All In Hoopfest: Breakout Performances

The pressure was on this weekend, at the All In Hoopfest in Louisville, for the second weekend of the July Live Period. We saw a few kids struggle with the extra eyeballs on them, but others rose to the occasion. Taking it a step further, some prospects actually changed our thinking on how good they are with special moments and outstanding weekends. We’ll spotlight those players in our first recap of the event by recognizing these Breakout Performances.

Zach Loveday (2020), 6’11” F/C, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 2020

Loveday’s stock-rising weekend truly lasted all three days for the Pumas. Even at his towering height, Loveday beats most other forwards up the court for transition buckets with his long strides. He’s able to catch in transition over the top of defenders and maneuver guys that are swiping for the ball. On Friday night, Loveday had a euro-step type finish around a defender. Then on Sunday, during the Platinum quarterfinals against Indiana Elite Central, he showed the ability to shoot behind the arch as he was trailing a play. Loveday’s agility is profound for a 6’11” 15-year-old, making us believe he’ll end up as a high-major recruit. Multiple Big 10 schools were on the sidelines watching this Pumas team throughout the weekend, including Ohio State on Friday night.

Jake Warriner (2020), 6’3”-6’4” W/F, Pro Bound

We watched Pro Bound for one full game, on Saturday against a talented All Ohio Gold team. Warriner, a forward from New Albany, was exceptional. He seems to be the future of the forward position. He's able to grab a defensive rebound, immediately push the ball, then make a play at the other end. Defensively, his frame and lateral movement will allow him to switch onto all types of opponents. Also, despite Gold running away with the game eventually, Warriner was the best competitor Pro Bound rolled out there.

Jake Younkin (2020), 6’1” G, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite 2020

We didn’t see anyone from Ohio better than Younkin when it comes to shooting the three pointer. On Sunday, Younkin started the quarterfinal by hitting his first five attempts, followed by draining three in a row to begin the semis. It’s not only that he makes shots, it’s where he’s taking them from — Younkin is an aggressive shooter from beyond the NBA line. In talking to his Pumas coach, Younkin has become accustomed to getting his shot up from there, because it was the only place he got open looks before he hit a growth spurt. While Younkin may have to play JV for a loaded Archbishop Moeller team next season, he’ll be considered a top guard in the 2020 class because of the jumper.

Alec Pfriem (2019), 6’5” G/W, Ohio Basketball Club

Pfriem is another Moeller kid who was outstanding all weekend. The Roger Bacon transfer didn’t waste time with the basketball, usually going straight at the defense when he found the ball in the mid-range. His aggressiveness usually led to high-percentage shots and free throws. He’s someone coaches and teammates should trust with the ball, as he’s disciplined in making simple plays within the offense. At this point, Pfriem has built a strong enough case to move up significantly in our 2019 Prospect Rankings, from his spot at #29.

Jon Alessandro (2018), 6’7” W/F, Shining Star Price

We didn’t watch Alessandro play until tournament time on Sunday. In those couple of stints, it was quite obvious that a couple more offers should come in, to accompany those from Purdue University Northwest and Christian Brothers. He’s a strong player, as he was able to cause turnovers and general disruption against 6’9” Eli McNamara of OH-NOVA (Rice). From what we saw in that matchup, Alessandro was also out-rebounding the Division I prospect, and then pushing the break as his teammates sprinted the floor once he got it. Also, against the Louisville Magic’s 2-3 zone, Alessandro finished layups over huge opponents with clever pump fakes and reverses. He missed some time during the spring and his junior season with an injury. But, Alessandro looked like a bonafide Division II stud who could even attract a low-major offer.

Evan Bainbridge (2019), 6’8” F, SMAC Running Rebels

In an upset win against OBC 16U on Saturday, Bainbridge was a stud. Not only did he explode for two dunks in traffic, he was also stretching the floor with his jumper. Here’s another kid who looked like he could vary between D-II/low-major prospect, as hee performed exceptionally against multiple future D-I forwards. Bainbridge seems to have all the tools to be an effective face-up post player at any level, and it will be interesting to track his development after this weekend.

Taevon Pierre-Louis (2019) 6’6” hybrid, Ohio Basketball Club

Pierre-Louis, much like Pfriem, has a limited role for this OBC team. When considering his skill-level and size, you’d think this prospect from Lorain would be playing almost the entire game. Regardless, he excelled in his role by playing with high energy. On Sunday in the Platinum Championship against EG10 All Stars, Pierre-Louis almost led a full double-digit comeback with offensive rebounds that he immediately attacked the basket on. He looks like a linebacker out there with his size, but has the wiggle of a guard on the dribble drive. Therefore, defenders bounce off him in the lane and he’s able to finish through contact at a high level.

Garrett Tipton (2018) 6’4” G, VCC-NOVA (Beard)

Tipton led his VCC-NOVA team to an upset against OBC on Friday night, thereby catapulting his recruitment to the Division I level. While we thought of Tipton as one of Ohio’s strongest D-II recruits, this game completely shifted everyone’s thinking. He can score the ball at all three levels and has a number of moves to go to in the mid-range. He moves off the ball extremely well, which is how he draws separation a lot of the time. Tipton is also an underrated slasher, as he’s ambidextrous at the rim and uses his shooting ability to bait defenders with ball-fakes or hesitations.

Adrian Nelson (2018), 6’7” W/F, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound

Saturday against Club Ohio Pierce was the best we’ve ever seen Nelson play. His stock has been rising almost daily with Division I offers rolling in for the Pickerington Central prospect. Being our first time watching Nelson since May, we were locked into his matchup against Darius Bazley. Nelson took the challenge and shot the jumper exceptionally well. Whether it was a transition pull-up or his catch-and-shoot from three, Nelson was showing different abilities this weekend. Expect his offer sheet to continue growing, as it wouldn’t be shocking to see a high-major fall in love with his abilities.

Julius Brown (2018), 5’10” PG, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound

There’s so many talented point guards that it’s hard to stand out sometimes from this position. Yet, Brown’s ability to control the tempo and feel of a game is remarkably impactful. The stock-rising senior pushes the ball in transition and plays with a sense of urgency in the half-court, as he’s always looking to get a quick look at the basket. Defensively, Brown sneaks in from the blindside to poke the ball away from defenders and he has the speed to lockdown full-court. Brown received an offer from Kentucky State this weekend, and we’d expect a few more from that level going forward. Regardless of size, Brown is a springy athlete who compensates with competitiveness, shooting ability, and quickness.

Isaiah Speelman (2018), 6’6” W, OH-NOVA (Tillman)

Frankly, we don’t understand why Speelman doesn’t have a low-major offer. He’s one of the best defenders in the 2018 Ohio class, as he’s able to defend pretty much any type of player. For this NOVA team on Sunday, he was asking to guard some of the top prospects from OBC and Twenty Two Vision, and he was holding his own. Furthermore, Speelman is a terror away from the ball, as he communicates and helps over excellently. Offensively, the Hilliard Bradley product was showing more elusiveness than ever on his way to the basket. According to the Twitter account of Andreas James, the Nova Village’s Director of Program Development and Training, Speelman wants to commit to a program in the fall.