All Ohio Super 16: Central Ohio Point Guards
It’s only right that Ohio programs were in control all weekend in Reynoldsburg at the All Ohio Super 16. Not only did a program from the Buckeye State win all of the high school age levels, we were also often represented on both benches during the Gold Championship matchups.
On a player-by-player basis, some guys really stepped up to the competition and turned some heads with their play. From Monday-Wednesday, we’re recapping those individual performances, segmented by region.
Today, we’ll be focusing on Central Ohio prospects, beginning with point guards.
Julius Brown (2018), 5’9”, All Ohio Black / Westerville North
The emerging prospect built upon an impressive spring this weekend. Brown is one of these intelligent point guards who is able to control the pace of the game at any time. Speaking of pace, his shifty style of play makes defenders uncomfortable as he changes speeds often. Brown also throws bounce passes to cutters quite exceptionally.
Sean Tyson (2018), 5’9”, Hidden Gems Orange / Centennial
Tyson is an underrated prospect who could make a Division III coach happy to have taken a chance on him in the future. This HG-Orange teams is a scrappy bunch; Tyson appears to be the heart and soul, as he often sets that tone for the team by competing hard. Does a good job of knowing when to attempt a running-floater in the lane, instead of getting rejected.
Thomas Hickman (2018), 6’2”, OH-NOVA (Rice) / Westerville Central
It feels like Hickman has established himself as a definite Division II prospect at this point. The kid continues to play with great awareness, to go along with his above-average athleticism. Hickman does an unusually great job of getting his hands into passing lanes when an opposing point guard picks up his dribble — often making it impossible to enter the ball into the post. On the other end, Hickman looks off opponents and flings passes to his playmakers on the wing or block.
Braden Norris (2018), 5’11”, All Ohio Red EYBL / Hilliard Bradley
It’s clear that Norris has accepted his role with this All Ohio Red team, which has an argument as the best in the nation right now. So while Norris rarely performs any staggering athletic feats on the court, he’s always doing exactly what he’s supposed to be: spreads the floor by making the defense respect his catch-and-shoot three, always gets the ball safely past half-court, keeps everyone engaged by communicating, and trusts his teammates.
Tre Baumgartner (2018), 6’, Team Blaze / Africentric
We really loved the way Baumgartner competed on defense this weekend. When on the ball, Baumgartner can slide his feet with anyone, including some MM-HM guys he got switched on to. Away from the ball, Baumgartner stayed disciplined to his guy, while helping over in the blindside at times.
Offensively, Baumgartner didn’t shoot the jumper much when we watched Team Blaze. However, his hesitation move was impressive.
Corey Baker (2018), 5’11, OH-NOVA (Tillman) / Groveport Madison
Baker is a strong dude. When he’s able to get his defender peddling backwards/unbalanced, Baker often punishes them with physicality on layup attempts. It was the first time this summer we came away thoroughly impressed with his scoring ability. He even stepped up and converted some field goals in some close game moments when his defender was caught sleeping.
As a facilitator, Baker fits this team perfectly. He keeps the floor spaced properly from the point guard spot and makes sure guys like Jerome Hunter and Taevion Kinsey get their touches consistently.
Jeremiah Keene (2019), 6’2”, OH-NOVA (Tillman) 17u / Westerville North
Keene moved over from All Ohio Red 16u to play with NOVA this weekend. Alongside some talented, older guys, Keene filled his role excellently.
We especially liked the way Keene shot the basketball. He shoots it the same way every time, and it looks effortless almost. Keene also didn’t force any shots, opting to keep the ball moving in the half-court unless he was open. Defensively, Keene showed some nice instincts on a couple occasions Sunday, even coming up with some on-ball steals.
N’Keeley Elmore (2019), 5’6”, Pro Bound / Northland
In the 8AM timeslot Sunday, we walked into Elmore setting the tone against Old Gold. His intensity during the game had the entire Pro Bound sideline going. It became so overwhelming for Old Gold that one of their guys got a tech, and the route was on from there. Elmore and the team went on to win the 16u Gold Championship. Most of our impressions of him this weekend are based on effort, as he was a monster on the ball defensively in full-court pressure. Even though Elmore is 5’6”, the lateral quickness is enough to bring intrigue.
William Mfum (2019), 6’2”, Pro Bound / Northland
Two weeks ago, we called Mfum’s court awareness into question.
“The question is, will Mfum routinely make the pass when that second guy comes over? If he does, his burst is going to cause serious issues for defenses at this level. Mfum is a Division I level athlete, no doubts. His ceiling will simply come down to court awareness.”
Well, Mfum answered the bell this weekend when we watched Pro Bound. Not only was he better than two weeks ago, we was just flat-out intelligent. Mfum was highly communicative against a zone defense, telling guys where to be and such. Also, he positioned himself nicely, whether that was as the lead ball-handler or lurking in the corner. The emerging player also hit a nice pull-up jump shot as the defense sank against him. Also, as always, Mfum excited with highly athletic plays in transition.