Bronx guard Kateri Poole commits to Ohio State

One of the best guards in the 2020 class will be an Ohio State Buckeye

Bronx, New York native Kateri Poole has verbally committed to head coach Kevin McGuff and the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Poole, who attends Monsignor Scanlan High School in The Bronx, is the number 16 ranked player in the class of 2020, according to ESPN. Poole chose Ohio State over Rutgers, Kentucky, Louisville, and West Virginia.

When I wrote about players in the 2020 class to watch heading into the July AAU recruiting period, Poole was one of the players I highlighted, and for good reason. She is electric at the guard position. She has terrific handle, is strong, tough, and can score the ball at all three levels. One of the most underrated aspects of her game, might just be her ability to stretch the floor from behind the arc. Poole is a very good shooter, who has the ability to get a variety of different types of shots off.  She also has the range to step 5-6 feet out beyond the arc and be a threat. Combine that with her ability to get to the rim, and finish once she gets there, Poole is an extremely difficult matchup for a defense.

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Another aspect of her game that —in my opinion —makes her a top-5 guard in the 2020 class, is her passing ability. Since she is such a physical guard, and oftentimes draws a second defender, she is a more than capable distributor, and will make the best pass when it presents itself.

Beyond that, Poole is a winner and a winner when needed most. I saw her play this year in a showcase on her home court.  While Poole dropped 30+, and scored her 1,000th point in the contest, it was her buzzer-beating layup that won the game and beat Our Lady of Lourdes (NY). The thing that impressed me most about this (I was impressed by all aspects of her game throughout the contest), was her demeanor. She was calm, poised, and confident when her team needed her the most. After blowing by her defender, Poole drew two defenders and beat them both to the rim, finishing over them for the game-winning layup.

The commitment from Poole adds to what has been a successful recruiting run for Coach McGuff and the Buckeyes.  They landed four, five-star recruits in the 2019 class, in which all four players were ranked in ESPN’s top-60. Poole is the first five-star recruit to commit to the Buckeyes in the 2020 class.

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