Toledo Summer League: Tournament Stock-risers (Pt. 1)
After naming the First Team All Tournament for the Toledo summer league, let’s move on to the prospect who didn’t quite make the top five but had nice performances. Check back in later for Part 2!
Desean Nelson (2020), 6’4”-6’5” W, Toledo Rogers
Despite not having a ton of skills right now, Nelson still has an impact on the game by crashing the offensive glass and competing on defense. He’s extremely long as a wing player, which when combined with his athleticism, allows him to shut down smaller guards. According to his teammate, Christian Smith, Nelson just hit a huge growth spurt and is adjusting to his newfound size. Expect Nelson to develop into an interesting college prospect, but it’s impossible to project a ceiling or floor currently.
Derrick Verse (2018), 6’3” F, Toledo Rogers
Verse’s strength is his shooting touch, whether that be clearing the lane and spotting up in the midrange when someone drives or on baby hook shots. While Verse is a strong bruiser off-ball and even on the attack, his shots tend to roll around the basket and drop in. He had a couple impressive tip-backs in traffic also. His responsibility on this talented Rogers team will be to control the paint, we expect him to get it done and draw small college interest by season’s end.
Jabryis Heidelburg (2019), 5’6” PG, Fremont Ross and Ajai Washington (2018), 6’1”-6’2” PG, Toledo Bowsher
Refer back to the Wednesday Notebook for information about Heidelburg’s and Washington’s impressive tournament performances.
Keyshawn Leach (2018), 6’3” W/F, Toledo Waite
The biggest question mark about Leach is size. As we detailed earlier this week in a Recruiting Report, he’s not currently playing the role he’ll likely be tasked with in college. So, it was a promising couple days as Leach flashed perimeter talents on Wednesday and Thursday. He is able to combine straight line drives with physicality once he gets to the rim, often bouncing off help defenders with spin-move gathers. Also, Leach looked pretty good shooting three-pointers off the catch, making more than he missed on open attempts.
Charles Robinson III (2018), 6’3” G, Toledo Woodward
Sometimes Robinson III — who goes by “CJ” — has to play the entirety of games for Woodward, as he’s far and above their primary scoring option. It results in him looking a tad bit tired at times out there. But, he still has enough awareness and speed to cause many turnovers away from the ball. By simply staying engaged, Robinson III turned a lot of lazy cross-court passes into transition buckets. Once he’s going downhill on the break, he has the leaping ability to throw it down, but CJ is most impressive when eluding defenders with a gliding step-through move.
Tyquan Porter (2019), 6’2” G, Toledo Woodward
Porter has the look of a hooper, with his length and smooth crossover dribbles. While he’s very inconsistent in converting his step-back jumper, we liked his confidence. Woodward is going to need a second scoring option to emerge, and given Porter’s ability to always draw a foot of separation with his nasty dribble moves, he’s likely going to be the guy. Defensively, Porter tends to defend the opposing point guard, who he frustrates with his long arms and fierce effort.