All In HoopFest: Standout 2019 Guards
The All In HoopFest provided another opportunity for us to explore players and teams we didn’t watch enough in the spring. We were reminded that the class of 2019 is full of quality Division II, NAIA, and Division III prospects.
Alex Dotson, 6’4” G, RGB Ohio Unity / Purcell Marian
Dotson is a tremendous athlete at the guard position. He has the physical tools to realistically defend three positions at the college level. Dotson showed athleticism on the drive, where he seemed to slide past defenders every time he opted not to facilitate offense to his teammates. More of a pass-first type point guard who has nice poise. We’d like to see Dotson tighten up his ball security — he fumbled it in the crowded paint multiple times.
Milton Gage, 5’10” PG, Cincy Lakers / Chaminade Julienne
Gage is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was at a year ago. Athletically, Gage is compensating for his height disadvantage by getting up for finishes and rebounds in traffic. He is fearless in both those situations as he soars through the air for offensive rebounds instead of retreating to the other end. In terms of ball skills, Gage shot the mid-range jumper off the dribble with consistency. Last season at CJ, he was 34 percent on 3-pointers, but he looked a bit better than that this weekend from deep. Still needs to cut down on turnovers.
Tim Smith, 6’6”-6’7” G/W, JSBA / Lakewood
Smith showed why he is being recruited by various D-II programs in the New England area. He’s a primary ball-handler with legitimate size and the preference to keep others involved. Smith maybe could’ve asserted himself a little more, but he definitely showed the ability to create space for his jumper in flashes. Kid has a really nice jumper also.
On the defensive end, JSBA played a zone and he was the only player over 6’3”. Therefore, Smith protected the rim with length. He’s a pretty talented shot-blocker and defensive rebounder. When Smith had to step out, he tends to play perimeter defense with his hands instead of moving his feet. But he doesn’t lack athleticism near the basket or as a ball-handler.
Kyle Goessler, 6’2” G, SMAC Rebels / Brunswick
Goessler verbally committed to Hillsdale on Saturday night. Rumblings of his interest in the Michigan Division II program were swirling throughout the day. The high-academic program is a good fit for Goessler, who had a 4.2 GPA and 29 ACT score when we checked in with him in October.
Regardless of any of that, Goessler is making the tournament standouts article because of his improvements as a shot creator. He has added a couple skilled moves to create separation. His shooting ability off the dribble and consistency as a spot-up guy remains exceptional also.
Rodney Wiley, 6’0” PG, Cincy Rise / Colerain
Wiley burst onto the scene on Saturday with a couple extraordinary offensive performances. What he lacks in size, Wiley makes up for it in explosiveness and ball skills. The scoring point guard has above average explosiveness as a finisher. Wiley, a lefty, finished contested floaters with a nice touch off the backboard. He can also hit mid-range jumpers off the dribble and doesn’t like to settle for triples if the closer shot is available. Wiley also showed a nice feel in pick-and-roll situations, where he comes off the screen as a scorer.
Deshawn Evans, 6’3” G, Ohio Varsity Shooting Stars / Westland
Evans isn’t going to blow you away athletically or as an offensive creator. And truthfully he has a tendency to float around without asserting himself in a ball game. However, we like what he provides as a spot-up shooter, team defender, and facilitator. Evans plays either guard spots but is best as an off-ball point guard. He’s very consistent on catch-and-shoot triples. Solid frame. They play a zone and he talks a lot on the back-end. Nice D-III kid that we don’t hear anybody discussing.