Ohio Nike Summer Championship: Standout Power Forwards/Stretch 4’s
I continue my evaluations of some of the top and sleeper 4’s at Columbus’ NIKE Summer Championships from July 19-21. Enjoy! Josiah Harris (2022) | 6-6 PF | Richmond Heights | All Ohio Red Josiah played up vs. 2021 and…
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Continue ReadingI continue my evaluations of some of the top and sleeper 4’s at Columbus’ NIKE Summer Championships from July 19-21.
Enjoy!
Josiah Harris (2022) | 6-6 PF | Richmond Heights | All Ohio Red
Josiah played up vs. 2021 and more than hold his own. Big time skill set and has a chance to play at a high level. Does a little bit of everything. Good post player, can drive the ball and can shoot the 3 as well. Very good rebounder and runs really well. Plays hard and does not back down. This is someone who has a chance to be very good in the future and the key to him is to continue to add more skills and to his game. Also, playing up like he did this weekend will not hurt him at all.
Henry Raynor (2021) | 6-7 PF/C | St. Ignatius | TNBA Ohio
Henry played really well vs. All Ohio Red. Can do a lot of things. Henry is a good athlete with a very good skill set. I see him developing into a very good 4 man who can play a little 5 depending on what level and who you are playing. Is strength offensively right now is his ability to score in the post. Has very good moves and can score over like size people. In addition he is a good rebounder. The key to his development is his continued ability to play on the perimeter. He can makes plays from the high post off the bounce. The key to his development and what his eventual position will be is his ability to shoot from the outside (did not see a lot of that) and his ability to handle the ball against pressure and make plays there.
Joe Miller (2020) | 6-5 | Glen Oaks | TNBA Ohio
Joe is someone who continued to grow on me throughout the weekend. The more I watched, the more I liked him and shows he can be a valuable piece on a winning team. He is strictly an undersized 4/5, but plays very hard and almost all in the right spot. Is tough and will battle on both ends, is a good rebounder and will help get his teammates open and ready to make plays. While he is limited skill wise and athletically, he makes it up by trying to do things he can’t do, which is something a lot of players try to do, which is try to do things they can’t. The key to his success is to add one skill to his game every summer, whether that’s a post game, developing a jumper and expanding that, but always playing the way he is right now. He is a sleeper who will never be an All-Conference player, but is someone that can help you win games and championships with with the right pieces around him.
Terry Baldridge (2020) | 6-6 PF | WIllard | TNBA Ohio
Terry is a big time sleeper project. He has good size and a decent skill set to him. He can do a lot of things, but right now is biggest weakness is lack of strength. With that in mind, he shoot to about 17′, can put the ball on the floor and create and score in the post. He is an ok athlete, but must continue to work on his feet, especially defending on the perimeter. He is someone that I feel people need to continue to monitor and who is someone in 3-4 years could develop into someone who can be very good player depending on his level.
Devontae Blanton (2020) | 6-7 F/C | IN Jesus Name Prep School (WV) | All Ohio Red
Devontae came off the bench for All Ohio Red and did some very good things this weekend. He is strong and athletic and very active. He plays hard and only scratching the surface of his potential. He has long arms and runs very well. When the started to run, he did a great job of running ahead and got a lot of baskets by doing that. Right now, he is limited offensively to inside 15′, but if he continues to add skill, has a chance to be a very good PF at the next level. Until then, he is either a 5 unless he goes to a program that plays a lot of high low or 2 big lineups. The positive is that he has the ability to defend perimeter 4’s if need to. Very interesting player to watch develop.
Josh Irwin (2021) | 6-6 PF | West Geauge | TNBA Ohio
Josh is a very skilled 4 man. While he did not play particularly well vs. All Ohio Red, you can still see he has all the skills to be a very good 4 man at the next level. Josh has a strong body and still has good athleticism. He can score in a variety of ways: In the post with multiple post moves, plus being a lefty is a little unorthodox, is a very good shooter on the perimeter with the mechanics to be a big time shooter if he refines somethings (tends to fall away on his jumper, especially when he is in a hurry), and can put it to the floor and finish around the basket. He is also athletic enough to defend multiple positions and is a good enough passer to be a very good 4. The biggest key to taking that next step is to walk on the floor thinking he is the best player out there, and forcing others to stop him, not him stopping himself. If he get a little dog in him, he can be very good.
Dimitrje Radusinovic (2020) | 6-5 PF | Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, OH) | TNBA East Black
Dimitrje is a thick skilled big who showed some glimpses of his potential this weekend. While he does not look athletic, he is very surprisingly a decent athlete and definitely a sleeper who someone needs to do some research on him. In addition to his surprising athleticism, he is also skilled. Knocked down a couple 3’s, was able to score off the bounce in the mid-range and to the cup, and got out in transition. He has decent feet where he can defend both in the post and on the perimeter, which was encouraging to see. Biggest concerns is his desire to rebound and his ability to play with his emotions in check (received a Technical). However, I think Dimitrje has a chance to be a steal for someone and could develop into a very good player.