NOE Showcase: Transition Playmakers
The Northern Ohio Elite (NOE) Showcase’s official videographers, Bonus Sports and All Day Hoops, have a ton of dunking highlights to work with. The prospects involved came out ready to show their creativity and power in the air.
In this recap, we’ll recognize those elite finishers, along with the facilitators who started those fastbreaks.
Katano Moss (four years college eligibility remaining), 6’5” W, transfer from Tabernacle Baptist Christian Academy (Bahamas)
Moss is looking for a college home for this upcoming Fall. He’ll be packing his bag to move in, and you can count on him putting some serious transition dunks in there. Moss was blowing us all away with his speed and explosiveness. He runs the floor like he’s playing wide receiver for the Buckeyes. Once he catches, optimally right around the volleyball line, Moss only needs one dribble to get to the rim for a one-handed hammer. To go along with the power, Moss also showed us mid-air grace, which he used for reverses when defenders decided to contest.
Isaiah Kennedy (2020), 6’ PG, Huber Heights Wayne
Kennedy’s contribution in transition came with laser full-court passes. Kennedy is a strong kid, which usually shows itself when he’s attacking the basket. At the NOE Showcase though, Kennedy’s strength was more noticeable because of how quickly his passes traveled through the air, leading to several assists on fastbreaks. His fastballs were also accurate, as he dropped a couple into tight windows on the secondary break.
Gage McGuire (2019), 6’4”-6’5” W/F, Coldwater
McGuire’s most noticeable advantage against his matchups (which tended to be forwards) was his ability to beat guys up the floor. McGuire was actually on the receiving end of one particular pass from Isaiah Kennedy, where he calmly collected a bullet from Kennedy with one hand and smoothly dropped in a layup.
Giovanni Santiago (2018), 6’1” PG, Cincinnati Hughes
Back a month or so ago, Santiago told Prep Hoops Ohio that he prefers a system that likes to get out and run. Well, Santiago made sure the floor opened up yesterday when he got the ball in his hands. The Division I prospect is able to kill guys with his crossover, by changing speeds only for the shortest of moments before blowing by someone.
While Santiago ended a couple fastbreaks by spinning the ball off the glass on layups, he mostly dishes it. Santiago had a couple highlight lobs finished off by Drew Bench. But also, when Santiago pushes the ball up the floor with the pass, his team benefits tremendously. It’s easy to remember those dunks by Bench or Justin Ahrens, but those often were a direct result of Santiago seeing the floor and delivering them the ball quickly.
Drew Bench (2019), 6’5” F, Genoa
Sure, Bench is about 6’5” right now and he definitely projects as a post player. But, he can get up there! His leaping ability and power at the basket compensates for any sort of height disadvantage. Bench rarely missed an opportunity to convert in transition.
Justin Ahrens (2018), 6’5” G, Versailles
Ahrens is widely known as a sharpshooting specialist who will make an impact at the high-major level with his shooting. But, don’t sleep on his ability to dunk on someone while running the floor. The former Ohio State commit is also able to pull-up in these times, as he shot it off the bounce better than maybe anyone at the Showcase.
Caleb McConnell (2018), 6’5” G, Dayton Dunbar
What we continue to love about McConnell’s transition ability is that he reads the situation on the fly and finishes appropriately. Regardless of if it’s high for the one-handed slam or stepping through a challenger for a smooth finish, McConnell is leaving that fastbreak with two points. Also, there’s not too many other 6’5” guys in Ohio with McConnell’s baseline-to-baseline speed.
Dalen Solomon (2018), 6’5” W, John Hay
We witnessed a ton of dunks yesterday at the Showcase. Solomon’s were a bit different though. You could just hear it. He attacked the rim with force and pulled on the rim as he came back down to earth. With that being said, defenders decided to mainly move out of the way when he came soaring in off his left leg. Given his athleticism, including a strong frame, Solomon could potentially play small-ball 4 in college, given a certain system/situation.