Flyin’ To The Hoop Sunday Standouts
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Flyin’ To The Hoop has concluded and we’re backtracking to the penultimate day of the event to bring you the guys who dominated the competition. Will Maxwell OH #25 SF #5 HEIGHT 6'5" POS SF CLASS 2023 View Profile Will…
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Continue ReadingFlyin’ To The Hoop has concluded and we’re backtracking to the penultimate day of the event to bring you the guys who dominated the competition.
One of the top unsigned prospects in Ohio’s 2023 class, Maxwell got busy with 29 points on 50% shooting from the floor. Maxwell did a good job of using his size to score over smaller defenders in the post and backing down weaker defenders. Maxwell knocked down two 3-pointers, but most of his scoring output came within 8-10 feet of the basket. It’ll be interesting to see who jumps in late to recruit Maxwell as his production at the high school level has been impressive over the past few years.
Another big time scoring game from Rice who is shooting the ball with a lot more confidence than we saw in the spring. Rice does a good job at getting into the lane and uses the jump stop into a righty floater that’s weird for the defense to prepare for because they think lefty with his jump shooting hand. I was actually impressed with the one lefty finish Rice had at the basket as that’s effectively his ‘off hand’ when attacking the rim. Rice has had a great senior season and looks like a steal for Murray State right now, we’ll see if he can get minutes immediately next season at the college level.
My third viewing of Garfield Heights this season and Little had his best game by a considerable margin on Sunday. I thought Little did a great job of passing the ball ahead of the defense and pushing the pace for his teammates. Little also gets good pressure on the rim with his quickness and burst. Little led the game with five assists and was an efficient 4/5 from the floor. If this is the type of play we can expect from Little moving forward that would be huge for a Garfield Heights squad that’s one of the best in northeast Ohio.
Hayes was absolutely unreal in STVM victory over The Skill Factory, going off for over 30 points on tough shots all over the court. This is the second straight season I’ve seen Hayes drop over 30 points on a prep powerhouse after he did the same thing to Oak Hill Academy last year in a loss. I haven’t seen Hayes shoot the ball with that much confidence and he was creating looks for himself, knocking them down off the bounce, catch, double clutch, it didn’t matter. I’ve seen Hayes play around 20 times and that was by far his best game I’ve seen him play. A huge weekend for STVM, getting wins over Centerville and The Skill Factory in a three-day span.
Jackson had potentially the best game I’ve seen him play against Huntington Prep in a DOMINANT victory for Saint Ignatius over the prep powerhouse. Ending the game 7/8 from the floor, almost everything Jackson threw up went in the hoop. Jackson had a couple layups but did most of his damage in the mid-range, shooting over defenders that gave him space to pull-up. Defensively, Jackson gave his usual great effort with a couple deflections, and he forced some turnovers with his on-ball pressure.
Highlights
Despite a bunch of new faces on both sides, there was no love lost between Centerville and So Cal Academy as the Elks defeat the prep school from California for a second straight season. Powell shot the Elks back into the game in the second half, making three 3-pointers in a short span to turn a 6–8 point deficit into a Centerville lead that the Elks would not give up for the remainder of the game. What I was most impressed with Powell was his short-term memory. After missing on some open looks in the first half from the outside, he had one strong take to the bucket that fell, and he came out in the second half and hardly missed an outside shot. Ending the game with an emphatic dunk, it was a great victory for Centerville and a great day for Ohio as OHSAA programs won three straight over prep powerhouses.