BERLIN, Ohio – When you’ve got 29 teams on hand who happen to be from a state that had 64 signings or commitments as of the fall signing period, it’s a safe bet that there’s some serious depth to the talent pool in your backyard.  If you want further validation of the respect the state of Ohio is held in by college recruiters nationwide take into account that in excess of 150 different coaches were on hand for one or more days of this year’s Classic in the Country.

While there are still several seniors that may have yet to punch their ticket to a career at the next level, the focus and interest of those on hand in Berlin the past three days has been on underclassmen, the 2013 class in particular.  Of course there are the high profilers like Alexis Peterson of Northland, Ashley Morrissette of Twinsburg and Vanessa Smith of Hathaway Brown to name a few.  And then there are those that are already well established on recruiting lists across the country but may just be poised to make a move to climb the pecking order as coaches watch and reevaluate their development and performances.

Destini Cooper of Reynoldsburg is just that kind of player and if effort counts for anything she’s making recruiters take a closer look at what she has to offer.  Standing 6-0 at the power forward spot she’s the perfect complement to sophomore interior running mate 6-3 Alyssa Rice.  Cooper’s game is assertive, physical and ultimately productive for the Raiders.  She almost appears to enjoy the game more if the folks with the whistle are letting things go a bit and is never hesitant about putting her own strength to work.  On the block she can be effective in posting to the ball as well as sealing a defender in anticipation of the next pass.  On the catch she’s quick to attack and uses her body to protect the ball efficiently against opponents with more size.  In two games she produced 25 points on 10 of 18 shooting while playing almost 75% of all minutes available for a deep and talented team.  The speed and agility are there to get out and be a factor in transition both offensively and defensively.  She’ll need to be a more productive rebounder as well as focus on being proactive at the defensive end rather than reactionary.  There’s still work and refinement to be done in her game but she plays with a confidence and approach well suited for the next level.  The jury may still be out on just what level she can ultimately contribute best at, but Reynoldsburg’s success and her continued advancements will have folks watching closely.

If you’re going to judge a prospect on the basis of her physical appearance alone you wouldn’t be looking much further than Lorain’s Alexandria Harris.  Not many posts can bring to the table the triad of size, strength and agility.  Just for the fun of it throw in a high altitude vertical and a  wingspan the breadth of something from Boeing and you begin to get the impression of Harris’s potential.  At 6-3 she can move with the guards both offensively and defensively and is often an asset in the Titan’s transition game.  She likes to work from the high post or in the mid key area and offers up some surprising vision and passing skills when she squares up.  She often exposes the ball way too much and suffers the wrath of opposing guards reaching and slapping as she looks to attack.  At this point Harris is a “taker” in the sense that she takes what the defense provides to her.  The tools are there to create her own looks and there are possessions where she’ll catch, read and attack.  At the same time there are way too many situations where she could be exploiting mismatches but doesn’t yet have the consistency and confidence to do so.  In Lorain’s single game in the classic Harris went 4 of 16 from the field and 2 of 8 from the line for just 10 points in 30 minutes of playing time.  On the boards she was a force pulling in 20 rebounds, including 8 on the offensive glass, to go with 6 turnovers and an impressive 8 blocked shots.  All the tools are evident and Harris is certainly no secret to recruiters.  The question for her isn’t what level can she play on but what level does she want to reach.  It’s up to her.

In the over populated dictionary of positions we have point guards, shooting guards, combo guards, wings, small forwards, power forwards and centers.  For those challenged by the complexity of that system we go with #1’s, 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 5’s (Tall, Grande or Venti at all positions!).  Just for the record, Mason’s Kayla McDowell is not a #3 or a wing and absolutely not a center.  She is, however, a #4 or power forward and a very promising one at that.  At 6-2 she has good size which combines with a physically strong build that serves her well inside and out.  The ability to run the floor makes her a factor on the break and in any full court defensive scenarios.  Her individual skills are there around the rim, in the high post and on the perimeter.  In looking for the ball it’s obvious she understands positioning and angles both on the block and away from the basket in getting open.  Her ballhandling extends beyond one dribble drives and allows her to advance the ball herself if outlets are denied or pressure requires her to take it.  She tends to use her off arm to protect the ball to the point of pushing off at times but her handle itself is sound.  In the Comet’s two games McDowell had 11 and 12 points respectively on a combined 9 of 18 from the field and 5 of 8 from the line.  She averaged 6 rebounds a game but also added 3.5 turnovers.  On the defensive end she’s got some decent lateral movement to take away her match up’s attack but also, as noted, the strength to move her off the block or elbow.  There’s no mystery as to where she’ll play on the floor, just as to what campus that floor might be on.

Easily one of the more eye catching single game performances in this year’s Classic came from Bianca Quisenberry.  The 5-7 point guard from Tecumseh not only led the way with 27 points she capped her efforts with a game winning three point play with 22 seconds remaining against Lorain.  Cut and strong both for her age and size, she’s constantly attacking with the ball in her hands as well as on the defensive end of the court.  Her speed is sharp but the explosiveness of her first step is what leads to a lot of pull ups going either direction.  Though she didn’t shoot it exceptionally well (8 for 27, 30%) she demonstrated the ability to create her own looks and wasn’t hesitant to take it into traffic looking to improve both scoring and passing opportunities.  Though she turned it over 5 times, what she was looking for was obvious, if not a little too ambitious.  There’s nothing conservative about her approach and the confidence in her skills was evidenced by the pull up that sealed the win.  On the defensive end she has the foot speed to contain and dictate to opposing point guards.  Her anticipation allows her to turn ballhandlers and force some early entries.  For good measure she provided some of the most effective post defense on Lorain’s Alexandria Harris despite giving up at least eight inches to her opponent.  Quisenberry is already in conversations that include some of the nation’s top point guards.  Continued advancement of her skills and command of the floor should bring her name up even earlier in those discussions.