Top Performers from The Challenge

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Challenge, hosted at Pickerington North, put six OCC teams against six Columbus City League teams in an exciting all day event. In this article I'll be breaking down the standout performers from the games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1721058"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A major stock rising big man, Provitt has been a great gem to find in the past couple weeks watching him twice for Thomas Worthington. Active at 6'7, Provitt threw down a couple dunks and moves his feet well. The highlight of the game for the Cardinals was when Provitt ripped the ball from a ball handler and threw it down with authority in transition. Not ready to play at the scholarship level right now, Provitt is the type of player who could end up at a small college and either transfer up or wind up an all-conference selection. Lots of upside with this 6'7 post prospect.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1475111"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Griffin is quickly becoming one of my favorite guards in Ohio's 2025 class to watch and once again didn't disappoint in my second viewing of his this season. Griffin is a very good spot-up shooter and knocked down another three or four 3-pointers in this one. A small nitpick I had on Griffin was he forced the issue a little when Columbus South had a lead in the second half, trying to continue to attack in tough situations. In the end, it didn't matter because Griffin hit a clutch 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the game to break a 47-47 tie and win the game for his team. Columbus South only has one loss on the year and Griffin is a big reason for their success.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1222376"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"One of the biggest stock risers in the 2024 class this season, Aekins has been on an absolute tear all season. The quickest player in the state, Aekins is almost impossible to stay in front of and stop from getting into the lane. An improved pull-up shooter, Aekins is not only making more shots but he's also improved his touch on 3-pointers and layups. Obviously very undersized, Aekins will need to continue to develop ways to score around the rim and in the floater range, but he's played himself into legit Division I interest this spring and summer.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1053639"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Ivery is back in Ohio with Gahanna and having a very productive senior season. The wing is an excellent athlete who threw down some impressive dunks and almost threw down a couple poster slams that just missed. An active player, Ivery makes winning plays without scoring the basketball. If Ivery can develop an improved jump-shot he could be a very productive player at the next level considering how translatable his skillset is.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1222352"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Very few players had as impressive of a 24-hour span in the state this season as Norris had from 7 P.M. Friday to 7 P.M. Saturday. After dropping 30 points to knock Olentangy Orange from the ranks of the unbeatens, Norris helped lead Hilliard Bradley to an upset over Africentric. Norris in the first two games I caught this season wasn't taking many 3-point shots but has seemed to have found improved confidence recently, knocking down a couple in each of his last two games. Norris struggles to get by defenders but does a good job using his size and vision to take care of the basketball in pressure situations. It'll be interesting to see how Norris does at the 3SSB level this spring and summer.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1571119"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"One of the top freshmen in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1571121' first='King' last='Kendrick'] once again showed some incredible flashes on Saturday night that were special. Kendrick has excellent burst and quickness, with the ability to turn on the jets in transition and blow by you in the half court as well. Another thing I like about Kendrick is that he's legit ambidextrous. Lots of players say 'I'm just as good with my left as I am with my right' and vise versa, and 95% of the time that's not true but Kendrick can literally shoot with both hands, finish at the rim with both hands and make passes with either hand. It's a unique advantage that he has which makes him tough to guard. I'm excited to watch Kendrick develop as he appears to be one of the top 2026 guards in the state.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1432005"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Lawson has been excellent in each of the last two high school games I've caught of his, first at the 5 C's classic and now at the Challenge. Lawson is a great athlete with room to develop physically still. My favorite early trait of Lawson was his impressive on ball defense as a young guard and that's only improved over the past year. Lawson's burst is excellent and it's only going to be a matter of time till he turns the corner and starts dunking on defenders in the half court. If Lawson can consistently make shots from the outside, he could end up a priority mid major recruit.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63bc3d924b945"} /-->