Cincy Point Guards: Class of 2018
The class of 2018 is shaping up to be a very deep class in the state of Ohio, with talent spread out all over the state. But when taking a closer look you see that the Southwest corner of the state, in particularly the Cincinnati area, has as much of this talent as any part of the state. That is why today is the first of a series where we take a deeper look at the talent in the Cincinnati area, starting at point guard. Some names you may know and some you may not, but one thing is for certain. All of these young men have the talent to play at the next level.
Demontez Cooper, 5’4, Cincinnati Woodward- Cooper is a very heady point guard who missed most of his junior year with a knee injury. Before the injury Cooper was one of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference leaders in assist at 4.8 per game. While not great at one particular thing, Cooper is a real leader on the court who does an outstanding job of taking care of the basketball. Demontez is not known as a great shooter but is capable of knocking down open jumpers.
Xavier Johnson, 6’2, Summit Country Day- After spending much of the past two years playing on the wing, expect Johnson to take over the point guard duties next season. Johnson is an outstanding ball handler who is a very strong, physical finisher in the lane which lead to him shooting 51% from the floor. After averaging 7.8 points per game last season, expect that number to increase in a major way with the departure of a talented Summit senior class. Also ranked as one of the top wide receiver prospects in the state.
Isaiah “Sleepy” Payton, 5’10, Moeller- The senior-to-be PG helped lead Mighty Moe to a 28-1 record and a number two ranking in the state. Due to the system ran at Moeller, Payton shooting gets overlooked but is a much underrated aspect of his game. Last season Payton shooting line for the season was 48/44/80 while averaging 8.3 point per game. A very talented passer as well Payton lead the talented GCL-South in assist with 3.4 per game while sporting an assist to turnover ratio of 1.8 to 1. Isaiah currently holds an offer from Liberty University.
Ryan Reidy, 6’0, McNicholas- One of the more underrated point men in the Cincinnati area, Reidy led the GCL Co-Ed in assist with 4.5 per game while averaging 10.6 points per game. Ryan does a very solid job of shooting off the dribble, in particular using one and two dribble pull-ups around the free throw line. Reidy also shot a respectable 76% from the free throw line last season as well.
Giovanni “Gio” Santiago, 6’0, Hughes- Pound for pound one of the best point guards in the state of Ohio. Santiago finished in the top 10 in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference in points and assist last season at 14.7 and 6.6 per game. The flashy point man also showed to be an excellent decision maker as well with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.6 to 1 per game. Gio currently holds an offer from Kentucky State and is receiving interest from many Division I programs.
Steve Stewart, 6’0, Shroder- Fresh off a solid outstanding at the Super 16 (make sure to check out Anthony Garcia Super 16 coverage), Stewart is one of the better guards in the city at getting to the rim, and has the ability to finish with either hand. Named second team All-CMAC last season with averages of 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assist and 1.9 steals per game. Steve is a fierce competitor who competes on both ends of the floor. Has a real nice touch from the mid-range area as well.