Every tournament this summer is a new opportunity for players to impress college coaches, media, and themselves. While past performance plays into expectations for the weekend, we owe it to the players to come into the gym with an open mind.
Searching for new players to cover is one of the best parts of the job, but it's also one of the most challenging. Certain names jump off the roster sheets, and then their teammate ends up stealing the show. There's a balancing act between research and new information.
Below, we've given our first impressions of prospects who were previously off the Prep Hoops Ohio radar. Some of these names we hadn't even heard of prior to this weekend's Circle City Shootout in Indianapolis. After strong performances in the Hoosier State, we're eager to track the rest of their careers as they pursue the dream of playing college basketball.
Jalen Bethel (2018), 6'6” PF/C, Ohio Elite Basketball Academy Purple / Olentangy Orange
Logging minutes alongside a 6'9” interior presence, James Anderson, Bethel showed what he looks like as a true 4-man. Bethel operated mostly from the elbow, catching and facilitating from the high post. He showed great unselfishness and patience from that spot, often looking off defenders to find a cutter. Bethel has long arms, and uses those to rebound at a high level. Currently, Bethel projects as a Division III player, but could surprise us in a larger role.
Jaedyn Carter (2018), 6'1” PG, Hidden Gems Black / Thomas Worthington
We'd actually heard of Jaedyn Carter coming into the weekend, but his performance was unexpected. He's become a lot more skilled since last summer. Carter has always played with a super high motor, but it was almost to a fault last season. He's still a bit turnover-prone for a point guard, but he's adding nuance to his game. Carter can grab a long rebound, and immediately start the break. Hard-nosed defender.
Michael Woods (2018), 6'3” SG, Hidden Gems Black / Central Crossing
Woods is a smart player: never panics in the trap and makes the simple play, knows when to catch and shoot or drive, and is overall calm. Woods often hit a few jumpers to open up driving lanes, where he elevates pretty well for layups. Very consistent.
Caiden Landis (2018), 6'6” PF, Hidden Gems Black / Logan
Landis was a pleasant surprise for this Hidden Gems squad, which is sort of searching for an identity. One thing they were able to count on all weekend was Landis' effort. Defensively, Landis routinely had to defend wings. In those situations, the power forward was able to slide his feet and defend dribble drives at an extraordinary level. He's also a capable three-point shooter, adding to his versatility. Landis is definitely a power forward though, which becomes obvious on rebounds and powerful post moves.
We were told by Landis' father, an assistant coach at Logan, that he will go on a visit to Pitt-Johnstown in the coming weeks.
Harrison Gough (2018), 6'8” PF/C, Northwest Ohio Basketball Club / Lima Bath
Gough mostly impressed on the defensive side of the ball. He has solid lateral movement for a 6'8” interior post player. We like his potential as someone who can switch on pick-and-rolls. Also, as post players become more versatile, Gough should be able to defend most types. He has a large enough frame to add some bulk and bang with bruisers, while still not losing that half-court speed.
Colby Watson (2018), 6'0” PG, Huntsman Select Black / Centerville
Our impressions of Watson come from one game, when his team was being outclassed by Club Ohio-Pierce on Sunday. Watson kept Huntsman Select Black in it with his poise and shooting ability. Playing the point, Watson was facing traps, but would always step through the defenders and deliver the ball to an open teammate. Also, he found rhythm from outside and shot the lights out. There's questions about defense, however.
Garrison Bailey (2018), 6'4” G/W, Club Ohio – Pierce / Winton Woods
Bailey currently has Division III written all over him, maybe NAIA or JUCO. He kind of does everything you'd look for in a wing, just doesn't have the explosion that a higher-level program is going to look for. Regardless, Bailey shot a high percentage on contested layups, often finishing through contact. We also liked his off-ball awareness, as he often found space to catch and drive when a ball-handler was in trouble.
Bryce Hunt (2018), 6'7” W, OT Elite 2018 / Cincinnati Reading
First of all, Hunt was at Purcell Marian last season, not Reading. We're not sure if that's where he'll play next season either. We'll do our best to keep you updated on the situation.
Whoever Hunt plays for going forward is getting a super athletic wing talent. Hunt scores most of his point going to the basket, and has the ability to dunk it on someone's head. He runs the floor well, can rebound, and was one of the rawest athletes we saw this weekend. Lot of upside for Hunt.
Bodie Eberhart (2019), 6'2” G, OH-NOVA Bennett / Marysville
Eberhart is phenomenal as a catch and shoot threat. Part of this skill is knowing how to get open, and he's beyond his years at understanding how to find gaps in the defense. Eberhart lit it up in the one game we saw this weekend, doing just that. Also, a few times, Eberhart used the shooting threat to cut towards the rim, where he was able to finish.
Brandon Haraway (2019), 6'1” PG, OH-NOVA Bennett / Norwalk
Haraway didn't play enough in the one game we saw this weekend, which was disappointing. When he was on the court, Haraway was probably the best player on a very talented NOVA team. There were no wasted dribbles by him, as he got to his spots very quickly and released the jumper whenever he created space. His mid-range pull-up is where he did most of his damage. Also, Haraway is a nice athlete, which was showcased with some impressive on-ball defense against opposing point guards.
