The DMV Hoopstarz 17U National Team made its 2025 Puma NXT Pro Hoops season debut in Valley Forge Friday. After a cold start to the game, the Hoopstarz rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to stun Team First Elite or a 58-54 victory.
Kendrick “KD” Tche-Tafon (Annapolis Area Christian – MD) led the charge with 22 points. Meanwhile, Justin Davis (Chapelgate Christian Academy – MD) added 21. Davis hit the go-ahead three-pointer, and Tche-Tafon sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Both Davis and KD are returning players for head coach Andre Davis. The Hoopstarz, with seven new players, showed a strong sense of unity. One new player who particularly stood out on the defensive end was King Motley IV (Bladensburg-MD).
After falling behind 12-4 in the first half, Motley came off the bench and helped the Hoopstarz lock in on defense. The team fed off his energy and stayed in the game, closing the gap to 28-25 with just over three minutes remaining.
However, Team First Elite closed the half on a 5-0 run. Then, taking the momentum into the start of the second half, it made a pair of three-pointers that opened the lead to 39-27.
Coach Davis turned to Motley just two minutes into the second half. He was tasked to keep Team First Elite’s hot three-point shooter at bay, and he did so with great man-to-man defense.
Motley finished with two points, but his impact on the game went beyond the stat sheet. He did a great job locking in where his team needed him.
“Whatever you can do to stay on the court,” Motley said. “I figured my defense could change the flow of the game. If not my scoring, then help out on defense.”
Davis and Tche-Tafon got going on the scoreboard after the defense revved up.
Davis shot 8-of-16 from the field. He mixed up his scoring by attacking the rim and pulling up from mid-range.
“I was thinking we got to score, get back in the game somehow,” Davis said. “I was feeling it, so I kept shooting.”
The Hoopstarz demonstrated a team’s true strength in their response to adversity. Despite a slow start and falling behind by double digits in the second half, they did not lose heart. Their resilience was genuinely inspiring.
“We just needed to make stops and get the ball in the rim,” Davis said.
“Once I got the 30-second shot clock violation, when I forced it, we changed the complexion of the game,” Motley added. “Coach said, ‘See what happens when you play defense.’ Once that happened, we started clicking on defense and noticed what they were doing. [We] started forcing missed shots and got transition buckets. Justin had a lot of transition [scores], and the three that he had to give us the lead started with defense.”
Tche-Tafon’s impact on the game was beyond his 22 points. He protected the rim with three blocks. He also helped control the glass with a team-high eight rebounds.
“When our defense picked up, the scoreboard started changing in our favor,” Tche-Tafon reflected. “I really believe once we cleaned up on defense, finished on the boards, and pushed out in transition… we secured the win.”
With two games set for Saturday, the DMV Hoopstarz hope to build their momentum. The defensive energy helped them get into the win column on Friday. Hopefully, they can keep that momentum to impress.
