All Ohio Nike Cup Recap: Northwest Ohio Prospects
There’s a few glaring takeaways from our weekend at the All Ohio Nike Cup.
First of all, Ohio is talented, but these grassroots teams still need time to gel. Naturally, with this being the first or second weekend that these talented groups have played together, this wasn’t any team’s best weekend.
Second, there’s a lot of All Ohio teams.
Third, each section of the state (Northwest, Northeast, Central, Southwest, and Southeast) brings a lot to the table. Therefore, we will break-up our Nike Cup recaps accordingly. For Southeast, we didn’t see enough players to compile a list. We expect that most of those players were involved in other tournaments across the Midwest.
Fourth and finally, on Sunday we watched exclusively 2020 players. Going into the weekend, it was the class we were most unfamiliar with. Probably still is, considering some of these players didn’t compete at the varsity level last season. There’s a lot still yet to be seen. But from what we gathered on Saturday and Sunday, this class has a ton of upside.
With that being said, these recaps will be heavy on 2020 prospects. In turn, there will be some oversights of upperclassmen who had good weekends.
Now, let’s explore some of those players who competed this weekend.
Cameron Awls (2020), 6’0 G, Ohio Celtics/Toledo Central Catholic
Foremost, Awls’ father told us that Cameron received an email from Notre Dame College (OH), which included a verbal scholarship offer. After watching him, it’s very plausible.
Awls is a very fundamentally sound two-guard who uses only one or two dribbles to create separation for his consistent jumper. Besides scoring, Awls also has great court vision. His passes were one step ahead of the other nine guys on a few occasions.
Joey Holifield (2020), 6’0 G, All Ohio Red/Cardinal Stritch
Holifield looks like a junior or senior, build wise. The freshman has great shoulders, and uses that to make his way to the basket. More importantly, he’s extremely strong mentally. Holifield actually didn’t play his best this weekend, but he never looked overly frustrated. He kept with it and ended up knocking down two clutch free throws in the Gold semifinals, which helped force overtime.
Ryan Fries (2019), 6’1 G, All Ohio Gold/Sylvania Southview
Fries has the green light. He needs very little separation to launch up triples. Fries grabbed our attention in a big way by knocking down four treys in the first half against All Ohio Black on Saturday. Simply put, he’s specialist who stretches the floor.
Drew Bench (2019), 6’5 F, All Ohio Gold/Genoa
Despite standing 6’5, Bench has great size for the D-II/D-III level. He uses his bulky frame and athleticism to finish around the basket and defend the rim on the other end. Bench told PHO that he also can play the wing, and does so for Genoa. However, he was asked to play center on Saturday, and was truly dominate around the basket. Runs the floor extremely well.
Jake Plantz (2019), 6’3 G/W, All Ohio Gold/Genoa
Plantz is one of the best under-the-radar prospects in the 2019 class. He’s an above average athlete at 6’3, and can attack the basket with some bounce. His speed and size also help him thrive when it comes to on-ball defense. Plantz also hit a few pull-up threes from a foot beyond the arch with the defense nearby.
Notably, Plantz told PHO that he plans on playing college basketball, instead of baseball or football. He will not participate in high school baseball this spring.
Tyson King (2019), 5’10 PG, All Ohio Gold/Sylvania Southview
King is a cerebral point guard who is especially good at finding cutters in the half-court. King doesn’t dominate the ball, as he is best at setting up his teammates. The true point guard would be a joy to play with. Also a capable shooter. Lacks size but has bulked up since last summer.
Trey Syroka (2019), 5’10 PG, All Ohio Gold/Toledo Whitmer
Syroka also lacks size and strength, which is his Achilles heel. Once Syroka does hit the weight room, he’s definitely a college prospect. Right now, he consistently makes correct decisions with the ball. He relies on the floater before he gets all the way to the basket. From deep, his jump shot is very much a threat for the opponent.
Tahj Staveskie (2020), 5’6 PG, Rebels/Sandusky
Staveskie was one of the biggest surprises from this weekend. He made multiple effective no-look passes in transition, which led to easy lay-ups for his wings. His passing is complimented by his ability as a scoring threat. The young guard is always looking to pull-up, so the defense remains honest.
Cade Stover (2019), 6’5 W/F, OH NOVA/Lexington
Stover has a football scholarship offer from Ohio State, which is no surprise when you simply look at him. Stover is massive. He uses this brute strength on the interior, as his back-to-the-basket game is abusive against guards. The thing is, he’s laterally quick enough that guards must defend him. Stover can also shoot the jumper and take you off the dribble from anywhere on the court.
Charles Robinson III (2018), 6’3 G, Ohio Celtics/Toledo Waite
Robinson III scores points very quickly. He’s capable of going on personal 7-point scoring spurt in the matter of a moment. Once he hits a few jumpers, Robinson III can force turnovers with his length in passing lanes. The kid plays hard and scores from all three levels. The biggest critique: needs to bulk up slightly and can sometimes relax on defense. But, as mentioned, the senior-to-be is instant offense and could come off the bench at the next level.