Top Freshman-Juniors of the week 2/1/21-2/7/21

In the past week, I was able to attend five games with teams from a couple different parts of the state. The games I attended were Princeton 61 @ Sycamore 45, Thomas Worthington 69 @ Olentangy Orange 50, Toledo Rogers 31 Vs Ottoville 100, Trotwood-Madison 78 Vs Lima Shawnee 96 and Toledo St Francis 44 @ Ottawa-Glandorf 62. In this article I’ll be looking at the top Sophomores and Juniors that I saw from those games.

[player_tooltip player_id="921738" first="Bowen" last="Hardman"], 6’5 SG Princeton 2022: Hardman is one of the best shooters in the state and has some of the deepest range I’ve seen in a prospect. Hardman isn’t afraid to pull from anywhere on the court, as Princeton gives him a bright green light. His touch is very impressive, as Hardman hit a couple 3-pointers that sat on the rim before going through the net. With his size, basketball IQ and shooting ability, Hardman could be a plug and play guy from the jump for Ohio State.

[player_tooltip player_id="921764" first="Ben" last="Southerland"], 6’7 PF Sycamore 2022: Southerland has taken a significant leap since the last time I watched him, which was the first game of his Sophomore season. Southland looks much more fluid while moving on the perimeter, and has clearly gotten stronger in the past 15 months. Southland is really shooting the ball at a high level this season, proving that he’ll be a valuable stretch-4 at the college level. He already holds an offer from Miami (OH) and should be a coveted prospect for low and mid major programs who are looking for shooting from the PF position. It was very refreshing to see a kid for the first time in a substantial amount of time make clear improvements to his body and offensive game.

Bryce Darbyshire, 6’3 SF Sycamore 2023: Darbyshire was actually held scoreless in this one, despite averaging nine PPG this season. So why is he on the list of top performers? I was amazed with his passing ability and overall feel for the game. Darbyshire made some really nice feeds to teammates and seemed like he really knew how to play. Combine that with a 11 point, 10 rebound and five assist performance just 48 hours after my in person viewing, and I’m keeping Darbyshire as a prospect to watch for the future.

[player_tooltip player_id="1090150" first="Elias" last="Lewis"], 6’2 SG Olentangy Orange 2023: While it was an overall poor showing from the Pioneers, I thought Lewis was really solid in the time he was on the court against Thomas Worthington. It’s mostly flashes at this stage of his development, but those flashes really catch my eye. Lewis had a sweet pump-fake from 3-point range into a one dribble pull-up. It needs to be more consistent, and I’d like to see him make some impact defensive plays, but Lewis is a guy I’m going to be keeping my eyes on.

[player_tooltip player_id="921801" first="William" last="Miller"], 5’10 PG Ottoville 2022: Miller helped Ottoville cruise over Toledo Rogers in the opening contest of the OG Winter Classic. Miller showed his ability to stretch the floor and handle the rock in the pick and roll. While this was a clear mismatch from the jump, I thought Miller showed that he should eventually receive some strong interest from Division III programs during his senior season.

Brady Wheeler, 5’10 PG Lima Shawnee 2022: Wheeler has stepped into the starting point guard role for the Indians and has really blossomed during his Junior season. Wheeler seems to just step up in big moments and had some key buckets to help Shawnee run away from Trotwood-Madison. Wheeler had some tough moments against the full-court pressure, but made enough plays to make me confident about his future as a small college prospect.

Colin White, 6’3 SF Ottawa-Glandorf 2024: White came into the game against Toledo St Francis scoring 10 PPG as a freshman, and finished around that number last night. White has a solid catch and shoot jump-shot at 6’3 and can handle the basketball. He’s still pretty limited athletically, as he can’t really get to his spots to create much space just yet. White moved the ball well for the Titans, finding open teammates when needed. White should be a prospect to keep tabs on for the future, as the Freshman is just getting started.