Cleveland Play-By-Play: Stars and Standouts

Thirty-plus point performances from John Hugley and Ramar Pryor will be remembered as the most memorable outings from the 2020 Cleveland Play-By-Play Classic. Unsigned seniors turned out to be a consistent theme of the day, too, along with New Names (which we will touch on in a later article). To begin our coverage of the event, this article is a list of 17 evaluations for the top performers of the day, broken into two categories. Quickly, the game results: <ul> <li>Glenville beat Gilmour, 62 to 57</li> <li>Richmond Heights beat Revere, 67 to 55</li> <li>Garfield Heights beat Euclid, 71 to 60</li> <li>St. Vincent-St. Mary beat Lorain, 69 to 53</li> <li>St. Edward beat First Love (PA), 69 to 61</li> <li>Cleveland Heights beat Brush, 69 to 64</li> <li>Shaker Heights beat Rhodes, 64 to 57</li> </ul> <h4 style="text-align: center">Stars THE VERY BEST PERFORMANCES</h4> <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ramar-pryor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ramar Pryor</a> (2022) | 6-2 SG | St. Vincent-St. Mary stats: 31 points, 9 rebounds</h6> Pryor possesses a ton of physical tools and has quickly become a floor-spacer with his improved catch-and-shoot ability. Almost all of his 31 points came within the flow of the offense. He made open shots and occasionally scored efficiently off the bounce. Plays with balance and converted touch shots in the lane. Pryor is both strong and fast. Plus length. Disciplined defender who moves well laterally. Lot of upside as a defender. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/john-hugley-iv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Hugley</a> (2020) | 6-9 C | Brush stats: 32 points, 9 rebounds</h6> The future Pittsburgh Panther showed why he is the No. 1 player in Ohio's senior class. Scoring 24 points in the second half alone, Hugley was the focal point of nearly every Brush possession. The big-bodied post accepted double-teams, powering through for strong takes and passing to cutters that flashed from the opposite wing. Showed burst off the floor. Put a number of Cleveland Heights Tigers in foul trouble and remained calm through the hacking. Controlled the glass and defended the rim without fouling. Drilled three 3-pointers.   <h4 style="text-align: center">Standouts NEXT TIER OF TOP PERFORMERS</h4> <h6>Tyshawn Smiley (2021) | 6-5 PF | Glenville stats: 21 points, 13 rebounds</h6> Smiley has a combination of mobility and size/power that causes mismatches at the high school level and problems on the offensive glass. Nobody could keep him off the boards. He tallied a high number of offensive rebounds, impressing with touch and second jumps on putbacks. Flashes ability to put it on the floor for powerful straight-line-drive finishes. Smiley connected on one 3-pointer and shooting it consistently is the next step for the junior. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/bryon-ottrix/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bryon Ottrix</a> (2021) | 5-10 PG | Glenville stats: 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists</h6> Ottrix's one-on-one scoring and shooting from distance are very appealing qualities. Uses quickness to make efficient or multi-dribble separation moves. Operated well away from the ball, too — confronted with an aggressive ball denial, he made sharp cuts and curled tightly off screens. Ottrix used quickness on help-side defense to occasionally disrupt a play. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/connor-otoole/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Connor O'Toole</a> (2020) | 6-2 PG | Gilmour stats: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists</h6> O'Toole — known for his elite shooting and IQ — impressed as a playmaker. Created shots with long advance passes and late kick-outs. As Gilmour's clear top dog, he faced constant ball pressure yet kept his eyes up while avoiding turnovers. Penetrated with ease, drawing fouls with long gather steps. Although O'Toole didn't put together a great shooting day by his standards, the unsigned senior never became trigger-shy. His defense is another quality that separates him from most shooters. He drew two charges, one defending the post the other by sliding his feet against a drive. O'Toole simply stays in front all the time. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/anthony-maxie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anthony Maxie</a> (2020) | 6-5 C | Richmond Heights stats: 16 points, 5 rebounds</h6> Unsigned senior that may continue to be overlooked for being undersized. However, Maxie is not only extremely bouncy and mobile, he is also scrappy. Pound for pound, one of the best rebounders in the 2020 class. The lefty also shows touch off the glass in a crowded paint. His free throw stroke is promising. Physical tools of a wing and can defend 3 through 5 in high school. Maxie had all of his 16 points and five rebounds in the first half. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/josiah-harris/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Josiah Harris</a> (2022) | 6-7 PF | Richmond Heights stats: 10 points, 11 rebounds</h6> Maxie is a blossoming power athlete with a legit inside and outside scoring game. His spot-up jumper continues to look clean. On post-ups, Harris powerfully turns over his shoulder and seeks contact. Plays hard. A soon-to-be heavily recruited prospect, Harris isn't afraid to dive on the floor, battle for a rebound, and risk his body to block a shot. We love the way he approaches the game. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/gbolahan-adio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gbolahan Adio</a> (2020) | 6-3 SG | Richmond Heights stats: 17 points, 3 rebounds</h6> Adio — an unsigned senior with a West Virginia Tech offer — displayed his appealing shot-making and athleticism. He's a wiry athlete with a versatile skillset who can knock down open shots, create offense, and make plays in transition. The ball didn't stick in his hand. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/hunter-drenth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hunter Drenth</a> (2020) | 6-6 C | Revere stats: 20 points, 8 rebounds</h6> Size in the senior class is being valued at record high rates this time of year. Drenth is one of those unsigned kids worth checking out. He's a big body with a developing skillset. Scored from the perimeter several times. Drenth, with comfort, ripped through for one-dribble pull-ups and physical straight-line-drives. Uses his body well with spin move gathers. Drenth also sealed on post-ups to score from the block. Covering more area as a rebounder is the next step for him. <h6>Jesse Laster (2020) | 6-2 SG | Garfield Heights stats: 14 points, 2 rebounds</h6> Laster played lock-down defense at the point of attack, often for the full 94 feet. The Lincoln Trail recruit forces bad shots and turnovers, leading to transition offense, another area he thrives. Electric finisher. Zipped unselfish passes in transition, too. Serviceable ball-handler and spot shooter. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/seth-wilson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Seth Wilson</a> (2021) | 6-1 PG | Lorain stats: 13 points, 8 rebounds</h6> Wilson physicality and body control sets him apart from other guards with elite shot-making ability. His strength, length, and strong hands allow him to win 50-50 balls, rebound in traffic, and finish through the body. When he's not looking to draw a shooting foul, Wilson intelligently settles for balanced short-range jumpers in the shallow mid-range. He can defend wings by staying low and strong. West Virginia recruit. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/devontae-blanton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Devontae Blanton</a> (2020) | 6-5 SF | St. Edward stats: 23 points, 7 rebounds</h6> Blanton is most-effective around the free throw line. He has a reliable jump shot from that area of the floor. Also, Blanton can make a crafty one-dribble move if he catches in the middle. Using a wiggly handle and strong body, the unsigned senior was able to get to his spot time and again. Blanton also defended up a position and held his own on the boards by boxing out and leaning on taller players. Makes plays when leading the break, occasionally threading the needle into the paint. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/grant-huffman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Grant Huffman</a> (2020) | 6-4 SG | St. Edward stats: 12 points, 6 assists</h6> More of the same for the Davidson signee. Huffman's normal, though, is pretty outstanding. The big guard is crafty when it comes to at-rim scoring and freeing up his teammates for open shots. Huffman was efficient in the paint by drawing fouls and using deceptive maneuvers to free up finishes. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/garvin-clarke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Garvin Clarke</a> (2020) | 6-0 PG | Cleveland Heights stats: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists</h6> Clarke paced Heights in the second half while playing in maybe the most energetic environment I've sat in all season. He got better as the game went on and hardly ever turned it over. Sprayed a clutch step-back to beat the third-quarter buzzer. Showed elite quickness in tight spaces on the dribble drive. Delivered crucial assists that led to 3-pointers. Scrappy in loose ball situations. Akron signee. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/elmore-james/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elmore James</a> (2022) | 6-0 SG | Brush stats: 19 points, 2 rebounds</h6> James — a compact combo guard with rare strength and lockdown defensive ability — played an all-around game as Brush's lone reliable ball-handler down the stretch (point guard Tyreek Crump left the game with a shoulder injury in the third quarter). Playing away the ball James made clever flash cuts into the paint. Unbothered by contact when finishing. <h6><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/danny-young-jr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Danny Young Jr.</a> (2022) | 6-0 PG | Shaker Heights stats: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assist</h6> Young is best when he gets downhill, whether he's finishing a layup, pulling up, or kicking out. Turned the corner with burst after clever hesitation moves. His gather steps and finishes are often creative. Young uses long gather steps to draw fouls and get his layups up in traffic. Passed to the open man. <h6>Jamal Sumlin (2022) | 6-1 PG | Rhodes stats: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists</h6> Sumlin is a borderline Star of the day. A dynamic lead guard with room for physical development, he displayed a number of appealing traits that justified his December offers from Cleveland State and Rider. On offense, the timing and vision as a passer was the number one thing that stood out. He found cutters in transition and the halfcourt, even threading the needle at times. Sets up high-percentage shots. Proved to be a capable shooter (although it's hard to evaluate consistency on your first time seeing a player). He's tough. Sumlin won 50-50 scrums for long rebounds and loose balls by fighting harder than anyone else. The toughness complements his quickness on the defensive end, where he was terrific. Gets into the body when defending the ball. Very good rebounder for his position.