My Weekend in the TRAC and TAAC: Top Performers
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This past weekend I drove to Bancroft Street to watch Toledo Central Catholic take on St. Francis DeSales. The next night, I headed over to Ottawa Hills to watch the Green Bears take on the Emmanuel Christian Warriors. Both of…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend I drove to Bancroft Street to watch Toledo Central Catholic take on St. Francis DeSales. The next night, I headed over to Ottawa Hills to watch the Green Bears take on the Emmanuel Christian Warriors. Both of these games were surprisingly great games in environments that matched. Here are my top players from these games:
Chico Johnson Chico Johnson 6'2" | SG Toledo Central Catholic | 2023 State OH (2023): Guard, 6’3, Toledo Central Catholic
Chico Johnson Chico Johnson 6'2" | SG Toledo Central Catholic | 2023 State OH is someone you watch in warmups and can tell is a college basketball player. He is a very confident kid. It was obvious he was a different level of athlete than everyone else on the floor. He has a very long wingspan, has the ability to jump out of the gym, and has great size, which has the potential to be even bigger.
His athleticism was used wisely as well. His long arms led to a game-high 5 blocks and he came up with tough rebounds against bigger players. His leaping ability was seen with an electric 3rd quarter alley-oop dunk in a 1 on 2 transition situation.
I was impressed by Chico’s maturity and effort level as he dove on the floor multiple times for loose balls and played the most every minute of the game for the Irish. Chico went 0-3 on three-pointers on Friday night but his form and stroke was very fluid and nice. He was a very big threat against the Knights’ 2-3 zone when he caught in the middle and was able to hit turn-around jumpers all night long. He lead by example all night for the Irish as well, he only had 6 points in the first half and the game was tied at 25. Then he went on to score 14 points in the second half, never sat a minute, and Central wound up winning 51-43.
Jerry Easter (2025): Guard, 6’4, Emmanuel Christian
My first time seeing this phenomenal freshman point guard play and he did not disappoint. The nationally-ranked prospects with many big-time offers already, is very large and athletic for his grade. With a big 6’4 body, he has great leaping ability and lateral quickness, as he pressured Ottawa Hill guards all night long. His long wingspan made it incredibly hard to get by as well.
He was very creative when he attacked the basket and showed the ability to shoot the ball. He got most of his points in the paint but hit a 3 for EC in the first half and had multiple very close to dropping. I was very impressed with Easter’s ability and willingness to get rebounds for the Warriors. He was a problem all night on the offensive glass.
Jameson Heck (2025): Guard, 5’8, Toledo St. Francis DeSales
The talented 5’8 freshman for the Knights was faced with one of his toughest tasks yet with Central’s pressure. But the full-court man-to-man pressure was not something that stumped the young freshman at all. He is used to sophomore backcourt mate Elvis Syroka Elvis Syroka 5'9" | PG Toledo St. Francis | 2024 OH handling the ball and Heck being more of a scorer, which he has done great at this year so far as he is the leading scorer for the Knights so far season. He has had standout scoring nights of 17 against St. John’s Jesuit and 19 against Emmanuel Christian. The Irish did hold him to 5 points but he showed once again that he is very patient and methodical when he decides to attack. He showed the ability to pivot himself out of a lot of bad situations and led him to get some buckets on very tough shots. His height is something to be wary of but if he continues to improve, and hopefully get taller, over the next four years he will be someone very nice for a school at the next level.
Nate Houston Nate Houston 5'11" | PG Emmanuel Christian | 2022 OH (2022): Guard, 6’0, Emmanuel Christian
Nate Houston Nate Houston 5'11" | PG Emmanuel Christian | 2022 OH is a senior transfer from Rogers High School. He is a 6’0 guard with great athleticism. He has a very long wingspan with great two-leg leaping ability. Nate is also an absolute gym rat. This work has been spotlighted this year with his heightened ability to shoot the three-ball. He knocked down a huge three late for the warriors to give them the lead and hit 5 three-pointers earlier in the week in a big game against St. Francis DeSales.
He has great touch around the rim as his quick first step and aggressiveness in transition give him the ability to get to the rim at a high frequency. He also has an underrated court vision when he attacks which leads to many drop-off passes.