Tournament Stock Risers: Lead Guards
After spending Thursday at the University of Toledo and Friday at Worthington Kilbourne, I came away impressed with some individual performances. Without any further ado, let’s get into some player evaluations from those games …
Harrison Riggs (2017), 6’0”, Toledo St. John’s
The Lake Erie commit isn’t flashy, he’s reliable. Every time I’ve seen Riggs play, he gives St. John’s the same things: smart decisions, ball security, three-pointers, and good team defense. When St. Francis started pressing, St. John’s cleared out and Riggs made one move to zoom past the pressure.
By the way, St. John’s is a real threat to win their region. A potential Regional Final against Massillon Jackson would be one of this season’s best games.
Jakiel Wells (2019), 6’1”, Toledo St. Francis
Wells gave a glimpse into St. Francis’s future at the end of the game when he started running the point guard. When they were trailing by an insurmountable amount in the fourth, Wells played like it was a tie. He was driving to the rim hard and drawing fouls.
Defensive is where Wells shines though. He snuck up and poked away a few balls from behind to go along with the on-ball pressure. Wells has above average length at 6’1”.
Derrick Rayford Jr. (2017), 6’0”, Whitmer
Rayford Jr. won the entire crowd at UT on Thursday night with his second half heroics. Whitmer trailed after the first quarter, and Rayford Jr. brought them all the way back. Unfortunately, after he put them up 61-60 in the fourth, he immediately went down with cramps and Bowsher took it back.
Rayford Jr. is best in transition, where he weaves defenders and attacks the rim. When the shot isn’t there, his vision at full-speed is impressive. Also, his confidence can carry throughout an entire arena. He plays loud.
Treohn Watkins (2019), 6’0”, Columbus South
Watkins showed some crafty finishing ability in the lane, often dropping it in off the glass. When the game became out of reach, Watkins was shooting it from incredibly deep to try and bring his team back.
Decision making and creating separation are two areas Watkins must improve. But, at his age, it was a solid performance.
Aaron Latiolais (2017), 5’11”, Heath
Latiolais is a guy who can get offense at any time with his off-the-dribble threat. Latiolais sort of probes around the three-point line and commands the defense’s attention because he’s always looking to shoot. However, he uses that threat to drop off passes to open teammates. But, just to reiterate, Latiolais can really shoot it.