Ten Best: Centerville at Trotwood-Madison

Preseason Greater Western Ohio Conference favorites Trotwood-Madison prevailed, 75-65, in n early season challenge from Centerville on Tuesday night. The win moved Trotwood to 2-0. Centerville, on the other hand, sits at 2-2 with the other loss coming to Trinity (KY). Trotwood and Centerville both had their moments in the game — the Elks from the mid-first quarter until halftime, the Rams for pretty much the entire second half. In a game that went back and forth, we were able to learn a lot about both teams; and we want to touch on that before getting into the players, because we feel these are two of the best teams in Southwest Ohio. On Trotwood: they have tremendous high-end talent in their starting lineup but lack depth. The Rams only played seven last night. Their short rotation didn’t hurt them, but it will be interesting to see if it becomes more of a factor on a bigger court, say the one at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. The Rams defense got better throughout the game, but it was allowing wide-open looks after just one pass for large portions of the game. Don’t be surprised if they don’t pressure fullcourt as much in 2018-19. Centerville is 2-2 right now but will finish well-over-.500, even if their next five games are Springfield, Beavercreek, at Wayne, at La Salle, and at Moeller. The Elks play four-out with one post going from block to block. Their guards can all shoot the ball and they cut with purpose. Any are capable of rattling off eight points in a quarter. Unlike Trotwood, they rotate in a deep bench, sometimes taking their top guys off the court in crucial moments. Centerville doesn’t turn the ball over. Although they might be the second best team in the GWOC, their lack of a dynamic shot-maker on the perimeter will hold them back. Watching their JV game, they should be encouraged by the wealth of talent in this program, though. OK, hopefully our team breakdown didn’t bore you too much, because it’s time to get into our Ten Best: MVP: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/amari-davis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amari Davis</a> (2019), 6’4” G, Trotwood Davis’s ability to score contested baskets and finish defensive possessions was the difference in this game. He scored 16 of Trotwood’s second half points, going for a total of 29 and adding five rebounds, five assists, and six steals. The Green Bay signee was simply terrific in so many areas of the game: forcing turnovers on helpside, grabbing offensive rebounds, elevating for tough makes, beating defenders with speed, etc. It was nothing we haven’t seen before, but Davis is always electric when he puts it all together. Trotwood will need him to remain assertive throughout the season. Top Unsigned Prospect: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/carl-blanton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carl Blanton</a> (2020), 6’2” G, Trotwood Trotwood can accomplish a lot with Blanton as their second guy. He, like Davis, made an impact all over the floor. Blanton scored 15 points, showing impressive footwork around the basket on drives. His use of the euro step either drew a foul or evaded defenders completely. He grabs and goes from the wing without hesitation. Blanton rebounds in traffic, grabbing a game-high seven, despite yielding several inches to Centerville’s forwards. He’s athletically built and uses his solid frame to battle inside. Blanton also accurately delivered bounce pass assists to teammates who filled lanes on the primary break. Top Point Guard: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/ryan-marchal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Marchal</a> (2019), 5’8” PG, Centerville Marchal’s handling of fullcourt pressure and poise to find the open man on double teams gave Centerville a chance. He utilized the heck out of a behind-the-back move, which created enough space to breath after a dead sprint with the defender on his hip. Marchal has a stout build, which helped protect the ball. He can score off the dribble in the shallow mid-range but lost his way in the second half, scoring all six of his points in the first two quarters. The future Huntington Prep Post-Grad players recorded four assists to two turnovers. Top Shooter: Matt Pearce (2019), 5’10” G, Centerville The team’s leading scorer dropped in over half of the team’s second half points to finish with 19 on the game. Pearce, a lefty, is a deadeye shooter who is dropping 3-pointers at a 47.8 percent clip through four games. Although he lacks size, Pearce knows how to create separation with pump fakes. Very smooth on one-dribble and two-dribble pull-ups, especially going right. Doesn’t force but will surely take any open look. Division III programs, recruit this kid! Top forward: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/justin-stephens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Stephens</a> (2019), 6’6” F, Trotwood In a highly-anticipated post matchup between Stephens, a Toledo football commit, and Mo Njie, the senior decisively won the bout. It was a traditional post-up war, and Stephens out-scored (10 to 4) the junior while moving him around in the paint on most post-ups. Stephens is an absolute workhorse with a strong chest and shoulders. The lengthy big also ran the floor with better pace than last year, which resulted in a few thundering two-handed slams in transition. Spark Plug: Jason Sneed (2019), 6’3” G, Centerville Sneed played with a ton of grit and fire when he was in the game. His outside shooting will definitely translate to the next level, but so should his motor. He crashed the glass on both ends of the floor. Sneed, who finished with 11 points, also found easy baskets with cuts along the baseline. He’s very thin but has good length. Top Underclassman: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/rich-rolf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rich Rolf</a> (2022), 6’6” F, Centerville The Elks may need to start playing Rolf just one quarter on JV instead of two, because they missed him in the third quarter. The freshman is already their most skilled forward on the offensive side of the floor. He can put it on the floor and likes to find open teammates. Makes smart cuts on the baseline and stays active. In the varsity game, the most impressive component of his six-point night was defending guards far away from the basket. Top Defender: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/mo-njie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mo Njie</a> (2020), 6’9” C, Centerville Njie, our current no. 5 prospect in the junior class, still has a ton of upside because of his growth potential and length. Even though this wasn’t his best night, he still made a defensive impact by changing layups at the rim and blocking two shots. Njie is a force around the basket on that end. On offense, he did however struggle with the physicality of the game. To his credit, Njie made one very encouraging drop step move over the left shoulder. But, he was pushed off the block consistently and was unable to corral several passes that were intended for him. Njie is also determined to take every shot. His eyes aren’t aligned with what he’s doing quite yet, meaning he doesn’t look the ball into his hands on passes and stares at his dribble on post moves, which welcomes double teams. Underrated Performance: <a href="https://prephoops.com/ohio-player/sammy-anderson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sammy Anderson</a> (2019), 6’2” G, Trotwood As the primary ball-handler, Anderson handles himself with confidence and self-awareness. He gets to the rim with sheer athleticism — quickness and speed. Four of his nine points came at the free throw line. Plays within himself on that end and has no problem deferring to Davis. Defensively, although Marchal handled the pressure well, he was in the kid’s hip-pocket all night. X-Factor: Kaleb Mitchell (2019), 6’3” G, Centerville There’s no question that Mitchell is disappointed in his zero-point night, which came just a couple days after going for 15 against Fairmont. Production from the senior could’ve been the difference against Trotwood. Mitchell still showed flashes athletically. He is fast as hell and explodes to the rim for rebounds and layup attempts. His own speed got the best of him, though, as he was a bit out of control on drives and had the pick up his dribble in awkward places on the floor to avoid violations. Mitchell needs to find ways to affect the game with his athleticism when his shot isn’t going, too.