Ohio State Team Camp’s Friday Standouts
Ohio State’s team camp hosted a number of Ohio’s best high school programs on Friday. We checked out Canal Winchester, Canton McKinley, Chillicothe, Cleveland Heights, Coffman, Gahanna, Hughes, London, Moeller, Pickerington Central, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Toledo St. Francis, Upper Arlington,…
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Continue ReadingOhio State’s team camp hosted a number of Ohio’s best high school programs on Friday. We checked out Canal Winchester, Canton McKinley, Chillicothe, Cleveland Heights, Coffman, Gahanna, Hughes, London, Moeller, Pickerington Central, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Toledo St. Francis, Upper Arlington, and Westerville North, coming away most impressed by the following players:
EJ Farmer (2021) | 6-4 SG | Cleveland Heights
Running with a reloaded, uber-athletic Cleveland Heights team, Farmer showcased an improved ability to finish around the basket. He was creative with the ball when he left his feet, often outlasting shot-blockers in the air with hangtime. More willing to put the ball on the floor and attack a closeout, rather than settling for contested 3s.
Still, though, his ability to create space for the outside jumper is his signature skill. Farmer hit multiple rhythm pull-up triples as the primary ball-handler and created those looks by giving back-peddling defenders just a little shimmy at the top of the wing.
Jarius Jones (2021) | 6-4 SF | Gahanna
When it comes to defense, Jones’s physical tools and mental discipline are both exceptional. Always in position away from the ball and provides a surprising shot-blocking presence on help-side. A physical player, Jones controls his man on box outs and often comes down with defensive rebounds. The powerful rising juniors also stays in front of quick wings when they put it on the floor. He should become a Division II priority by this time next year, especially if he continues to make 3-pointers like he did against Hughes on Friday afternoon.
Sean Jones (2022) | 5-8 PG | Gahanna
Jones uses changes of pace and direction to get to his spots on the floor and develop playmaking opportunities. His tight handle and low center of gravity allows him to probe the floor in tight areas. For example as a pick and roll ball-handler, Jones has no issues when defenders crowd him, which allows him to make late passes to the roll man once the passing window opens. In other words, he finds angles that other cannot.
Jones also created mid-range shots for himself on Friday afternoon — his 15-foot pull-up and ability to finish in traffic are both very impressive.
Magnus Entenmann (2021) | 6-7 PF/C | Upper Arlington
It only took one time watching Entenmann to realize he belongs in the top 50 of our 2021 rankings, with a chance of developing into one of the best 25 players. The upside is clear.
Entenmann is stunningly long with an undeveloped frame. There’s room to grow in terms of height and size. Although he’s not quite able to keep strong post players away from the hoop by pushing them around yet, he did snag tough rebounds because of his length. Entenmann flashed versatility and skill away from the rim, fitting in nicely with their motion offense and looking comfortable catching on the arch. On one play, Entenmann caught on the perimeter and attacked, freezing a defender with a subtle hesitation move before scoring.
Kobe Johnson (2021) | 6-2 G | Canton McKinley
Johnson is a big guard with a chance to become much stronger because of his wide frame. He takes advantage of his physical edge by attacking the basket as much as possible. Uses quick side-to-side jukes at the top of the key and clever head fakes and hesitations when he’s coming down-hill. Showed some athletic pop on a few dunks against Upper Arlington.
Brenton Walker (2021) | 6-6 C | Canton McKinley
Walker simply controls the paint with his filled out frame, verticality and massive, long arms. There’s not a ton of nuance to his style. He simply blocks shots, throws down thunderous two-handed dunks, runs the floor, and pushes people around. Mismatches have no chance when they switch onto Walker, even if a second 5-foot-11 guard comes down for assistance.
Max Land (2020) | 6-4 SF | Moeller
Land started off their State Championship rematch (albeit a scrimmage) against St. Vincent-St. Mary in attack mode. Effectively uses the rocker step to get past the first line of defense. Once downhill, Land either pulls-up in the short-midrange or decelerates to take long gather steps around the rim. Explosive, strong athlete who can handle contact around the basket on finishes. Plays hard on defense. Shooting the 3-pointer with confidence right now, too.
Look for a big couple months from Land on the recruiting front.
Logan Duncomb (2021) | 6-9 C | Moeller
Ohio State validated Duncomb’s outstanding performance against STVM with a scholarship offer. Big news for the young — just turned 16-years-old in April — in-state big who adds Ohio State to an offer sheet that included Miami (OH) and Winthrop before the weekend began.
So what did Duncomb do well on Friday?
- Made a wide open 3-pointer. Even though there was nobody within five feet to contest the shot, the stroke looked pretty darn good.
- Duncomb dunked the ball in transition, rising off two-feet to put it on a defender’s head. Flushed a similar dunk in the halfcourt, too.
- Considerably quicker laterally. Able to show and recover when defending the screener in the pick-and-roll.
- Has added mass to his upper body.
- As always, Duncomb played with a chip on his shoulder.
Evan Mahaffey (2022) | 6-3 SF | Moeller
Mahaffey is a long, wiry rising sophomore who provides energy and athleticism to Moeller’s rotation. If Friday was any indication, the Cincinnati Northwest transfer appears to have a spot in their eight-man rotation. Gets to the rim in a hurry with his long strides. Blow-by speed. Flashed vision by making some advanced kick-outs in traffic. Played very hard and provided defensive rebounding. One of many versatile defenders Moeller will deploy in 2019-20.
Malaki Branham (2021) | 6-5 SF | St. Vincent-St. Mary
It’s been all eyes on Branham since the high school season ended and he once again impressed on Friday, despite a slow start. Branham has a killer pull-up shooting package. He’s able to shoot it over the contest because of his lift and high-release. The 3-point shooting continues to improve and I’m confident he will be able to stretch his range to the new 22-feet-and-1.75-inch arch. Branham responded well to some trash talk between him and Duncomb. Showed an ability to switch onto the 6-foot-9 post because of his length and athleticism.
Isaiah Ingol (2020) | 6-1 G | St. Vincent-St. Mary
Ingol is another coach on the floor. He keeps everyone on the same page defensively by talking to his teammates constantly. Willing to take charges. Makes the simple pass and avoids turnovers. Flashed athleticism on a transition dunk. He’s still limited as a shooter off motion, but Ingol made open jumpers and can finish at the basket.
Trey Woodyard (2021) | 6-5 SF | London
There wasn’t a player on Coffman who could really challenge Woodyard on Friday. He went to the low-post and demanded the ball when he wanted to score, occasionally stepping out to show his 3-point ability.
Even if we didn’t see Woodyard against a worthy matchup, we still learned a few things. His body and athleticism have improved a lot this past year. He scored with power and athleticism around the rim, which isn’t something we saw from Woodyard last summer.
Brandon Noel (2020) | 6-8 C | Chillicothe
This spring, Noel has received offers from almost every elite Division II program in the state plus one from Wright State. Not hard to see why he’s climbing charts after checking in on the 6-foot-8 big on Friday.
Noel freed up Chillicothe’s small, quick ball-handlers by setting very effective screens. He makes sure to sit down and make contact with defenders with his wide frame. Noel can roll or pop as a screener. Great scoring touch within 8-feet of the basket. Showed face-up shot-creation ability, scoring on counter moves once the defense made him pick up his dribble. Light on his feet — can move well laterally and runs the floor. Made good decisions as a playmaker from the pinch post.