Flyin to the Hoop: Saturday Standouts

<p>I continue my coverage from Flyin to the Hoop by looking at some of my top performers from Saturday’s action. I did miss the Shaker Heights/ISA matchup but was able to see the other 4 matchups the duration of the day.</p> <p><strong>Jack Epley</strong> (Oakwood)</p> <p>I only was able to check this game out for a half, but the half of basketball I saw from Epley was enough to put him on this list. The senior PG is an underrated guard with tremendous vision and playmaking ability. Moves without the ball and finds space. Forced Africentric to stay on their toes with him. Epley had his head on a swivel and looked to put the ball in his teammates’ possession. He’s and under the radar PG with a chance to make a Division 3 roster better.</p> <p><strong>Isaiah Collier</strong> (Wheeler)</p> <p>In terms of the best overall prospect I saw Saturday, it had to be Collier against St. Ignatius. The junior guard is crafty with the ball in his hands. Creates opportunities for himself with his size and speed. Collier finessed shots around the rim and made solid passes once the defense took the driving lanes away. His combination of build and athleticism is tough to matchup against. This is a big reason why HM programs already are offering him. I’ll be intrigued by where Collier ends up committing after high school.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1138767" first="Corey" last="Hudson"]</strong> (Pickerington North)</p> <p>Hudson took pride in his defensive effort Saturday as he got after it against a Wayne team heavy with guards. Hudson plays with energy and has the fundamentals to continue to succeed at the next level as a perimeter defender. Keeps low and moves his feet more than his hands. Hudson gets to his spots and takes away the opportunities for opposing guards to make plays. His efforts has already earned Hudson an offer from Lakeland CC after the event.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1199873" first="Jeff" last="Amapps"]</strong> (Pickerington North)</p> <p>In a game more focused on the guard play, I felt Amapps made an impact immediately off the bench. The senior was a clean-up guy for the Panthers. Dominated the offensive glass and timed his jumps to grab boards and protect the rim defensively. With the guard play being solid for Pick North, Amapps brings the athleticism on the inside and can handle his own against bigger defenders/players. I like his upside and think some Division 3 programs should be looking at him. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="867949" first="Lawrent" last="Rice"]</strong> (Wayne)</p> <p>Rice is accustomed to the big stage and didn’t let it bother him against Pickerington North. The junior guard has great touch at the rim and showed a knack for finishing around and at the rim. Rice utilized his breakdown speed to slice-and-dice the Panthers’ defense opening up opportunities to create for himself or others. Rice has added more versatility to his offensive game and has shown me he is more of a multi-dimensional scorer than what we’ve seen previously. He announced his Top 8 schools after this game which includes multiple HM programs looking to sign him.</p>