Plenty of Talent at Local Showcases

In each of the last two weekends the city of Cincinnati has had a high level showcase to help some of the top young prospects in the area gain exposure to colleges and scouts. Two weekends ago it was the Queen City Superstars event at Woodward, hosted by Lanis Timmons. Then last weekend the featured event was the preliminary round of the Nike All-Ohio City Series, hosted by All-Ohio Purple AAU director Orlando Berry. This coming weekend ten prospects from each grade, who played well at the City Series tryouts, will travel to Columbus to take on teams from Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Akron and Toledo. Here is a look at some of the top performers from the last two weeks.

Queen City Superstars 

·         Bryan Porter – ’13 Colerain SG/SF: A skilled athlete with good range on his jumper, Porter was the most impressive senior at the event. After struggling some with his consistency last year, Porter was aggressive in attacking the rim and showed good shot selection in scoring a lot of points in two games. The Colerain senior is being recruited heavily at the Division II level.

Derrick Long

·         Deiontay Waiters – ’13 Princeton PG: After transferring from Colerain to Princeton, Waiters joins a group of small but talented Vikings guards; and proved that he will be a force in the rotation. Waiters is one of the quicker guards in the city, can really defend, and is a pass first point guard at heart.

·         Derrick Long – ’14 Hughes SG/SF: One of Cincinnati’s best kept secrets, Long is a superb athlete who just transferred from Shroder to Hughes. An aggressive slasher who can really get to the rim with his speed and size at 6’3, Long could have a breakout year as a scorer in the CMAC.

·         Kevin Daniels – ’14 Hughes SG/SF: Another talented junior wing at Hughes, Daniels has been one of Cincinnati’s top scorers for a while now. Over the weekend he really shot the ball well from deep, in addition to scoring at the basket in transition; which has always been a strength of his. Daniels has added muscle to his frame, and is now even more easily able to bully defenders off the dribble and on the boards.

·         Fred Moore – ’14 Roger Bacon PF: Moore is a face-up forward who can shoot the ball out to the three point line and has both height and length at 6’7. He’s still a little raw and thin, but as a young junior Moore has a lot of potential.

·         Donte Buycks – ’15 LaSalle SF: Buycks is one of the top athletes in the sophomore class, he just hasn’t been heard from much since he missed his freshman season. A versatile player who can run the two, three or four spots; Buycks game relies on his energy, athleticism and ability to shoot a smooth mid-range jumper from the wing or high post.

·         Dahmere Epperson – ’15 Roger Bacon SG: After enjoying a good freshman season on the varsity last year Epperson got in the gym and improved his game to new heights. At a strong 6’2 he can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward effectively; and excels defensively at guarding any of the three positions. Offensively he’s a good slasher with a high IQ that can score around the rim and is also a gifted passer.

·         Terrence Gholston – ’15 Riverview East SG: Gholston transferred from Purcell Marian after playing varsity as a freshman, and should be by far and away the most talented prospect at Riverview East Academy this season. A long and athletic 6’2 wing that can play multiple positions, Gholston is very good at creating offense off the dribble. He’s a good three-point shooter, although his shot selection can be questionable, and should break out this season as well.

Terrence Gholston

·         Kameron Moore – ’16 Aiken PF: Face-up four that could play the three. Moves great, fluid.

All-Ohio City Series

·         Tim Coleman – ’13 Withrow PG: Coleman has picked up this fall where he left off late last season, when he became Withrow’s most dominant player down the stretch of the season as they advanced to the D1 Regional Semi Finals. A dynamic offensive threat who can get in the lane with a killer crossover, Coleman excels at floating the ball in around the basket, and is also a good passer. An excellent shooter, Coleman is a scoring threat inside of 25 feet, and is one of Ohio’s most underrated guards.

·         Dorian Jordan – ’13 Princeton PG: The little engine that could is back for another season. Jordan was flat out dominant in games on Sunday at the City Series tryout. With the rare ability to make his teammates better, Jordan tallied assist after assist as the defense continually failed in trapping the undersized point guard. Also a quick penetrator that finds ways to take contact and score around the rim, Jordan was one of the event’s top scorers as well.

·         Austin Grimes – ’13 Aiken SG: Grimes is another player who has enjoyed a productive fall. With his knees being at 100% health, Grimes has regained his elite athleticism, and is wowing crowds with plays way above the rim. As strong as it gets on the wing, Grimes has also continued his tough guy style of powerful drives from the wing for buckets.

·         Trent Donald – ’13 Winton Woods PF: One of Ohio’s toughest matchups, Donald was very good on the weekend at doing what he does best, taking advantage of those mismatches. Playing against smaller wing opponents, Donald used his post game to score at will; then, playing against big men, he took them out on the wing and attacked off the dribble. With his combination of power and footwork look for Donald to once again be one of the area’s leading scorers.

·         Ronnie Rousseau – ’14 Winton Woods PG: Rousseau was the most dominant non-senior at the City Series tryout, as he continually torched other point guards with his scoring abilities. A very underrated shooter, Ronnie was able to use his tight handle to create separation on his jumper, and knocked down a high percentage of shots from deep.

Dahmere Epperson

·         Marcus Scott – ’14 Taft SG: One of the best shooters at the event, Scott is a tough all-around player who knows how to fill his role as an instant scorer. Despite being undersized, Scott is a quick player who plays very hard. 

·         Tamarik Washington – ’14 Taft SG: Washington has always been one of the more talented players in the ’14 class, it seems like the 5’10 combo guard is starting to put it all together. As a scorer, slasher, and passer Washington was very efficient on the weekend. When he’s hitting shots at the rate that he was on Sunday, watch out, because Washington could be one of Cincinnati’s breakout players this season.

·         Keron Harris – ’14 Taft SF: Another Senator who should have a breakout season is Harris, an athletic and hard-nosed wing who can score around the rim. Harris isn’t the most skilled guy out there, but he makes up for it with penetrating ability and a non-stop motor.

·         Cole Cloud – ’14 Loveland PG/SG: Cloud, who just transferred from Reading, is a high level shooter who had his stroke tuned in perfectly on Saturday. To win an event like the Nike City Series, Cincinnati will have to have automatic shooter from three-point range; which is what Cloud can provide in abundance.

·         Vonny Irvin – ’15 Princeton PG/SG: Irvin seemingly came out of nowhere to become the most talked about prospect of the weekend. A speedy guard with a great feel for the game, Irvin is excellent in transition where he can score at the rim but prefers to pass the ball. Like Dorian Jordan, Irvin makes his teammates better. If he continues his level of play then expect Irvin to jump into the rankings near the top in ’15. If he develops a jumpshot, then he can contend for the top point guard spot in the class.

·         Marco Scott – ’15 Taft PG/SG: Another very talented passer, Scott (younger brother of ’14 Taft guard Marcus Scott, see above) is someone who CPHR will have our eye on this season. Like his big brother, Scott can shoot the ball from deep and has good quickness as well. We need to see more of him to get a great feel for his game, but Marco is a very talented guard with court vision.

·         Jermaine Britton – ’15 Northwest PG/SG: The sophomore class’ resident tough guy, Britton continues to be one of the most versatile prospects in that class because of his great strength and good speed. While he may be undersized at 5’9, Britton has improved his decision making and ballhandling abilities; allowing him to play the point guard role.

·         Tyreke Johnson – ’15 Purcell Marian PF/C:  Big body with toughness that we had not seen before, Johnson is one of the stronger sophomores in the area. He doesn’t have great height or skills yet, but with his strength and toughness he can be an efficient scorer in the GCL-Central.

·         Jamel Howard – ’16 Purcell Marian SF: We’ve talked in depth about how much talent Purcell has in their freshman class; to CPHR, it all starts with Howard. An athletic and versatile wing who can play inside, Howard dominated the glass all weekend. He can score off the dribble, finish in traffic, and isn’t a poor shooter for his age. Look for Howard to have a great chance to be the top freshman in the GCL.

·         Jordan Gaines – ’16 Clark PG/SG: Gaines made an excellent first impression on us this weekend as a speedy guard who loves to get to the basket in the up-tempo game. He’s probably more of a scoring guard, but Gaines also showed the ability to pass efficiently on his drives. As his jump shot becomes more refined, Gaines should become one of the top young guards in the MVC.

·         Kobe Brown – ’16 Mt. Healthy SG: As pure of a scoring minded wing as you’ll find, Brown knows what he is on the court to do. Brown has good strength, knows how to attack off the dribble, and is a consistent shooter from mid to long range. As he improves his quickness, Brown should be an impact freshman for the Owls.

·         Carlik Jones – ’16 Purcell Marian PG: One of the most talented young point guards in the state, Jones was very good at controlling the game all weekend long. He can be efficient as a passer or scorer, and while not being a speedster, Jones is very good at changing gears to score the ball. Expect for Carlik to contend for the starting point guard spot at Purcell as a freshman this season.