Ken Frease

I had the opportunity to check out the Ohio-Kentucky All Star game last night. The girls game was very entertaining, and on the boys side 'game' had a different meeting. I am not sure if Scotty Hopson was there Kentucky would have done much better. There were a lot of 'undecided' college choices this year and I think that is a reflection of the overall talent. Ohio boys clearly had the better talent and I left with about 3:00 of game time left. These all star games feature 15 players to a side and they play 20 minute halves. At the end of each five minute period they switch out a complete new five. This happens until everybody has a chance to play on the floor twice. After that the coaches are free to sub as they wish. A few players caught my eye last night of course being led off by our blue chip recruit Ken Frease. Here goes my recap:

Ken Frease: I can't say I was overly impressed with his athleticism but make no mistake he is a skilled 5 man. His touch on his shot and his pin point passing are what I am talking about when I say 'skills'. I have not seen a box score and I missed the last few minutes of game action but before I left I had him at about 11 points, 7-8 boards, 2-3 assists, and three blocked shots. I don't think he was facing any Kurt Huelsman types in this game (that was meant to be sarcastic) and he probably only played about 10-12 minutes total. He can go over either shoulder and has great touch on his shot. He knows he is 6'11" and plays accordingly. His frame could add more weight and muscle. When he runs the floor I noticed he takes more short quick steps than long strides. I would not term him as 'fast' by any means but he does hustle up and down the floor.

Chris Johnson: The UD recruit from Columbus Brookhaven is a pure scorer. I was greatly impressed by his game. He is really 6'4" and not the 6'5" you see him frequently listed at. I am not sure if he is a '2' or a '3' but again he can put the ball in the basket in bunches. If I had to compare him to anybody we in the tri state would know I would say Marvin Gentry due to his slight frame. This guy should produce for the Flyers.

Damien Eargle: This Warren Harding product is skinny to be a true post player but that is where he is most effective. He has a variety of up and under moves and is good at timing his jumps for tip in rebound baskets. Easily a MAC level player who was one time committed to UNC-Greensboro but he has since rescinded that.

Tyshwan Edmondson: This University Heights product (team mate of Scotty Hopson) is being recruited by a plethora of schools. In the first half I couldn't figure out why. In the second half he made it clear to me. He has a great touch on his shot and is full of stop and go moves. I would recruit him more for a two guard than a point however.

Kyle Rudolph: This Elder product is going to play football for Charlie Weis and Notre Dame but basketball could have paid for his schooling to. I see him close to Tim Pollitz for a local reference and I think Kyle would have been a star at the MAC level.

Tom Pritchard: The St. Edward's senior is heading to Bloomington and there were a couple of 'Crean and Crimson' t shirt wearing fans in the crowd to watch this big fella. He is a 6'8" 240 pound athlete built for the Big 10 rebounding wars. He is not what I would term a 'high level' recruit but he can play and hustles constantly.

Anthony Hitchens: This 5'9" dynamo has a motor that just won't stop. He is headed to Akron to play for Keith Dambrot and the Zips. He had the best overall quickness on the floor and picked several pockets from the Kentucky players.

Devon Moore: They list him at 6'7" in the program but he is closer to the 6-4, 6-5 range in my opinion. He is paper thin and their is a lot of 'And 1' in his game but this Van Wert product deserves a long look. He caught my eye the most and could easily pass for Lil' Wayne's brother. It wouldn't suprise me if a wide range of schools were after him.

Corey Sorrell: Holy Cross product is headed to NKU and I watched him closely when he was on the floor. He will mix it up on the inside and is supposedly a dead eye shooter from three land but I didn't see him display that part of his game too much. He scraps all over and will be a nice addition to the Norse. Dave Bezold was in the house last night no doubt checking on his progress and trying to evaluate some of the unsigned bigs on the floor. It is very hard to evaluate talent in these All Star settings but there were plenty of 6-7, 6-8 types on the floor who would look good in the black and gold. They need size for their front line but I never got around to asking him if the Charles Bronson rumors were true.

Nick Gagel: This kid from Jeffersontown would be a star at the D2 level. He has a punchers chance at a D1 scholly though based off that pure jump shot. He is only 5'11" and of marginal atheleticsm which will determine his final destination. I had him down as the Kentucky side leading scorer but no box was posted yet due to the late finish of the game.

Overall the talent was much better in this game last year. Kentucky had Ty Proffit (Notre Dame), Jeff Brooks (Penn State), and Steffphon Pettigrew (Western Kentucky) to keep it competetive. The Ohio side had Dante Jackson (XU), Jon Diebler (Ohio State), and man child Aaron Pogue who if he ever got his head right would be a force for some school. But I was there to see Mr. Frease and I did not leave disappointed. He will contribute X fans and I hope his upside continues to grow. He is an aggressive player and when you are that size it only helps. However I would not say him starting over Jason Love next year is a given. He will play and play a lot but freshmen are freshmen. However I am even more excited about his potential now.

Next Sunday I will be off to the Derby Classic to watch Terrel Holloway and Yancy Gates play at Freedom Hall in Louisville. There will be talent galore all over that floor and I am excited to see how these guys stack up against some of the best in the land.