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.
0 Comments
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. Justice Decker (2025) 6’5 SF Central Kentucky Basketball Club/duPont Manual
Decker brings a physical component to the game due to his frame and style of play. The southpaw likes to B-line to the rim and initiate contact on dribble drives. Showcased some body control in the paint. Definitely has polished his game since I saw him at Wright State’s Team Camp in June 2023. Versatile defender as he’s quick enough to guard wings and physical enough to battle with smaller 4’s on the block. Isaiah Cochran (2025) 6’7 PF Central Kentucky Basketball Club/Adair County Cochran caught my eye at the KHSAA Sweet 16 two months ago and again impressed in Louisville. Catches the eye right away with his athletic, 6’7 frame. Defensively sound prospect in terms of keeping guys in front and rotating in halfcourt defense. Draws defense into help when he puts the ball on the floor. Combine this with the intangibles and vision to see teammates and Cochran can be a great setup option. Midrange/perimeter shots weren’t falling consistently in the games I watched, but still a high profile prospect and performer. Diante Jones (2026) 6’0 PG MR22 Elite Gold/Northland Jones was a new name for me in Louisville as he played a very tough brand of basketball for a guard heavy team. Aware of where he needs to attack to draw defenders in for drive-and-kick opportunities. Quickly rises into his shot if he chooses to keep and try to score himself. Jones was fantastic on-ball defensively as he showcased impressive lateral movement and cut off the drives well. Would like to see improvement in his game implementing a post player and getting big involved. A’zon Steele (2025) 6’0 PG Team Greatness 3SGB/Sidney Steele had a different role with Team Greatness than with his HS team. Ball dominant with SIdney and tasked with being the primary scorer, Steele was more of a distributor for Team Greatness. His vision has improved and he sees the floor much better than previous outings I’ve scouted of him. Still a threat offensively to blow by a defender with a move or two, or get into his shot in the midrange. Steele has even showed improvement getting his secondary option as he got a defender to commit to him in a pullup 15 footer, and then hit teammate Alex Kazanecki for an easy layup. Brandon Roddy (2025) 6’1 PG MR 22 Elite 3SSB/Harvest Prep Roddy will go down as one of my favorite PGs I’ve ever scouted. Unselfish with his Harvest Prep team and even with his club team with some real scoring threats. Knows how to utilize a pick-and-roll and find rolling big or attack gaps to draw another defender. Facilitates and cleanly distributes out of screens and drives. Difficult to speed him up as Roddy has one of the tighter handles in Ohio and can settle in against tighter and higher ball pressure. Roddy doesn’t take a ton of outside shots whenever I’ve scouted him as he’d rather get another guy the ball or get within a few feet of the rim to score himself. Cash Ingram (2025) 6’1 PG Elite Mentality/Fairfield Ingram showed a lot of comfortability offensively against MR 22 Elite. Tough nosed guard with an attack mode mentality with the ball in his hands. Consistently beat his man off the dribble and plenty of paint touches. Lured fouls by initiating contact and going up strong and collected. Aware enough on the perimeter that he found shooters on the wing after getting in the paint enough times. I would like to see Ingram’s decision making be just a tad quicker as he did take an extra dribble or two at times instead of making a pass or a floater in the paint. Still impressed however against a shoe team. Tyson Davis (2027) 6’0 SG Phenom United Gold/Lakota West Davis was another ball-dominant offensive player that impressed me. Playing against a very skilled STAR Basketball Club (UA Rise), Davis played like a more mature prospect in terms of physically being tougher than defenders and showcasing the awareness that he has a stronger, more physical frame than some of the defenders. Prioritized attacking to the left and was comfortable if switched to the right. While Davis got into the paint, he did get called for two charges by going off one foot uncontrolled. As he shows more poise in the paint, could really benefit with Lakota West’s offense. James Kalala (2026) 6’7 PF EG10 (17U)/Southport Kalala was probably my favorite prospect to watch throughout the weekend with his EG10 team. Playing up a grade, Kalala has a ton of upside and it showed. Catches the eye right away with his frame and the athleticism and springiness he plays with at 6’7. Caught an alley-oop off the backboard in transition and was persistent attacking the glass offensively. On the defensive side, defended on-ball and as a big extremely well. Long enough to slow down smaller attacking players and hedged ball screens to perfection. Kalala does have some improvement in terms of forcing shots offensively when he catches on the block. Also was caught reaching defensively if he did get beat. Still one of the highest upside prospects I saw, especially considering he is playing up. Jaymal Whitfield (2028) Phenom United 3SSB Whitfield was one of several athletes that caught my eye for Phenom’s 14U 3SSB squad. Passes the eye test right away with his frame as a 14U player. Overpowered defenders both off the dribble and attacking the glass. Literally attacks through on-ball defense and went over box outs. Whitfield did have a lot of success putting the ball on the floor and finding trailing guards or dump offs to bigs. Shows signs of being a skilled offensive weapon at the HS level. Shea O’Toole (2025) 5’11 CG Midwest Flyers-Creamer/Turpin O’Toole was in a groove against a more athletic and guard-heavy Marshall Warriors team. Gave himself opportunities with his off-ball movement. Backdoor cuts and dribble handoff reads allowed him to get separation and score more than just shooting the ball. Had a few flashes with dribble drive from teammates and was able to get touches. Speaking of shooting, O’Toole was able to get into shots off the dribble or off catch. Especially liked to settle for the midrange jumper when able. A bit undersized, O’Toole plays bigger than his 5’11 frame and has the toughness factor. Logan Wolfenbarker (2026) 6’4 SF Buckeye Storm/McDermott Northwest
Wolfenbarker possesses great size for a wing/SG. Quick trigger and made some contested shots free throw line extended. Has evolved from catch-and-shoot to a more creative shot maker and creator with the ball in hands. Arness Lawson (2025) 6’2 PG All Ohio Red EYBL/Pickerington North Lawson has taken some massive strides from the last time I saw him with Pick North in the Winter. Catches your eye right away with his elite vertical play above the rim. Seemingly hovers in the air. Sees the open floor in transition and advanced the ball off turnovers. Slashed well in the halfcourt and draw defenses in and kick to shooters on the perimeter. Tyler Kropp (2025) 6’8 PF All Ohio Red EYBL/Olentangy Liberty Kropp is another player that has made strides since seeing him in the Winter. Mobility has improved as is his perimeter defense. Developing into a true inside-out option with both his range and post play. Shoots well enough to force defenders to give a hand, and too strong with back to the basket. Either used post move to finish in traffic, or get into fadeaway low post shot. Damon Griffin (2025) 6’0 PG Quality Sports Academy/Reynoldsburg Griffin was a problem in the backcourt for QSA against Midwest Pumas-Gold. Combines quickness with the ball in hand with advanced athleticism and shifty with his movements to be a tough player to defend. Specifically utilized his crossover and handle to get into jump shots; beating most defenders to get a hand on him. Race Kowalczak (2026) 6’6 PF Ohio Buckets EYCL/Toledo St. John’s
A true pullup shooting threat. Kowalczak is automatic in the midrange, showing he can get shots to fall in transition and in the halfcourt set. Long and lengthy wing/PF option for a team with some elite guards around him. Micah Young (2025) 6’1 CG Nova Village UA Rise/Westerville North Young is a true high IQ player. Instinctual defender with Nova’s pressure defense. Jumping passing lanes and anticipated next pass. Unselfish in the offensive setting-moving the ball and now issue making extra pass. Combo scoring too with explosiveness downhill and midrange pullup shot. Maddox Huff (2025) 6’3 PG Griffin Elite UA Rise/Harlan County Huff is a patient, poised lead guard. Handles the ball at a high level and rarely loses possession or makes poor reads. Good frame and size for a PG. Huff especially impressed me with how he read and created out of ball screens. Knew when to take an extra dribble, hit the roll man, or rise into his 15 foot jumper. Tre Singleton (2025) 6’7 SF Indiana Elite Team Tradition/Jeffersonville Singleton can play either the 3 of 4 and showed attributes of both. Strong upper body and excelled in back-to-basket situations. Specifically loved going to a drop step out of the post and go up strong off two feet. While he has the body for a PF, handles the ball and moves like a SF. Santino Haney (2027) 5’10 PG OBC UA Rise/Steubenville
Haney was the facilitator and leader for an OBC team that is loaded at their 15U team. Haney specifically caught my eye with his defensive tenacity. His lateral quickness allowed him to avoid being beat off the dribble and kept his guy in front at all times. Offensively showed a confident jump shot and solid vision in the half-court with the amount of athletes on his team. Haney is fresh off of a standout freshman campaign at Steubenville and is showing signs of being an elite two-way player as he continues to develop. Cole Arbogast (2027) 6’6 PF OBC UA Rise/St. Edward Arbogast was a new name for me and showed interior skills with OBC. Arbogast catches your eye right away with his 6-foot-6 frame at 15U. Moves well for a big with times being confortable out on the wing. Showed understanding of spacing and creating space to allow dump off passes or flashes through the lane. While Arbogast can play around the rim, he will need to continue to improve finishing through traffic and improving as a low post threat offensively. Arbogast is with one of the best high school programs and cultures in Ohio, which is only a positive to his ceiling potential. Jamar Montgomery (2025) 6’3 SG/SF Midwest-Rambo HGSL/Centerville Montgomery looked impressive with his Midwest team against an athletic Cincy Fire Elite team. Montgomery’s calling card is his defensive play. Due to his role with Centerville, defends guards and smaller wings and takes pride in getting after it defensively. While with Centerville, Montgomery played more like a SF, spending more time around the rim. WIth Midwest, I saw him play more like a 2, showing confidence putting the ball on the floor and flowing within the halfcourt sets. I would like to see Montgomery continue to develop and become more comfortable on the wing. But his role should change next year at Centerville with the talent graduating. Brock Baker (2025) 6’3 SF Midwest-Rambo HGSL/Kettering Fairmont Baker’s development has continued to be on full display. After a solid showing with Fairmont, Baker has added more muscle to his frame and really filled out as a smaller wing. His stocky frame allowed him to fight on the block defending a slightly bigger PF. Baker held his own and is looking more comfortable with the ball in his hands. His shot mechanics are an area of improvement yet, but Baker is showing if he can continue to add to his skillset he could be a target to some D3 programs. Baker is bound for a big senior year with Fairmont as well as his Firebird and Midwest teammate Evan Gentile. |
Written by: Tony Peters & Seth KeimEdited and Published by: Seth Keim Archives
January 2025
Categories
All
|