Splash United Top Performers

<p>I spent Wednesday of last week watching some basketball just north of Dayton at Troy High School. The event, hosted by Splash United, featured many good 2025 and 2026 prospects as well as a session for upperclassmen. This piece will focus on the underclassmen primarily but will feature one junior performer at the end.</p> <p><strong>Ben Westbeld </strong>(2025) <em>Fairmont</em></p> <p>Westbeld was a name I was excited to watch at the event as he has several siblings that have Division I basketball experience. Westbeld impressed right away with his longer frame for a sophomore. Certainly lengthy. His comfortability and presence around the rim was solid and he sees the floor well from the post. Got two nice transition dunks in his games and overall has decent bounce. Westbeld has a lot of upside as he continues to grow. </p> <p><strong>Luke Rubin </strong>(2025) <em>Oakwood</em></p> <p>Rubin is another guy that follows in an older sibling’s footsteps as the sophomore is the younger brother of former Oakwood standout Darren Rubin. Luke is one of the scrappier guards I saw making plays on both ends of the floor. Turned defense into offense with his speed. Looked most comfortable in transition plays and having a more up-tempo style of play. Rubin could see some Varsity minutes as a sophomore and would fit well alongside <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="922599" first="Will" last="Maxwell"]</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Owen Canan</strong> (2025) <em>Bradford</em></p> <p>Canan was a name I had not heard before the event. Coming from the WOAC and small school Bradford, Canan brought a style of play I felt was optimistic of what he can bring for the Railroaders. Canan sets up his own shots with his tighter handle and overall shot creation. Very much a culture guy and showed even in a showcase setting a willingness to distribute the ball. Great shooting mechanics and made some tough midrange and perimeter shots. His unselfishness makes me think he could be a great duo with senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1456984" first="Parker" last="Davidson"] </strong> this Winter.</p> <p><strong>Baron White </strong>(2025) <em>Northridge</em></p> <p>White was without a doubt the most athletic player I watched at this event. Measuring close to 6-foot, White has great vertical leaping ability and certainly had some flashy dunks once he gets downhill. White possesses great speed off the dribble drive and had little issues getting by defenders and getting paint touches. If he can show this slashing ability continuously, he could be an early hidden gem in the area for college coaches.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1467911" first="Parker" last="Penrod"] </strong>(2024) <em>Troy Christian</em></p> <p>Penrod was the lone upperclassmen I noted as I did not stay long for the upperclassmen session. Penrod impressed with his handle as he broke down his defender with limited dribbles and was getting penetration for drive-and-kicks. Accelerates off the drive. Not only can he create with the dribble, Penrod showed some great shooting mechanics and knocked down some big shots from beyond the arc. Penrod is bound for a big junior campaign at Troy Christian and could be one of the best prospects to come out of the school since James Anderson.</p>