All In Hoopfest: Southwest Ohio PGs
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.
To start, we have a group of point guards from southwest Ohio’s 2018 and 2019 classes.
Dillon McCullough (2018), 6’3” PG, Advanced Game
It’s quite simple: McCullough is a tremendous passer. While he seemed to be overly persistant to throw no-look passes, the ball was delivered to the right spot. By that, we mean that McCullough not only passed it to the right player, he put it exactly where they could catch and release quickly. He has a height advantage at the point guard spot, which helps him see the floor well. The senior from Tri-Village should have the attention of local Division III programs.
Branden Maughmer (2018), 6’2” PG, OEBA Purple
We’ve watched this OEBA Purple team multiple times this grassroots season and Maughmer has always been fast. The aggressive point guard penetrates often because of his tempo with the ball. It’s what happens in the lane that seemed to be more consistent than ever this weekend. Especially on Friday night against Team Manimal, Maughmer was stopping on a dime around 5-feet from the basket and hitting the two-foot floater. He is also able to stretch the floor with his jumper.
Milton Gage (2019), 5’10” PG, Dayton Nets
Gage is another speedy point guard from the southwest Ohio area. The future Chaminade-Julienne starting point guard uses his speed by hustling like crazy around the floor. In a 8:30AM start against the NEO Shooting Stars, Gage drew two charges early and was getting loose ball rebounds all game. He is a spark, who seems passionate about winning.
Offensively, he doesn’t kill the ball and prefers to advance the break with the pass to shooters on the wing. Gage’s recruitment will see a boost if he proves capable as a shooter.
Jajuan “Jay” Rodgers (2019), 6’2” PG, Pro Bound
Rodgers has a smooth pull-up jumper where he leans back to draw an extra couple inches of separation.
He seems to be most effective with this shot just outside of the paint. Rodgers seemed to have forced the issue with scoring a bit too much towards the end of close games, but this is a part of the game we expect out of young prospects. When Rodgers is playing within the team, his scoring ability is most dangerous, as the defense can get caught sleeping on his ability. Regardless, a strong performance this weekend from Rodgers.
Joey Edmonds (2019), 5’11” PG, Cincy Lakers
Edmonds is one of the strongest pull-up shooters we watched this weekend. His shot can be a bit streaky at times, but when it’s going there’s seemingly nothing the defense can do to defend it. Edmonds is wildy aggressive with his quick-release jumper and has enough range to demand the defense’s respect from way out. He also impressed us with a few pocket passes when running the pick-and-roll.
Greg Tribble Jr. (2019), 6’1” PG, Cincy Lakers
Speaking of pick-and-roll, the Lakers do it often and Tribble thrives in it. With the use of a killer hesitation move, Tribble gets a half step on his defender before he runs the guy into a screen. At this point, the defense is helpless as Tribble is playing two-on-one with the screener. The Winton Woods point guard tends to get all the way to the rim on these opportunities, where he has a major vertical and can finish with either hand. His hangtime also results in a lot of fouls, as he intelligently double-clutches in traffic to draw a slap.
He received an offer from Youngstown State on Sunday night.
Giovanni Santiago (2018), 6’1” PG, Team One Phenoms
Santiago plays the game with so much joy. He pushes the tempo of the game every time he touches it in the backcourt, which is facilitated by his ability to weave defenders by hardly breaking stride. Once he’s in the lane, Santiago consistently looks to finish through traffic by side-stepping for crafty layups. We noticed on Sunday morning that most of his misses seem to be due to lack of strength. As he puts in work in the weight room, we’d expect Santiago to have an impact at the D-I level, if he finds a system that encourages an up and down style.
The Cincinnati Hughes prospect received an offer from Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday night.
Tanner Knue (2018), 5’11” PG, OT Elite
The competitive fire on the defensive end that Knue showed against Garrett Tipton, arguably the biggest Ohio stock-riser from Louisville, on Sunday was impressive. Knue took on the challenge of trying to shut down a larger wing and he excelled as an irritant, often poking away post entry passes. Offensively, Knue paces the team and values each possession. He can also shoot the ball, which is a crucial skill for his height. His athleticism also impressed us, and there’s no doubt he can come into a D-III program and have an impact.