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Inside Track: AJ Clayton reclassifies to 2021 and more recruiting news

By Zach Fleer, 11/11/20, 12:45PM EST

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A look inside the top recruiting stories in Central Ohio prep basketball

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hello to all the members of the 270 Hoops All-Access Pass. As promised, we have exclusive subscriber content for you all to enjoy. This week has been fairly active in terms of recruitment, as we’ve seen a big-time prospect reclassify up a grade, another big-time prospect make a college commitment and a fellow senior receive his first offer.

AJ Clayton reclassifies to 2021, becomes a senior

Ohio commit AJ Clayton made headline news on Sunday night when it was reported by Sam Blackburn of the Zanesville Times Recorder that the 6-foot-8 big man would be moving up a grade. Typically, we see more players move back grades, namely in the form of postgraduate prep schools where prospects can take another year to develop and improve their recruiting stock.

In the case of Clayton, he now becomes a senior and could enroll early. It’s not as cut and dry as it sounds, however.

Inside Track: Ohio University’s basketball program is capped out at 13 scholarships at the moment. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, the NCAA decided that all current winter student-athletes will receive another year of eligibility. What that means for OU is that all 13 players on the roster could return next year, meaning the Bobcats don’t have room for any incoming scholarship players.

Clayton called us on Sunday night before the news broke to provide some clarity. His reclassification does not mean that he will join OU next fall. He mentioned the idea of going to a prep school for a year and then becoming a Bobcat in 2022 like he originally planned. Some college coaches prefer their players, especially guys from smaller schools where competition and development isn’t as high as other bigger programs, to entertain the prep school route. That could be the case here, as OU might prefer Clayton to spend his real senior year playing with and against higher quality players to better prepare him for MAC basketball by the time he joins the program in 2022. 

Ohio assistant coach Lamar Thornton, who was and is Clayton’s primary recruiter, is no stranger to the prep school scene. Prior to being hired at Toledo as an assistant coach in 2016, Thornton spent time at Hargrave Military Academy, one of the nation’s top prep schools, as a member of the basketball staff. With Thornton’s background and connections in the prep school scene, Clayton could have his pick of top programs to play for in order to be fully prepared for college basketball. 

While the upside is certainly there for Clayton, we feel he would be better served with two more years of development before joining the college ranks. From what we’ve heard from inside sources and our familiarity with Jeff Boals’ Bobcat program, that is likely the opinion of Ohio as well when it comes to Clayton.

Maceo Williams commits to Ashland

Gahanna Lincoln senior big man Maceo Williams announced his commitment on Tuesday night, choosing Ashland over both Walsh and Union. The 6-foot-6 post has been one of the top breakout seniors over the course of the summer and fall, as Ashland got involved with his recruitment before anyone, offering Williams his first scholarship on Aug. 7.

Since then, a handful of Division II programs began taking a deeper dive into the highly skilled big man, as Walsh (Sep. 18) and Union (Oct. 7) offered Williams scholarships in the weeks following. 

Williams chose what appears to be the best fit, a wise move with the scarcity of scholarship offers remaining due to COVID-19 extending an extra year of eligibility for every winter student-athlete. 

Inside Track: Ashland is no secret to Central Ohio talent. Head coach John Ellenwood has recruited the area hard over the last 12 years as Ashland's head man, with notable local alums including '13 Reynoldsburg forward Wendell Davis, '13 Centennial guard Boo Osborn,  '13 Westerville North guard Adrian Cook, '14 Newark big man Teddy Metzen and '15 Grove City guard Nick Bapst, among others. 

On the current roster for Ashland, there is a heavy local presence with '18 Africentric guard Tre Baumgardner, '19 Upper Arlington forward CJ Karsatos, '20 Pickerington North wing Hunter Shedenhelm, '20 Delaware Hayes forward Paul Burris and '20 St. Charles center Vic Searls all expected to wear purple and yellow this year. 

The Eagles have done an outstanding job evaluating the top local talent, as they've nabbed the best priority Division II recruits seemingly every year. The case of Williams is no exception, as Ashland was the first program to extend him a scholarship after the 6-foot-6 post dominated in AAU events all summer long. 

Despite losing longtime assistant coach Rob Gardiner, a Dublin Coffman alum and heavy recruiter of Central Ohio talent, to Lincoln Memorial, Ashland was still able to reel in one of their top targets thanks to the recruiting efforts of Brook Turson, who fills Gardiner's role as the No. 1 assistant coach on the staff.

Williams is the first Division II commit and the 13th overall in the area.

No other local seniors currently have an offer from Ashland, as it appears the Eagles could be done recruiting in the area for this cycle, going 1/1 on the guy they really coveted. 

Darius Parham receives first offer

Bishop Ready senior guard Darius Parham picked up his first offer from NAIA Wilberforce on Monday. The 6-foot-3 Parham is one of the most solid players in the area, as well as being a standout football prospect for the Scarlet Knights.

Inside Track: Wilberforce has been very ACTIVE recruiting local talent, as Parham becomes the fourth area senior to receive an offer from Bulldogs.

New head coach Mark Mitchell, who spent the last several years as the boys basketball coach at Cincinnati Taft and on the women's bench at Ohio State, is looking to get more involved in Columbus and has done exactly that.

Parham is the first wing to pick up an offer from Wilberforce, as Mitchell and his staff extended scholarships to lead guards Eli Burke of Africentric, Jaiden Guice of Westerville South and Keshawn Harris of Independence. 

Wilberforce had two local alums on the roster in 2019-20 in Bexley's Patrick McClendon and Walnut Ridge's Darnei Hairston. The Bulldogs also signed Africentric guard Cali Davis in the 2020 recruiting cycle as well. Despite their season being cancelled due to COVID-19, Wilberforce has been active both in the development of their current players and on the recruiting scene across Ohio. 

Getting a commitment from one of the four high-quality players that they've offered would go a long way in helping Mitchell build a winner in Southwest Ohio. Wilberforce is the oldest HBCU college in the United States. 

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