Spiece Run-N-Slam Recap

Every year, the Spice Run-N-Slam event held in Fort Wayne (IN) is one of our best opportunities to evaluate the top young talent in Ohio. This year was no different, as Buckeye State AAU teams made up a good chunk of all teams that competed at the historic Spiece Fieldhouse. On the whole, Ohio teams did very well again this year. All-Ohio Red won the 17u division, with Northwest Ohio Basketball Club making the semifinal. King James took home second in the 15u division, running the table before taking a narrow loss to Indiana Elite in the finals.

Dakota Mathias committed to Purdue on Sunday after Spiece.

Then, teams like Ohio Basketball Club and All-Ohio Red both had impressive weekends in the 16u division, as both made the quarterfinals before falling to the Louisville Magic and Spiece Indy Heat, respectively. With almost all of the top in-state teams in attendance in Fort Wayne, here is a look at who stood out the most to Triple Double Prospects over the weekend….

• Dakota Mathias – ’14 SG Elida: After putting on an offensive clinic to lead NWOBC to the final four at Spiece, Mathias made more news on Sunday, as the 6’4 wing committed to Purdue. The third prospect in Ohio to pledge to a high major (and Big Ten school), Mathias joins Ohio State commitments Jae’sean Tate (Columbus Pickerington Central) and David Bell (Cleveland Garfield Heights). TDP first fell in love with Mathias’ game during his sophomore season at the Ohio State Championships where he led Elida in a thrilling final against Dayton Dunbar, before losing by two. Mathias has good size on the wing and is a prolific shooter who can also slide over and play the point. He had games this weekend of 34 and 28 in front of TDP, proving that Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter is getting one of Ohio’s finest 2014 prospects.

• Jarron Cumberland – ’16 SG Wilmington: TDP put an emphasis on the 15u division over the weekend, and Cumberland was the unquestioned top dog there. The pure scoring wing from Ohio Basketball Club put on a show in a rivalry tilt with King James, brining his team back from a twenty point deficit to tie it, before coming up just short as King James earned a win to advance. Cumberland scored 33 points in the Saturday night contest, filling it up from everywhere inside of half-court. Besides just his shooting stroke, Cumberland showed us a tighter handle then we had previously seen out of him, as he navigated through King James defenders in the full court before getting to the rim for finishes through contact. With his elite combination of skill and strength, Cumberland has definitely solidified himself as one of the best in Ohio in 2016, and could contend for the title of best wing scorer.

• Derek Funderburke – ’16 PF/C Cleveland St. Edward: The freshman from King James shows as much offensive promise as any big man in his class, as he put on a low post clinic against OBC and in two other games which TDP evaluated. At 6’9 and with good mobility, Funderburke is tough for opposing big men to cover as they’re usually outmatched in at least one area. He’s got good touch around the rim, can score in traffic and showed the versatility to step out and play the power forward spot. Like most big men, Funderburke is still a work in progress, but his upside is huge.

• Anthony Christian – ’16 SG Akron Hoban: Christian is a talented 6’2 slashing guard from King James that can play any of the three perimeter positions offensively. He’s a very gifted scorer whose natural instinct is to get to the rim as often as possible. While he’ll need to work on being aggressive and engaged every game out, Christian showed a polished all-around offensive game, and is really skilled at finishing around the basket in half-court or transition settings. With size, a decent jumper and good athleticism, Christian will have the chance to be one of Ohio’s better guards in 2016.

• Derrick Daniels – ’16 PF Dayton Thurgood Marshall: The 6’7 power forward from King James got a ton of pub on this website in the winter with his high school team, and for good reason. Daniels is an explosive athlete down low who is improving at an alarmingly quick rate. He rebounds with toughness, blocks shots and runs the floor like a deer, making it near impossible for opponents to match his motor and desire. Offensively, Daniels is starting to become more than just a finisher, showing the ability to pass it out of the high post and shoot the mid-range jumper with improving form. When his offense catches up completely to his defense you’ll see one of the more intriguing front-court prospects in the nation in 2016.
  

  Jarron Cumberland went off for 33 points on Saturday night.

• Xavier Simpson – ’16 PG Lima Central Catholic: He might not be the quickest or the tallest point guard on the circuit, but the King James guard from Lima is definitely the most cerebral. A highly skilled prospect who can handle, pass and shoot it from deep, Simpson is a mature decision maker with an advanced feel for the game. He thrives in the change of pace game in the full-court, and is always looking to make the extra pass when he drives. Way ahead of his years in his leadership qualities, TDP was impressed with how vocal Simpson was with his teammates down the stretch against OBC.

• Carlton Bragg – ’15 PF Cleveland VASJ: Now that he’s made a name for himself on such a national level, you might expect the 6’9 sophomore from OBC to get a big head; well, quite the opposite is true. Bragg brought a lunch-pail and hard-hat effort to Fort Wayne, which is exactly what we wanted to see out of him defensively. Like he always does, Bragg was dominant offensively; scoring around the rim with his length, running the floor for dunks and showing an advanced wing skill-set, including a silky smooth jumper, for his size. But it was his effort defensively and on the boards that stuck out the most. Having just received an Indiana offer to accompany ones from Texas, Ohio State, Illinois and others, Bragg is right on the verge of being the most talked about prospect in the state of Ohio right now.

• Josh Williams – ’15 PG Akron Barberton: The 6’2 combo guard played with the King James (Love) team this weekend, although he also suits up with King James (Galemmo) as well. A talented combo guard that can score it from all three levels and excels at creating contact in the lane and finishing, Williams sees the floor better than just about all the 2015 guards in Ohio. He isn’t the quickest prospect on the court, but he knows how to get by people with his length and exceptional dribble move game, and showed a willingness to make the extra pass when the help came. As he learns to play with more tempo and give maximum effort on every possession, Williams can give any guard in the state a run for their money in the TDP prospect rankings.

• MaCio Teague – ’15 SG Cincinnati Summit: After somewhat of a slow transition to his All-Ohio Red team the 6’3 guard really found a rhythm over the weekend, shining in two games on Sunday. Known as a shooter with size, Teague was knocking in shots for AOR, but was even better attacking the rim off of the dribble. Teague has good length on the perimeter and the build to shield guys off from blocking his progress. A smart player who is an excellent passer on the wing, Teague will have to work on his quickness, but is extremely gifted as an all-around offensive player.

• Ryan Mikesell – ’15 SF Saint Henry: Mikesell is an intriguing offensive talent who can step inside or outside at 6’6, and has the all-around offensive skill-set to make college coaches salivate. He’s a smart player, who runs with All-Ohio Black, and was particularly impressive on Saturday against the Louisville Magic where he tallied twenty points on a variety of low post finishes, mid-range pull-up drives and three-point shots. His size and length will allow him to play the power forward spot in spurts, but Mikesell is a pure wing forward at heart, and should continue to see his name rise in the TDP rankings over the next few months as we become more familiar with his game.

• Montrell McCrae – ’15 C Cleveland MLK: We had heard a lot of hype about the VJ Sports 16u team, and their start player, McCrae, and both exceeded our expectations in two viewings on Sunday morning. McCrae has an excellent chance, at 6’8 and growing, to be the best defensive player in Ohio by his senior season; as he has the height, length and mobility to be an elite shot-blocker and shot-alter guy. He’s raw offensively, but McCrae runs the floor great and does a nice job of keeping his hands up on both ends, which allows him to get both hands on the rebounds. McCrae will likely be at a different high school next year, and should put his name firmly on the map as one of the elite juniors in Ohio, probably earning the tap of second best big man prospect in his class in the Cleveland area next to Carlton Bragg.

• Austin Adams – ’15 SF Oregon Cardinal Stitch: Adams is one of Ohio’s better unknowns in 2015, and also one of the better athletes. The Team Work wing was still feeling some effects from an ankle injury on the weekend, but was still impressive in his ability to get to the rim off of the dribble, and his explosion around the basket. Adams might still be adjusting to playing against the nation’s most elite competition on the top level AAU circuit, but he has the promise to be one of the best prospects in the Team Work program, and a guy we’ll have a close eye on in the coming events.

• All-Ohio Red 17u: The AOR senior-to-be team has gotten a lot of coverage on this site over the last few weeks, and then had their best event of the year to date this past weekend, defeating teams like Team Thad, Spiece Indy Heat, Louisville Magic, Team Work and a revenge date with the Illinois Wolves on their way to an 8-0 weekend and a championship. Red got a total team effort on the weekend, but it was Jae’sean Tate, Javon Bess, Vince Edwards, and Evan Bailey who set the tone the most with consistent high level play on the weekend. When mentioning AOR’s weekend, we can’t forget about the shooting of off the bench wing Eric James, who scorched the nets on Saturday and Sunday to help Red capture the title.