Division 1 state semis

[Globetrotter]

Watched the state semis tonight at the Schott. As always it was a good experience. I chose this year just to watch these two games being as they will have the most talent and then watching all the games tomorrow on Sports Time Ohio.

First game was LaSalle v Toledo CC. Lasalle I assumed was loaded with a ton of different guys mentioned on rivals and scout. They are ranked 3rd and won the game. The only guy who really stood out was Brandon Neal, a 6-4/3 Sr F/G. I had seen his athleticism before in one of the highlight reels and was excited to see him. He really didn't disappoint and really scored at will. If he were 4 inches taller with his athleticism I would love for him to go to BG. Around the basket he is a stud but I didn't see much outside of that. He doesn't seem to have great handles or shooting ability so he doesnt seem to fit a need for us. His pg is Josh Lemons a Jr who we are listed as being interested in. He was the player of the league in his conference but did not really show much at all. FWIW Dave Esterkamp is on their staff and this is where we got both Crawford and McElroy from so there is a connection. Toledo CC did not have anyone of note. There were a few intriguing guys that we might want to get in on early. There 5-11 So. backup pg Cliff Bussey was great had great handles and was really quick. They also have a 6-5 So who drilled 2 threes and played more on the perimeter and a 6-2 Freshman who started. LaSalle should get beat tomorrow. Northland has way too much size.

Second game was Northland v Garfield Hts. I will start out talking about Garfield Hts because I am just blown away by Northland, I can't imagine how good they must have been last year. In the last 3 weeks I have seen guys going to OU, Michigan and Wisconsin but the Garfield Hts Guard Trey Lewis (Penn St) was clearly the best. He had great handles and an incredible shot. Their 6-6 So will end up being really good because he is a fluid athlete. He did not do too much tonight. They certainly have good size with a 6-9 backup C. Northland is loaded. I have seen them play twice and the guys who played well the first game showed again. Their PG/SG is going to Michigan but I think he might be their 4th best player. They have a trio of Jrs that I would consider offering tomorrow. (Ignoring the fact that its probably not a good idea to get three guys from the same team). That is probably overstating things but I would certainly offer the 2 Bigmen. We discussed them in another thread but it bears repeating because I watched them again and they were just as good. Devon Scott plays more of a Center role but is athletic enough to be a PF for us. He is 6-8 and not thin but looks like he could easily add weight. He is my favorite of the three. He had nice touch around the basket and finishes a ton and is really athletic. The other big man Robinson is probably going to get better offers (and has already gotten better offers) and had a much better night tonight and is even more athletic. He also hit a couple threes. He reminds me a little of Austin Calhoun but not as aggressive offensively. They play together great. Both are pretty good passers and terrific rebounders. (Scott 11.3ppg/9.9r, Robinson 12.9ppg/9.8r) If I had to pick just one of the 2 it would be Scott. He seems to have more of an attitude and be more aggressive which is exactly what we need in our current posts but are not getting a lot of. Both can run the floor and would fit Orrs system well. The guy who I did not notice last time was their Jr PG Jordan Potts. He is listed as anywhere from 5-10 to 6-0. He had a great game tonight and seems to be much more of a distributor. He has great handles and can still score a little bit. He seems longer then 5-10 and seemed pretty good on D, although I admit that I don't watch that enough.

I really recommend watching atleast this game tomorrow. LaSalle with the PG who we are looking at and Northland with the PF who I think we should be looking at.

[Class of 61]

I think I mentioned this on a prior post, but I was the official scorer for Garf. Hts. BB for 26yrs.....and in those 26 years, we had a TOTAL of two winning seasons...Even the team with Sonny Johnson (now the HC) and his equally gifted brother, who played PG as a Freshman for Gh, didn't have that great a record; and Sonny was "Mr. Basketball" in Ohio his Sr. year.

Anyway, it's the 1st time GH had reached Columbus in SIXTY-ONE years... so I was hoping for a win...but playing a strong Columbus area team in Columbus can't be easy..and Northland was one of the few teams GH saw that could match their overall size. Oh Well.

[Globetrotter]

Watched all 4 games today. Some good some bad. As expected the D1 final was the best game, not in terms of closeness but quality of players. I had watched both teams last night and Northland a few weeks back so it was interesting to see the players again. I expected Northland to blow them out and think they would have but they completely abandoned the post because LaSalle was fading in the middle. Lasalle blew Northland out. Lasalle didn't have anyone over 6-4 so avoiding the middle, where they could have had success, was not smart. I found out today that the guy, Trey Burke, going to Michigan is Mr Basketball in Ohio. He has not looked good the last three weeks. Seems more like an Allen Iverson type (ie great athlete that fills up the stat sheets because he demands the ball) then a great player. The point guard that stood out before for me at Northland didn't seem quite as good this time. Also the guy we are looking at from LaSalle, PG Lemons, didn't show a ton again either. Scott who I really liked before had a decent game but spent a ton of time on the bench as Northland let LaSalle dictate their lineup. I still really like him because he did great in the time he played. I would offer him with one of our Oglesby, Thomas, Brown schollies. He is an athletic 6-8 Forward who has an aggressive attitude. He rebounds really well, has a great post game and seems to be a pretty good shot blocker as well. The big negative was that he basically threw a punch at the end of the game. It was not violent and seemed more out of frustration due to his lack of playing time and the score. It was more of a throw then a punch. Keep in mind its a small snapshot of whats available but I thought he was great and would be great get. Aggressive, athletic, a solid post game and an attitude.

The other guy that stood out was LaSalle's Brandon Neel, that I mentioned below. He was clearly the best player tonight. Scored 20 pts on athletic shots around the paint and followup dunks. He basically plays like a 6-3 Forward...which had me on the fence, but then I started to think about the last two 6-4/6-3 forwards who had success here...Nate Miller and Anthony Stacey. I think he is more Erik Crawford the those two but I still think he could fit. The reason I am thinking Crawford is because he is a strong, athletic 6-3. However, he doesn't seem to have an outside shot, I question his lateral quickness and wonder how he will do as a 6-3 F in the MAC but everything else is really good. He is a great scorer in the paint and off cuts, has great leaping ability, is really smart. I dont think he will ever be a ball in his hands with 2 minutes to go guy but will always be able to score. I see him as a Mawel Soler(I think that was his name), Germain Fitch or Erik Crawford as his base and a get things done somehow player like Stacey or Miller as his ceiling. Regardless I really like him. If we have a spot open up I think that he could be great. My guess is that no one offers him and he ends up the best player on a division 2 team. If he was 6-8 ad could play PF he would be an elite recruit headed to Cincy or OU.

[Globetrotter]

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/preps/2010/ ... s-notes-2/

FWIW we showed interest in him.

My guess is that a guy leaves. And we add either Bryant who we discussed before or Neel and Orr. Orr will walkon.

[Globetrotter]

Neel talking about playing with Crawford and McElroy

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/presspreps/ ... ndon-neel/

[Globetrotter]

Brandon Neel headed to prep school

http://heardthisblog.com/?p=172

I would be interested next year depending on how the roster shakes out.

[Globetrotter]

Brandon Neel, formerly of LaSalle but spending a postgrad year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, has already received offers from Marshall, Virginia Tech, and Fairleigh Dickenson since arriving at Fork Union.

http://cincyprephoopsreport.blogspot.com/