Sonny's Top 100 Fall Showcase:Class of 2011/2012

While the Sonny Johnson Showcase boasted a considerable amount of talented seniors, it is ultimately the underclassmen in attendance that will wind up being the better group. Here is a look at the top young guns the event had to offer:

Zach Prce, 6'10, Center, 2011, Lakewood St. Edward's- Price offered more long term upside then any prospect in attendance and has made huge strides since he was simply a raw frosh playing on the junior varsity team at St. Ed's. He did a nice job of running the floor and is even beginning to show glimpses of a post repertoire, especially a left handed jump hook. The youngster finished well at the basket with either hand as well, but made more of a difference on the defensive end. Price was one of the better (if not the best) intimidators at the event, making his presence felt with his shot blocking and rebounding abilities. There is no doubt that Zach is still rough around the edges, but he unquestionably has the makings of a high major prospect at the moment.

Jor’Gio Lacey, 6’5, Small Forward/Power Forward, 2011, Lakewood St. Edward’s- Like his teammate Price, Lacey looked much improved since the last time we observed him. Built like a football player, he was able to outmuscle opposing wings all throughout the showcase. Lacey is still making the transition to a full time perimeter player, but showed off a nice first step and leaves plenty of optimism that he’ll be able to do it before he reaches the collegiate ranks.

Trey Lewis, 5’10, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, 2011, Garfield Heights- Trey showed off his advanced skill set through a series of crafty drives to the rim and beautiful step back jumpers. Not the most athletic player on the court, he was able to put his fair share of points on the board via his cerebral play. With a skill set like the one that he has at such a young age, it’s no coincidence why mid-major schools are already inquiring about this sophomore.

Delbert Love, 6’0, Point Guard, 2011, Lakewood St. Edward’s- Love played the game with the savvy of a player far beyond his years, distributing the ball to his teammates consistently and scoring when the opportunity presented itself. The sophomore was incredibly poised and did a nice job of controlling the tempo all throughout the showcase. Love didn’t shoot the ball exceptionally well from the perimeter, but he showed us why he’s being starting to hear from some mid-major programs.

Will Weeks, 6’5, Small Forward/Power Forward, 2011, Garfield Heights- Weeks played much better then the last time we observed him, and was a mismatch waiting to happen. If you put smaller players against him, he immediately took them to the blocks and utilized his size. If you threw a post player on him, Will took him off the dribble to the rim, where he finished well with both hands. The sophomore still hasn’t made the full transition to a perimeter player yet, but appears to be a sure fire mid-major player in the worst case scenario as long as he continues to develop.

Jermaine Davis, 6’8, Center, 2012, Garfield Heights- Big Jermaine didn’t play quite as well as he did when we last saw him in July, but he still proved that he could hold his own against peers 3 years his elder. He displayed the same soft touch and nice hands as before, but wasn’t quite the inside presence that we hoped. Only a freshman, inconsistencies like this are to be expected and he’s still a player that colleges are going to be following closely over the next few years.

Nyles Evans, 5’10, Point Guard, 2011, North Canton Hoover- Evans exhibited a really impressive skill set for a player so young, and had no problem getting his jumper off against much bigger foes. He shot the ball very well from beyond the arc, but struggled finishing inside due to his diminutive size.