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Nate Dawson (2026) 6’2 SG Midwest Pumas Gold/Winton Woods (OH)
Last weekend served as my first chance to see Dawson play and he didn’t disappoint. Very much a slashing 2G, Dawson wanted to get downhill as much as possible and excelled at getting paint touches against the Ohio Clamps defense. Dawson is bigger for a 16U guard and utilized his frame against smaller defenders. Comfortable with either hands and attacked at angles from both sides. Dawson’s only area of concern is his shooting as he was not as consistent with the pullup jumper when driving lanes were clogged. Still a high ceiling athlete. Bennett Kayser (2025) 6’5 SF Midwest Basketball Club-MHC/Minford (OH) Arguably the top performer on the weekend, Kayser helped lead his Midwest team to a tournament championship as Midwest beat Nova Village UA Rise in the 17U Finals. Kayser is a prospect I’ve heard and followed, but hadn’t seen play live besides the District Semifinals at OU last March. Athletically is sneaky and can elevate above the rim and catch alley-oops at 6’5. This explosiveness allows him to contest shots on-ball and elevate into midrange shots over defenders. Kayser especially impressed attacking off two feet when he did have opportunities around the rim. Plays bigger than 6’5 at times. Recently visited Cedarville and is becoming a priority for D2 programs as he continues to impress this Spring. Myles Montgomery (2025) 5’10 PG Midwest Basketball Club-MHC/Minford (OH) Speaking of Midwest, have to also mention Montgomery as part of the championship run. Montgomery is what you want in a PG. Gets into offensive motion and runs through the sets at full speed. Forces defenders to work much harder on him. Quick bursts let Montgomery beat guys off the bounce where he facilitated at the 2nd level to his many guards options. Showed he could take the extra 1-2 dribbles and finish on either side of the rim with traffic. Forces defenses to help off more and clog his driving lanes. One of my favorite offensive plays was Montgomery attacking the right side of the rim and getting under the basket before a wrap-around skip pass to the corner to Kayser for 3. The unselfishness and hustle is not seen often in AAU, but deserves recognition regardless. Montgomery is another player getting D2 looks and is a HS teammate to previously mentioned, Bennett Keyser. Nohah Nichols (2025) 6’3 SF Nova Village-Twinam/Tri-Valley (OH) I’ve seen Nichols in 3 tournaments this year and he has been one of the top performers in every single one. Nichols has the physical frame and tools to be an issue on the wing. While only 6’3, he plays bigger than he is on the glass. Nichols’ motor combined with his physicality allowed him to win 50/50 balls on the boards. So much so that he even grabbed his own rebound on shot attempts he took. Nichols has a good feel for the game and makes high IQ plays with his reads and with the ball in hand. Certainly one of the biggest stock risers this year. Nate Reip (2025) 6’5 PF Elite Mentality/Oak Hills (OH) Reip played like he had a vendetta with the rim last weekend in Columbus. The lengthy PF combines length and athleticism to be a force on the offensive end. Excelled running the floor in transition and dunked everything in the open floor. I can’t tell you how many times I looked over and Reip was throwing down one or two handed dunks. Reip has the size to excel at the next level and should see an increased role with Oak Hills for his senior year. Griffin Straub (2026) 6’6 PF MR 22 Elite Gold/St. Clairsville (OH) Straub was another guy that impressed me. Playing for St. Clairsville, I can’t see him play often with his HS team, but playing with the MR 22 Gold team allowed Straub to showcase his length on both ends of the floor. On the blocks, changed and affected shots with his long arms and reach. Contested even when he got beat and was on the hip. Offensively showed good footwork putting the ball on the floor. Jab stepped into his drives and especially liked attacking the baseline. Facilitated out of those dribble drives or again showcased footwork to create a shot for himself. Straub has a high basketball IQ and will only continue to see his stock rise as he fine tunes part of his game and especially if he continues to grow.
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Cooper Zachary (2027) 5’9 PG Indy Heat/Fishers (IN)
Zachary is a name I had heard about before Sunday but did not get a chance to see. There’s a reason he is one of Indiana’s best 2027 prospects. The Fishers HS product demonstrated true lead guard qualities running the offense and orchestrating into sets. Zachary’s handle was crisp, tight, and controlled against ball pressure. He was not phased by pressure whether it be higher pressure on the volleyball line or in attack mode. Confident shooter off the dribble and showed glimpses of knocking down college range 3’s. Isaiah Hill (2027) 6’9 C Indy Heat/Pike (IN) Hill immediately caught my eye with his wiry but lengthy frame. Towered over opposing bigs in the game I caught. Hill moved well not just in the post but outside the paint when forced. Confident with the ball on the floor. Had a few glimpses of some inside-out potential with shooting capabilities on the perimeter. Hill already has the size and as he fills in his frame, will be a priority guy to watch out of Indiana. Nasir Anderson (2027) 6’2 PG Georgia Stars/Savannah Country Day (GA) Anderson might have been the best 15U player I watched Sunday. The southpaw PG created problems for Indy Heat defense with his physical frame and dribble drives. Anderson excelled in pick-and-roll, setting up the screen and attacking hard. Hit the roll guy several times, but impressed more with his vision as a whole. Completed skip passes consistently and drew defenders out of help thanks to his explosive attacks. Anderson set up everyone around him thanks to this and gave the Stars some easier points in the paint. Peter Julius (2028) 6’8 PF Georgia Stars(15U) Julius was impressive to me from the get go. Long, athletic PF. True glass issue. Offensively, contested for boards and defensively contested shots. If Julius couldn’t get a rebound, poked and swatted loose balls to guards on the perimeter. Got involved defensively every play getting a hand up or rotating on help-side to intimidate the opposing player. The most notable part? Julius is playing up as he is only a 2028. As Julius fine tunes some of his interior play, he could be one of the better prospects in Georgia and a priority target in a few years. Tyler Kropp (2025) 6’8 PF All Ohio Red/Olentangy Liberty (OH) Kropp continues to rise with his play this Spring. After watching him impress at several tournaments so far this year, Sunday provided an opportunity to see Kropp perform against some of the best competition in the country. And boy did he perform. Beat bigger players on 50/50 balls on the glass. Agile and mobile for his size, Kropp moved well both in open floor and possessing the ball on the block. With a 6’9 and 6’10 defender on him, Kropp’s footwork and patience setting up shots allowed him to score over defenders with floaters and pump-and-pivot moves on the block. Kropp picked up an offer from Vermont post-event and should continue to see more schools show interest. Cameron Boozer (2025) 6’9 PF Nightrydas Elite/Columbus (FL) Boozer is considered one of the nation’s best 2025 prospects. I saw him play for his Columbus team at the Chipotle Nationals, but seeing him with Nightrydas gave me a more clear picture of why he is considered one of the best. Massive frame and length, Boozer demands amended defensive pressure. Too quick for post guys to guard outside the paint. Too lengthy and gets shots over smaller defenders if given the space. Boozer impressed specifically as a rim-runner against All Ohio Red. Consistently found the paint with the ball in hand. Defensively was beaten a few times on the block with post moves, but nonetheless has the framework to defend bigs at the next level. Caleb Wilson (2025) 6’10 PF Nightrydas Elite/Holy Innocent’s (GA) While the Boozer twins draw most of the attention for the Nightrydas team, Wilson in turn fills the gaps. Towering at 6’10, Wilson has the length to excel at the next level and a confident handle. Mismatch for bigs due to his quicker possessions. Did struggle a bit when a smaller defender switched onto him. With Cam Boozer being the primary interior player, Wilson did play more on the wing in the game I watched. Regardless, he has already attracted interest from multiple blue blood programs and likely will be playing as a stretch 4 in college. Brady Koehner (2025) 6’9 SF Indy Heat/Cathedral (IN) Koehner had one of the better defensive performances against Team WhyNot. A wiry wing, Koehner showed springiness with some weak side rotations that resulted in blocks going into the stands. Smart defender not drawing fouls and utilized his longer arms to disrupt or deflect shots/passes. I did not get to see much of Koehner offensively due to the guard play being the primary offense for Indy Heat. But Koehner played confidently on the wing and took care of the ball/played into the offensive flow. Jalen Haralson (2025) 6’7 PG Indy Heat/La Lumiere (IN) Definition of a “big guard” should contain a photo of Haralson. Standing at 6’7, he is one of the truest big guards you will find. Even with his size, Haralson moves quickly and runs the floor and offense in transition. Showed soft touch around the rim with the floater and runner off dribble drive. Utilizes his bigger frame to back down smaller defenders on the perimeter. I did think there were some shots forced, but Haralson is a volume scorer and makes up for those missed opportunities. Haralson has drawn offers and interest from almost the entire Big Ten and will likely land in the conference with a chance to make an immediate impact. Jason Crowe Jr (2026) 6’2 PG Team WhyNot (17U)/Lynwood (CA) Crowe impressed me as a lead guard for WhyNot. Playing against two of the better guards in the country, Crowe was collected and unimpacted offensively. Controlled the pace and got into the sets. Excelled in the half-court as a facilitator but also had the confidence to get shots up off the catch. Playing up a level, Crowe’s recruitment hasn’t taken off just yet. But I can see him being a priority prospect out West in the 2026 class. Brayden Burries (2025) 6’4 CG Strive for Greatness/Roosevelt (CA) With LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony watching from the baseline, Buries put up a performance I will remember for years to come. The 6’4 guard played confidently on the offensive end. Incredible body control both handling the basketball and keeping squared up to the rim on dribble drives. Utilized the hesitation dribble to breakdown defenders. Some outlets have Burries as a Top 15 prospect in the country. After Sunday’s performance, it is clear why. Tyler Jackson (2025) 6’2 PG Team Melo/Overtime Elite Jackson was a two-way threat for Team Melo in their matchup with Strive for Greatness. On the defensive end, Jackson exploits lazy passes with his quick instinctual reads and athleticism. Defended on-ball well. Offensively showed combo scoring potential. Knocked down some shots off catch-and-shoot opportunities. Found the lane with the ball in-hands and finished over bigger defenders with the floater and shiftiness. Already attracted several HM offers and impressed with many eyes on this game Sunday. Kiyan Anthony (2025) 6’5 SG Team Melo/Long Island Lutheran (NY) Sunday was the 2nd time I checked out Anthony. While the first time saw him as more of a spot up and off-catch shooter, Anthony showed more confidence as a slasher and putting the ball on the floor against Strive for Greatness. Anthony excelled in the pick-and-roll, setting up the screen and attacking. Found the paint and drew help-side rotations. I felt he did sometimes try to force a shot vs kicking to a guard on the perimeter. But his scoring potential is there. Zyree Collins (2025) 6’0 PG Brad Beal Elite/St. Mary’s (MO) Collins impressed against MoKan Elite as a setup guard. Smaller compared to some other guards on this list, Collins was explosive and too quick at times to keep in front of. Active defender and exploited opposing guards dribbling the ball too high. Excelled in the pick-and-roll and split a few defenders on attempting traps. Had a few costly turnovers due to trying to zip a chest pass to the big instead of bounce pass or wrap around pass once drawing the help. Collins has a lot of upside and can fit most systems making his teammates better. |
Written by: Tony PetersEdited and Published by: Seth Keim Archives
May 2024
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