On a Friday afternoon in late March, Cam Albury holds his trophy and jokes to his older brother that his state championship trophy is larger. Jaylin Albury, gripping his state semifinal hardware, rolls his eyes, but smiles back.
Cam Albury is the first to say how much he adores his older brother, how there couldn’t be a more supportive one. Albury warmed up for the Class 3A state championship in his brother’s jersey. He wore No. 0, like Jaylin did.
But from even before Albury dressed in his first Northeast uniform in late 2021, all he thought about was the shadow his popular, successful brother left behind and the way it enveloped him.
“The crazy part is, I remember my first game in the newspaper said ‘Jaylin’s little brother scored seven points,'” Albury said. “And I was like, ‘Dang. I’m actually going to have to do something big.'”
He made sure he didn’t leave Northeast without following through. He leaves as a state champion and Capital Gazette 2023-24 boys basketball Player of the Year.
Four years after his brother’s team captured the program’s first county championship and journeyed to the state semifinals, Cam Albury’s Eagles not only went to the state title for the first time in program history, but won it, 69-66 over St. Charles.
St. Charles led by 12 points to start the fourth quarter. Assistant coach Chris Albury faced his son and said, “Be legendary.”
Albury blazed from backcourt to net, burning away competitors if they tried to touch him like paper against fire. He delivered 13 points, including the game-winning shot.
“So yeah. My dad said ‘be legendary,’ and that’s what I did,” Albury said.
A banner with a hundred well-wishes to him and his teammates still drapes the gym hallway over all the school’s previous trophies. Next to it, a child’s illustration of Albury as a hooping eagle. Near it will soon stand two gleaming silver basketball trophies with Albury’s name etched in them: total points leader and single-season scoring leader. It’ll likely stand near his brother’s, the school’s career assists leader.
He imagined his eighth grade self, nursing insecurities about shooting air-balls, and grinned.
“I can’t believe I used to think I couldn’t shoot,” Albury said.
Despite his goals, Albury hid in the shadows when he began his varsity career. He worked mentally; the fear of failure drifted away as his sophomore year went on and he hit his junior year with confidence. The Eagles flowed through an eight-game win streak, and won most of their games thereafter.
But come late January, Albury backslid.
“Teams really started to game-plan for me and I didn’t know what to do,” Albury said. “I was trying to force myself to score.”
Albury started to glance to his peripheries. There was Jadyss Fifer, Shamar Johnson and come senior year Ryan Stacy — his closest friends for years, and more importantly, capable shooters themselves. If opponents flocked Albury, let them; he’d give assists. It’s what he loved to do anyway.
The point guard treated the start of games like a host of a party, making sure everyone else is fed before taking a plate himself. It’s what led him to 115 assists this season.
And when those teams turned sight on the others, Albury would make them pay. Just like he did against Patterson in the state quarterfinals (18 points), Long Reach in the state semifinals (18 points) and then St. Charles (25 points).
“Cam is similar to his older brother in that he wants to get everyone involved,” Northeast coach Roger O’Dea said, “but the difference is Cam is a true scorer. He realized he had to put his team on his back a little more, and that it’s not being selfish.”
O’Dea noticed Albury used his voice more, call players over for pep talks. O’Dea stopped including himself in the conversations. He knew he really had two Alburys as coaches.
“Cam would settle everybody down, and say ‘it’s not about me. It’s not about you. We have one goal, and we’re here on a mission,'” O’Dea recalled. “Especially in the playoffs.”
His teammates stand over 6 feet. During warm-ups, when the players knit together for huddles, 5-foot-6 Albury disappears. In the crowd, onlookers have heard his name, his feats, and mistakenly point to 6-foot-5 Johnson.
“It’s kind of an advantage,” he said. “No one’s going to get as low as me when I’m dribbling. When I run, I’m running as fast as I can. I can get high in the air.” He thanks soccer for that.”
College coaches similarly stop thinking past Albury’s height, O’Dea said. He’d hoped the little Albury he met in middle school would hit a growth spurt, but he never did defy his family genetics.
“And for him to do what he did throughout his career despite it is amazing. We got colleges looking at him, but not the caliber that should be. Part of that is COVID, but part of that is because of how small he is — until you coach him and see him play,” O’Dea said. “Once you see him play, and see all the little things he does? You’ll realize how great he can be.”
Co-coach of the Year: Roger O’Dea, Northeast
O’Dea promised his players on the “cheese bus” back from a region final loss in 2023 that they’d get it back this year. Well, the Eagles did that and more, not only capturing a Class 3A region title, but going on to win the program’s first state championship, 69-66, over St. Charles at the University of Maryland XFinity Center.
“This season met so much to me. It was the payoff for of all those hours and endless days of hard work on the basketball grind. It was an ‘I told you so moment’ for me to prove to all those people who did not believe that Northeast could ever win a state title,” O’Dea said. “This state championship was closure for me from the 2020 season and my dad’s death. … It really feels great because I know how much it meant to my former players who trusted and believed in me. Those former players had put in countless hours and efforts of hard work to help this happen. It just proves and shows that hard work and determination pays off.”
Co-coach of the Year: Mike Glasby, Severn
For 31 years, the Admirals’ boys basketball banner remained unchanged. This winter, Glasby finally added to it, guiding the group he cultivated over years to Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference glory in a 62-46 victory over Gerstell — its first title since the league’s creation in 1995-96 and first overall since 1993. Severn finished 24-6 and unbeaten in conference play (16-0).
“From the beginning, our players and coaches displayed a level of commitment to our core values and unselfish style of play. The team was able to establish a tough defensive identity as well as fast paced and free flowing offense that embodied the necessary joy and attitude needed to achieve collectively at a high level,” Glasby said. “Our senior leaders, Kingston Price and Bo Fowler, set the tone, and our entire team met the standards through their preparation and in game execution. I couldn’t be happier for the Severn School Community.”
All-County first team
Brendan Abell, Severna Park, senior, guard
The 6-foot-3 Falcon hit 35 3-pointers this season to lead his Falcons to the Class 3A state quarterfinals, averaging 15 points, four rebounds and four assists a game.
Jordan Brown, Broadneck, senior, guard
Despite the box-and-1 opponents used against him, Brown netted 20.1 points per game, eclipsing 1,000 points at Annapolis on Feb. 27 and levied 35 points against Leonardtown in the Class 4A East Region II semifinal.
James Crimaudo, South River, senior, guard/forward
Crimaudo (19.4 points per game, 8 rebounds per game) made 74 3-pointers this season, shot 91% from the foul line, surpassed 24 points six times this year and secured 10 double-doubles.
Noah Frayer, Arundel, senior, guard
Frayer netted two 30-point games this season and averaged 19.1 points per game, as well as 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists. He also collected 39 blocks.
Brian Griffin, Southern, senior, guard
With injuries abound the Bulldogs this winter, the Goucher College commit stepped up to tally 21.5 points per game, as well as 3.7 rebounds.
Shamar Johnson, Northeast, senior, forward
A 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game nominee, Johnson snapped two program rebounding records on the glass: single-season (334) and career (804). He averaged 15.7 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game with 24 double-doubles in 27 games, as well as 64 steals and 50 assists.
Kingston Price, Severn, senior, guard
The MIAA B All-Conference selection navigated his squad to its first title in 31 years; registering an average of 17.5 points per game and 4 rebounds per game, Price surpassed 1,000 points against AACS (finished with 1,279) and netted a career-high 39 points against St. Mary’s.
Malik Washington, Archbishop Spalding, junior, guard/forward
As he commits fully to football, the MIAA A All-Conference selection left a lasting impact with the Cavaliers with 1,215 career points and over 700 rebounds. He earned his 1000th point against St. Frances and averaged 18 points per game with 61.7% field goal shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game.
All-County second team
Liam Barney, South River, senior, guard
Kam Carter, Archbishop Spalding, sophomore, guard
Jadyss Fifer, Northeast, senior, guard/forward
Will Frost, Crofton, sophomore, guard
Brian Poore, Old Mill, junior, guard
Jacob Randall, Severn, junior, guard/forward
Keon Scott, Meade, freshman ,guard
Upton Young, Severna Park, senior, forward
Honorable mention
Annapolis: Darrian Carter; AACS: Eli Croskey; Archbishop Spalding: TJ Moultrie, Jaylin Sykes; Glen Burnie: Greg Pittman; Northeast: Ryan Stacy; Severna Park: Liam Cleary; South River: Jaden McDuffie.