Hornbeak Has Next Level Potential

Clarence "CJ" Hornbeak III-2023 Toledo

We recently featured a Toledo-based rising star in Michael Greenlee Jr.; however, the “Glass City” seems to be loaded with young talent, especially in the class of 2023.  Clarence “CJ” Hornbeak III (5’6/PF/Toledo/2023) is another young stud with loads of potential.  Hornbeak began establishing his reputation during his play with a Maumee Bay Turf Basketball Club team that we considered as a top 10 team (class of 2023) last season.  We were so impressed with Hornbeak that we selected him Second Team All-Ohio last season and gave him a spot on the prestigious Ohio North vs South All-Star game. 

From what we know of Hornbeak, he has good size and a developing skill set that allows him to both bang in the post and step outside and do damage on the perimeter.  We also saw a recent video, which confirms Hornbeak is developing a consistent jump shot out to 17 feet. Moreover, because of his size and ball skills, Hornbeak is versatile and able to play multiple positions.

The last time we saw Hornbeak was at our fall session of the Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase, where his impressive play garnered him an all-star game selection.  Additionally, when we saw him initially in our spring session, Hornbeak’s debut culminated in an all-star game appearance.  After his performance in March, we had this to say about Hornbeak:  “…We have to mention his AAU teammate, CJ Hornbeak III (5’6”/C/Toledo), who came to Columbus with a rep and confirmed many of the positive things we had heard about him. Hornbeak is a big that rebounds at a high rate and is effective at scoring close to the bucket.  We also think we saw him step away and flash some perimeter skills as well.  Hornbeak is definitely a player to watch going forward…” You can catch Hornbeak in action at our March 4^th Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase.

Before we close, we would be remised if we did not give some props to Hornbeak’s AAU teammate, Deric Jaynes (5’0/PG/Toledo/2023), who has also made his reputation excelling at our elite showcases, and who also hails from Toledo.  In fact, at our spring event earlier this year, Jayness' dynamic play led to an all-star game selection, which then led to a Top 5 Award.  In addition, Jaynes was also selected as Buckeye Prep Third Team All-Ohio and also participated in the Ohio North vs South All-Star Game. As we said earlier, Toledo is absoutly loaded with young talent.

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