First let me preface this and tell you a little bit about myself. I’ve been around basketball my entire life. My dad played at Tennessee Tech. I’ve gone with him to scout high school players for the OVC since I was in middle school up until I graduated College. I’ve played against many D1 Athletes, both in high school and in open gyms in college. I played 4 years at Ohio Northern University. My older brother coaches high school varsity in Michigan. I say all these things not to brag, but to just clarify I’m not some engineering major (no offense JoMo) who’s never picked up a basketball.
Every player I looked at, I’ve never seen play before. No film, no nothing. Since graduating college, I find myself more interested in the football team for some reason. I haven’t even looked at stats from today. I’m a clean canvas. It is important to consider, these are observations from one game each. I’m just going to go down the list and give my report on each player. These are my notes while watching.
Eric Davis:
Underwhelming athlete overall. Weak Handle of the ball. Fragile. The pace of the game seemed too fast for him. Poor defender. Bends over at the waste instead of bending the knees. At times it seemed like he hadn’t grown into his body. He was falling a lot at the slightest of contact. Hitch in his shot. Unable to create his own shot. Very emotional. This kid would not survive in the MAC, let alone B1G. If this kid truly wants to play basketball after high school, I think his best bet is the GLIAC or NAIA.
AJ Turner:
Played the entire 2h I believe and you wouldn’t know it. He is an extremely raw player. Needs a lot of work. Upside, he is a legitimate 6ft 6in maybe taller. Worth keeping an eye on because of his length. Wish I could comment on his shot, but I don’t even know if he took one in the 2h.
Miles Bridges:
I wasn’t told to look at this kid, but I’m going to make a few comments. Most College ready player on The Family. Did it all. Best rebounder on the floor. Composed. Built like a brick house. High Motor. This kid will play in the B1G somewhere, if not, a mid major will pick up an All Conference player
Jalen Brunson:
A big time player. Tenacious defender and solid ball handler. Solid Build. 2nd Game I watched of the day and the first pull up jumper was from Jalen. Came down on a fast break, full speed, pulled up at the elbow. He missed the shot, but that’s a D1 shot. Can pull up from anywhere on the court and knock it down. Has a great change of pace before he explodes to the basket. Not afraid of contact. Sees entire floor. Best Point Guard I saw for the entire day. I want this kid at Michigan. He also had a teammate Edward Morrow who was one solid athlete. I have to imagine some big schools are after him. They played well together.
Kyle Ahrens:
Solid build. He is not 6ft 6in though. 6ft 5in tops but he has a solid build. He has a lot of motion in his jump shot. Starts it from the waste then releases it around his chin. It’s slow. He has a hard time getting it off unless he’s spotted up. Doesn’t elevate on shot. How much of this is contributed to his broken leg, I don’t know. He had a nice take to the rack in the first half and I believe he hit a spot up 3 in the 2nd. He’s strictly a 2. He doesn’t not handle the ball well and he is a step behind on defense, always. For his size I was expecting him to scrap for rebounds but he just didn’t have the athleticism to mix it up down there. He played against Austin Grandstaff’s team (OSU commit). Austin was head and shoulders a better player than Kyle. Austin had the better shot, more elevation, better form. Austin also could handle the point. He had a few nice no look passes and even caught a back door pass in a half court set and went up and dunked it.
Jalen Coleman:
Had the best game out of everyone I watched today. Elevates nicely on his jump shot. Good form. He hit around 4 threes. What most impressed me was how much he communicated on defense. He never stopped talking. He was always in correct help position which is rare for that age. He’s a very good and aggressive on the ball defender. He has an explosive first step. He can handle the rock good enough, but he’s definitely a 2. Coleman went to the rack hard all game. He never shied away from contact. He embraced it. Think Manny Harries with how he used his shoulder to rub the defender off him and to give him the second he needs to square his shoulders. Coleman had his hand on every single lose ball. The kid scraps. You can tell Jalen is a competitor. He’s not out there to make friends. Coleman also had the only charge I saw all day.
Here’s a sequence in the 2nd half for All Ohio. Coleman drives right, stops on a dime, pump fakes, gets the guy to fly by him, then hits a 15 foot bank shot. On the very next possession he steals the ball at half court and takes it down for a reverse dunk. Two possessions later, he hits a pull up 3 on a fast break. Jalen Coleman is a big time player. I want this kid more than anyone I saw today. Jalen Coleman would eat up Austin Grandstaff.
Esu Ahmad:
The program says 220, but Esu has pretty wide shoulders. He could play at 235lbs and not lose a step. The thing that stuck out to me about Esu was how poised he was out there. He can knock down the open 3. He has okay form, may need a little work. He brought the ball up the floor a few times and looked comfortable doing it. Saw Esu run the pick and roll, and run it beautifully, completing it with a no look assist. Great footwork for a big. Went against Jason Taytum a few trips down the floor and held his own. Esu is a big time player. Grabs rebounds at their pinnacle. There’s nothing on the court he cannot do.
Quintin Goodwin: The game was too fast for him. He’s 2016, so he has time. He has a good frame. Not much more to say about him.
My former assistant coach at Ohio Northern is an assistant on the All Ohio team. I got to speak with him and Marcus Gill before the game. Both commented on how much Jalen and Esu love Michigan. After the game, my old coach brought over Esu and we all started shooting the breeze. I asked Esu when he is going to commit to Michigan and he put on a big smile and said I may, I like them a lot. Both coaches said they wouldn’t be surprised if Coleman and Esu end up at Michigan. My assistant who is a Buckeye slappy hinted that Michigan is in strong consideration by both, as if Michigan is in the lead.
I also heard some news about another Ohio State commit that was there, that when released, will make national headlines. I’ll say no more, so don’t even ask.