Dailyn Swain
Every year, the All-Ohio Super Sixteen is one of the best barometers for travel teams in the state of Ohio to measure where they stand against the competition. This year the pack was led by All-Ohio Red, who defeated an upstart team out of Cincinnati called Go Hard in the 17u division, got revenge on Ohio Buckets-Turf in the 16u division and bested Nike EYBL rival Bates Fundamental in the 15u division en route to a clean sweep of the high school age groups. With top talent from around the Buckeye State on display, lets examine some of the prospects who stood out individually…
Kollin Tolbert – ’22 PG/SG Cincinnati KEBA Prep: The former Mount Healthy standout spent this past season at KEBA Prep in Cincinnati (a non-OHSAA prep program), meaning that most casual Ohio high school fans might have forgotten about Tolbert’s talent. That is sure to change based on his performance in Columbus, as the 6’2 combo guard made a huge impact on Go Hard 17u alongside highly regarded prospects such as Paul McMillan IV and Rayvon Griffith. A strong guard who can make shots from the perimeter, handle the ball and defend either guard position, Tolbert is a versatile and efficient guard prospect who plays with a lot of effort. Playing mostly off-ball with McMillan running the point, Tolbert shot the lights out from three on Friday night, while showing the ability to create his own shot on Saturday in a competitive matchup with Shining Star. Tolbert is yet to report a college offer, putting him near the top of our shortlist of sleepers for Ohio’s 2022 class.
Tom House – ’22 SG/SF Centerville: Coming off a State Championship season at the high school level, House is making his presence felt for All-Ohio Red with his ability not just to score the ball, but to score a lot of points in a short amount of time. Whether it’s in a starting role or off the bench, House was the human microwave for All-Ohio this weekend, knocking down shots from three-point range, and showing the ability to finish with numbers in transition. A wing with good size and athleticism for his position, House is also one of Ohio’s most passionate and confident competitors. Already with offers from Oral Roberts, Mercer and Robert Morris, we expect House to continue to accumulate NCAA D1 offers as the travel season unfolds.
Jamal Sumlin – ’22 PG YPSI Prep/MI: Similar to Tolbert in that he spent this past winter outside of the Ohio high school circuit, Sumlin is a prospect we haven’t had a chance to evaluate since last July. Joining All-Ohio Red for the summer, the Cleveland area point guard re-solidified himself as one of Ohio’s most talented lead guards, as the 6’1 Sumlin formed one-half of AOR’s two-headed monster in the backcourt alongside Sean Jones. A pass-first guard by nature who can create shots for himself or others with a smooth dribble game, especially in the full-court, Sumlin is known as a skilled offensive weapon; however, he’s also a capable ball hawk on the defensive end, leading to even most assist opportunities in the open floor. A rising senior who is certainly on the radar of area NCAA D1 programs, expect Sumlin to be heavily evaluated this summer whether he returns to the Ohio high school scene in Cleveland or remains on the prep school circuit.
Dailyn Swain – ’23 SF Columbus Africentric: When you think of prototypical college basketball wings you think of kids who are built like Swain. A long and super athletic 6’6 slashing scorer from All-Ohio Red’s 16u team, Swain brought a ton of energy on Saturday morning in his team’s matchup a Detroit based program. When the energy is there, there simply aren’t many players who can contend with Swain’s package of size, mobility and leaping ability, as the rising junior from Columbus threw down dunk after dunk, while also showcasing shot-making and slashing abilities to lead his All-Ohio team in scoring. Heading into this summer, we expect Swain to be one of the most heavily evaluated rising juniors in the state of Ohio, as his upside is sure to draw an extensive list of offers, with Ohio and Toledo having already pulled the trigger on the 6’6 wing.
Eian Elmer – ’23 SF/PF Covington Holmes/KY: While there are rumors swirling that Elmer could be transferring to the Ohio side of the river for his junior season, the 6’5 wing has been making noise in Northern Kentucky since early in his freshman season. Playing this weekend with the Queen City Prophets 16u team, Elmer was dynamic in producing highlight reel dunks and blocks to lead his team to a 3-0 mark in pool play. A capable slashing scorer in the half-court who can also score off of the offensive glass, Elmer is at his best running in transition to try and finish above the rim; however, it was his shot blocking which was most impressive on Saturday evening, as he was the defensive catalyst in QCP’s close win over Ohio Hustle. Whether it’s in Ohio or Kentucky next season, expect NCAA D1 college coaches to get very familiar with Elmer’s name sooner than later.
Will Maxwell – ’23 SG/SF Dayton Oakwood: After averaging 17 PPG this winter, fans in the Dayton area are certainly familiar with Maxwell as one of the Dayton area’s most talented scorers. The 6’4 wing had all of those scoring abilities on full display for the All-Ohio Red 16u team in Columbus, knocking down several threes with a smooth stroke and also finishing above the rim with two-handed baseline or tip-in dunks. With legit NCAA D1 size, athleticism and shooting ability, Maxwell, like the previously mentioned Swain, has all of the tools you expect from a highly recruited college wing guard (especially in today’s game where shooting is so heavily prioritized in recruiting). On a deep and balanced All-Ohio 16u team Maxwell is only going to get so many shots; however, we fully expect him to build on his scoring numbers next season as a junior at Oakwood. Heading into the summer, Maxwell holds one NCAA D1 offer from Ohio.
Tyler McKinley – ’24 PF Cincinnati Walnut Hills: We spent the Run-N-Slam focusing on 17u and 16u action, so one of our top priorities in Columbus was tracking down some of the state’s top 15u teams. All-Ohio Red is likely the state’s most talented, and certainly the deepest, 2024 team in the state, and, the 6’8 McKinley is perhaps their most talented prospect. The Cincinnati based freshman is a jack-of-all-trades with size, mobility, length, a fine-tuned skill-set and a great feel for the game, especially as a passer out of the post; making McKinley not only a solid player right now, but a promising prospect who oozes long-term upside for the future. Whether or not he grows anymore, McKinley will be one of the first names included in our upcoming Ohio Class of 2024 Watch List, as he projects not only as one of the state’s top 2024’s, but also as one of the most talented players in Greater Cincinnati regardless of class.
Raleigh Burgess – ’24 PF/C Sycamore: With our experience in scouting the Cincinnati area, we’ve certainly developed some strong relationships with high school coaches from the GMC; and, in talking with those coaches, one name we’ve constantly heard about is 6’8 freshman Raleigh Burgess from Sycamore. Even though Burgess got some varsity minutes throughout the season, he’s widely unknown; but that is going to change very quickly! Playing with the Shining Star 15u team, Burgess quickly has established himself as one of Ohio’s top prospects in the 2024 class, as he has a great combination of skill and size at 6’8. Capable of shooting the ball from the perimeter, posting up physically, passing against pressure or running the floor, Burgess showed great offensive instincts on Saturday afternoon. Playing alongside 2022 forward Ben Southerland in the Sycamore front-court, Burgess should establish himself next season as one of the top scoring threats in the GMC.
Mason Shrout – ’24 SG Preble Shawnee: Like Burgess, we had heard a lot of positive things about Shrout from high school coaches but had never evaluated him in a live setting. That changes Saturday, as Shrout played point guard and wing guard for All-Ohio Red at the 15u level. Coming off a freshman season at Preble Shawnee where he averaged 22.5 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game, Shrout displayed a well-rounded and extremely skill-oriented floor game in two games on Saturday. Already a knockdown shooter from three, Shrout is more then just a specialist, as the 6’4 combo guard finished with strength at the rim, found the open man as a distributor and used his size and athleticism to produce on the defensive end. Despite being from a smaller high school conference, Shrout is well on his way to becoming one of the more well known class of 2024 prospects in the Buckeye State.
Honorable Mention: Amani Lyles (‘22 Columbus Beechcroft), Sean Jones (’22 Gahanna Lincoln), Michael Bova (’22 Cleveland St. Edward), Paul McMillan IV (’22 Cincinnati Woodward), Rayvon Griffith (’23 Cincinnati Taft), Kyler D’Augustino (’23 Alexander), Cole Rhett (’23 Columbus Bishop Watterson), Gavin Headings (’23 Pickerington Central), Sonny Styles (’23 Pickerington Central), Devin Royal (’23 Pickerington Central), Calvin Little Jr. (’24 Cleveland St. Ignatius), Ace Buckner (’24 Cleveland Independence), Sam Johnson (’24 Worthington Christian), Jonathan Powell (’24 Dayton Chaminade Julienne), AJ McBride (’24 Cincinnati Moeller)
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