Weekend Warm-Up: Brawl for the Ball
Ohio teams are sprinkled throughout the lineup of teams at Brawl for the Ball in Grand Rapids this weekend. It’s the second weekend of the July Live Period, so we expect kids and teams to perform with urgency, in order to draw attention and ultimately offers from college coaches on the sideline.
In order to provide some semblance of a preview, here’s our Weekend Warm-Up, an article that provides context to a tournament through recruiting insight and general updates.
Brawl for the Ball
17U: No. 3, Nova (James)
No. 4, C2K Elite
No. 10, Northwest Ohio Basketball Club
No. 15, Ohio Reign
No. 16, Dayton Metro
No. 20, Ohio Hoopsters – LBC
Nova (Morgan), Toledo Elite – Showtime
16U: No. 1, C2K Elite
No. 6, Nova (Alleyne)
No. 11, Ohio Bulldogs
Northwest Ohio Basketball Club
15U: C2K Elite, Nova (Douglas), Northwest Ohio Basketball Club, Ohio Hoopsters – LBC, Ohio Bulldogs
Nova went 4-1 in their appearance at last weekend’s Under Armour event in Atlanta. Wing/forward Terin Kinsway and point guard Jeremiah Keene led their scoring efforts at 10.8 and 10.6 points per game respectively. Kinsway has been recruited by top D-II programs in the region, along with an occasional D-I. Meanwhile, Keene picked up an offer from USC Upstate on July 10, his fourth. Also, Upper Arlington’s versatile offensive forward CJ Karsatos added his first offer from Air Force on July 18. He shot 64 percent from the field with averages of 6.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG in Atlanta.
C2K Elite is also coming off of a 4-1 weekend at the UA Challenge, where they played their way into next weekend’s UA Finals in Vegas. Amari Davis shined in their first Live Period showing, shooting 70 percent from the field. Although he hasn’t picked up an offer immediately following Atlanta, Iowa State and Howard are showing interest in Davis for the first time. Similarly, Samari Curtis remains without a July offer despite having spectacular offensive numbers last weekend. Xavier’s former verbal commit averaged 12.8 points on shooting splits of 61-54-88, reaching that 54 percent clip on 24 3-point attempts. Surprisingly, he told us that there’s no new interest following the showing.
Ohio Reign climbed up in to the top 15 following the adidas Invitational. Amongst 17U teams, they played as well as anyone from Ohio at the event by going 4-1. Payton Moyer stood-out for his playmaking ability. The Toledo St. John’s guard is in communication with the Univ. of Chicago, Ohio Northern, Trine, Denison, Malone, John Carroll, Capital, and Wabash currently. Also, 6’4” shooter Max Denman has some potential as a prospect and Ohio Northern, Malone, and Ashland have interest.
Bash Wieland will be making his first appearance in a new outfit as he’ll take the court with Dayton Metro in Grand Rapids. The guard from Lakota East has picked up various offers throughout the grassroots season and will be watched by Air Force and Hillsdale in GR.
OH-LBC’s Jaki Royal is experiencing an uptick in recruitment this July. The scrappy guard prospect has been hearing from Otterbein, Capital, and Tuskegee. Also, Kentucky State checked him out in Indy.
Playing for 1 Nation last weekend for the first time, Brush point guard DJ Dial scored 6.6 points per game at an efficient clip. He also dished out 2.8 assists per game. The latest calls for Dial are coming from Holy Cross, Navy, Oakland, and Valparaiso, who are all expected to be on-hand this weekend.
As far as 16U teams go, Ohio’s top-ranked group comes into Grand Rapids with positive momentum. Not only did C2K finish 4-1 last weekend, it seems as though everyone on the team added an offer. Since the Live Period kicked off a week ago, Zeb Jackson picked up Iowa, Arizona State, Marquette, and Wisconsin. Joey Holifield was offered by Youngstown State and Stony Brook on July 13. Luka Eller grabbed his first one when Youngstown State offered. Finally, 6’8” center Mo Njie received one from Providence.
As far additional interest, Holifield tells us that Miami (OH), Dayton, Towson, Murray State, and UNC Greensboro are in the picture. Their rim-protecting extraordinaire, Njie, has been in contact with Iowa, Virginia, VCU, and Miami (OH) lately.
CJ Anthony subbed for a weekend with the Rebels while his normal team, Ohio Bulldogs, sat out the start of the Live Period. However he’ll be back with the Bulldogs in Grand Rapids after shooting 14 of 15 in Atlanta and averaging 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Toledo, Ohio Univ., Austin Peay, and Kentucky State are showing interest in him. Air Force and Stony Brook already offered.