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Ohio State freshman 'sniper' John Mobley showcased all-around game in senior season
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- Ohio State freshman 'sniper' John Mobley showcased all-around game in senior season
Paul Peterson was well versed with what John "Juni" Mobley Jr. brings to a basketball court.
Regarded as one of the preeminent shooters in the 2024 class, Mobley had played two seasons for Las Vegas Bishop Gorman after moving from Reynoldsburg during the COVID-19 pandemic . With two assistant coaches on staff who previously played for Gorman, Peterson knew Mobley would be a strong addition for Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy but decided not to pursue the future Buckeye out of respect for the coaching staff there.
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As Peterson prepared for the third season of the Nike EYBL Scholastic league, a connection with John Mobley Sr. changed everything.
"We had caught wind that he was possibly going to leave (Gorman) or go back to Columbus and those Gorman guys basically confirmed it and basically gave us the right to recruit him," Peterson said. "Then I randomly ran into John (Sr.) who was like, 'Yeah, you should take my son.' "
It set Mobley Jr.'s final season into motion. The Central Ohio native, who played in the Kingdom Summer League in 2023 , would finish out by playing one year at Wasatch Academy, testing himself on a national stage in the 14-team league featuring perennial powerhouses Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy, La Porte (Indiana) La Lumiere and others.
He would prove a lot to his new coach and teammates, starting with cementing himself at his preferred position.
Dec 1, 2023; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Wasatch Academy guard John Mobley Jr. (3) celebrates a dunk against Arizona Compass Prep during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Chaparral High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
John Mobley proves himself as point guard at Wasatch Academy
The first week at Wasatch is designed to be difficult, especially for new players. On top of adjusting to a college-like structure, Peterson said early workouts are scripted to challenge players in order to learn as much as he can about his team.
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One week into having Mobley on campus, the coach said two things were clear: yes, he was a shooter, but he was more than that.
"Going through our ball handling drills, he really has that thing on a string," Peterson said. "That was the first thing that stood out. The first week or so we put him through some really difficult stuff, things you'd think the kids would fail at, just to see how good they are at ball handling or see how much they can take, toughness stuff. He was leading the way."
It helped, too, that Peterson said Mobley arrived 10 pounds heavier and stronger than his new teammates.
That early impression helped combat something Mobley said has been a preconceived notion about him. Although some recruiting websites have labeled him as a combo guard, Mobley considers himself a point guard and said that within a day or two at Wasatch he had proven that much to his new coaching staff.
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It was a credit to the work he'd put in not only at Gorman but during the summer with his dad, John Mobley Sr., and his manager and family friend, Ronnie Steward.
"We played at that high-level stage at Gorman, so I had a lot of experience of coming in and knowing what to do, what spots for people to be in and stuff like that," Mobley said. "We were getting up every day at 5 a.m., going to lift right after. I felt like going in, I was definitely prepared for what was to come."
The goals were lofty. In his final prep season, Mobley said he wanted to lead Wasatch to the Chipotle Nationals tournament and, in the process, be named a McDonald's All-American.
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As offense shines, John Mobley makes impression on defense
Once it became clear that Mobley would be able to handle a significant offensive role, Peterson turned his attention to the defensive end of the court. In addition to running the point and handling his role as a focal point in the Wasatch offense, Mobley's primary assignment was typically the opposing team's point guard, and the task was to be dogged in his pursuit.
"We wanted to play full-court man and be a pest defensively," the coach said. "You don't have to steal it, but you just have to be there and pressure the ball. He was in great shape, so we never worried about him wearing down from having to play full-court."
An increased defensive role was something Mobley said he enjoyed taking on because it allowed him to showcase another aspect of his game.
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"I took a lot of pride in showing the country that I play defense," Mobley said. "The word around is that I don't, but that's what my goal is, to prove that I do."
Incoming Ohio State first-year guard John "Juni" Mobley Jr. shoots a 3-pointer during an early-morning workout at Value City Arena on June 1, 2024.
Throughout the season, that involved matching up against the likes of five-star Baylor signee VJ Edgecombe, four-star Michigan State signee Jeremiah Fears and four-star Baylor signee Rob Wright. All are top-40 national recruits in the 247Sports.com composite who played in Wasatch's league and were players Mobley cited as memorable matchups.
In their lone meetings against each other, Fears scored 18 points, Wright had 15 and Edgecombe had 13, but Peterson said Mobley's size and physicality affected them.
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"He was a full-court man who wasn't afraid of the pain," Peterson said. "Early on, he took a lot of charges."
At the same time, Mobley said he was able to take early advantage against teams that thought they knew what he could do offensively.
"Towards the beginning, they were a little loose (defensively)," he said. "Teams knew, but they didn't really know, but when we got to the middle (of the season) it was a lot of face guarding, doubling. That just made it easier for me to get my teammates involved."
Being faceguarded is nothing new, Mobley said, but the increased attention forced his offensive role to grow.
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Wasatch coach likens John Mobley's year to going from Chris Paul to Steph Curry
Five games into league play, Mobley was averaging 16.6 points and 5.4 assists per game and had set a season high at 22 points. Then, in a 72-65 win against La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere on Jan. 6, Mobley scored 30 points and added seven assists.
It started a run of five league games in which Mobley scored at least 23 points and averaged 27.0 points and 5.4 assists, leading Peterson to compare him to a pair of NBA stars.
"He kind of morphed," the coach said. "At the beginning he was being a really good point guard and picking his spots and then we had some injuries and it was like, 'All right, you've got to put the cape on and be Superman. You've got to carry the team.' He had a couple different roles throughout the year, but he finished as a scorer.
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"He started off more as a Chris Paul-type of point guard and finished as a Steph Curry point guard."
John "Juni" Mobley Jr., an Ohio State commitment in the class of 2024, arrives at Ohio Stadium on his official visit on Sept. 9, 2023.
That meant a higher level of attention as the year progressed. Mobley was fighting around multiple physical defensive screens on each possession, the coach said, testing his physicality each time. Mobley finished the season second in the EYBL Scholastic league in scoring (19.9 points per game) and tied for fourth in assists (5.0) while shooting 35.2% from 3-point range. He also finished second in free-throw percentage at 88.6%.
The final 247Sports.com rankings have Mobley as a four-star player and the No. 44 national prospect .
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Two of the five highest-scoring games in league play were Mobley's: he scored 34 against Greenville (South Carolina) Legacy Early College on March 2 and 30 against La Lumiere.
"I would just play my game," he said. "Growing up, I always played the right way and if I see an open teammate, I would pass it. I had a lot of times where my bigs would come set me a downscreen just so I can get loose a little bit so i can be able to get the ball and make a play."
How did John Mobley find out Chris Holtmann was fired?
In committing to the Buckeyes at the beginning of his junior year, Mobley described Ohio State as his "dream school." He then signed his national letter-of-intent in November of 2023, just before getting his season underway at Wasatch.
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Mobley and his teammates were in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport making a connecting flight to play at Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian Academy when a notification flashed on their phones: Ohio State had just fired Chris Holtmann, the coach Mobley had signed to play for.
"I'm not going to lie: my heart dropped," Mobley said. "I was like, wow, this is crazy.' Ended up talking to family about it and they told me to just focus on the season so that's what I did. It sucked that he got fired, but at the same time I was worried about getting to nationals so I didn't really put too much mind into it."
That moment was the only time Peterson said he saw the situation impact Mobley.
"He just looked up and was like, 'What the?' " Peterson said. "But his dad and (manager) Ronnie Steward, they did a good job of keeping him away from that. They did a good job of letting him just play basketball. They took care of all the logistics of everything else and let him just be a kid and be a basketball player. They did a good job of protecting him."
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He reaffirmed his commitment to Ohio State after Jake Diebler was named Holtmann's replacement.
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In falling short of season goals, John Mobley proves self as shooter
Wasatch finished the season with a 17-7 record, falling short of competing in the Chipotle national tournament and landing outside the national top 25. The Tigers went 7-5 in league play and tied for seventh in the standings.
Mobley cited his personal highlights as his 30-point outburst against La Lumiere and a 75-73 win against Miami (Florida) Columbus in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta on Nov. 25. He had 17 points, five assists and three rebounds as the Tigers knocked off a Columbus team led by five-star 2025 power forward Cameron Boozer that was ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps.com at the time.
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"I think as this year went on I was like, hey, he's a point guard," Peterson said. "He's calling plays. He's setting things up. He's picking up full-court defense. He's playing full-court defense. All those point guard things. Communication. That's what I saw."
He also saw a player who was given the nickname "The Sniper" when 247Sports.com handed out its superlatives for the 2024 class.
"I like that," he said with a smile. "I take pride in shooting, so I took that as a compliment."
Peterson said Mobley wasn't a player who required a lot of offense to be scripted specifically for him, and that ability to create his own shot separated him from his peers. While teams would try to blitz Mobley through a ball screen, his quick release negated many of those efforts.
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"When the guard is looking around for a screen, the minute you turn your head he's gone," Peterson said. "It was really hard for them because of his quick release and his ability to keep the guard so off balance."
The question now: will that translate to the Division I level at Ohio State?
"Oh, as long as they let him do it, he can do it anywhere with the best of them," Peterson said. "He's probably one of the best tough-shot makers I've ever had. He hit some tough shots, man. Off the dribble, behind the back, through the legs, off balance, he has the ability to rise up and shoot."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: In Ohio State prep, John Mobley Jr. showcased shooting, defense
