I haven’t seen as much of Riccardo as many of the other top wings in Ohio’s 2027 class so Canfield was a priority for me to see this weekend. I caught Riccardo in my final game of the weekend and was most impressed by Riccardo’s passing ability with Canfield. Riccardo found cutters, made drive and kick passes and beat double teams with the pass. With the size and length to finish over smaller players and the skill to attack off the dribble vs slower players, Riccardo is a bit of a mismatch problem from the wing forward position. I’d expect Riccardo’s recruitment to pick up, especially with high academic programs as he holds a 3.89 GPA according to his twitter.

Riccardo impressed with his ability to be versatile on the offensive end. He can space the floor and needs to be respected when out on the perimeter. His bread and butter has always been on the interior where he has great touch around the bucket. Riccardo is effective running the floor in transition. He is effective playing the two man game and does a good job rolling to the rim. He is in good spots on the floor to get rebounds. Riccardo is molding himself into being an undersized stretch 4. He should be on the radar of D2+ and low major programs. Looking forward to tracking his developments over the upcoming season.

One of the more naturally talented players in Ohio’s 2027 class, when Riccardo is knocking down shots he is very tough to slow down. With his size and ability to attack off the dribble, teams usually force Riccardo to beat them with jumpers and he’s continued to improve this aspect of his game. For Riccardo to take the next step in his game, becoming a consistent lockdown defender is very attainable for a player of his physical talents and should be the top priority going into his Junior season.

Riccardo was one of the highest rated players in attendance and certainly lived up to that reputation. A smooth mover at his size, Riccardo has a unique blend of height, quickness and movement. Having some nice chemistry with some grassroots teammates as TNBA -Ohio’s 15 U HGSL champions team was well represented at this camp, Riccardo scored off a couple give and go’s into a cut for a layup. An above the rim finisher, Riccardo had soft touch at the rim and it was tough for rim protectors to bother him on layups. After struggling to hit shots from the outside at the start of the camp, Riccardo got hot in a hurry later in the evening and when he’s making shots, he’s one of the tougher covers in the 2027 class. A high upside prospect to watch down the road, Riccardo has already earned Division I interest and looks like one of the top prospects in the state from the class of 2027.

Ursuline has a lot of young talent and after making a run to the state semifinals last season, the Irish could be even better in 2024-25. Riccardo will need to be their most improved guy after showing flashes as a freshman. On Saturday, he continued to show me skills that keep me intrigued with his long term upside. A prospect who has a good frame and moves his feet well for his size and age, Riccardo has some plus athletic tools. Offensively, Riccardo is still developing but hit some mid-range shots and had some extension finishes at the rim off two feet on Saturday. The 3-point shot is still an area that needs improvement but will hopefully improve over the next few years. The Youngstown area has been down as a whole talent wise over the past handful of years, hopefully Ursuline’s 2027 class is the start for the area to turn the corner and continue to develop elite talent once again.