Toledo Summer League: Point Guards (June 19-20)
Today, we’re recapping the top performances and prospects from this week’s action in the Toledo summer league. During the past two afternoons at Toledo Woodward and Toledo Scott, we’ve seen talent ranging from small college to Division I-bound athletes.
Earlier, we started our recaps by naming the top five prospects, now we’ll analyze each position.
Carl Banks (2018), 5’7”, Toledo Waite
Zeb Jackson (2020), 5’11”, Maumee Valley
Jackson, coming fresh off of an Akron offer, came into Scott yesterday and played with impressive pace. The underclassman is clearly the team’s leader during game-action, as he initiates the offense nearly every possession for Maumee Valley. His teammates trust him, and in turn, he does find clever passing angles to hit guys once he draws a second defender. Also good to see Jackson working on that second level of scoring, as he was unusually aggressive with his mid-range pull-up.
Jonzell Norrils (2020), 5’10”, Toledo Central Catholic
The two-sport bruising point guard from Central Catholic has impressive court vision and basketball IQ. Norrils is a true floor general, as he always sets the table for the team’s offense.
While he’s comfortable throwing passes to his teammates in the half-court — which allows others to create with the ball — Norrils is also a bucket in transition. The promising underclassmen finishes through defenders by initiating the contact when guys are back-peddling.
Ajai Washington (2018), 6’2”, Toledo Bowsher
Washington is another distributor from the point guard position. However, the problem for Washington is that he’s not surrounded by anyone else who can be relied upon to convert open shots. With that being said, it’ll be a challenge for Washington to adjust to his personnel, given the fact that he’s a gifted passer when he draws a second defender. However, there’s reason to believe Washington will adjust: he’s a crafty finisher who gets separation with the crossover.
Alek West (2019), 6’1”, Sylvania Northview
The feeling is that West will likely play soccer in college. But that doesn’t mean he’s bad at hoops. Actually, West remains one of the most underrated point guards in Ohio’s 2019 class. On Monday night, West was leading the secondary break and flinging lasers to his Northview teammates as they ran the floor. It’s June and some of his teammates simply couldn’t handle the passes, which appeared to frustrate West. But, as the Wildcats build chemistry, expect those excellent passes to turn into assists in the winter. Also, West’s jumper looked smooth off the dribble.