Ohio’s Best Slashers: Top 250 Expo Edition

<p>Slashers tend to be one of the more watched players on the floor as they tend to be better playmakers and sometimes are the most athletic guys on the floor. At the Expo on Saturday, we saw plenty of this from the 5 guys below. Explosiveness and ability to finish in the paint are attributes I love to see in slashers and are found in each guy below.</p> <p>Jadakis Mack (2020) Lima Senior</p> <p>There was no one on the floor Saturday that matched the intensity and athleticism that Mack brought to the table. An explosive wing, Mack got to the rim at will Saturday breaking down defenders and finishing well above the rim. I liked how vocal he was on both ends of the floor and even made an impact on the defensive end with his athleticism and even showed great basketball IQ with his weak side rotation. His play definitely showed me he is a collegiate prospect and is going to be followed for some time.</p> <p>Josh Thorbahn (2021) 6’5 Ottoville</p> <p>At 6’5, Thorbahn was a mismatch waiting to happen, especially when attacking off the perimeter. He had a soft touch and finished among the trees at the expo, even impressed me with his midrange shot that he pulled out once teams caught on to his slashing mentality. While he is a lefty, I liked how Josh attacked both sides of the rim and scored from both sides. He impressed me over the summer and continued his dominance Saturday.</p> <p>Brandon Gibson (2020) 6’4 Chaminade-Julienne</p> <p>The last time I saw Gibson play, he was more of an interior threat and didn’t have many chances to attack with his dribble. The expo we saw a much different Gibson as he showed confidence in attacking the rim and even finished some tough shots with traffic. A very nice finisher, he found ways to score against taller competition and overall looked more like a wing than a small forward. He showed an ability to run the fast break which was most impressive as the Eagles look to replace some of their backcourt talent from last season.</p> <p>Marcus Stewart (2021) 6’4 Wellington</p> <p>Stewart has tremendous size and really impressed me with his patience at times to create offense. He can break down defenders and while a born lefty, attacked both sides of the rim and used both hands at the rim. He has a strong build and at 6’4 was bigger than most of his opponents. I am excited to see how he continues to grow and if he can become an even stronger wing.</p> <p>Kameron Taylor (2020) 6’3 Spire Academy</p> <p>Taylor is a bouncy player that excelled off the dribble drive and finished above the rim on several occasions. Possessing a very quick first step, he was able to blow by defenders and found a way to get in the paint as much as possible. I think he will be a name worth watching as he did much of his damage during the final game of the day and had plenty of stamina still left in the tank.</p>