One mid-major men’s college basketball assistant sat down courtside Saturday afternoon at North Point, looked at a roster and surveyed the court. He did not come to see the leading scorer for No. 6 Douglass. Instead, he’d been tipped off about the Eagles’ point guard.

Junior Donald Carey went from a scrawny 6-foot-1 to a long and strong 6-foot-3 this past offseason, and might be an emerging force for Douglass, a state championship contender that brought back much of the nucleus from last year’s 2A South region finalist team. Carey has averaged more than 10 points, five rebounds and five assists through five games.

“This year, he’s just on a whole new level,” said leading scorer Cameron Hayes, who had a game-high 25 points when the Eagles beat Clinton Christian, 82-56, Saturday afternoon.

Carey played significant minutes a year ago, when Douglass lost in overtime to eventual 2A state champion Oakland Mills, and “we talk about how we were one play away,” Coach Tyrone Massenburg said.

But another year spent in the weight room, another inch or two on his frame and a summer spent playing for The District on the AAU circuit paid off for Carey.

Cameron Hayes (20) and Douglass have the talent and experience to make a deep playoff run. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

“Before, I was non-chalant,” he said. “Now, I’m attacking more, and choosing when to attack, and what situations.”

Carey is now a nightly matchup problem, with length to bother opposing point guards and finish at the rim on offense. Along with senior Zion Cousins, who had 22 points and 10 rebounds Saturday, senior Dalton Smith and Hayes, the Eagles’ core will be as experienced as any in the state this year.

But the most important piece could the player scouts are only just learning about. When the college coach left Waldorf Saturday, once Carey had scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists, he made sure to say hi to all of Carey’s coaches on the way out.

“He’s been one of the major reasons we’ve had success so far,” Massenburg said. “He’s been the leader of our team.”

Gwynn Park football star Aaron Parker recalled his first few games back on the basketball court this past month with a smile, and without hesitation: “I got a lot of traveling calls. Still thought I was on the football field.”

But Parker is making the transition to the hardwood look much easier after leading No. 18 Gwynn Park (5-0) in scoring during its past two wins over Eastern and Northwestern. The Eastern Michigan linebacker recruit is part of a balanced and experienced roster that has set its sights on a state championship this winter to make up for the one that didn’t materialize this fall. Last week, senior guard Marlon White scored a season-high 35 points in a win over Broadneck. Gwynn Park returned six of its seven leading scorers from last’s year team.

“We have all the pieces,” said Parker, a second-team All-Met selection in football. “We got scorers, passers, shot blockers.”