End Of Summer Wrap-Up: Part-3
As I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in…
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Continue ReadingAs I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for Certified Basketball’s The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw several teams from Ohio, and below is a look at nine 2022 & 2023 prospects specifically from Ohio who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Allison Basye, 2022, 5-9 W, Huntington H.S., South Central Basketball Club 16U
I was really impressed with Allison’s play and her upside when I saw her in Cincinnati to end July. She has some length and a wiry strong, athletic frame. She plays with a great motor, she’s a solid athlete, but more than anything she’s just smooth. Skillfully, she does a little of everything, so while she is probably more of a forward right now, I can see her being recruited as a guard. She can make open rhythm jumpers, she’s solid attacking the basket off the bounce, and she can occasionally start the offense and find open teammates. I was really impressed with how complete her game was just entering her Sophomore year of high school.
Chance Gray, 2022, 5-9 G, Lakota West H.S., Sports City U 17U
It doesn’t take long to watch Chance and realize she’s one of the top Sophomores throughout the state of Ohio. She is extremely long, wiry, and fluid/smooth. She has good North/South speed, decent quickness, and she can play a variety of roles. She is a very good perimeter shooter who you can run off of screens, she has a nice pull-up game and can attack off the bounce, but she also has solid vision and feel for the game, and she can be the primary ball-handler and run offense if needed. She also sits down and defends a variety of guards and wings effectively. If she can continue getting stronger, maintain her fluidity, and just continue making her skillset elite, she’ll have her pick of high-major Division-I schools.
Mallory Hawley, 2022, 5-8 W, Meigs H.S., Team Ohio-Conner 16U
Mallory is a very intriguing wing prospect. She has a solid, wiry strong, athletic frame. She moves fluidly in most directions, but she could stand to be just a little more purely explosive. She can handle it and run offense like a point forward, she sees the floor well and is a good passer, but she can also score the thing herself in a variety of ways. She’s a very good shooter, she’s a strong attacker, but again her vision and feel for the game are really nice, as she gets teammates involved. In fact, I felt like she was almost too passive/unselfish at times for this travel team. Mallory has good upside as a prospect, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her end up with a couple of Division-I offers in the next year.
Mackenzie Hurd, 2022, 5-9 G, Nelsonville-York H.S., Team Ohio-Conner 16U
Mackenzie is another nice, young guard prospect for Team Ohio. She has a great frame for basketball, she has some length, and she’s a good athlete in all directions. I also like her motor and toughness. She is a solid perimeter shooter, a strong, attacking driver, and for Team Ohio she handles the ball quite a bit and runs offense for them. I think, ultimately, she’ll be more of a ‘2’ at the next level, but she does have a solid handle and a good feel for the game. If anything, she could stand to work on her lateral quickness, and if she can prove to defend the smaller, water-bug type of point guards much better, I could see her drawing college interest as more of a point guard herself.
Nia Kemper, 2022, 5-2 PG, Wyoming H.S., CHP Thunder 15U
Nia was incredibly entertaining to watch. Yes, she’s shorter, but she is long for her size, she’s very quick/fast, plus she’s somewhat bouncy. I was most impressed with how well she saw the floor, and she just has a natural feel for the point guard position. She can shoot/score the ball a little, but she is a pass-first point guard who creates opportunities for others. She was also a pest at the defensive end of the floor. She’s a tough-nosed kid who plays with a great motor, so if a college program can look past her size and see the productivity, skill, and basketball IQ she possesses, I think she is good enough to draw some Division-I interest.
Angela Kumler, 2022, 6-0 F, John Glenn H.S., Team Ohio-Conner 16U
A third youngster for this Team Ohio group who stood out to me was Angela Kumler. She is probably more of a prospect than a finished product at this point in time, but her upside was very intriguing to me. She is extremely long, she has some wiry strength, she is a fluid athlete, and she is a bouncy kid. At the same time, she needs to get much stronger for both high school and college play, however I think her frame can handle good muscle-mass. She plays with a great motor and energy, and she has some skill in the mid-post. Again, if she can build her frame to be stronger, while continuing to work on developing her skillset, I think she has a bright future as a college prospect.
Noel Weathers, 2022, 5-11 F, Mount Healthy H.S., Cincy Finest Black 16U
Noel is a really nice, young talent, who plays with a great deal of versatility. At first glance, she looks like an interior power forward. She has broad shoulders, a strong-for-her-age frame, and really good length. She is a really nice athlete, she’s bouncy, and she plays with a good motor. As the game gets going, though, she starts to make her way more toward the perimeter, and she can do some things with the basketball. She is still most comfortable in the mid-post, as she can attack the basket strong or knock down the 15-footer. But she isn’t bad around the perimeter, her handle is solid enough to eventually turn into a true wing, and she’s athletic and strong enough to defend forwards, wings, and some guards. She is a really nice Division-I prospect.
Rachel Yeager, 2022, 5-9 W, Loveland H.S., CHP Thunder 15U
Rachel is another fairly complete player/prospect for her age. She is a strong kid, she has broad shoulders, and she’s a solid athlete in all directions. What’s intriguing about her, is that while she’s not elite at any one thing, she is skilled at all levels. She can play around the perimeter, handle the ball a little, and knock down an open rhythm jumper. She’s comfortable in the mid-post, is consistent with the 15-foot jumper, but she can attack from there as well. Or Rachel can drive it inside and finish through contact, plus she can occasionally post smaller defenders and score. It would be nice if she could develop a niche that defines her a little more, but she is at least a well-rounded player as-is.
Solé Williams, 2023, 5-8 G, Princeton H.S., Cincy Finest Black 16U
Solé is a really nice, intriguing prospect with a ton of upside. Her older brother, Orlando, played at Miami of Ohio and Eastern Kentucky between 2009 and 2014. Solé is a long, somewhat slender athlete who looks like she should eventually get stronger once she finishes growing. She has quick feet & hands, and she has good North/South speed. She can handle the ball and run offense smoothly, making plays off the bounce and finding open teammates, but she is also capable of knocking down shots or scoring in the lane herself. She could stand to play with more of a sense of urgency, but she is a top talent in Ohio’s 2023 class, and she should draw her share of mid to high-major Division-I interest over the next few years.