Forty-five players showed up to test their skills at the first ever Triple Double Prospects Unsigned Senior Showcase, played in Cincinnati on March 30th. With talent from all over the state of Ohio, as well as a couple of prospects from the Bluegrass State, in attendance, here are the ten players who stood out the most to TDP’s staff of evaluators at our showcase….

Trent Donald

• Trent Donald – PF Cincinnati Winton Woods: Donald is always a matchup problem in showcase events because the open style of play caters to his ability to create mismatches. The Cincinnati native was probably the most consistent and dominant scorer at the event, using his strength and handle to drive the ball from the high post and power his way through contact at the rim. He’s undersized, but Donald has put up huge numbers in his high school career, and caught the eyes of some Division II coaches in attendance.

• Tim Coleman – PG Cincinnati Withrow: Coleman was the most talented guard to sign up for the showcase, and he lived up to that reputation with a good all-around performance both as a scorer and a playmaker. The Withrow guard has junior colleges begging for his services, as his combination of competitiveness and talent gives him the potential to be a star at the college level.

• Patrick McClendon – PG Columbus Bexley: The “I didn’t know that kid was that good” award goes to McClendon, who was the breakout player of the Senior Showcase. The confident scoring point guard got hot from behind the three-point line, was crafty off of the dribble, and showed the ability to run a team efficiently. Coming from a program in Columbus that not everyone is familiar with, McClendon is one to keep an eye on, and will most certainly see a bump in his recruitment after his strong weekend performance.

• Corey Wise – SG Cincinnati Withrow: Several coaches in the Cincinnati area believe that Wise would be a steal for a Division II college team because of his overall offensive playmaking package; based on Saturday’s results, that makes sense. Off of the dribble, Wise can get wherever he wants to on the court in one-on-one settings, he has the mid-range jumper to make him hard to guard, and he’s deceptively strong and athletic when attacking the rim. Division II coaches that attended the showcase were already recruiting Wise, and he’s going to have even more interest after another strong performance.

• Alex Blink – PG Cincinnati Saint Xavier: Blink brings two things to the table that are tough to teach to college players. He’s an in-game shooter that is going to knock down three’s at a good clip, and he’s one of the tougher, more competitive point guards in the state of Ohio. The Saint Xavier product showcased both of those skills on Saturday, while also proving that he is a good enough ballhandler and passer to play the point guard position effectively.

• Marquez Carpenter – PF Cincinnati West High: Carpenter is one of the most improved prospects in Ohio, and he now has the complete and full attention of junior colleges in and out of region. The 6’6 wide bodied combo forward has gotten better athletically, shoots the ball exceptionally well from deep and is a tough prospect who loves the game. With the way he improves each year, look for Carpenter to become a strong player at the junior college level, and have a great chance to improve into a true small forward on the offensive end.

• Tyler Miller – SG Troy: Miller was by far and away the top shooter in attendance on Saturday, earning him the respect of a pair of college coaches in attendance. The 6’3 wing has good size, excellent mechanics on his release and is constantly working on the offensive end to find an opening for a shot. Add in a competitive desire to be a good player and Miller is just the type of guys that teams who are craving some instant offense will look for in the late signing period as a key pickup.

• Dorian Jordan – PG Cincinnati Princeton: By now just about everyone knows Jordan’s game. He’s a very small (5’6) point guard with elite quickness, game-changing vision and a confidence in his game that allows him to make players better. He’s going to continue to get overlooked by some due to his size, but pound for pound there aren’t many guards in the state better than Jordan, and he continued to prove that with his overall court game from the one spot on Saturday.

• Ramar Hairston – SG Cincinnati Northwest: An underrated combo guard with a utility game, Hairston is a kid that can shoot the three-pointer, play some point guard and who really excels on the defensive end. He’s being recruited at the Division II level for both his basketball abilities, as well as football, and plays with a competitive style that should allow him to be successful in whichever sport he ultimately chooses.

• Jermal Richardson – SG Toledo Scott: Richardson was a virtual unknown before the showcase, but impressed junior college coaches with his first-class leaping ability. The Toledo wing explodes like a ball out of a cannon when going up for two handed dunks, making him by far and away the most impressive athlete at the showcase. Richardson will have to continue to improve his overall ball-skills, but he certainly put his name on the map with some highlight reel plays.

On Sunday evening, Cincinnati Lakota West shooting guard Monty Boykins became the 31st Ohio senior in the class of 2013 to make a commitment to a Division I program, as the 6’4 wing pledged to Lafayette.

Boykins, who has missed all but the first few games of his senior year due to a torn ACL, committed to the Leopards after officially visiting their campus in Easton, Pennsylvania, to take in a game against conference foe Lehigh. One of the top academic schools in the country, the Boykins family said that the educational opportunities at Lafayette were what pushed them over the edge, eventually causing the heavily recruited guard to commit.

After considering offers from Miami (OH), Kent State, Lehigh, Detroit, Bucknell, Long Island Brooklyn, Eastern Kentucky, and several others from the low and mid major levels (as well as some high major interest), Boykins settled on Lafayette over the weekend, disappointing several other high academic schools from the region, who will now have to create scouting reports to try and slow him down.

A high scoring guard who suited up with the Ohio Phenoms on the Adidas circuit in AAU last season, Boykins excels both as a three-point shooter and a slasher who can get to the rim and finish with creativity. Over the last year, Boykins has slowly began to add strength to his frame, and his athleticism has improved because of it. After proving his abilities as a scorer on both the high school and AAU levels, Boykins has reached a top five ranking in TDP’s 2013 Ohio rankings at the shooting guard position.

At this point it is still unclear as to when doctors will clear Boykins to get back onto the court, as his knee continues to heal from January surgery, but the guard does not have any plans to redshirt in his first year of college.

Jae’sean Tate is TDP’s #1 ranked SF in Ohio’s 2014 class

Now that the regular season has come to an end in Ohio high school basketball, Triple Double Prospects feels that it is time to go ahead and publish our updated prospect rankings for all four high school classes. In the latest rankings fan will notice some major changes, as players have seen their stock rise and fall throughout the twenty-two game regular season. These rankings will hold in place until midway through the AAU season, after TDP gets another chance to evaluate these prospects in a different type of setting; at that time we also will likely introduce our 2016 rankings for the first time, until then we’re going to stick with our watch list. Here’s a look at the new rankings……

Class of 2013

Class of 2014

Class of 2015

2016 Watch List

As always, if you have a comment or question on our rankings we can be reached via email at TripleDoubleProspects@gmail.com

David Bell

Two more Ohio prospects came off the board in the past week, headlined by an unexpected verbal to an in-state powerhouse from one of the most promising players in the Buckeye State’s class of 2014.

• Mark Alstork – ’13 Dayton Thurgood Marshall SG/SF: Alstork committed to Drake University, a mid-major school from the prestigious Missouri Valley Conference, on his official visit to the campus, in Iowa, over the weekend. The visit was the first official visit taken by the Dayton wing, who’s numbers this year earned him several Division I offers including Bethune-Cookman, Illinois State and Fairleigh Dickinson. Alstork credited the family like atmosphere, an opportunity to play right away and a good educational opportunity as his primary reasons for selecting Drake, who he will sign with in the spring. The 6’4 wing guard is a high volume scorer that can get to the basket and shoot it out to deep, but his best attribute is his ability to create shots for himself off of the dribble in mid-range areas. Alstork also has good strength for his size, which should help with the transition to college basketball. 

• David Bell – ’14 Cleveland Garfield Heights C: The 6’9 interior prospect shocked the college basketball recruiting world last Monday when he verbally committed to Ohio State. An athletic post player who is coming off a missed season due to injury, Bell has blown up this season; particularly at Flyin’ to the Hoop in January in Dayton. Bell can block shots and use his size to rebound and score, although he is still working on his all-around game. The junior from Cleveland chose Ohio State early because he’s always been a Buckeyes fan, and jumped on the offer when it came. This season, Bell had been attracting interest from other high majors, most notably West Virginia and Michigan, but in the end his love of Ohio State was too much to pass up. The verbal by Bell gives Ohio State a nice headstart to their 2014 recruiting class, as Bell is joined by fellow in-state prospect Jae’sean Tate and Illinois superstar Keita Bates-Diop as pledges for the Bucks.

The two best Division-II teams in Dayton, and possibly the state of Ohio, met on Sunday night at a crowded Trent Arena in Kettering. The result might have been what people were expecting, but the way that Thurgood Marshall dismantled Dunbar, 81-62, left little doubt in fan’s minds that the Cougars are the team to beat in the Buckeye State this year, regardless of class.

Derrick Daniels

With college coaches from Dayton, Wright State, Miami (OH) and Youngstown State, not to mention D2, D3 and Junior College coaches, all in attendance for the game, the top prospects all looked to raise their recruiting stock in the first of two matchups between these Dayton city league powerhouses.

Triple Double Prospects was at Trent Arena to watch the game, and more importantly, to evaluate the top performers. Here’s a look at who stood out on Sunday night….

• Derrick Daniels – “Bright future” was the way that one college coach at the game described the potential of the 6’7 freshman power forward from Thurgood. A big time athlete with length and toughness, Daniels was all over the court on Sunday, including finishing the play of the night; an alley-oop dunk that he caught below his shoulders and brought back up to two-hand dunk. Daniels is one of Ohio’s top freshman, in a class loaded with talent, and he proved that on the biggest stage on Sunday; totaling 20 points and playing well in all other assets of the game as just a 9^th grader.

• RaChaun Martin – The knock on Thurgood’s 5’9 junior point man is that he’s small and can’t shoot. Well, no matter what people want to say about him, Martin can flat out play! Not only has the junior improved the consistency of his jumper, but, Martin was the most dominant guard on the court, getting the better of Dunbar star AJ Harris; as Martin’s speed, strength and will were just too much for Dunbar. An excellent passer in the full-court, Martin rarely looks to score, but used strong drives to tally 17 points for the Cougars, while putting the defensive shackles on Dunbar’s top scorers. Martin is really starting to gain momentum amongst top mid-majors in the Midwest, and is undoubtedly one of Ohio’s premiere point guards in 2014.

• Mark Alstork – Thurgood’s leader, and senior wing, came out and set the tempo early with his toughness and aggression. Alstork might have forced a couple of tough shots, but was relentless in attacking the rim and the glass as he finished with 16 points in the win. Alstork now has a Division I college offer, and will likely add more late as he finishes his excellent senior campaign. The 6’4 powerful slasher has become much more explosive, and has a very polished mid-range game which compliments his deep shooting and straight line drives.

• Darren Groves – The 6’6 senior forward from Thurgood is one of Ohio’s late  blooming sleeper prospects. A very good defender with a diverse offensive skill-set, Groves had college coaches buzzing in Kettering as he used his length and athleticism to bother Dunbar frontcourt players like Damarion Geter. Groves won’t wow you with his numbers in the boxscore, but he’s the perfect type of glue guy that can make winning plays when put in the right situations.

• A.J. Harris – The sophomore point guard from Dunbar didn’t have his finest game ever, but he was still solid in recording 18 points. Harris is one of the quickest guards in Ohio, and is a master of getting to the rim in fast-break and secondary break situations. On this year’s Dunbar team Harris looks to take a lot more long shots, and he is a very capable shooter for the Wolverines.

In addition to those mentioned earlier, Thurgood also got 6 points from passionate combo guard Edmond “Junior” Early, who was very good on the defensive end. The final name to keep an eye on for Thurgood is junior wing Davion Ashe, an athletic defensive player with underrated offensive skills.

Dunbar might not be at their strongest this season, but the Wolverines have help on the way. Sophomore guard Doriane Dawson came off the bench knocking down jumpers as he finished with 12 points, while junior William Green showed signs of the promise that he has always had, although his game was cut short due to technical fouls. Unsigned senior forward Damarion Geter finished with 13 points for Dunbar.

By: Jonathon Burgin

Satchel Pierce and Major Canaday

On our second day of coverage of the City of Palms Classic in Fort Meyers, Florida, TDP was looking at the second part of their feature story of local talent moving on to greener pastures.  Come with us as we enlighten you on these kids and their progress through the tournament.

Satchel Pierce- 2014 C Pittsburgh Kiski: The former Akron SVSM center is making the best of his Kiski Prep experience. “Satch” is in better shape and is improving.  His hands are soft and he is still being very active around the rim. TDP was impressed with his athleticism around the rim.  Defensively he has improved and is still making progress.  Look for his recruiting to still skyrocket as he stands at 7’0.

Major Canady- 2013 PG Pittsburgh Kiski: Drexel signee is loving his prep experience.  Major is not the best shooter at this point but his tenacity and his athleticism make up for it.  He is tenacious on the defensive end and understands what needs to be done.  Major will continue to grow and be a stud for Drexel for years to come.

Justin Jackson- 2014 SF Houston Christian Youth Academy: High-major recruit playing for HYCA out of Texas.  He has picked up a little weight since TDP saw him last year at the FTTH and the Peach Jam.  He had his work cut out for him tonight as they faced Andrew Wiggins and the Huntington Prep Express.   Justin impressed all those that came out to watch him as he put up nice numbers.  His stock will continue to rise, and TDP will be there to report and it will be soon as he narrows his list down to the top five.

T.J. Rhodes- 2013 PG Houston Christian Youth Academy: Son of former Major League Baseball and Cincinnati great Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes. T.J. put on an excellent display of distributing the ball and scoring.  He did this to the #2 ranked USA Today team in Huntington Prep.  TDP thinks his stock is on the rise and he will be one of the mid-major kids signing late in April.

Bibbs, Williams, Russell

TDP took a nice drive of 15 hours to see a trio of Ohio and Kentucky natives that has moved on to greener pastures (Montverde Academy, Fl).  The City of Palms Classic features some of the top teams and players in the country.  Let’s take a look at them and their progress.

Devin Williams-2013 PF (West Virginia): former Cincinnati Withrow big man took his last year to the “Sunshine State”.  Has developed his body to the likes of Karl Malone has put in tremendous hours in the weight room in the fall.  Lateral movement has improved tremendously and TDP was impressed at his mobility around the perimeter.  Offensively Devin is still a beast and gets it done.  He has showed he can go out consistently to about 17 feet with confidence.  Devin has all the tools and continues that strong work ethic to allow him to dominate games.

D’Angelo Russell- 2014 SG: former Louisville Male guard has been at Montverde for his second season now and is making the best of it.  TDP noticed that he has grown and he also too has been in the weight room.  “Dead Eye” has become a prolific shooter from 22 feet with confidence.  D’Angelo can get to the rim with the best of them and with his new physique it’s a sight to see.  His handle is still progressing but he can get his shot off at any time and create for others.  The sky is the limit for him and his offers will keep coming until he decides on what he wants to do.

Justin Bibbs- 2014 SG: former Dayton Chaminade Julienne star took his talents to Florida this year too.  Justin has improved in all facets of the game and takes his role as sixth man to heart.  He plays to the direction of his coach (Kevin Boyle) to lead the Eagles.  He can score, defend and pass the ball at will.  Justin is making the adjustment, when at CJ he was one of the main focal points.  His hard work has paid off according to some Coaches that were in attendance, so watch his recruiting process over the next couple of months.