All In Hoopfest Preview: Prospects on the Rise
With the second weekend of the Live Period approaching, the recruiting scene in Ohio is lit. Prospects ranging from the 2018 class down to 2021 are receiving scholarship offers daily.
While elite players earn these scholarships because of year-round dedication, the recognition for that work comes into fruition right now.
This weekend presents another opportunity for players to showcase their talents in front of coaches from all divisions. The All In Hoopfest in Louisville, Kentucky, is the spot for scouts to find the largest gathering of Ohio talent this coming weekend. So, let’s take a glance at which prospects enter Louisville as “Hot Prospects” (In other words, which players have been receiving offers and serious interest these past couple of weeks.).
James Anderson (2018), 6’9” F/C, OEBA Purple
The freaky post presence from Troy Christian High School has emerged with The Ohio Elite Basketball Academy this grassroots season. Anderson, who scores primarily in the paint, received scholarship offers from St. Francis (IN) and Cedarville in the spring. Going into this weekend, OEBA has told Prep Hoops that Wright State, Morehead State, Robert Morris and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), will all be on deck to check out Anderson.
Terry Durham (2018), 6’3”-6’4” W, Ohio Unity
Durham, who is considered by many as a “tweener” prospect because of his elite rebounding ability at 6’3”-6’4”, received his first offer this week from Central State. We would speculate that the delay on offers for Durham is because of said height concerns. Yet, if you’re looking for a strong kid who competes, we encourage you to take a look at the Cincinnati Woodward prospect.
Christian Guess (2018), 6’5” G, Ohio Basketball Club
While Guess didn’t receive any offers this week, his matchup with Zion Williamson, the #2 ranked 2018 prospect in the country went viral. We chronicled the performance earlier this week in a feature about Guess. Judging off of his performance in OBC’s overtime win against Williamson last weekend and the reported development he’s had in the past months, we’re expecting a confident and aggressive Guess this weekend in Louisville.
Jaxson Hayes (2018), 6’9” F/C, Twenty Two Vision
Since April 26, Hayes has received a scholarship offer from 21 programs. Virginia Commomwealth (VCU), Xavier, James Madison, and Indiana State, were the most recent, as the other 17 came before July. Being that Hayes plays for a Kentucky-based program, we haven’t seen him play since the Division I State Championship. Considering the fact that his recruitment stock has absolutely sky-rocketed in that time, it’s safe to say we’ll be keeping a close eye on his performance this weekend.
Darweshi Hunter (2018), 6’4” G, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound
Since attending the Northern Ohio Elite (NOE) Showcase two weekends back, Hunter has reportedly received offers from Assumption College (MA) and Long Island University Post (NY). As we wrote after the Showcase, this uptick in recruitment was fully expected, mainly because of his impact as an off-ball scorer.
Elijah McNamara (2018), 6’9” F/C, OH-NOVA Rice
McNamara received his first Patriot League offer this week from Lafayette (PA), who now is in a foursome with Army West Point, Notre Dame (OH), and Stony Brook, as teams who have offered. It’s always interesting to watch the stretch-4 play with this Nova team, because he’s asked to defend the rim against whatever team they play. As the Pickerington North forward has proven to be physical enough to battle with strong opponents, we’ve become continually impressed with him.
Adrian Nelson (2018), 6’7” W, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound
Nelson, another prospect from Pickerington, has received six offers since having a dominating performance at Hoop Group last weekend. He was named the MVP of the showcase last weekend, which has clearly went a long way in opening options for the athletic slasher. We should also mention that Nelson received an offer from the IMG Academy, a prestigious prep school in Florida, just last night.
Omari Peek (2018), 6’6” W, Club Ohio (Pierce)
As detailed in a Recruiting Report just a couple days ago, Peek landed two offers after his performance last weekend at the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis. Central State and Maryland Eastern Shore could have to compete with Youngstown State and Tulsa soon, as the latter two have told Peek they’ll watch him at the All In Hoopfest.
Garrett Tipton (2018), 6’4” G, VCC-NOVA (Beard)
Ashland joined a group of five Division II schools that have offered Tipton thus far. All of those came this summer, with the other four — Findlay, Urbana, Wheeling Jesuit, and Alderson Broaddus — coming in June. After watching Tipton compete at a high level against All Ohio Red EYBL in late May, it’s no shocker that he enters the second weekend with some prestigious D-II offers on the table.
This Nova team also has Lucas House, who received his first offer from Urbana this week.
Alonzo Gaffney (2019), 6’9” F, Ohio Basketball Club
It recently became known that Gaffney is continuing his high school career at Garfield Heights, a team who will carry 7 or more college prospects on the roster next season. So, if scouts miss him with OBC this weekend, there will be plenty of other opportunities throughout the year. School isn’t the only development lately though for Gaffney, he’s also added perimeter ball-skills and offers from Penn State, Tulane, West Virginia, and Cincinnati.
Gregg Tribble (2019), 6’0” PG, Cincy Lakers
The Cincy Lakers 16U team, which recently added Miles “Deuce” McBride”, is a team we are personally very excited to watch in Louisville. There probably isn’t a better collection of 2019 Cincinnati talent on one roster then what you’ll find here. Tribble is certainly one of the headliners, as he’s added offers from Kent State and Toledo recently, to go along with Stony Brook.
Zach Loveday (2020), 6’11” C, Mid Ohio Pumas
Loveday broke a rim last weekend in Indianapolis during one of a Pumas game, so there’s that. Furthermore, the presumptive #1 prospect in the upcoming Prep Hoops Ohio 2020 Prospect Rankings has added interest from several high-major schools in the Big Ten and Big 12 with his recent play. If Loveday continues to trend in this direction, he could recieve a few offers after this weekend.
Meechie Johnson (2021), 6’0″ G, HWB/OBC
Johnson enters his high school career at Garfield Heights with high expectations and offers from Maryland Eastern Shore and Southeast Missouri. Johnson can score the ball on any floor with his handle and shooting ability. Expect him to build off a good performance last weekend in Indianapolis.