Ohio 16U Grassroots Team Rankings: Spring Edition
As far as grassroots basketball goes, the spring is over.
Parents no longer have to spend their entire weekends on the road to hang out inside sweaty gyms. Players will now get time to show off some added skills to their high school programs. College scouts will wait until July to evaluate players again.
For us, we won’t be able to check out AAU teams until July also, something we take much joy in doing.
For the time being, we’ll have the following Prep Hoops Ohio Grassroots Team Rankings to fall back on.
These rankings are based more on teams than the individual prospects. Because, simply put, they’re team rankings.
Yesterday, we premiered the . Today, we’re moving forward to the 16s.
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Ohio Basketball Club
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Pro Bound
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All Ohio Red
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NEO Shooting Stars
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OH-NOVA (Russell)
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All Ohio Gold
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C2K Elite
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Northwest Ohio Basketball Club
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TNBA West Vega
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Cincy Lakers
Naturally, we’ll begin at the top of the list, where we have two Nike E16 teams and two Adidas Gauntlet teams.
First of all, OBC has 6-3 record in the Gold Division of the Gauntlet, compared to Pro Bound’s 4-1 record in the Silver Division. While the two are comparable, OBC beat Pro Bound somewhat handily last weekend in Chicago. In general, OBC 16u is on a roll, playing especially well in Chicago and Dallas this spring. With versatile Division I athletes like Alonzo Gaffney and Brison Waller leading the charge, we wouldn’t really expect the Ohio Basketball Club to move off the #1 spot by summer’s end. Yet, anything could happen.
Pro Bound is ranked over Red currently, because in their most recent matchup, Red fell in the Super 16 title game. Pro Bound was on fire that entire weekend, which came just two weeks back. However, it should be mentioned that Red has beaten Pro Bound this spring, and the two are very tight.
The NEO Shooting Stars haven’t been spotted much around Ohio, opting to play mostly during circuit play. In the Nike E16, they’re 4-7, including an 18-point loss to Red in mid-May. However, they did absolutely dominate as the host at the Dru Joyce Classic, making them a formidable #4 currently.
The following two teams represent the second tier currently, yet either of them could move into that top four given reasonable scenarios. Very early on in the spring, Gold trounced Red by about 20 points. They’ve been a solid team throughout, but have had some weaknesses (mainly size) exposed in recent weeks. OH-NOVA Russell follows a similar playing style (well-coached, motion offense) as Gold, yet their two Division I prospects, Max Martz and Ben Roderick give them an edge. NOVA is currently 4-1 in the Silver Division of the Adidas Gauntlet, with their lone loss coming by one point.
When it comes to C2K Elite, NWO Club, TNBA West Vega, and the Cincy Lakers, arguments could be laid out for any of them to interchange with one another. We’d also like to recognize the NEO Shooting Stars second team, OH-NOVA Bennett, Dayton Metro, Mid Ohio Pumas, and Team Flyght as honorable mention. Any of those teams could make an appearance in the next edition of the Prep Hoops Ohio 16U Grassroots Team Rankings come July.