By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions is not only an opportunity for fans to see elite prep talent and for high schoolers to play in front of 10,000 fans, it’s also an opportunity to make an impact in recruitment.
Rivals senior writer Eric Bossi is one of the nation’s foremost opinions in recruiting and he was personally on hand at this year’s event.
The Missouri native is a fan of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions for the same reason that coaches from Kansas, Texas, UCLA, Florida and Creighton attended this year’s event.
Prospects.
“Anytime coaches have an off day or two they’re going to try to find a place to maximize their time,” said Bossi. “Events like this are perfect because of the volume of teams and the depth of talent. Tyger (Campbell) and Courtney (Ramey) are two big, available names, but there are so many guys at Oak Hill, La Lumiere, etc. that are talented and available. Why go see one guy when you can come here and see several.
“Also, coaches want a good environment too. It’s fun to come to games here. It’s a good crowd and the community supports it. It’s better than being in some empty high school gym so this tournament is an easy stop for coaches.”
Neither Campbell or Ramey – two of the nation’s top uncommitted recruits – disappointed fans around the Ozarks. Campbell averaged 13.3 points and 8.3 assists and Ramey put up 21.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Both guards made the All-Tournament Team.
Both are also players that are available after already going through the recruiting process once.
Campbell was once a DePaul commit and Ramey was a Louisville pledged before both opted to reopen the process and pick new programs. Both original schools still remain active in recruiting both Campbell and Ramey.
“Decommittments – while they’re not as prevalent as they are in football – we’re starting to see them in basketball,” said Bossi. “Tyger’s was one where he felt like he did things too soon, whereas Courtney didn’t want to decommit, but it was out of his hands when Louisville fired Rick Pitino. His is more unique in that he wanted to go to that program, but circumstances prevented that from happening.
“At this time of year there’s fewer and fewer guys so for higher-level programs to still have options like that available is nice for them.”
Like many, Bossi was impressed by several big names, but there were other prospects not as well known nationally that also turned heads at this year’s event.
One of those being Glendale 2018 guard Monty Johal.
While his Falcons went 0-3, they were a tournament favorite because of their ability to shoot the basketball and nobody shot it better than Johal.
The 6-foot-3 poured in 81 points in his three games, including a 27-point explosion against La Lumiere.
Johal scored at least 24 points in every game of the tournament, with a high of 30 coming on Day Two against nationally-ranked Wasatch Academy. He also added 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists to go along with his 27 points per game. Springfield Public Schools all-time leading scorer also knocked down 12-of-31 3-point FG attempts (39 percent).
It’s no secret that Johal is a classic “tweener” in terms of level and Bossi broke that down a little further.
“He’s in an interesting position because he’s probably being recruited in a way that Division 2 programs want him really bad and there’s some Division 1s that are also in the mix and like any kid you want to go D-1 and test yourself at the highest level,” said Bossi. “He’s a skilled player. He can create off the dribble and he can also get hot and hit some tough shots. Athletically he’s okay, at least for the Division One level.
“It’s that fine line, do you want to prove yourself at that level or maybe go find what’s the best fit and be a primary player for a D-2 program.”
Bass Pro Tournament of Champions: @ebosshoops takeaways include two dynamic teammates, rising stars for #Gators & #Cal & a good return from injury: https://t.co/s9cEGDjnTs pic.twitter.com/HROKROfIQQ
— Rivals.com (@Rivals) January 12, 2018
Another local player that helped his cause this weekend is 2018 Ozark guard Quinn Nelson.
Also an All-Tournament selection, Nelson helped the Tigers upset Christ the King and had the program one bucket away from knocking off Wasatch Academy.
He finished the weekend with 25-27-29 scoring outputs, matchup Johal’s 81 points which puts both players in the top-25 of all-time tournament scoring. Nelson also proved that he could be one of the most elite shooters in the nation, going 17-for-34 from 3-point range and 16-for-17 from the foul line.
To me, he feels a lot like former Drury great Alex Hall. One college coach agreed in his description of Nelson’s game.
“Quinn is an opportunistic shooter. He doesn’t force shots, but has a quick release. He likes to compete, and is a quality person on and off the court.”
Nelson still doesn’t have a solid D-2 offer, but Ozark coach Mark Schweitzer said he has been contacted by interested parties following the Tournament of Champions.
And, as if the week wasn’t a good enough way for Nelson to end his tournament, he scored his 1,000th point and broke Ozark’s career 3-point record on a weekend that saw the Tigers prove they belong among Missouri’s elite Class 5 programs.
