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| Sydney Curry, DJ Dials, Josiah Hutchens, Devontae. Blanton & Zeb Jackson |
With the
start of the middle school basketball season only a few short weeks away, players are
still taking advantage of fall leagues and showcases to work on their
game and to prepare for the season. On Saturday, Quincy Simpson held
his annual Tier 1 Middle School Showcase at Lima Senior High School in Lima,
Ohio. Although the numbers were down a bit from last year (about 100), there were still some
quality players in the gym. The event kicked off with about 3 hours of skills and drills, followed by 3 rounds of games and culminated with all-star games later in the day.
The best
player we saw all day was Sydney Curry
(6’5/ PF/C/ Indiana/ 2019). Yes we are
talking about the Sydney Curry who had several big time performances with
George Hill in the National Youth Basketball League (NYBL) this past season. In Lima on Saturday, Curry was a man among
boys and had no challengers in the low post.
Big, strong and physical in the post, Curry put up big numbers around the
basket. As strong as Curry is, he has a super soft touch around the cup. He’s not just a superb lost post scorer,
Curry passed the ball well for a big, and reminds us of Kevin Love with his ability to
deliver outlet passes on a dime. If that wasn't enough, Curry can also step out side and hit the jumper if left open. It's no wonder that the King James coaching staff was all over Curry and his mother at the event, the kid's a real talent!
Curry wasn’t
the only star at the event, as David
“DJ” Dials (5’6 /PG /South Euclid /2019) showed up and reminded folks why some
consider him to be one of the top 2-3 lead guards in the state in his class. Not only can Dials get you buckets, his
ability to create for teammates is significant. In Lima, Dials put his team on
his back several times and kept them in games. Dials has the rock on a string
and uses his elite handle and dribble moves to break down defenders to get
into the paint to get his drive and dish game off, or to create space for his own shot. At the end of the day, it’s unfortunate that
the rest of the county has seen so little of dials’ talent! There were a few "under the radar" guys who made some noise on Saturday as well, including: Josiah Hutchens (5'11/ WF Sidney /2019); Braylon Mitchell (5'7/ P/SG /Reynoldsburg /2019); Anthony Mazzeo (5'7 /PG /Massillon); Jaleel King (6'0/ W/PF /Gahanna/ 2019); Ryan Martin (5'7 /SG/ Ayersville 2091); Tahleik Walker (5'4 /SG/ Pickerington /2020) and Sol Hines (5'8/ SG/ Reynoldsburg /2019), all of whom had some good moments on Saturday.
One of the
biggest surprises of the day was the growth and progression of Devontae Blanton (6’1/ WF /Cleveland /2020). Blanton is not only long, agile and
athletic, he showed a lot of skill and ability to finish at a high rate around
the cup. Blanton also can handle the
rock in the open court and is productive in transition. The brother of former
Michigan State star Delvon Roe, Blanton has the genetics and upside to follow
in his older brother’s footsteps. It’s
early, but college coaches might want to make a note of Blanton’s potential. Toledo's Zeb Jackson (5'4 /PG /2020) was on his game on Saturday. Jackson has total command of the rock and knows how to
The Tier 1
event always seems to attract a lot good young talent, and this year was no
exception. West Lake’s Seth
Wilson (5’8 /PG /2021) rolled thorough and played up in the 7th/8th division. Wilson is
widely considered to be one of the top 5 players in the class of 2021 and his
play on Saturday proved that his success translates at the higher grade
level. In his class, Wilson is a big
guard who uses his size and strength to get to the rack. Against the older kids, Wilson’s poise, IQ
and playmaking ability were on display. Oh, Wilson
still got to the cup and scored, but his understanding of the game and savvy
were more evident. Finally, we were very
impressed with the way Wilson handled himself against the older kids; he was not at all intimidated.
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| K. Buford, S. Wilson, K. Luster, S. Jones, B. Williams & J Mobley, |
Another day, another gym and another standout performance by John Mobley Jr. (4’7/ PG/ Columbus /2024). From here on out, when we refer to Mobley we
will use the nickname “The Show.” Why
you ask, because the kid puts on a show every time we see him play, and we see him a
lot. Mobley’s handle is ridiculous, as is his IQ and play making ability. Unlike some, Mobley uses his elite handle
effectively, and is very productive either getting his shot or getting a
teammate a good look. "The Show" is also
exciting to watch, as most fans are simply amazed at the kid’s skill set and swag at
such a young age. If he does not get
caught up in the madness that can be youth basketball, Mobley has a chance to be really good. Remember the name, John "The Show" Mobley Jr. is the real deal!
Despite what
some might think, we love to write about new kids when their performance warrants recognition. Kobe Buford (5’7/ PF/C /Dublin /2021) has caught our eye a couple of
times in the last couple of weeks. In
Lima, Buford displayed great low post footwork and a soft touch around the
basket. Because you never know if kids will continue to grow, the fact he
has good shot mechanics and can handle the ball on the perimeter will only
enhance his game. He didn’t really have much competition in the post on Saturday, but it was still clear the kid has game. It
should be noted that Buford took home MVP honors after a great all-star game
performance.
We are really
starting to love Kahlil Luster’s
(4’5/ PG /Lima /2022) game. He’s diminutive, but
like they say, “good things come in small packages.” Luster is another guard with an elite
handle; however, he rarely over
dribbles and clearly understands how to use his gift to find open teammates or
to create scoring opportunities for himself.
Luster rarely turns the rock over by playing with it, and he consentingly
makes the right decision with the ball. Luster knows
what he’s doing out there, and represents the type of PG other players want to play
with. He got busy at the Buckeye Prep
Elite Showcase last month and he logged in another top performance on Saturday.
Sean Jones (4’9 /PG /Columbus /2022) had another good
day and did nothing to hurt his state and national rep. We haven’t
highlighted him before, but Bryce
Williams (4’8 /PG /Fishers, IN /2022), had
a lot of fans at the event, as several people approached us about the kid’s
talent. From what I saw, they were right. Williams shoots the ball well, has good fundementals and
knows how to run a team. Williams has good vision and the ability to deliver the ball on time and on target. Definitely a player to watch going forward. I have to give a shout out to Quincy Clark (5’0/ PG /Gahanna /2021). Clark showed a nice skill set, poise and a
high basketball IQ. From what I saw,
Tony Stiab’s Gahanna Lincoln Golden Lions could have another quality PG heading
to the program in a couple of year. It’s no secret we love Gahanna kids! All-in-all, the Tier 1 Middle School Showcase represented a great day of basketball.
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