All In Hoopfest: Central Ohio Gs (Part 1)
Over the entire week, we’ll be highlighting the impressive performances from Ohio prospects at the All In Hoopfest in Louisville. We started on Monday with the Breakout Performances. Now, we’re taking a trip all the way around Ohio by checking in on players in accordance to their state region and position.
For the central Ohio area, we’re breaking the guards into two parts. Let’s start here by checking out the first seven on our list.
Garrett Tipton (2018), 6’4” G, VCC-NOVA (Beard)
Lucas House (2018), 6’2” PG, VCC-NOVA (Beard)
Especially on Friday night in their upset win over OBC, we liked what House brought as a primary ball-hander. He’s reliable with the basketball and his size is an advantage against opposing point guards. House changes speeds appropriately up the floor and can use his frame to shield the ball away from defenders.
In the half-court, House stays within the offense. His catch-and-shoot ability could use some work, as we didn’t see him convert on open opportunities from the corner. The incoming senior at Dublin Jerome received a D-II offer from Urbana last week.
CJ Penha (2018), 6’6” hybrid, ISG-Hidden Gems
Penha probably should’ve been included in the Breakout Performances recap, because of his strong play on Saturday. He looked like a quality D-II/NAIA scholarship kid, especially against the Dayton Nets. Playing with contagious energy, Penha was stroking home spot-up threes and optimizing his length by playing disciplined defense. His athleticism is good enough to come into a program and play a number of spots, based on what style the program plays. We could see him excel in any spot from 2-4.
JT Shumate (2018), 6’6” W, OH-NOVA (Rice)
Shumate’s jumper wasn’t quite as consistent as we’ve seen in the past, but his abilities around the basket saw an uptick. The incoming Newark senior appears stronger than ever. He’s using his body to soar for rebounds and finish inside in a congested lane. Now that he seems to have become a true threat inside and out, Shumate seems completely ready for the D-II level. Expect a very strong senior year out of him, where he’ll likely have to hold his own against top wings in the 2018 class consistently.
Dondre Palmer (2018), 6’4” G, OH-NOVA (Rice)
Palmer is such a unique player. The kid doesn’t spot up from beyond the arch, instead he finds his range and settles in around the mid-range, where he knocks down shots consistently. Palmer also seems to understand the importance of team defense, and communicates intelligently on defense nearly every possession. The Pickerington North prospect is simply self-aware. He probably isn’t going to average 20 or explode for a highlight dunk; but he is going to draw a charge, he is going to closeout correctly, he is going to knock-down a 15-footer, and Palmer will always play hard.
Jejuan Weatherspoon (2018), 6’3” G, Hidden Gems Black
“Spoon” was tremendous when he had opportunities to be the primary ball-handler for this team. We think his best spot is the point guard position, because he’s far more of a threat with the ball in his hands. He’s really a scorer, so maybe he won’t play 80% of a college game at point guard. But, in those spurts where he’s hot, giving Weatherspoon control of the offense is great for the team. Specifically from this weekend, he was converting on his floater with just a smidgen of separation and flared off screens for three-pointers.
Juan Elmore (2018), 6’4” hybrid, VCC Ohio Warriors Pro Bound
One word to describe Elmore’s style: calm. For whatever reason, defenders tend to really pressure him when he’s operating in the half-court. In return, Elmore draws a crack of separation by leaning into guys and is able to find shots or cutters from there. He scored the ball effectively on post-ups from 8-12 feet, where he can do a number of step-throughs and drop steps. Elmore also tallies a lot of assists because of his unselfishness and the pressure he puts on the defense with his size.