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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
