Tournament Stock Risers: Wings
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 …
Houston King (2018), 6’4”, Toledo St. John’s
King, a Division I prospect, can truly do it all on offense. King splashed a three-pointer, found his shot often in the mid-range, and attacked the basket in transition. His length against smaller high school guards is an asset. To be critical, maybe bulking up will help King; but he will definitely continue to get MAC looks going forward.
Aeron Evans (2019), 6’2”, Whitmer
Whitmer is graduating their three most used players. Evans is one of the many guys who is going to shoulder the load going forward. Evans exploded around the rim for some tough lay-ups. Also, Evans was a knock down shooter when his feet were set.
Not much else to say about Evans, but we’re excited to see him in more of a featured role next season.
Antonio Carter (2017), 6’1”, Toledo Bowsher
Frankly, Carter isn’t asked to do much at all. But, he’s great at what he does do: shooting the three. Whether it’s in transition, from two steps beyond the arch, or from the corner, Carter just hits treys. He’s always the x-factor for Bowsher — when he’s hitting, he changes the momentum and they’re likely winning.
Darryl Robinson (2017), 6’5”, Toledo Bowsher
Robinson is an interesting unsigned senior. Robinson excels off-the-dribble in the mid-range, as he doesn’t need much separation to pull-up. He can also hit from deep.
Defensively, his versatility allows for Bowsher to be flexible. Robinson guards high school point guards equally effectively to fours. He’s quick and sturdy.
Taevion Kinsey (2018), 6’4”, Eastmoor Academy
Eastmoor pulled off the upset and is advancing to the Regionals, and Kinsey is the reason why. The word is that Kinsey has taken huge strides during his junior year, making him a bit raw still. However, his skills are developed enough to dominate a District Championship. Kinsey played point most of the night and hardly ever turned it over or looked rushed. He shot it from deep and off the pull-up. Kinsey is a wiry, athletic wing who could probably end up low-major if he continues progressing.
Marcus Johnson (2020), 6’2”, Columbus South
Could not believe how underutilized Johnson was, given that he was South’s leading scorer in very limited action. His jump shot is a little slow, but that can be worked on and it falls in. He showed off some athleticism, especially on one coast-to-coast drive in the second quarter. Also, on defense, Johnson flat-out cared — making him their best option against Taevion Kinsey.
Johnson is a sure fire Division I prospect, and one of the best prospects in Ohio’s freshman class.
Gavin Brown (2017), 6’2”, Bloom Carroll
As we already knew going in, Brown can shoot the basketball. The Shawnee State commit is deadly when he is able to get his feet squared to the rim, catch, and fire. Also, you cannot be a good shooter if you’re never open. Brown put on an off-ball clinic, often finding wide open shots even though the defense is aware of his skills.
Denton Jacob (2017) 6’2”, Heath
Jacob kept Heath in the game by creating off the dribble and getting open shots. Jacob scored from all three levels. He’s shifty with the dribble, often pulling back for deep shots. Could see Jacob being effective at the Division III level.