I went to the two regional games that St. John’s played in last week and Hornbeak played phenomenally in both games. His confidence in his scoring right now is through the roof. He scored 21 against Perrysburg in the semifinals and then 26 against Garfield Heights to send the Titans down to Dayton. CJ averaged more than 20 points in the regular season and now has been playing even better in the playoffs. Hornbeak can score on all three levels. His finishing ability is extremely impressive as he can make it from very difficult angels and absorbs contact very well when finishing. He also uses his pivot foot great to create angles for himself around the rim. He does a great job of making it seem like he is going all the way to the rim and then stopping on a dime for his midrange pull-up. His three-point shot is coming off very quick with tons of confidence right now. He is a knockdown catch and shoots 3 point shooter right now. Hornbeak’s defense has been outstanding. Not only is he carrying the Titans offensively but he also is tasked with guarding the other team’s best player and absolutely locks them down. His on-ball pressure and ability to cut off the dribbler are great. Hornbeak isn’t the biggest but shows a lot of strength when he shows the ability to switch onto multiple players. He has a high IQ as well when he shows great anticipation on defense for steals and his off-ball ability to set himself up for points off of cuts and setting up angles to come off of screens. He made Garfield’s best defender foul out and also had 26 points. Against Perrysburg he scored 20 and held their best player to only 5 points. Hornbeak has led the Titans by example this year and has now led the ninth seed in NWO down to the Final 4 in Dayton. I said it in my tweet after the game and I’ll say it again, I don’t know what more this kid has to do. Offer him.

Hornbeak last night at the playoff game I attended had one of the most cold-blooded shots I’ve seen this season with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send his team to the district finals. Hornbeak plays hard and has taken strides as a jump shooter over the past year or so. An active on ball defender, Hornbeak looks to apply pressure to help get his team out in transition. Hornbeak has offers from Division II, III and JUCO programs, showing his recruitment is wide open at the moment from a variety of levels. Check him out when his team plays for a district championship against rival Toledo Whitmer on Friday night at Toledo Central Catholic high school.

Hornbeak is taking the role of Mr. Do it all for St. John’s this season and he plays that role well. He got off to a slow start on Tuesday night as Fremont Ross started the game box-n-1 on Hornbeak but once they got out of it, it was go time for him. He got to the rim often and invited contact. He has a really good ability to use his momentum to rip the ball attacking the basket. He is looking more confident in his jump shoot. It’s coming off his hand quicker and smoother. He seems to be elevating higher on his shots. You can tell Hornbeak is playing with great confidence right now.

Scholarship programs should’ve offered Hornbeak yesterday but with his limited recruiting status so far, there’s still time for new programs to jump into his recruiting picture. Hornbeak is a stronger guard who can get where he needs to off the bounce and is finishing with either hand off one or two feet. Hornbeak also has improved as a shooter, knocking down jumpers off the catch or bounce. I’m extremely high on Hornbeak and hope he gets the attention he deserves from college programs, there are few players in NW Ohio who have a bigger impact on winning at the high school level.

Hornbeak was the talk of the gym and walked away with two offers less than 24 hours after the event concluded. Hornbeak has been a clear scholarship prospect for a while in my eyes and Sunday just further confirmed that belief. Hornbeak shot the ball at a higher clip from 3-point range than I’ve ever previously seen from him, making at least five 3-pointers in one game. Hornbeak was as usual attacking the rim with a lot of aggressiveness and finding ways to score around the basket. Hornbeak should be a prospect that Division II and NAIA programs target, especially after his performance on Sunday.