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| Darious Brazley, Jyare Davis, Zion Harmon, Sonny Johnson & Sarmaritine Bogues |
Judging
from the number of elite players who made the trek to Columbus to participate
in the 2015 Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase, as well as the numerous scouting
services in the building to document the action, the annual evert was a
complete success! Not only were there some of the traditionally big name kids
present and accounted for, but there were some hidden gems unearthed during the
2-day event as well. In terms of breakout performances, no one made more of the
opportunity to impress than Jyare Davis
(6’5/WF/Delaware/2020). Although Davis
was a standout with his Rip City squad this past season, no one knew just how
explosive Davis could be. Davis plays
with a high motor, both on offense and defense, and when he’s not protecting
rim, he’s trying to tear in down on offensive. Based on his current size, skill
set and athleticism, Davis projects well as a division I athlete. If Davis was #1, Jordan Toles was #1A. Toles had another spectacular weekend and did
nothing to hurt his considerable reputation as one of the top handful of
players in his class in the country.
Relentless to the cup with a developing midrange game best describes
Toles at this stage in his development.
Also
making quite a name for himself this past weekend was another Philly product in
Jamil Riggens (6’6/WF/Philly/2019). Like Davis, Riggens plays hard, is a jumping
jack and has good size for his position already. Look for both players to make a steady climb
up the rankings going forward. Talk
about under the radar guys; who knew Darious
Brazley (6’7/PF/Cincinnati/2018) was such a stud. In terms of the high
school division, the long and lankly Brazley was hands down the top player in
the division. Defensively he was a
problem, but his ability to handle the rock for his size was notable. He’s
still young, but Brazley needs to be on somebody’s recruiting board!
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| J. Toles, A. Davis, M. Cottingham, K. Martin, C. Rankin, C. Livingston, S. Wilson & P. McMillian |
The
battle for the top spot in the 7th grade division involved a rematch
which started at the Basketball Spotlight Camp last week, when the consensus #1
ranked player in the nation, Zion Harmon
went head-to-head with the newcomer Ryan
Conway. As was the case in southern
Maryland, Harmon and Conway traded jump shots and layups as each attempted to
stake claim to the top spot. By most accounts, Harmon gets the nod in the
Columbus, Ohio battle. Both guys are
tenacious, can shoot the rock and can get to the rack at will. Conway is the
bigger, stronger and more athletic of the two, while Harmon’s skill, IQ,
maturity and experience gives him the edge.
Both were exciting to watch and should have a bright future with
continued hard work and development.
Arguably
the top two 6th grade PGs in Ohio were at the showcase and both
players held serve. Sonny Johnson Jr.
and Paul McMillian IV both had
outstanding weekends and more than justified national recognition. Johnson is more dynamic, crafty with a more
advanced handle and a desire to find open teammates, while McMillian is bigger,
stronger and faster from baseline to baseline than anybody we’ve seen in the
class. Both lead guards can shoot it from deep and
are excellent playmakers. In terms of
their ability to score in the paint, McMillian powers his way to the cup,
whereas Johnson usually tricks his defenders then drives by them. Although we did not see them matchup this
past weekend, we’re giving Johnson the nod as the top guy “for this weekend.” For the second consecutive year, Baltimore’s Samaritine Bogues (PG/2023) made the
trip to Columbus and hauled away his fair share of hardware and ink. Already known nationally, the super slick
floor general continues to get the job done.
For his efforts, number 1 baby!
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| D. Scott, D. Holloway, J. Hairston, D. Henry, C. Byers, C. Furst, N. Peeoples & M. Johnson |
There
was far too much talent in the gym to document in 1 article, but many of the
scouting services in attendance will further break down the standouts. Below is a link to the final showcase
rankings. For the most part, those
players ranked highly by their showcase coach were listed, including
performance in the Sunday all-star games.
While there were some standout performances in the NYBL all-star games
on Saturday, our rankings are based on showcase performances only. Look for additional reports coming soon.
