If it comes down to it, if college football recruiters are giving me a lot of attention, then we'll see. As of right now, basketball is more of [a certainty] for me because they're always repeating ‘size, size, size,' and I've got plenty of it."

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net. 

Frederick Douglass High School sophomore forward Kavon Glover's favorite spot on the basketball court is around the free-throw line. Whenever he is open at the top of the key, Douglass coach Ty Massenburg doesn't want him to think twice about shooting.

With Tuesday night's game against Gwynn Park tied with 73-73 with less than a minute remaining, Glover found himself open in his favorite spot and he didn't hesitate.

Glover's jumper from the top of the key broke the tie, and Douglass went on to a 77-73 victory against the Yellow Jackets at Douglass High. The Eagles (9-3 overall) have won five in a row and remain in second place in the County 3A/2A/1A League with a 7-2 mark.

"It was a clutch shot and we needed it," Glover said. "I was open in the middle, so I just made sure I followed through and hit the shot."

Gwynn Park had a chance to tie the game in the finals seconds, but Tion Barnes' shot went off the rim. Douglass collected the rebound and Angelo Williams raced down the court for a layup as time expired.

The wild ending capped a frantic 2 minutes that saw Gwynn Park erase a five-point deficit with five quick points from Brandon Ford. But the Eagles came back and answered with Glover's shot to win the game.

"We expected this to be a 12-round fight and we were lucky enough to get in the last punch," Massenburg said. "That's kind of the way this series goes. We had a lot of different guys step up tonight and Glover hit a clutch shot."

Williams led the way for the Eagles with 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Timmone Whatley was next with 15 points, while Glover added 13 and Devon Hall scored 10.

Ford scored a game-high 35 points, including 26 in the first half, while Barnes added 22 points.

"We need to keep improving on the boards and we need to keep getting better on defense," Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick said. "We just have to look at the big picture and realize that everyone is 0-0 come March."

Gwynn Park (9-4, 6-4) returns to action on Friday as it hosts Potomac, while Douglass hosts Central.

Frederick Douglass 77, Gwynn Park 73

Gwynn Park 18 23 20 15 - 73

Frederick Douglass 10 27 20 20 - 77

Gwynn Park (9-4, 6-4): Brandon Ford 35, Tion Barnes 22, Brian Blue 5, Mike Hemsley 7, Marcel Boyd 2, Curtis Hardy 2.

Frederick Douglass (9-3, 7-2): Timmone Whatley 15, Angelo Williams 21, Kavon Glover 13, Devon Hall 10, Terel Bonhom 8, Geron Beasly 3, Jashean Smith 4, Teron Elias 3.

The Gwynn Park High School boys' basketball team produced what coach Mike Glick called its best performance of the season on Thursday night. But all was not completely smooth for the Yellow Jackets.

Gwynn Park jumped out to a 12-0 lead, then survived the ejection of two players in a 77-60 victory against Largo. The Yellow Jackets improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the County 3A/2A/1A League, while the Lions dropped their second in a row and are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the league.

"We had really put the emphasis on rebounding and defense after a terrible defensive performance in our last game [a 61-56 win against Forestville on Tuesday]," Glick said. "I thought today was the best we looked this season."

With 6 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Gwynn Park senior guard Brian Blue was issued a technical foul for pushing Largo guard Will Johnson. Blue then proceeded to run up to Johnson and exchange words with him, which prompted a second technical foul, ending his night. Yellow Jackets' guard D.J. West Jr. was given an automatic ejection for leaving the bench during the brief fracas.

By Prince George's County rules, the ejection requires Blue to sit out the Yellow Jackets' next game, scheduled for Friday night against Surrattsville. West will be available, as his ejection only resulted in one technical foul.

The brief disruption did not stop the Yellow Jackets from finishing off the Lions.

Gwynn Park senior Tion Barnes continued his impressive play with 21 points and nine rebounds. It was the third game this season that the 6-foot-5 forward has scored at least 20 points. Teammate Mike Hemsley added 21 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Eric Batts added 14 points and five rebounds.

Forward Damante McNeill led Largo with 18 points, and guard Derrick Colter added 17, but the Lions lost their second in a row. They blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against Potomac on Tuesday night. Despite the two-game skid after a 5-0 start, Lions' coach Lewis Howard is confident in his team.

"We're in great shape now," Howard said. "This is practice. I know they say the standings mean a lot, but what we want to do is continue to get better. This was nice intensity out there between the two teams, but that helps with our competitive edge and we need that. It's only early January."

Ford, a pivotal part of the Yellow Jackets'

18-5 season last year, missed the playoffs after falling awkwardly and suffering a concussion in the final regular season game, a 54-43 loss at Friendly. Ford's injury was a huge blow for the Yellow Jackets, who ended up losing to arch-rival Frederick Douglass in the 2A South Region semifinals.

"Ever since I got hurt, I wanted to get them back," said Ford, who had a game-high 24 points in his return to Friendly, a 68-67, victory for the Yellow Jackets on Friday night. "Honestly it took two or three months after the concussion for me to feel normal. It was an unfortunate incident and I'm thankful to even be able to play basketball, because some people can't come back from head injuries."