The 2021 Post Players: Back to the Basket Scorers, Rebounders, and More
Unsurprisingly, there’s not a ton of post players in the 2021 class at the moment. As time goes on, more bigs will emerge. But with just nine guys to spotlight at the moment, it allows us to go deep on the ones who’ve already been identified.
At a Glance
Total post players ranked: 9
Top Ten: 2
Top 25: 3
Top Southern Ohio post player: Logan Duncomb (5 total)
Top Central Ohio post player: Jack Sawyer (2 total)
Top NWO post player: Jainaz Cameron (2 total)
Top NEO post player: Caleb Warren (1 total)
Top Tier: Logan Duncomb, Jack Sawyer, Tyrese Hughey
Back to the Basket Scorers
There may be hints of shooting or ball-handling skills, but these are your post-up guys. Guards look towards the paint to see when these three have sealed their matchup for a quick dump down.
#5 Logan Duncomb, 6’8”, Moeller / Mid Ohio Pumas Elite
Duncomb is our highest ranked center (and non-NEO prospect) for a couple simple yet distinct reasons:
- He is tall, taller than anyone else. He uses his standing reach to finish sloppy offensive possessions with simple put-backs in traffic, where he deals with contact despite being skinny. It really helps on the boards and on help-side blocks.
- He turned 15-years-old in the spring, giving him tremendous growth potential both in height and weight. Also, he will likely become more fluid once he settles into his adult size.
- He can score it. Duncomb may not be the most graceful of post players, but he can fill it up down there. He’s bound to make a couple weird errors with the ball on occasion, but when he makes the game simple by turning and dropping it into the cup, there’s not many guys who can stop him.
- He hustles. Duncomb lays out for loose balls, engages in trash talk, tries to be the intimidator, and doesn’t just rely on his guards for the loose balls. He gets after it.
Duncomb will likely be the rare sophomore logging big minutes at Moeller, the defending Division I State Champions. It’s actually likely that he’ll start for the Crusaders with the departure of Jaxson Hayes. Duncomb is a much different player than the 6’10” high-flyer who will play at Texas next season, but he should fit into a patient motion offense system given what we saw with the Pumas this year. He’s efficient.
#49 Frank WagenFeald, 6’6”, Oregon Clay / All Ohio Gold (Kizer)
WagenFeald scores with powerful and simple throw-back post moves that have passed the test of time. We’re talking spin moves into the middle of the lane and drop steps towards the baseline. Crucially, WagenFeald has good touch around the basket, but struggles to finish over more athletic and taller bigs — which remains the biggest question for him. He runs the floor well.
Others: AJ Braun (#42)
Faceup Scorers
These powerfully built rising sophomores have the ability to power through the chest of a defender for a blue collar bucket; but they also show graceful scoring ability from the mid-range, whether it’s a spot jumper or spin move.
#7 Jack Sawyer, 6’5”, Pickerington North / Mid Ohio Pumas
Saywer is a midrange maven. Whether it’s turn-around jumpers of just squaring into a triple threat and rising, he shoots an outrageously high percentage from around the elbow. If there was an analytical department covering Ohio hoops, Sawyer’s FG% from 12-16 feet would be one of the first metrics we’d want to check. Anyways, he can also physically breakdown opponents off the dribble from that spot with a power move, often a spin. Sawyer also rebounds and leads by example.
#16 Tyrese Hughey, 6’6”, Licking Heights / Ohio Hoopsters (Tillman)
From the first weekend of AAU, we knew Hughey was going to be one of our favorite players to watch because of his explosiveness around the rim and effort level. He has obvious talent. But he continued to impress us with his growth from a kid who just dominated the glass, sprinted the floor, and finished over the defenders. By the end of summer, he was proving capable of switching onto wings, throwing it down on the break, and making skilled moves on faceups. We also like his frame and confidence.
#62 David Larkins, 6’5”, Elder / All Ohio Wolves
Larkins is a bucket inside. The efficient scorer has a strong body and a craftiness to his scoring package. Larkins can finish with either hand and he does it efficiently. Although he’s not super tall and doesn’t have world-class verticality, he gets the job done two points at a time.
Rebounders
Scoring the ball is usually a byproduct of hustle and strength for the rebounding bigs, all of which are either gifted athletes in terms of verticality or power.
#31 Jainaz Cameron, 6’5”, Lima Senior / NEO Tru Game
Cameron operates the paint with a work man’s mentality and is always involved with a rebounding scrum. His physicality stands out, but Cameron also rebounds with verticality, even doing so against quality competition for the state’s no. 1 15U team. He can also finish over the top and has enough lateral quickness to switch onto guards.