BERLIN, Ohio – If a college coach has intentions of recruiting the state of Ohio it’s a wise decision on their part to include some travel arrangements in mid-January to the northeast part of the state and Amish country. For the past nine years the Classic in the Country has brought together the Buckeye State’s best for a competitive event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and local coaching icon, the late Perry Reese. Even a few out of state nationally recognized programs have crashed the party from time to time such as Florida’s Potter’s House Christian Academy, University High from New Jersey, Kentucky’s DuPont Manuel and last year’s visit from Myrtle Beach High School in South Carolina. High profile participants have gone on to play with programs such as UConn, Maryland, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Tennessee and in state perennial powerhouse Ohio State just to name a few and many more have found their way onto rosters both nationally and regionally at all levels.
This year’s lineup comes entirely from Ohio including 15 of the state’s top 25 ranked teams. Over three days, 29 teams will compete in 20 games in the Perry Reese Center located at Berlin Hiland High School. Tom Jenkins and Ohio Girls Basketball Report hosts The Classic and along with the school’s staff and an impressive lineup of sponsors and volunteers provide a first class event for players, fans, recruiters and evaluators alike.
Day one saw a lot of action that was noteworthy, but on an individual basis it was hard not to take notice of the battle between Canton McKinley’s senior guard Ameryst Alston and Princeton High School’s sensational sophomore Kelsey Mitchell. Alston and her Lady Pup teammates took the win over the previously unbeaten Vikings from Cincinnati in a matchup of two of the state’s top five teams. Here’s a quick look at two of Ohio’s top backcourt performers.
Bound for Ohio State and Coach Jim Foster’s program Alston has been one of the constant topics of discussion around Ohio since her big splash at the state tournament during her freshman year. She should continue to be the topic of discussion after last night’s 33 point output in the 59 – 53 victory. Standing out even more in her stat line is her 55% field goal shooting that came as a result of 12 of 22 shooting from the floor. Her individual attack showed an aggressiveness that has always been there but has taken a backseat at times throughout her career. Getting to the rim with a physical and aggressive approach she created her own looks and handled and any weak side defenders that rotated her way. In the process she found her way to the line 12 times and for good measure knocked down 2 of 5 from behind the arch. The 5-9 standout has the tools to be effective at both the point and off guard spots and demonstrated a comfort for both on the break and in the halfcourt. Her ballhandling and passing skills are sharp and simply effective as evidenced by her ability to dribble out a large majority of the game’s final minute and a half making Princeton’s effort to foul virtually moot. On the defensive end she’s again quick and physical playing with a maturity you would expect with both her experience and potential. Additionally, the future Buckeye appears to be more cut, physically fit and ready for the next level than at any point in her career and that should serve her and her teammates well when tournament time rolls around in March.
While Alston is a smooth, fluid and physical guard it would be hard for anyone who has seen Mitchell in action to not describe her as explosive. Standing 5-8 but giving the appearance of some added length in her legs, she can get from A to B in rapid and dramatic fashion. Whether it’s pushing the ball through traffic in transition or creating her own look off the dribble, the sophomore leaves defenders guessing and the folks sitting courtside anticipating. Her crossover is an Iverson-esque wide move the gets defenders completely off balance and out of position while her step back covers more distance than a long haul trucker on Red Bull. While it wasn’t her strongest shooting night (9-24, 37%) she still finished with 23 points and kept the coaching staff from Canton McKinley sweating until the final buzzer. Mitchell did turn the ball over seven times with a couple coming as a result of offensive fouls but attacking the way that she does necessitates a few tradeoffs. Seven may be a little extreme but part of that number can be accredited to the quality defense the folks from Canton offered up. Her passing is instinctive and often has all the flair of her individual attack. With only a year and a half of varsity experience under her belt she’s already seen and grown accustomed to being the focus of opposing defenses and has shown the wiliness to give it up when a teammate has a better look. On the defensive end the same speed and quickness that gets her past defenders puts her in a position to contain them. She’s quick to take risks that don’t always pay off but she has the tools to recover as well. Mitchell and her teammates will be making their own noise when playoff time rolls around.
