COBBA League Standouts

Lawson, Murphy, Ivery, Cornett, Tucker & Youngblood

On Sunday, we spent a few hours at the Douglas Recreation Center in Columbus checking out several Central Ohio Boys Basketball (COBBA) games.  In addition to some players we had seen previously, we found several other players who deserve some recognition.  

The 3 games we watched involved the teams Renaissance University programs in grades 3^rd-6^th. Game #1 pitted the 3^rdgrade Reynoldsburg Raiders against Renaissance.  For the second time in as many weeks, we had the opportunity to watch Reynoldsburg’s Gabriel Tucker (4’7”/PG/2028/Reynoldsburg) put in work.  As was the case the last time we saw him play, Tucker proved to be the best player on the court.  Highly skilled, Tucker again demonstrated the ability to score on all 3 levels.  He may be able to get his team buckets, but Tucker is also an elite on ball defender who can also get find teammates for easy buckets.  We really like this kid!  

Tucker’s teammate, Evan Allgood (4’8”/WF/2028/Hamilton Twp) is a big time scorer as well. We liked Allgood’s aggression to the cup and his ability to use his size and strength to put points on the board.  In fact, when we release our 2028 Player Watch List next week, All-good’s name will be listed among the top 40 players in the state. We also saw some good things out of Isaiah Giavana (SG/2028/Grandview heights), who showed a nice skill set, which included a nice handle, ability to knock down treys and an attacking attitude toward the cup.

For Renaissance, we were also really impressed with the play of Brandon Youngblood (4’4”/PG/2028/Columbus), who was quick, crafty, and had the rock on a string.  He’s smaller, but he got everywhere he wanted to get to, and either scored with layups or found open teammates for easy shots. Youngblood is gritty, is the clear leader on his team, and was the primary scoring option for his squad. With continued growth and development, Youngblood has a chance to be really good! 

We’ve heard some good things about Winfield Garnett IV (5’1”/PF/2028/New Albany), and his play on Sunday confirmed his place among the best players in the class in Ohio. He’s big, rebounds well, and cannot only initiate the fast break, but he can dribble the rock coast to coast and finish.  Based on his father’s size, Garnett has a good chance of being a long-term post prospect going forward.

We’re going to put it out there right now; keep an eye out for Tyson Cornett (SG/2029/Westerville).  Although he’s only a second grader, you could not tell it from his play.  Great size and length for his age, Cornett impacted the game in a positive way.  From what we saw, Cornett has a chance to be special.  Finally, we saw his parents, and they both have good size!

Cornett, Hodges, Turner, Brooks, Giavana & Peterson

The second game of the day featured a matchup between the 4^thgrade Renaissance and Newark, and although the game got out of hand right from the tip, there were several players who caught our eye. The best of them all was Caden Ivery (SG/WF/2027/Columbus), who is very skilled, athletic, with solid ball skills and the ability to score. In the game we watched, Ivery put up big numbers and made it look easy!  Clearly, Ivery is a potential top ten talent in the state, and we look forward seeing him participate in the Buckeye Prep Ohio North vs South All-Star Game on March 9^th!

Ivery was not the only stud for Renaissance, as Tony Cornett III (4’8”/PG/2027/Westerville) showed great upside potential as well.  Like his younger brother, Cornett has good size for his position and excels at scoring the ball.  He’s athletic, aggressive and should also show well in the North vs South game in March.

Newark may have been a bit over matched as a team, but Ty Brooks ( 4’2”/PG/2027/Newark) and Kolton Peterson ( 4’5”/WF/2027/Newark) were able to compete.  Peterson is a skilled floor general with a tight handle, while Peterson is a bigger guard who can handle the rock, and he uses his size to power his way to the cup. Both players were extended invitations to the Buckeye Prep Elite showcase based on what we saw on Sunday.

The final game of the day featured a matchup between the 6^thgrade New Birth Warriors and Renaissance.  To be honest, there was little doubt the undefeated Warriors would get the win, however, we were excited to get a look at the individual players. As expected, Arness Lawson (5’2”/CG/Columbus/2025) was simply dominant! We’ve seen him on several occasions at our elite showcases, and from what we saw on Sunday, Lawson has continued to grow and develop.  We did not catch the final scoring numbers, but we have to believe Lawson was the leading scorer in the game.  Lawson appeared powerful to the cup and he feasted on transition buckets. He’s not only an elite scorer, but he has great vision and is a willing and able passer.  Finally, we were very impressed with Lawson‘s game, and he should be an early contributor to a varsity squad in a few years if he continues to work hard!

We were also really impressed with Mykell Murphy (6’0”/C/2025/Columbus), who is an athletic big who rebounds well, runs the floor like a dear, blocks shots and finishes at a high rate around the rim. We love his length, motor and soft touch! If he continues to grow, Murphy could represent a long-term post prospect down the road.  When new Birth went with their second waive of players, Amari Hodges (5’3”/WF/Columbus/2025) provided the scoring.  We intend to keep an eye on Hodges going forward. Other players to watch include Nasir Turner (5’6”/CG/2025)/Columbus), Jaden Calloway (5’2”/CG/2025/Columbus), Antwon Pollard (PG/Columbus/2027), Trey Thorpe (WF/2027/Columbus).  Look for many of the above players to be participating in the March 9^thBuckeye Prep Elite Showcase.

Standout Players

Arness Lawson (6th Grade)	Mykel Murphy (6thGrade)	Nasir Turner (6thGrade)
Caden Ivery (4thGrade)	Tony Cornett III (4thGrade)	Gabriel Tucker (3rdGrade)
Winfield Garrett IV (3rd Grade)	Evan Allgood (3rdGrade)	Isaih Giovana (3rtd Grade)
Brandon Youngblood (3rd Grade)	Tyson Cornett (2ndGrade)	Ty Brooks (4thGrade)
Kolton Peterson (4th Grade)	Amir Hodges (6thGrade)	Antown Pollard (4thGrade)

Player Pictures