Cincinnati 2021 Watch List
A two-part recap of Southwest Ohio’s 2021 class will conclude our follow-up content on the Watch List, which hit the site this week for the first time.
As always, we appreciate any input from the audience on players we’re missing from the 2021 class. We’re fully aware that these nine players aren’t the only kids from Cincinnati who will play college ball in four years. Therefore, please send names to us via DM, drop a comment, or email name/film/July schedule to anthony@prephoops.com. Thanks to everybody who has already sent us tips.
Cincinnati 2021 Watch List (alphabetical)
- AJ Braun, 6’5” F/C, Bishop Fenwick / Cincinnati Royals – White
- Logan Duncomb, 6’8” C, Moeller / Mid Ohio Pumas Elite
- Greg Johnson, 6’1” PG, St. Xavier / Cincinnati Royals – White
- Demari Martin, 6’5” W/F, Winton Woods / All Ohio Red
- William McCracken, 6’3” G/W, Moeller / Indiana Elite
- Skyler Schmidt, 6’5” F, Clermont Northeastern / NEO Tru Game
- Jakada Stone, 6’0” PG, Aiken / BTC Trojans 16U
- Isaiah Walker, 6’2” G/W, Wyoming / Cincinnati Royals – White
- Kaden Warner, 5’10” G, North College Hill / BTC Trojans 16U
Top Prospects
Just like we did with Central Ohio yesterday, here’s our traditional starting five from Cincinnati, solely based on talent. This is a tough hypothetical team to make, by the way. Pretty much every kid on this list has shown off an impressive game.
At the point guard, there’s nobody more proven Jakada Stone. We were there for the upset tournament win over Wyoming where he sunk the game-clinching free throws — a truly impressive feat for any freshman. Stone has a floor general’s presence and can make plays. Shot selection is the one concern, but he’s too young to not think that will improve. Plus, it’s not the worst thing ever that he wants to take shots.
Our lineup is going to be big here because the wings will be Demari Martin and William McCracken at 6’5” and 6’3” respectively. Martin has proven himself as a prototypical versatile defender with athleticism. Meanwhile, McCracken is playing with one of the best AAU programs in the country. He scores the ball efficiently from the wing and will compete for varsity minutes at Moeller next season.
The broad-shouldered Skylar Schmidt plays the power forward for this team. He’s carries a mature body and uses it to control the glass with physicality. Schmidt has brought toughness to Tru Game this spring.
Finally, Logan Duncomb has to be the center here. More on him in a second.
First Impression: whoa!
We really didn’t realize it until we just looked at all of those names stacked up on top of each other, but Cincinnati’s 2021 class is freaking loaded. Not a single guy on this list is just marginally on the list. Instead, pretty much everyone is a can’t-miss.
As upperclassmen, we expect about 75 percent of these nine players to be the marquee guy for their high school program. Also, a grassroots team with these nine is giving shoe circuit teams a real run for their money on the AAU circuit.
Top Bigs
After a pretty unremarkable list of forwards from Northeast Ohio and Dayton (sorry guys, we just haven’t found all the gems yet), we’ve got some players to discuss from the 513.
Logan Duncomb is a long 6’8” player who clearly isn’t fully grown into his body at a young 15 years old. Duncomb has shown an ability to finish through contact, rebound on both ends, and fight for loose balls. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if Moeller can mold him into a high major prospect.
We’ve already touched on Schmidt, but AJ Braun is a player who has gone almost unmentioned by us this spring. We like what we see however. Braun is a really big kid that scores it over his shoulder in the post. He’s getting buckets by gaining deep post position and overpowering players his age. Some people have him listed as tall as 6’7” by the way.
The Intrigue
Let’s talk about a fearless scorer in Kaden Warner from North College Hill. This section of the article is about kids who do a couple things very well but have clear holes. Well, what Warner is missing is size. He’s a small 5’10”. Let’s just assume that he grows, either in terms of height or just dedicates himself to the weight room — that’s a really good prospect!
Warner has an unorthodox way about his game, but he is surely a volume scorer that has filled it up against 16U competition. He pulls up from way deep and can even finish with verticality near the rim. A little bit more polish and we’ve got an absolutely nasty player who already has a serious chip on his shoulder. Keep killing ‘em, Kaden.