All In Hoopfest: Central Ohio Gs (Part 2)
Over the entire week, we’ll be highlighting the impressive performances from Ohio prospects at the All In Hoopfest in Louisville. We started on Monday with the Breakout Performances. Now, we’re taking a trip all the way around Ohio by checking in on players in accordance to their state region and position.
For the central Ohio area, we’re breaking the guards into a couple parts. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was published just moments ago.
Julius Brown (2018), 5’10” PG, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound
Taevion Kinsey (2018), 6’4” G, OH-NOVA (Tillman)
In the spring, Kinsey played a lot of point guard with NOVA. This weekend, they carried three healthy ball-handlers, so Kinsey was playing off the ball. He still made quite an impact by cutting towards the basket when his teammates had the ball on the opposite side of the lane. His cuts were timely, and he reminded us of his explosion by rising high for finishes. Kinsey doesn’t use his vertical leap exclusively for monster dunks; on contested looks, he’s able to hang in the air longer than anyone else for layups. Per usual, Kinsey was active on defense also, denying the ball against Twenty Two Vision’s Adam Kunkel and forcing him into tough shots when he caught.
Reiko Bagley (2018), 6’5”-6’6” G, Elite Basketball Club
The kid can absolutely stroke it. Whether it’s off the dribble or on a spot up opportunity, Bagley is willing and able launch deep three-pointers. He often drains them against solid defense, because his size allows him to shoot over other guards. Bagley separates himself amongst other shooters because he’s around 6’6” and plays with physicality on defense. He’s one of these kids who plays out of positon defensively during the grassroots season because of the amount of guards on EBC. So, at any point, Bagley protects the rim on one end and then hits a pull-up triple on the other.
We’ll be interested to track how Bagley’s unique abilities fit in at Whitehall-Yearling next season.
Chris Mayfield (2020), 6’4” hybrid, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 2020
Mayfield validated his place in the argument for the top “wing” in Ohio’s 2020 class this weekend. His combination of length and power allow him to defend against power forwards. Yet, when he grabs a defensive rebound (which he does often), Mayfield is able to push it up the floor and create plays in the secondary break. Mayfield didn’t play with the same level of verticality this weekend, but he’s still an incredible athlete who sees the floor extraordinarily well.
Additionally, rebounds aren’t the only way Mayfield started fastbreaks this weekend. He reminds of us Moeller’s Miles “Deuce” McBride in the way that he pokes balls away from lazy dribblers. Mayfield frequently comes in from the weak-side and makes quick work of opponents with a loose handle by stripping the ball.
Isaiah Speelman (2018), 6’6” W, OH-NOVA (Tillman)
Garner Wallace (2021), 6’3” G, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 2020
As if Pickerington Central needed any more talented perimeter wings/guards, here comes another in Garner Wallace. The incoming freshman played heavy minutes on a Mid Ohio Pumas 15U team that advanced to the Platinum semifinals. In his time on the court, Wallace flat-out hustled. He gallops up the floor with a one-track mind of taking it all the way to the basket. Once there, Wallace was able to finish with a couple spin moves. His size and ball-skills as an incoming freshman point to considerable upside.