All Ohio Super 16: Southwest Ohio 2019 and 2020 Prospects
It’s only right that Ohio programs were in control all weekend in Reynoldsburg at the All Ohio Super 16. Not only did a program from the Buckeye State win all of the high school age levels, we were also often represented on both benches during the Gold Championship matchups.
On a player-by-player basis, some guys really stepped up to the competition and turned some heads with their play. From Monday-Wednesday, we’re recapping those individual performances, segmented by region.
Now, it’s time to focus on Southwest Ohio. For our final recap piece, we’ll take a look at the underclassmen from the region.
Sam Towns (2019), 6’6” W/F, Pro Bound / Springfield
Towns was definitely one of the most significant stock risers from this weekend. When we watched Springfield play Trotwood in the winter, Towns may not have even seen the floor. We definitely didn’t come away from that game with any impressions on Towns.
However, things changed on Sunday in his game against Old Gold. According to his Pro Bound coach, Lance Sullivan, Towns is really hitting a stride right now. He can shoot the ball very well from three-point range. Defensively, Towns provides some freedom for the team by guarding multiple positions and winning rebound battles.
Milton Gage (2019), 5’11” PG, Team Flyght / Chaminade-Julienne
Against two premier point guards in DJ Dial and Zeb Jackson, Gage played with a chip on his shoulder. Gage was downright battling defensively, which led to him causing a few turnovers on the ball. Using that same intensity, he drove the lane rather effectively on the other end.
Gage could wind up being a valuable energy guy for a college program down the line. Or he could progress his jumper significantly and rise his stock in a huge way. Both of these trajectories are on the table for this 2019 prospect.
Justin Stephens (2019), 6’7” F/C, Team Flyght / Trotwood-Madison
It was nice to see Stephens playing his natural position around the basket on Sunday. While he can get up and down the court at a respectable level, Stephens gets points in the paint. He is able to move guys off the block byway of bruising post moves, and then goes to the right hand hook for finishes.
If you’re a college coach who is interested in playing a deliberate offensive style, Stephens is a prospect to check out.
Muhammed Metz (2020), 5’8″ PG, Queen City Prophets / Cincinnati Taft
Metz’s unusual playing style and pace continues to prove effective against strong competition. While QCP truly didn’t have their best showing against the Rebels, Metz was a consistent offensive option for the team. But he didn’t impact the game only as a scorer, Metz also appeared to be the only guy playing hard for this team at times during this game on Saturday.
From previous times watching him, we came into this weekend impressed with his ability to shoot and see the court. Metz expanded on that evaluation by hitting some floaters in the lane after pump-faking from the three-point line. The floaters were also necessary, as he was attacking against Brent Darby Jr..
Aaron Ward (2020), 6’6” W/F, All Ohio Elite / Cincinnati Princeton
Ward has impressed us all spring, establishing himself as one of Ohio’s finest 2020 prospect at the moment. We’ve seen him compete at a high level and develop progressively on a weekend-to-weekend basis. This Sunday was no different, as he showed us a new scoring move: the floater. While Ward was hitting the floater previously, they were hard shots off the backboard. On the contrary, the emerging player was shooting it with beautiful touch, and the balls rolled slowly into the rim against All Ohio Red in the Gold semifinal.
Carl Blanton (2020), 6’2″ G, All Ohio Red / All Ohio Red
The perfect Trotwood player, Blanton, used his athleticism to finish some challenging drives. On one occasion, Blanton drove the lane and eventually rose with two hands on the ball like he was going to dunk it, then he double-clutched mid-air and avoided a defender for a impressively soft layup off the glass. Then, minutes later, Blanton spun against a leaning defender and hit a layup through contact.
As we’ve written previously, Blanton is a gritty defender who moves his feet very well. Also, he hits consistently on corner threes. As he ages, Blanton could become a touted off-ball guard prospect.