Worthington, Ohio--  Day one of the Stephen Gussler Invitational took place all day Friday at Thomas Worthington High School. It was a large success for Central Ohio basketball as all four teams in the area were victorious.

The results from the first day went as follows:

Dublin Jerome 63, Fairland 45

Reynoldsburg 68, Brunswick 56

Dublin Coffman 70, Lakota East 58

Thomas Worthington 83, Ringwood 33

Now let’s take a look at some of the top performers at the event.

Ben Fort (6’5 W/ Reynoldsburg/ 2019): Fort led the Raiders in scoring with 21 points. He is a true 6-foot-5 wing prospect that currently holds a mid-major offer from IUPUI, including several other smaller offers. Offensively, Fort heavily relies on his jump-shot at this point in his career, which he showed yesterday, knocking down two three-pointers and one spotting up. The mid-major prospect continued to build on that performance by hitting a mid-range step-back as well. Despite his scoring output, Fort’s playmaking ability and quick decision making really stood out today. When driving north-south, the senior can get into the lane at will, making use of his outstandingly long stride lengths, but made plays for others once he drove into the lane. He made several quick strong-side reads, reacting to the initial help defense that resulted in open outside shots and dump-offs for easy layups. The senior even made a no-look pass from halfcourt to Sahmi Willoughby in transition for an easy layup as well.

Defensively, Fort was tasked with guarding Brunswick’s primary scorer and on ball creator Kyle Goessler in the fourth quarter. Easily the best player for this job, Fort had no problem staying with the guard on the perimeter, giving him very little space to get to his pull up jump shot, and even blocked one late in the game. He flashed some off ball skill on a rim rotation that led to a foul, but his reaction was encouraging from an elite prospect that normally will not make a defensive read like that unless it is late in the game.

My third viewing of Fort now, he should be on almost every mid-majors radar at this point in his career. The senior’s handle, shooting ability both on and off movement, decision making, and positional versatility as a defender are all traits that should be held in high regard. I’d like to see him continue to focus on driving north/south in the half-court and be more aggressive as a finisher, because once his frame fills out, it could unlock some hidden leaping explosion that could make him an above the rim finisher.

Luke Bartemes (6’4 WF/ Dublin Coffman/ 2019): The Lincoln Memorial commit continued to build on an impressive senior campaign tonight, leading the Shamrocks with 18 points. At 6-foot-4, Bartemes has a fantastic frame with the appearance of a grown man at his young age. His most marketable offensive collegiate skill is his outside shooting, as the southpaw shot a highly efficient three for five from the outside all on spot up possessions. He is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and attacking a closeout as well, flashing some great touch with a floater game that could be a major factor in his collegiate transition, since he does not have elite speed to get to the rim at a high level attacking off the dribble.

The senior’s basketball IQ popped off the charts today too. Bartemes had a beautiful back-door cut, instantly reading the defense and finding a wide open shooter in the corner. He applies his IQ best on the defensive end of the floor, where the wing always knows what is going on off the ball and is a great communicator. Continuing to make correct rotation after correct rotation on both the strong and weak sides of the floor, Bartemes had two weakside rim rotations that led to blocks and transition opportunities for Coffman.

With an amazingly high basketball IQ and lethal outside stroke, the Shamrocks forward will most likely make the transition to a collegiate wing at his size. He should have no problem doing so, and should thrive within an offense as a spot up shooter and low usage passer to create scoring opportunities for his teammates without needing the ball in his hands for a significant amount of time, along with being an incredible team defender that should find much more value off rather than on the ball.

Trey Ballengee (6’4 WF/ Dublin Jerome/ 2019): Finally somebody who was not their teams leading scorer in their game, but Ballengee did contribute 12 points to an all-around balanced Celtics offense. Ballengee scored in a variety of ways, whether it was finishing at the rim, in transition, or knocking down his two spot-up three-pointers. However, he put on a passing clinic in the middle of the Fairland zone, including picture perfect no look pass that one of his teammates could not handle. He continued to make simple decisive reads within the zone, showcasing great patience while working in the middle. Defensively, Ballengee should be a multipositional on-ball defender with a strong frame that could guard smaller four’s, but also great speed that should allow him to stay with wings.

The opposite of Bartemes, Ballengee would most likely transition into a smaller perimeter four man for an NAIA program. He can handle the ball within the half-court and transition, but should be relied upon to be a creator within an offense. Continued improvement on his jump-shot would likely be the best way to continue to add offensive value at the next level. He should contribute immediately as a smart defender that could be semi-switchable. The Jerome senior will be a player to keep an eye on in the future.

Kyler Block (6’7 F/ Thomas Worthington/ 2019): Block wins the award for the standout that played the least amount of minutes in Thomas Worthington’s thrashing of Ringwood. However, in limited minutes, the senior made an impact on the game and showed off his collegiate potential. He was a strong play finisher at the rim on Friday night, showing his explosive leaping ability and instinctual cutting to create his own open shot opportunities at the rim. However, his real appeal comes on the defensive end of the floor. With tremendous size for a forward or big, Block is incredibly quick both laterally and vertically, and his fluid yet swift hip turns allow him to open up to a change of direction dribble from a guard which we saw multiple times throughout the game on switches. He is also an active off ball defender that will constantly rotate with a high motor and closeout on the perimeter, even though it is not always effective.

It is rare to find a high school big prospect with Block’s comfortability level defending on the perimeter. Switchability should be a goal for any team trying to apply themselves to modern defensive scheme. The senior should be able to switch onto four positions collegiate for a D3 program.

Sean Moore (6’4 WF/ Reynoldsburg / 2020): Moore was right on Ben Fort’s heels, scoring 15 points in Reynoldsburg’s win. The junior has burst onto the scene this year with a vengeance and has become one of Central Ohio’s breakout hoops studs. Moore was a monster on the offensive glass early on in the game using his length and leaping explosion to obtain put back opportunities for easy points. He also showed off his outside shot by knocking down two corner three’s, one off of slight movement fading into the corner. A lethal open court athlete, Moore is at his best when he has a head full of steam driving to the hoop which he showed finishing at the rim on a DHO, coming off the handoff with exceptional burst. It was also a big defensive game for the junior as well, being tasked with guarding Brunswick’s second leading scorer, guard Tre Massey, to just five points compared to his nine in the first half.

Look for Moore to continue to be the 1b to Fort’s 1a throughout the rest of the season for the Raiders. Consistent jump shooting and continued improvement in decision making on both ends of the floor will continue to boost his collegiate stock.

Derek Van Vlreah (6’6 WG/ Dublin Coffman/ 2019): Van Vlerah was Dublin Coffman’s second leading scorer on Friday night with 13 points, including four huge free throws to ice the game for the Shamrocks. At 6-foot-6, Van Vlerah is a pure wing with an incredibly advanced handle for his size where we saw him perform frequent dribble moves with ease including a frequent behind-the-back move. He is also a deceptively impressive leaper and fluid mover. Showing off his shooting range, the senior knocked down a spot up corner three. He built on his scoring performance with an instinctual cut leading to an easy finish at the rim.

Defensively, his lateral quickness and length allowed him to get multiple steals and blocks that created easy transition opportunities. He is also an intelligent team defender that will make proper rotations. Already with a plethora of offers, Van Vlerah’s elite length and perimeter game make him one of the more highly desirable unsigned seniors in the area. There’s a lot you can do with him offensively his handling coordination will continue to open up new possibilities in the collegiate game like running a secondary pick and roll, or he can be used off movement hunting his outside shot and getting into the lane to make plays for others. He still needs major work on his overall muscle and strength along with  tightening his handle just a little bit more, but his mid-major potential as a two-way wing is quite clear.

Jalen Sullinger (5’9 G/ Thomas Worthington/ 2021): Another Thomas Worthington product that played limited minutes in the beatdown, however, as a sophomore Sullinger is both the starting lead guard and leading scorer for the Cardinals. After watching him play a half of basketball, it was pretty easy to tell why. He is a change of pace ball, shifty ball handler that excels changing speeds and is rarely ever sped up. With eight total points in the game, Sullinger knocked down two three-pointers and a layup that illustrated splendid leaping explosion. What really caught my eye though was just how well the underclassmen decelerates off  of the dribble. Being able to decelerate on a dime while dribbling with all your momentum is what gives a lot of undersized guards or poor athletes the chance to create a large amount of space pulling up for a jump-shot. As of right now, Sullinger is the first since he is a tremendous athlete. That one skill combined with his shifty handle gives him the potential to be an elite scorer in the future especially creating his own shot off the dribble. This sophomore is definitely a name people should be familiarizing themselves with.

Nate Johnson (6’1 G/ Lakota East/ 2021): Normally this is not something we will do here at 270, but I thought it was necessary. Johnson was faced with what I’m assuming was the matchup of his career with Dominiq Penn, who is our number one guard prospect in the 2020 class with several Division one offers. Johnson really gave the talented junior from Coffman all he could handle defensively. An elite athlete with quick twitch muscles, he is already an elite point of attack defender, the sophomore had numerous steals both on ball and off ball anticipating passing lanes within the Lakota press. Offensively, Johnson’s game is still a work in progress. He has a tight handle and blazing speed with the ball in his hands, but had a hard time finding times to take advantage of that speed in the halfcourt until the fourth quarter when he got into the lane whenever he pleased.

Johnson still has a long way to go, but the slashing point guard has raw talent and ability that you do not see often. His physical and athletic traits alone make him an NCAA guard prospect. He needs to continue to develop his shooting ability both pulling up and spotting up, along with reading the floor as a passer once he gets into the lane. He could develop into a slashing playmaking point guard with his elite frame and leaping explosion where he can finish through contact and should be a nightmare when he gets a head full of steam driving to the hoop. I would not be surprised if Johnson starts to receive a lot more attention before the end of this season.