Standout guards from last week
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With the amount of all day events dwindling down the rest of the season, getting out to individual games is becoming more and more of a priority to check out new teams. Over the past week I’ve scouted four individual…
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Continue ReadingWith the amount of all day events dwindling down the rest of the season, getting out to individual games is becoming more and more of a priority to check out new teams. Over the past week I’ve scouted four individual games, Dublin Scioto @ Westerville South, Walsh Jesuit @ Archbishop Hoban, Middletown @ Hamilton and Alliance @ Louisville. In this article I’ll spotlight some guards who made an impact in these games.
Just recently made his commitment to play football at Wheeling (WV) but Wheeler was getting busy last Friday against Dublin Scioto. Wheeler was creating space with his athleticism and quickness, then knocking down off the bounce jumpers with ease. He was unable to be contained at the point of attack and had a huge scoring game in the blowout win.
McClure is a prospect who stood out in limited action as a freshman and now getting to play a starter role for Westerville South as a Sophomore. McClure has grown a couple inches since the last time I saw him and seems to have improved as an outside shot-maker. McClure hit a couple 3-pointers and let it fly with confidence. The thing I like the most about McClure’s game is his defensive ability, and that was also on display against Dublin Scioto. A name to watch in central Ohio’s 2025 class.
Highlights
The game against Walsh Jesuit was one of my favorite games I’ve ever seen Nichols play, and he had a relatively quiet scoring night. The impact Nichols made on the defensive end was very encouraging in my eyes. I liked how engaged Nichols was as an off-ball defender, providing help-side defense, taking a charge and making smart double teams. Nichols has also improved his body as he continues to develop in the weight room. Nichols is a prospect that MAC schools have already offered and will continue to get Division I interest from low and mid major programs.
While it was a disappointing rivalry game loss for Walsh Jesuit, there were some bright spots to take away from the game. I was impressed with Bell’s ability to male shots from the outside as he hit a couple huge 3-pointers in the second half to keep his team competitive. I also liked that Bell played off two feet in the paint, knowing his size and athletic limitations when trying to finish at the rim. Undersized guards need to know how to finish at the rim without going through rim protectors and Bell did a good job of that. Walsh has multiple intriguing 2023 and 2024 small college prospects and have had some impressive wins this year.
The third leading scorer in the GMC, Matthews has had a great senior season. A guard who just knows how to score, Matthews can draw fouls, knock down shots from deep and finds the ball for easy looks. Matthews made some big-time shots in this game, including a four-point play that swung momentum in his team’s favor. I was also impressed by his passing ability, dishing out eight assists which tied a season high. Matthews is a prospect for small college programs to take a look at because of his shooting ability from the guard position and production over multiple years in one of the toughest conferences in Ohio.
Highlights
Louisville put on a show Saturday night, scoring over 100 points (the first team I’ve seen do that this season I believe) in a victory over rival Alliance. While Junior Hayden Nigro Hayden Nigro 6’4″ | SG Louisville | 2024 State OH stole the show with a career-high 41 points (check out our article on him from today here) Siegfried was also impressive. I liked his defensive intensity, jumping passing lanes and not being afraid to apply ball pressure on opposing guards. A good shooter from the outside, Siegfried knocked down a handful of 3-pointers. Louisville made the jump to Division I this year but still have enough talent to make a playoff push.