UAA Finals

Tyrese Hughey

The only NCAA Live Evaluation Period of July 2019 has come and gone, with most of the top NCAA D1 programs spending the majority of the four-day period at the Nike Peach Jam, the Adidas Gauntlet or the Under Armour Association Finals. For our scouting duties, Triple Double Prospects chose Atlanta, where we spent three days taking in games at the Under Armour Association Finals as well as the Under Armour Rise Championships. In Atlanta, Ohio based program C2K Elite found success in both the 17u and 16u divisions, playing in the winner’s brackets at each respective age group, including a semifinal appearance at 16u. With C2K being the only team in the UAA to feature Ohio prospects, our recap of top performers will focus solely on players from their roster….

Zeb Jackson – ’20 PG Montverde Academy: Ohio’s top 2020 guard prospect by a significant margin (even though he’s transferred from Maumee Valley Country Day to Montverde Academy in Florida for his senior season), Jackson is expected to be the man on the C2K 17u team. Jackson held true to that reputation in Atlanta, and, while he didn’t necessarily score with the pure volume we’ve seen in the past, he was the go-to guy in each game down the stretch, including hitting a three-pointer in C2K’s opening game with less then :07 left to win the game. The Michigan commit showed elite speed with the ball in his hands, as Jackson’s combination of handles, scoring ability (both with the jumper or the rim finish) and quickness makes him one of the nation’s top 2020 point guard prospects.

Grant Huffman – ’20 SG Cleveland St. Edward: With C2K’s 17u team playing without their regular floor general in Hilliard Bradley’s Matt Allocco, Huffman, a versatile perimeter talent, played the distributor and game manager role this weekend in Atlanta. The results must have pleased plenty of college coaches, as Huffman finished Saturday with new offers from Davidson and Vermont, and was a name often mentioned to us by college coaches in Atlanta. Huffman thrives at driving closeouts to get into the lane and make plays for himself or teammates, as he’s become one of Ohio’s most cerebral offensive players. While some still question the consistency of his shooting at times, Huffman’s ability to effectively defend, score, pass, play either guard spot at 6’3, and, most importantly, win (something he’s done at a high level for years) is going to lead to an NCAA D1 commitment in the near future.

Josiah Fulcher – ’20 SG Lima Senior: Fulcher was the feature player in our last article, and we try not to publish too many reports on the same players; however, when a kid plays at a high level over multiple events we feel it would be unfair to not show them love. With that being said, Fulcher put together another excellent performance in Atlanta, showing much of what stood out last month in Columbus; as the 6’3 wing guard played with an elite motor on the defensive end, attacked the basket relentlessly on the offensive end and showed a fearless scoring style, including a buzzer beating bucket in C2K’s second game on Thursday evening. Fulcher’s offensive IQ has improved, as he scored on multiple back-cuts throughout the weekend, and, when his jumper is falling, Fulcher’s combination of athleticism and skill makes him a tough cover. When you pair his offensive ability with his defensive prowess, it’s easy to see why Fulcher is becoming the most heavily recruited target in Ohio’s 2020 class by in-state mid-majors.

Grant Whisman – ’20 SF/PF Middletown Madison: Probably the least well known of the four 2020 prospects on this write-up, Whisman boosted his stock more then any other player on C2K’s 17u team in Atlanta, as the 6’7 wing showed those outside of the Buckeye State just how elite of a shooter he is. Whisman has a picturesque stroke from three and was consistent all weekend in not only knocking down catch-and-shoot shots, but also knocking down shots off the move either in transition or off a screen. He’s viewed by some as a specialist at the next level; however, it’s not often you find a shooting specialist who also happens to stand 6’7. With Whisman joining the C2K outfit just days before this event, the Southwest Ohio rising senior certainly struck while the iron was hot, and should see a boost in his scholarship offers.

Tyrese Hughey – ’21 PF Thomas Worthington: One of two C2K 16u forwards who posted big scoring numbers in every game we saw this trip, Hughey was in the zone on Saturday at North Cobb HS. The 6’7 forward knocked down shot after shot from the mid-range, showed athleticism around the rim in finishing with two-handed dunks and flashed an ability to handle the ball by driving coast to coast after corralling defensive rebounds. We commented during Saturday’s game how we were surprised that Hughey did not hold any NCAA D1 offers coming into the trip; but that comment was quickly made irrelevant by Saturday evening, as the Columbus area rising-junior picked up scholarship offers from both Miami (OH) and Duquesne. As for adding more offers, it seems to just be a matter of time for Hughey, who, as he continues to show more and more athleticism to match his mature skill-set, will be one of Ohio’s most heavily recruited 2021 prospects.

Alex Williams – ’21 SF/PF Cincinnati Moeller: Another versatile and skilled forward on C2K’s 16u team, Williams is a nightmare matchup at the rising-junior level due to his elite combination of strength, footwork and offensive skill-set (as well as some serious toughness). Williams shot the ball well from the outside again in Atlanta, but it was his ability to pick apart mismatches that really stood out. While he might look more like a football prospect with his build, and isn’t necessarily an explosive leaper, Williams moves his feet very well for his size, and is effective in guarding either forward position on the circuit level. Already holding a scholarship offer from Robert Morris (which he picked up last month after his performance at the OHSBCA Showcase) we’re extremely confident that William’s recruitment will blow up during his junior season at Cincinnati Moeller, in which we predict he will lead the team in scoring.

Honorable Mention: Sam Towns (’19 Pickerington Central), Luka Eller (’20 Mentor Lake Catholic), Josh Thorbahn (’21 Ottoville), Anthony Adams (’21 Findlay), Greg Johnson (’21 Cincinnati Princeton)