Montrose Christian vs Findlay Prep Scouting Notes

Ishmail Wainwright (#60 ESPN, #52 Scout, #63 Rivals) - Wainwright is built like a bull, with perhaps the widest shoulders ever seen on a high school basketball player. He runs a lot of point for Montrose even though he is definitely a small forward at the next level. Montrose likes him to handle the ball and slow down the tempo and try to outmuscle teams. Wainwright himself isn't a very good ball handler, but uses his body well to protect the ball and get where ever he wants to on the court. His lack of handling skills showed in the first half against Nigel Williams-Goss and he turned the ball over a total of 6 times in those 16 minutes. In the second half, Wainwright operated more off the ball and was more aggressive scoring than I've ever seen him. He was able to get position anywhere he wanted to and muscled up a lot of mid-range jumpers with 15 feet that he got to go down. Wainwright appears to have good touch on his shots, but doesn't get great elevation as he really relies on his size to get him enough room. Wainwright is also a great defender and leader and that is what he will be able to bring to Baylor. Im worried about how his offensive game will translate at the next level, but he will be a great guy to have on the team and should be a steady player who will do the dirty work. He's a warrior.

Nigel Williams-Goss (#20 ESPN, #61 Scout, #48 Rivals) - Goss absolutely took the game over in the second half to give his teamt he victory and preserve Findlay's 53 game win streak. When you talk about Williams-Goss, the terms winner is the first thing that comes to mind. He is a tough competitor, great leader, and a very mature kid who has been playing  in a high level environment at Findlay for 4 years (he's the first player to play 4 years on varsity at Findlay). During his second half run, Williams-Goss was able to score in the lane with floaters, in the post, with jumpers, and get to the foul line. Every possession he went down and just made something happen. In college, some of his size and strength advantages will be taken away, but Williams-Goss is the type that will be able to adjust. He adjusted to the defense Wainwright played on his in the first half  to score 16 points in the 2nd half. Williams-Goss will struggle at times in college getting by defenders as he isn't blessed with quickness and he also isn't a prolific jump shooter or elite passer. But in terms of basketball, Williams-Goss lives and breaths the game.

La Lumiere vs St. Benedict's Prep Scouting Notes

Tyler Ennis (#38 ESPN, #24 Scout, #23 Rivals) - One of my personal favorites of the 2013 class, Ennis will be heading to Syracuse next year where he will be asked to lead the team right away. And after years playing with Team Canada, St. Benedict's Prep, and CIA Bounce on the AAU circuit he has plenty of experience. There isn't a point guard in high school right now who is more well-rounded and ready for college than Ennis. He is outstanding in pick and roll action where he thrives both as a scorer and a passer. In this game, Ennis took over in the second half by getting to the line 8 times and scoring 16 of his 22 points during the final 16 minutes. He has great ball handling skills, great leadership, and his basketball IQ is mature well beyond his years. Ennis also has good height and while he isn't the great athlete, he has a good enough combination of size, quickness, strength, and explosiveness to the point where it doesn't hurt him. Ennis is the type of point guard who works best off pick and rolls and prefers to attack much more than shoot from the outside. That said, he has a very good mid-range game and is excellent from the foul line. Look for him to be a great player right away at Cuse and expect him to stick around for a couple of seasons.

Isaiah Briscoe (#16 ESPN Class of 2015) - Briscoe wasn't 100% in this game and it showed. He played just 14 minutes and committed 4 fouls during that time. Once pegged as one of the best freshmen in the country. Briscoe is now a year older and doesn't look like he's made the next jump. He's a powerfully built wing, but isn't that big or long and it seems like his competition is catching up with him. Still, its impressive that he's been able to be a key player on such a good, well-coached team from day one and he does play a mature game. We will see if how he continues to develop down the line.

Mike Young (#57 ESPN) - Young is heading to Pittsburgh and he's exactly what you'd expect a Pitt player to look like. He's 6'8 with a good build and can cover both forward positions. He's a great rebounder and looks stuck in between the 3 and the 4 spot on offense. He does have good touch on his jumper and could score in similar ways to JJ Moore once he arrives on campus. He's yet another building block for Jamie Dixon, but not a game changer.

Detrick Mostella (#77 ESPN, #68 Scout, #84 Rivals) - The Oklahoma State commit is a scoring guard who isn't shy when it comes to taking shots. He took 26 of them on Thursday including 8 from deep - all of which he missed. He is best when he is slashing to the rim and he was able to find ways to get himself plenty of shots at the rim as well. He is a creative finisher and is able to hang in the air, but he will need to get stronger to consistently finish in the paint at high major level. Mostella should eventually become a very good scorer for Oklahoma State and could even turn into their go-to guy down the road.

Oak Hill vs Montverde Academy Scouting Notes

Sindarius Thornwell (#39 ESPN, #43 Scout, #29 Rivals) - At this point, you know what you are getting from Thornwell. Thornwell is a strong shooting guard who plays with a lot of energy, has some explosiveness at the rim, and can finish through contact. His go to shot is a mid-range pull up following a couple of hard dribbles and its a shot he can make, but he's far from consistent. Thornwell is also very good on the boards and can play strong defense as well. Heading to South Carolina next year, you can expect him to be able to score with relative ease, but he will need to work on his efficiency. With all his long pull-up jumpers, he has a lot of poor shooting nights. Thornwell needs to not settle for those shots as much, get to the rim, and also expand his range so he is a reliable shooter from deep.

Troy Williams (#42 ESPN, #38 Scout, #66 Rivals) - Troy Williams reminds me of the wing version of CJ Leslie in the sense the he looks like a star, makes some highlight reel plays, but is also highly inconsistent and lacks fundamentals. Williams is a terror running in transition and can finish way above the rim. He also can run to the corner and hit shots from behind the arc. The halfcourt game is where he really struggles though and its why he disappears at times. He struggles to make plays for himself as he lacks both the ball handling and strength needed. Williams relies on a shaky behind the back dribble that results in turnovers more times than not and is often out of control. Defensively, Williams has all the tools but needs to play smarter and dial in more consistently. Williams is a guy that jumps out at you upon first glance, but the more games you see him play, the more your expectations become tempered. He will have to work hard for a role at Indiana next year.

Nate Britt (#93 ESPN, #76 Scout)- Britt has slowly slipped down recruiting rankings and against Kasey Hill, he had a chance to win back some doubters. He finished with 16 points on 12 shots, but also had 6 turnovers to only 2 assists. Britt seems to lack the explosion to dominate the way he used to before he transferred to Oak Hill and has become more of a jump shooter. He won't be a threat to take away the starting point guard job from Marcus Paige next year.

Dakari Johnson (#11 ESPN, #13 Scout, #18 Rivals)- I hadn't seen Dakari play as much as a lot of the big time recruits in the NHSI and my expectations weren't very high considering he had a late night the day before at the McDonald's All-American game. But he ended up exceeding my expectations and turned in a 17 point, 13 rebound, and 7 block performance on only 12 shots. Dakari is a back to the basket guy who worked consistently to get good position and his teammates rewarded him with entry passes. He showed nice patience in kicking the ball out to establish deeper position, looking very much like a experienced big man. Johnson seems to know his area of expertise and works to get within 10 feet of the basket. He has good touch on a standstill jumper from about 10 feet and is able to score close to the rim with either hand. His conditioning level was impressive as was his defensive ability. He isn't a Nerlens Noel type shot blocker, but he is a better post defender thanks to his strength and is certainly a good athlete. Look for Dakari Johnson to give Willie Cauley-Stein a battle for the starting center spot. If Coach Cal chooses the better player, expect Johnson to start.

Kasey Hill (#9 ESPN, #9 ESPN, #8 Rivals)- Hill wasn't 100% and also plagued by a tough travel schedule from the Mickey D's game, butr he dished out 10 assists in the win over Oak Hill. Hill also went 2-10 from the field and turned it over 7 times. It wasn't his best game, but he showed great burst in the open court and was creative in finding ways to distribute the ball. If you ran with Hill in transition, he was going to get it to you. He made a nice spinning dish and his quickness was on display. Late in the game he began cramping up, but fought through it to close out the victory. He gutted out this win and kept the team together, which is what you have to do when you aren't playing your best.

Ben Simmons (#5 ESPN Class of 2015)- Simmons is only a sophomore, but is already a legitimate prospect and could even wind up as a "one and done" player. He has great size at 6'9 and the ability to play both outside and inside. The Aussie came to the states midseason to join Montverde and has found ways to contribute to wins without being "the guy". In fact, Simmons comes off the bench behind WVU commit Devin Williams. Simmons earned himself extra minutes over Williams on Thursday with tough play at the rim and unselfish play on offense. He was great moving the ball on offense, showing passing skills from the high post and the perimeter. Simmons also rebounded the ball tough and contested and finished plays above the rim. He was a force in transition and the best/most versatile defender on the court. Selfishly I would have liked to see him show off his offensive game more, but its not his role on his current team. He scored 16 points on just 7 shots in 24 minutes of play - you couldn't have asked for a more positive performance. It will be interesting if Simmons progresses more towards the SF or PF role in the next few years. Either way he will be a very good prospect and has a great future ahead of him.

Devin Williams (#37 ESPN, #57 Scout, #91 Rivals) - Williams lost out on playing time to Simmons, but saw big minutes late in the fourth quarter and was a big part of forcing this game into overtime. He is a strong rebounder and active defender who gets most of his offense on putbacks. He projects to be a power forward, although he isn't a post player or jump shooter really. His ticket on offense is his toughness and hustle. He will probably fill a role at WVU similar to the one John Flowers played late in his career, although there is always room for him to improve his game. Nevertheless, Williams should be a solid 4-yr contributor at the college level.

Prime Prep vs Blance Ely Scouting Notes

Prime Prep had a noticeable size advantage over Blanche Ely, but Ely fought hard until the end and pushed the game into overtime. Unfortunately, the game was lost because their coach called a timeout they didn't have, but it doesn't take anything away from the effort they displayed.
LSU commit Jordan Mickey (ranked 36th on Scout, 41st on Rivals, 53rd on ESPN) stole the show this game and ended up having the most impressive performance out of anyone during the day. Mickey is labeled as a combo forward and it should be noted that it is no knock against him. Instead of having that label because he is a "tweener" Mickey actually looks great out on the wing, but the "combo" part comes into play because he can score in the post with jump hooks from either hand. Mickey is an outstanding athlete and gets great elevation on his jumper. He has a nice looking stroke from mid-range and because of his release point, it is nearly impossible to contest. Mickey also hit all 10 of his free throws and blocked a day high 8 shots. He finished with 28 points on 9-14 shooting. Look for him to be an immediate contributor to a much improved LSU team - a team that could eventually crack the top 25 next season.

PG Emmanuel Mudiay (Ranked #3 in 2014) had a sub-par game, but looks the part of a great point guard prospect. He has legit size at around 6-3 or 6-4, long arms, and is a great athlete. Mudiay made his impact felt defensive and found teammates in transition for lobs. His mid-range game is said to be improving, but he didn't show much in the halfcourt in this one.

Senior post man Karviar Shepherd (72nd on ESPN, 46th on Rivals, 67th on Scout) will take his game to TCU next year and should start immediately. Shephard has good height and moves well on his feet - doing an excellent job defending pick and rolls and communicating. He needs to get stronger, but made the effort to box out each play and knows how to use his body to get post position. Shephard has a good feel with his back to the basket and is able to convert hook shots with either hand.

Freshman small forward Terrance Ferguson is one to watch for Prime Prep as he averages 10 points off the bench for the loaded team. Ferguson isn't shy at all and was seen demanded the ball from Mudiay on two occasions when he was open outside the arc. Fergeuson is quick to release shots from behind the arc and is a long, lanky athlete. He reminds me a bit of LaQuinton Ross, although he did show more commitment on defense - although he is a face guarded at this point. Ferguson is one of the most talented freshmen in the country and oozes potential despite scoring just 3 points in this one.

Sophomore power forward Elijah Thomas (top 10 recruit in class of 2015) was the most physically imposing player on the court in this game, although he was plagued by early foul trouble. One tough call that went against him was a blocking call where he seemed to in perfect position to draw the charge. Thomas has the built of Anthony Bennett and some of the perimeter skills too, but it was good to see him sacrificing his body inside. He also scored some big points in overtime thanks to a strong dropstep move and finish with his left hand.

Kahlil Thomas was the lone starting big man that could combat Prime Prep's size and he had his moments. He scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while shooting 6-13 from the floor. Thomas made a few jumpers early and then fell in love with the shot late, despite airballing one from outside his range. He appears to be a solid faceup threat, but struggled defensively and doesn't have a back to the basket game.

Junior wing Richard Lee has good size and a strong build for a shooting guard. He has a natural fade to his jumper and it looks like he has the potential of being a nice mid-range player. Lee's efforts defensively were his biggest contributions this game, however, and that could be his calling card at the high D1 level. He holds offers from Maryland, Florida, Miami, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, and George Mason.

Junior guard Lance Tejada showed skills as both a passer and scorer and did a great job getting into the paint. He struggled to get his shots to fall, but it looks like he has a future as a scoring lead guard. He has offers from Miami, George Mason, Virginia, USF, and others.

Sophomore Therrell Gossier will be a guy to continue to monitor from Blanche Ely. The big man played tough and pulled down 10 boards to go along with 11 points off the bench.