2020 Rankings Update: Top 20 Southern Ohio Prospects

<p>When you combine Dayton, Cincinnati, and all of Southeast Ohio, you get a 20-player list of scholarship-level prospects:</p> <h4><strong>Mo Njie | 6-9 C | Centerville</strong></h4> <p>A game-changing defensive presence around the basket, Njie enters his 17U season as the no. 3 ranked prospect in 2020 and high-major recruit. Combines length, defensive instincts, and sound fundamentals to constantly change shots on the back-ends. Polishing up his ball skills is a work-in-progress, but his footwork on post-ups is very encouraging. Uses his body well to pin defenders.</p> <h4><strong>Mark Wise | 6-4 G | Deer Park</strong></h4> <p>Wise is a strong combo guard who knows how to get to the rim by sliding by defenders and using his strong frame. Makes good decisions when slashing. His jumper continues to improve. Defends wings very well and rebounds extraordinarily for a guard. Wise holds a handful of Division I offers.</p> <h4><strong>Evan Prater | 6-5 PF | Wyoming</strong></h4> <p>Prater, a two-sport D-I prospect, impacts games with his versatility. Offensively, Prater can put the ball on the floor to create a shot for himself while possessing very good vision for a wing-forward. Capable shooter from the outside and finishes in traffic. Prater defends in space and can block shots trailing a slasher or on help-side. Tough rebounder. All in all, Prater is a very complete player.</p> <h4><strong>Nekhi Smith | 6-5 PF | Taft</strong></h4> <p>Smith’s outside shooting continues to become more consistent, an important element of his game going forward. He shoots it particularly well when he has space. Smith combines physicality and elusiveness when he faces up to put it on the floor. For the fast-pace Senators, Smith flashed playmaking ability in the open court and can handle the ball in those situations.</p> <h4><strong>Max Land | 6-4 SF | Moeller</strong></h4> <p>Land is an uber-athletic slashing forward with a lot of upside on the defensive end of the floor. Electric leaper who finishes through contact with ease. Becoming increasingly more effective without the ball. Land can defend a handful of positions because of his athleticism.</p> <h4><strong>Grant Whisman | 6-7 PF | Middletown Madison</strong></h4> <p>Arguably the best stretch-4 in Ohio’s 2020 class, Whisman is intriguing because of his shot-making. Very good shooting stroke and face-up scoring ability. Flashes finishing ability at the rim and mid-post scoring ability. Mainly, though, Whisman’s specialty is as an outside shooter.</p> <h4><strong>Jackson Ames | 6-10 C | West Clermont</strong></h4> <p>Ames takes up a lot of space in the post, rebounding and scoring deep in the post with power. Has dealt with injuries quite a bit over the last few years. Moves well for a strong-bodied 6-foot-10 post. Few years away from his best basketball, but the size and mobility cannot be taught.</p> <h4><strong>Carl Blanton | 6-2 SG | Trotwood</strong></h4> <p>Blanton is a slashing wing-guard with sound fundamentals and elusive foot-work around the basket on straight-line-drives. Smart player who scores it efficiently – gets to his spots quickly. Hits open jumpers. Effective defender in full-court pressure or the halfcourt. Just not many glaring flaws in Blanton’s game.</p> <h4><strong>Caleb Terry | 6-10 C | Alexander</strong></h4> <p>Terry covers space well for a long, slim 6-foot-10 athlete. Help-side shot-blocking is his most impactful quality at the moment. Terry, though, shoots a soft baby hook and could develop a useful shooting stroke from the mid-range and beyond. Scoring, rebounding, and defending against physical posts is the thing we want to see from Terry in his 17U season.</p> <h4><strong>Tyler Eberhart | 6-6 PF | Kenton Ridge</strong></h4> <p>A skilled faceup-4, Eberhart makes the right reads out of the high-post, including creating shots in a number of ways. Finishes at the rim athletically. Effective use of ball-fakes to create space for his jumper. Sets screens with purpose. Runs the floor. Good rebounder. While Eberhart has a nice stroke, he’s better going to the rim than settling for 3-pointers.</p> <h4><strong>Alex Mangold | 6-6 PF | Lakota East</strong></h4> <p>Unfortunately, Mangold will likely be out with an injury for the next several months. However, he’s a skilled forward who can make a shot from wherever he catches. Capable outside shooter. Physical slasher. Rebounds very well. Mangold will not be forgotten about by college coaches, despite the injury – his blend of height, strength, and skill cannot be found just anywhere.</p> <h4><strong>Jake Younkin | 6-2 SG | CHCA</strong></h4> <p>Younkin is an outside shooting specialist who plays with an edge and provides secondary ball-handling. Clever passer who knows how to enter the ball into the post and push in transition. Impressive shooting range. Aggressive scorer.</p> <h4><strong>Trey Robinson | 6-7 SF | Hamilton</strong></h4> <p>Robinson is a long wing with athleticism and the ability to shoot it from the outside. Defends on the perimeter quite well because of his lateral quickness and long arms. Tremendous skill for his size.</p> <h4><strong>Curtis Harrison | 6-5 PF | Seven Hills</strong></h4> <p>Despite what feels like a never-ending streak of injuries that Harrison has been dealing with, he’s an electrifying athlete with a soft scoring touch when he’s on the floor. Promising frame. Rebounds and finishes explosively. Runs the floor with speed. Harrison can also shoot it and handle well for his position. Again, though, staying on the floor is the most important thing for Harrison.</p> <h4><strong>Trevon Ellis | 6-3 G | Stivers</strong></h4> <p>Ellis is a high-IQ slashing combo guard who finds clever ways to deliver assists to open shooters and finishers. Shows patience as a floor general and gets to his spots with power and ball-handling ability. Very effective scorer inside 15 feet. Strong academic transcript.</p> <h4><strong>Conor Stolly | 6-8 SF | Alter</strong></h4> <p>Stolly is an intriguing wing-forward because of his size and ball skills. Threat to shoot, pass, or dribble when he catches it on the wing. Fluid athlete. Becoming more comfortable playing against physical, athletic defenders will open up his game.</p> <h4><strong>Sammy Anderson | 6-2 G | Trotwood</strong></h4> <p>Anderson is a two-sport athlete with more prowess on the football field. However, his strength and athleticism cause problems for guards on the high school level. Very fast athlete who can finish through contact. Makes opposing ball-handlers uncomfortable with pressure.</p> <h4><strong>Dalton Mischal | 6-4 PF | McClain</strong></h4> <p>A strong and athletic forward with a knack for rebounding and drawing contact on finishes. Mischal scores at a high-percentage clip around the basket, cleverly using the glass on floaters and other finishes. Extraordinary rebounder. Good defender. Brings an element of physicality to the game.</p> <h4><strong>Chris Herbort | 6-2 SG | Beavercreek</strong></h4> <p>Herbort is a tough scoring wing who makes good decisions with the ball. Strong frame and knows how to get to the basket. Stretches the floor as a shooter. Makes tough shots in the lane coming off spin moves. Plays hard defensively and uses his body well.</p> <h4><strong>Cameron Evans | 6-0 PG | Zane Trace</strong></h4> <p>Evans scores the ball from all over the floor off the dribble. Very skilled score-minded point guard. Doesn’t turn the ball over and makes quick decisions with the ball. Evans put up major scoring numbers this season and received a Concord offer along the way.</p>