Dru Joyce Classic: Prep Hoops Ohio First Team All Tournament
The point of this article is to include the best five prospects from this past weekend in Akron. The Dru Joyce Shooting Stars Classic welcomed plenty of players who will eventually make noise at the next level. But as there always is, some players stood above the rest.
So, below, on our All Tournament Team, we’ve decided to recognize the players we found ourselves most impressed with at this weekend’s tournament.
By the way, we’ve decided to add a sixth man this time around, as Samari Curtis made too many plays to ignore.
Prep Hoops Ohio First Team All Tournament
PG- Garvin Clarke (2020), 6’0”, Rebels / Euclid
PG- Davin Zeigler (2019), 6’2”, NEO Shooting Stars / Cleveland Benedictine
PG- Miles “Deuce” McBride (2019), 6’1”, NEO SS / Archbishop Moeller
W/F- Dante’ Wheeler (2020), 6’4”, Northwest Ohio Basketball Club / Elida
W/F- Aaron Ward (2020), 6’6”, All Ohio Elite / Cincinnati Princeton
Sixth Man – G – Samari Curtis (2019), 6’4”, NEO Shooting Stars / Xenia
Clarke because … we’ve now seen the Rebels play against All-Ohio Red and the NEO Shooting Stars, and he was quite easily the best player on the floor in each of those games. Clarke possess the athletic ability to seamlessly blow by guys on one crossover and finish at the rim with either hand.
What’s most impressive as a point guard, is Clarke’s flexibility to play different tempos. He doesn’t panic in these hyped up games. Instead, he slows things down at the top of the offense and directs traffic. This weekend, Clarke was nearly unstoppable when he received a ball-screen. He also hit a few unexpected threes from a couple feet beyond the arch.
Zeigler because … he was such an efficient scorer. Sure, he is score-first lead guard, but when he’s hardly missing shots like he did this weekend, it’s more than fine. Also, Zeigler brings the energy. Even at 9:15AM on Saturday, Zeigler was all over the floor defensively, forcing turnovers.
McBride because … sure, he can score the ball at a high rate, especially in the mid-range. But, he’s also one of the best on-ball defensive players we’ve seen in Ohio. His arms are freakishly long, making it nearly impossible to shoot a pull-up jumper against him. McBride’s arms, athleticism, and instincts, also make him a terror when he helps on the blindside, which lead to a ton of steals in Akron.
Offensively, McBride has outstanding footwork. He is very smooth within the arch, as he creates separation and releases high-percentage shots when the defense isn’t expecting it. McBride can also explode to the basket.
Wheeler because … you will be hard-pressed to find a more complete stretch-4 freshman prospect in Ohio. Wheeler, as mentioned in a previous article, is tough to stop around the basket. He was incredibly effective with the hook shot, which he shot with either hand. He bodied his way through the defense when necessary. Also, he was the team’s most reliable three-point shooter, so you have to respect him from deep. By the end of Saturday, he was taking quicker guards off the dribble, and making them look silly when doing so.
Ward because … he turned it up a notch this weekend, compared to what we saw in Columbus earlier this month. In that short stretch of time, Ward has become entirely more confident on the perimeter. In Akron, he was scooting by guys on occasion and flipping up floaters from the free throw line.
Frankly, some of the plays Ward made weren’t pretty. However, shots consistently dropped through the basket. And we cannot say enough about the edge that Ward played with. He’s a tough kid. The combination of interior defense and a growing perimeter offensive game gives Ward a high ceiling.
Curtis because … his herky-jerky attack paired with his hang-time on lay-up attempts yields a ton of free throws. This ability will lead to some big-time “quiet” scoring nights as his career continues. Also, Curtis is a nice catch-and-shoot guy when the defense loses him in the half-court.