ESPN RISE

Whether in Africa or the streets of Portland, Ore., if you play ball, the name Montrose Christian rings out.

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Michael D. Kurec

Mouph Yarou, Terrance Ross and Isaiah Armwood stick together to lead Montrose Christian.

The perennial basketball power in Rockville, Md., means different things to different people, but no matter where you're from, Stu Vetter's squad stands for excellence.

For Mouphtaou Yarou, who was raised in Benin, a country on the west coast of Africa, the Mustangs equal Uche Echefu and Tunji Soroye -- players from neighboring Nigeria who starred at Montrose Christian before moving on to Florida State and Virginia, respectively. So when Yarou, who came to the United States in January, was looking to transfer from Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, Va.) this summer, the choice was easy.

"Montrose is a well-known school," says Yarou. "Everyone knows Montrose."

Terrence Ross, who played for Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) last year while being home-schooled, transferred to Montrose in large part because it would improve his academics. But he also knew he'd be getting an education of a different sort. To Ross, playing for Vetter means bright lights, top competition and living up to the tradition established by some very famous alumni.

"I knew it was one of the top programs in the country and they played on ESPN every year," Ross says. "And I knew that Kevin Durant played there."

Durant has moved on -- the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is plying his trade in Oklahoma City - but the Mustangs are still loaded. Yarou, who has committed to Villanova, is the nation's No. 27 senior in the ESPNU 100. Ross, who has offers from the likes of Washington, Arizona State and Cal, is the No. 43 junior in the ESPNU Super 60.

And then there's the veritable Cal Ripken Jr. of the group, Villanova-bound Isaiah Armwood, the nation's No. 35 senior in the ESPNU 100. While others have come and gone, Armwood is in his fourth year at Montrose and has emerged as the unquestioned leader of this year's squad.

The past two years, Armwood played with fellow Class of 2009 stars Tristan Spurlock and Terrell Vinson. But with those two transferring away this past summer, Montrose is now Armwood's team.

"Isaiah understands what we want in our program," Vetter says. "He's vital to this year's team. He's the voice that his teammates will listen to because of his experience and his success on the court."

So when Yarou and Ross came aboard this year, it was up to the veteran to make the rookies feel welcome. If anyone knows about adjusting to Montrose, it's Armwood.

The Baltimore native arrived in Rockville as an athletic ninth-grader and was immediately playing on a varsity team with the likes of Durant and current Maryland standout Greivis Vasquez.

"I was really unaware how seriously they took basketball," Armwood says. "I never worked out like that. We played ball day in and day out."

When not practicing against future NCAA stars, Armwood was working out by himself before school and then again in the afternoon. After several hours of basketball, he'd work with renowned hoops trainer Alan Stein on getting stronger.

"If you don't have a good work ethic, this is not a good place for you," Vetter says.

Armwood proved he could take it, and before long the results were evident. He was always a great athlete, but he's now a great player, transforming himself from And1 to Division I.

While Yarou and Ross are already stars in their own right, it took some time adjusting to life at Montrose. In order to make everyone feel at home, Vetter has organized countless team-bonding activities: Maryland football games, bowling trips and fundraising car washes, to name a few.

"We do all those things to get the chemistry level where we want it," Vetter says.

Perhaps the most important group activities occur in the team house, where Armwood, Yarou, Ross and several other players live. Living together away from home, the team has no choice but to become close.

"We're around each other more than our families," Armwood says.

There are March Madness 08 tournaments on Xbox (Ross claims to be the best) and marathon viewings of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" -- an appropriate show for a group of basketball royalty in a foreign setting.

The new kids in town, Yarou and Ross, room together. They've become close friends and Yarou has evolved into a team comedian. He can say "it wasn't me" six different ways, as he's fluent in English, French and four African languages. To mess with their housemother, Yarou will often begin speaking in English then switch to French so she can't understand him.

On the court, there's no mistaking anything in Yarou's game. Unlike a lot of players from Africa who come to the U.S. long on potential and short on skills, Yarou already has big-time game. He has good range for his size and can step out on the perimeter to knock down the mid-range jumper. But putting the ball in the hole is a distant third on Yarou's to-do list.

"I love to pass and play defense," Yarou says. "That's what I do best."

That's fine with the Mustangs, who can rely on Armwood and Ross to pick up the scoring slack. Armwood averaged 14.8 points per game on a loaded team last year, while Ross dropped 15.8 per game while leading Jefferson to the Class 5A Oregon state title and copping Player of the Year honors from The Oregonian.

While Montrose will play its typically brutal schedule -- the Mustangs have games lined up against national power Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and invitations to prestigious tourneys like Hawaii's Iolani Prep Classic and New Jersey's Primetime Shootout -- some of the most intense competition occurs in the Montrose gymnasium.

"Our players are challenged every day, and good players want to be challenged every day," Vetter says. "There's competition for every position, and that brings out the best in everyone."

And that's true if the players are from Benin, Portland or anywhere in between.

Ryan Canner-O'Mealy covers high school sports for ESPN RISE.