Cleveland Scholastic Play by Play Recap

Northern Ohio’s top ballers all in one gym.

by Rodger Bohn

Cleveland State played host to the best teams that the top half of the state of Ohio had to offer, including two of the four state champions from last season. The games were fast, the competition heavy, and the prospects plentiful. With no less than 30 DI players in the gym, rebuilding Cleveland State could only dream that they could convince a few to stay at home and play for their hometown school.

Here’s a look at the top PUNKS the Cleveland Play by Play had to offer:

Jakarr Sampson | 6-8 | PF | Akron St. Vincent St. Mary | 2011
In the upset loss, the athletic, lanky combo forward from Bron’s old HS did his thing. The inside/outside game that he presents made him a tough guard for opposing Cleveland Heights guards. Sampson showed off the full arsenal, handling the ball in the open court well but also getting it done on the blocks. Mix in the couple of elbow J’s that he drilled and it’s easy to see why he’s one of the top juniors in the state. Jakarr is going to have to bulk up eventually, but that hasn’t stopped schools such as Ohio State, Michigan State, Xavier, and Cincinnati from offering scholarships with tons of other bigtime programs still taking a look.

Anton Grady | 6-8 | SF/PF | Cleveland Central Catholic | 2011
After leading his team to a state title last year, Grady had an outstanding performance on center stage at CSU. A true combo forward, he played all five positions at times for his squad and looked mighty good in doing so. “Silk” played much harder than usual, made good decisions with the ball in his hands, and scored in a multitude of ways. Grady also anchored Central’s 1-3-1 zone defense, manning the back line with his shot blocking prowess. The junior is still a bit under the radar nationally after playing with a small AAU team, but dude is still getting looks from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Xavier.

Zach Price | 6-10 | C | Lakewood Saint Edward’s | 2011
The tallest player in the event also happened to be the best defender, swatting tons of shots and doing a great job rebounding the ball. His O is not quite as far as his D at this point, though. Price didn’t get tons of touches down low and struggled finishing when he did get the rock, evidenced by his 8 point showing. There’s no denying the long term potential that the intriguing big man offers though, which is why Rick Pitino and his Louisville staff gave him a scholarship so early in the game.

Cameron Wright | 6-5 | SG | Cleveland Benedictine | 2011
Killa Cam had a bit of an off night, not really getting too many shots to drop and doing the majority of his damage from the foul line. The athletic wing didn’t get to show off his nasty bounce and wasn’t shooting the ball especially well from the perimeter, but as usual, straight up put the clamps on people defensively. Wright finished with 14 points, in what was a bit of an off night offensively for the Pitt recruit.

Trey Lewis | 6-1 | PG/SG | Garfield Heights | 2011
Lewis had an explosive scoring outburst in the second half, dropping 21 of his 25 points in the second stanza. While he may not be the biggest or most explosive guard, he can shoot the lights out of the ball, as seen by the pair of NBA threes that he drilled. Attracting interest from Wisconsin, Penn State, and a handful of mid-major programs, look for Trey to light up the scoreboard wherever he lands at the next level.

Tony Farmer | 6-6 | SF | Garfield Heights | 2013
Just a freshman, Farmer showed crazy long-term potential with his 8-point, 10-rebound performance. The Cleveland native has a crazy motor and is a monster on the glass, keeping the ball alive a number of times in his team’s defeat. He still needs to refine his skill set, but has the combination of crazy athleticism and size for his position that you just don’t see out of a freshman too often. Not coincidental, multiple high major programs have already began inquiring about his services.

Alfonzo Houston | 6-4 | PG/SG | Cleveland Heights | 2010
The least acclaimed of the players we are featuring, Houston got buckets on anyone that St. Vincent St. Mary threw at him. The tall combo guard was outstanding in transition, hit a number of pull-up J’s, and finished in the paint with traffic. He also made two incredibly clutch baskets at the end of the game to complete his Cleveland Heights’ squad’s comeback victory. “Fonz” still needs to work on his J, but his high school coach Barry Egen said that has not detracted a number of low major DI programs from vying for his services.