Ohio State Team Camp: Friday 2026 Standouts

I attended both days of Ohio State Team Camp and in this article I'll break down the standout performers from the second day of action from the class of 2026.    I caught Northland's first game of the morning where they showed off their depth, size and athleticism. Those pieces are all made better by the play of James from the point guard position as he helps set the table and makes plays for his teammates. The highlight of the day came when James threw a lob off the glass that was thrown down by a trailing teammate that gave his team a huge boost of momentum. James also got going as a scorer with a couple of buckets in the paint with layup finishes using either hand and floaters. Northland once again has the talent to remain at the top of the Columbus City League.     A new addition to Columbus Northland, Krylov stood out with his new team as he showed off his impressive athleticism and ball handling ability for a player his size. With his frame and athleticism, Krylov is an impact defensive player as well and thrives in transition. Northland's biggest strengths this season will be their size, length, rebounding and defense and Krylov helps add to all those facets of the game. A scholarship target from central Ohio.     Ruffin was getting busy off the dribble, creating a lot of offense for himself on Friday in my first chance to watch Groveport Madison this summer. Ruffin's best move of the day came on a nasty spin that left the defender in the dust before an acrobatic finish at the basket. I also liked Ruffin's defensive activity, having some nice shot contests going straight up without fouling and saving the ball from going out of bounds a couple times. After winning their first district title in decades last season, expectations should be high once again for Groveport Madison in the 2025-26 season.     Westerville North grabbed a comeback victory over Groveport Madison thanks in large part to a late spurt that McCree had his fingerprints all over. In the closing moments of the game McCree had a 3-pointer, two steals and two assists in a 7-0 that turned a two-point deficit into a five-point lead for Westerville North as they held on to win. While Westerville North graduated a lot of pieces from their state title winning squad, they still have plenty of talent left in their program and McCree is a notable small college recruit that's primed for a big senior season.     Bowens had maybe the highlight of the day with his dunk where he drove and took two dribbles before exploding for a quick slam before any defender could contest his shot. Throughout the two games I saw, Bowens was aggressive in looking to dunk the basketball whether he had a clear path to the rim or not. The amount of explosive athletes Reynoldsburg continues to produce means they will be one of the toughest teams to stop in transition and sure to appear on a lot of highlight tapes this winter.     Dublin Coffman has a nice mix of youth and experience and Schmidt falls into the latter category as he's been a varsity staple for a few years now. What I loved about Schmidt's game on Friday is he played so hard that he had to ask his coach for breathers after playing for 8-10 minutes in a row. While Schmidt is in excellent shape, he was playing so hard that he needed to give himself a quick breather to get back into the game. I rarely see that in the winter let alone a summer basketball game and that's the type of intensity that Schmidt plays with. Offensively, Schmidt hit multiple 3-pointers and used the bank to hit a couple mid-range and floater shots. I think Schmidt should be near the top of small college recruiting boards across Ohio.     Just a day after committing to Bowling Green for football, Mock was getting after it on the hardwood as Pickerington North had a strong two day showing at the Ohio State team camp. I never count the Panthers out when they have guards that want to defend and athletes on the outside and Mock falls into both of those categories. Mock's physicality was felt as a rebounder and defender and his quarterbacking skills are shown when he whips the ball from one end of the court to the other. One of the top dual sport athletes in central Ohio, I always enjoy watching Mock compete in basketball despite being a football first athlete.

I attended both days of Ohio State Team Camp and in this article I'll break down the standout performers from the second day of action from the class of 2026.