Spire Practice Notes

I spent this week visiting practice of a trio of the top prep programs across northeast Ohio, on Monday I spent the morning at Spire and in this article I'll break down some of the top players I caught from the practice.    It's rare that we have bigs that stand 6'9 or 6'10+ in Ohio so Ross immediately stands out for me. I was impressed with his fluidity as an athlete, moving well latterly and vertically. Ross can play above the rim with a handful of dunks in the practice session, two with defenders under the rim. As a rim protector, Ross has solid length and his vertical leaping ability makes it difficult for guards to finish over him. Still extremely skinny, Ross will look to slowly fill out his body with weight and muscle while not losing his quickness or explosiveness. Also showing flashes of perimeter shooting, being able to pass on the perimeter is another skill I'll be monitoring. Ross has recently been offered by Kent State and Stetson and is sure to attract even more Division I offers over the next few months.     The second Atlanta area native to make the move to Spire, Williams was impressive on Monday morning. A wing guard with good length and a high feel for the game, Williams made some nice extra passes and could impact the game defensively. Off the dribble, Williams was able to attack closeouts and create separation. Want to see more ball handling and perimeter shooting from Williams during my next watch of his but he looked the part of a Division I prospect and already holds offers from Kent State and Stetson.     Making the move from New York to Spire, there was a local college program from near where Alexander is from at practice checking out him and the rest of the team the same morning I was there. What immediately stands out when you watch Alexander is his relentless on ball defensive pressure. This guard flat out gets after it on the defensive end of the court. Alexander was making life miserable for opposing point guards even getting the ball across half court. A limited offensive player, Alexander definitely will earn playing time and college interest due to his defense.     Waltz is the definition of a late bloomer who blew up by taking a post grad year and playing 17 U this spring and summer. Waltz received seven Division I offers in the month of May and committed to Miami (OH) in July. A stretch forward who is starting to fill out his body to get ready for the college level, I think the post-grad year is going to do Waltz a lot of good, especially with the weight training that is available to him at Spire. Makes perfect sense for what Miami (OH) wants to do so I think he found a good fit at a level that makes sense for his talents, excited to follow Waltz to his college journey after catching him on Monday morning.     The lone Ohio native on Spire's national team, Register decided to take a post-grad year at the nearby prep program. For Register, getting to play against talented competition with more talented teammates should allow college programs to better evaluate him after he put up monster numbers in high school. He looked a little slimmer and developing his body is a key for him during this post grad season.

I spent this week visiting practice of a trio of the top prep programs across northeast Ohio, on Monday I spent the morning at Spire and in this article I'll break down some of the top players I caught from the practice.