Top Seniors of the week 1/18-1/23

<p>Over the past week I saw many seniors who stood out. This article will spotlight the best of the best from the past week. My scouting for this week included Caldwell 50 @ Patriot Prep 41, Pickerington Central 57 @ Columbus DeSales 58, Gahanna 56 @ Westerville Central 55, Federal Hocking 55 @ Trimble 74, ISA 64 @ Medina 56 and Archbishop Hoban 68 @ Saint Edward 76.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="593932" first="Desmond" last="Watson"], 6’5 SF Columbus DeSales 2021: Watson was in a zone on Monday evening, carrying the Stallions to a huge win over Pickerington Central. Watson threw down what might be the dunk of the season in games I have attended when he threw down an alley-oop on Northwestern Football commit [player_tooltip player_id="918960" first="Garner" last="Wallace"]. Outside of this highlight, Watson was knocking down a variety of jumpers all over the court. The outside shooting has been a valid question on Watson, but I think he’s a little underrated in this department. Watson’s physical dominance was also shown throughout the game as his second jump is special.</p> <p>Obed Achirem, 6’2 SF Columbus DeSales: Achirem was out in the first contest I watched the Stallions play, but he was back in this one and his impact was impossible to miss. Achirem plays really hard on both ends and is a physical presence. For Achirem to stay on the floor at the college level, he needs to make a couple improvements on outside shooting and dribbling, but as a high school player he’s very impactful.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1078994" first="Zakai" last="Alexander"], 6’4 SF Pickerington Central 2021: Alexander has been a guy who has waited his turn and is now shining in the starting spotlight for a loaded Tigers squad. Alexander proved that he’s a capable shooter from the outside, hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Pretty much everybody on Pick Central is a plus in the strength department relative to peers, and Alexander is no different. In the Newark game, Alexander really got after it on the defensive end with a pair of pick-pockets on [player_tooltip player_id="919039" first="Drew" last="Ballinger"]. I believe scholarship level programs should be putting their eyes on Alexander, but if he decides to take his talents to a division III program, he could make an instant impact.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="805202" first="Quincy" last="Clark"], 6’3 PG Westerville Central 2021: Clark shot the crap out of the ball in a highly anticipated contest with Gahanna. Clark has become a guy that I bang the drum for with his size, self creation and distributing skills. I thought Clark over-dribbled a few times, getting the ball stripped in transition when throwing the ball ahead would’ve been a better option. A slight nitpick on his game, as Clark did perform well in this huge spot, but there’s always room for improvement with prospects.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918958" first="Josh" last="Irwin"], 6’6 PF ISA 2021: Irwin is a guy I’ve long been a fan of because of his constant communication on the defensive end. He’s a guy who holds teammates accountable and is always pumping people up. Outside of the intangible stuff that Irwin brings, he can really pass the ball out of the post and finish around the basket. Irwin may shoot his jumpers with his left hand, but as a natural righty, he’s able to surprise defenders with his proficiency with his right hand around the basket.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918962" first="Corey" last="Tripp"], 6’3 PG Medina 2021: Tripp looked very impressive in a losing effort for Medina, just one day after scoring his 1,000th career point in a crucial conference victory over Solon. The senior point guard was knocking down shots from the mid-range and dropping a few dimes in this first half with the impressive zip. In the second half, I thought Tripp did a better job utilizing his strength and getting to the basket. Finishing around the basket, including an and-1 layup. As one of the top available prospects in the state, Tripp should be receiving heavy interest from low and mid major programs.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1106204" first="Isaiah" last="Young"], 5’11 PG Archbishop Hoban 2021: Young was very impressive in a losing effort to Saint Ed’s, leading the game with 25 points. Young does a nice job of using his quickness to get to the basket. When Young can get a clean look at the rim and avoid shot blockers, he’s very efficient around the bucket. Young has been consistently putting up impressive scoring numbers for a Hoban squad that has only lost twice this season. Young should be viewed as one of the biggest priorities for Division III schools in the state and receive interest from scholarship programs as well.</p>