Observations from Akron Hoban’s impressive win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph at Dunk for Diabetes
The center of the Ohio prep basketball universe could be found inside a steamy gym at the DeCarlo Athletic Center on the campus of John Carroll University on Jan. 29. It was there that the Dunk 4 Diabetes Showcase unfolded, which featured a bevy of teams ranked in either the Ohio prep AP poll or the Cleveland.com Top 25. A slew of Division I college coaches took in the seven-game card, including West Virginia’s Bob Huggins, Ohio State’s Chris Holtman, and Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot were in attendance.
Here are some observations from Akron Hoban’s 85-64 drumming of Villa Angela-St. Joseph, the third game of the day.
Akron Hoban’s junior guard Jake Snyder (2019) would be a perfect fit for any Division III program. He can shoot it and has a high basketball IQ. Has nifty handle and did not shrink playing against a very athletic Villa Angela-St. Joseph team, which featured very good guards.
Another player who emerged in that game was Hoban sophomore wing Dominick Moegerle (2020). The 6’3″ Moegerle was playing in just his second game for the Knights, after transferring from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. He showed off extreme athleticism with a thunderous dunk off an alley-oop and a smooth, unrushed offensive game. Can fly around and could develop into a defensive stud.
Garrett Houser, a 6’0” senior guard who is going to play college football at Navy, was all over the floor as well. The guy is a total gamer who just never stopped running and or scoring as he put in 25.
Division I prospect Collen Gurley (2018) scored 11. The unsigned 6’2” senior has a nice frame and can really get off the floor on his jump shot, which is smooth and repeatable.
VASJ just ran out of gas, but I was impressed by the play of Jason Priah (2019), a 6’3” guard with an impressive build and a strong basic skill set. He’s pretty athletic and was able to assert himself by working inside for buckets. He finished with 14 points.
VASJ senior guard Jerry Higgins had the best offensive game of any player, scoring 18 points and showing an ability to get almost any shot he wants. Still unsigned, you’d think this kid would be a nice sign for a low D-I school looking for a great kid with a high basketball IQ who’s going to be there four years, a steadying influence in a locker room.
VASJ freshman point guard Jaden Hameed (2021), 5’11” showed a natural feel for the game. He scored 13 and showed off some nifty handles, which allowed him to create a nifty floater in the lane that could be a go-to move. Can get to the basket to create scoring opportunities for teammates and himself.