Top performers of the week 2/15/21 – 2/20/21

<p>I attended three games this week, all in the Columbus area. The three games I caught were Dublin Coffman 59 @ Hilliard Bradley 61, Beechcroft 64 Vs Walnut Ridge 62 and Linden-McKinley 42 @ Columbus DeSales 45. Two of the three games included buzzer-beating 3-pointers to give their teams the victory. Here were the top performers from these games.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918975" first="Keaton" last="Norris"], 5’11 PG Hilliard Bradley 2021: Norris won the game with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to clinch an outright OCC championship for the Jags. Norris battled foul trouble all game, but avoided fouling out in the fourth quarter. Norris can pass with both hands and is crafty around the rim. Everybody knows how knockdown of a shooter Norris is, but his toughness and intangibles help set him apart from other point guards.</p> <p>Cade Norris, 6’2 PF Hilliard Bradley 2024: The third of the Norris brothers has the potential to be the best one of the three based on what we’ve seen during his freshman season. Norris is shooting the ball with much more confidence from long distance than earlier in the season. Norris is comfortable around the bucket, using his body well to move older defenders around the rim. Norris is going to be a handful for opposing teams to deal with for the next three seasons for the Jags.</p> <p>Jeb Bischoff, 5’10 PG Hilliard Bradley 2024: Bischoff came off the bench after starting in the first two Bradley games I caught this year. He didn’t let that lower his quality of play as the Freshman knocked down five 3-pointers in this one. Bischoff is the definition of excelling at one skill and not doing what you can’t. I’m confident eventually Bischoff will be able to take varsity players off the dribble and create for others, but as a freshman he sticks to shooting the 3-ball. Bischoff is also a really solid defender for a freshman, he impressed me with how well he stayed in front of opposing ball-handlers and defended without fouling. With Norris and Bischoff, Hilliard Bradley has a duo they can build around for the next three seasons.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="809621" first="Ajay" last="Sheldon"], 6’1 PG Dublin Coffman 2022: When Sheldon isn’t at an athletic disadvantage, he’s a real pain to defend. When I watched him against Westerville Central earlier this year, it was more difficult for him to create separation and finish at the rim. Against Hilliard Bradley, a different style of lockdown defense, Sheldon was magnificent. Sheldon has the pull-up jumper going from 25+ feet and then uses the threat of the shot to get to the bucket. Sheldon also was getting blitzed in the pick and roll and showed nice patience to find his teammates. I’ve been high on Sheldon for a while, but this game was definitely a positive performance to help boost his stock. I’ll be excited to see Sheldon this AAU season and during his senior season at Coffman.</p> <p>Antwoin Reed, 6’4 C Beechcroft 2022: Reed was the X factor for Beechcroft to win the city league championship. With 14 rebounds and a couple key baskets late, I thought Reed made the difference in who won the game. With [player_tooltip player_id="967166" first="Amani" last="Lyles"] being stuck in foul trouble all game, Reed helped control the paint for the Cougars.</p> <p>Tae’Von Bush, 6’5 SF Walnut Ridge 2021: Bush did all he could to help bring Walnut Ridge back from significant deficits in both the second and fourth quarters. Bush finished with a game high 24 points for the Scots, doing all he could to try and keep the city title with Walnut Ridge. Bush was attacking the rim with nice aggression and used the jump-stop move to get defenders off of him.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="593932" first="Desmond" last="Watson"], 6’5 SG Columbus DeSales 2021: Watson made one of the most impressive plays of the season, stripping [player_tooltip player_id="918966" first="Chance" last="Groce"] and then picking up the ball before taking two dribbles into a half-court heave at the buzzer for the win. Outside of that spectacular play, Watson was on a mission all game, scoring 33 points on the afternoon. I’m so impressed with Watson’s hand-eye coordination, he picks up loose balls and doesn’t break stride so often in transition. One of the best athletes in the state, Watson had a dunk on a half-court possession on back to back trips. Stuff like that isn’t normal. I’ve been higher on Watson than most for a while now, and performances like these only further emphasize my confidence in Watson being a major impact player at Davidson.</p>