Columbus Districts – Top Underclassmen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past Saturday I went to 3 of the 4 district final games in Columbus. The day started with Olentangy Orange beating Delaware Hayes 54-39 and winning their first District Finals, then Newark completing the upset over Olentangy Liberty 57-48, and Westerville South winning in a thriller over Dublin Jerome 62-60. This article will cover the top underclassmen I saw from the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1432011"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kruz-mcclure-south.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-1836677 alignleftu0022 src=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/kruz-mcclure-south.jpg?w=300u0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022250u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eMcClure was the star of the show for Westerville South in their district finals win Saturday. The 6'4 sophomore stepped up the test and occasion. He seemed to thrive in a hostile and intense environment. His defense on [player_tooltip player_id='922602' first='Ryan' last='Nutter'] was suffocating. He made him extremely uncomfortable and forced multiple turnovers with his on-ball pressure. McClure is super long with good athletic ability to go with it. He shows some immaturity sometimes by forcing the issue and playing a little too fast but McClure is really good in transition. Getting to the rim and pulling up. A tight handle on the ball. He understands how to attack space even when there isn't much there with his size and length. McClure is a player!","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1480848"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/devin-brown-orange.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-1836682 alignrightu0022 src=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/devin-brown-orange.jpg?w=300u0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022200u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eBrown showcased just outstanding defense on Saturday against Delaware Hayes. Brown is super long and moves his feet very well. He was tasked with guarding [player_tooltip player_id='1222373' first='Jesse' last='Burris'] and made him earn every point. He showed the ability to switch off and guard multiple positions on a single possession. Brown also did a great job of rebounding the ball. This underclassman did what it took to help his team win districts.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1503914"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/tyler-kleismeyer-sotuh2.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-1836686 alignleftu0022 src=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/tyler-kleismeyer-sotuh2.jpg?w=300u0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022200u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eKielmeyer has a ton of potential. He is only a sophomore that is listed as 6'6, with wide shoulders, a long wingspan and is coordinated. He checks off a lot of boxes you want a big to check off. I like how focused he was on doing the small thing like posting hard, running the floor, boxing out, and he took a charge. He attempted a lot of charges. Shows really good anticipation and the willingness to take a hit which is very important for a big kid. He never shot the ball but during warmups, it looks good. His ability to finish with his left is in question but he is very strong with his right. I believe the ability to finish on both sides will come for him.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1535701"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/jordan-davis-orange.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-1836687 alignrightu0022 src=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/jordan-davis-orange.jpg?w=300u0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022200u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eDavis's basketball maturity is years ahead. This freshman plays varsity for one of the top teams in the state and is a star in his role. Davis showed to be way more confident this past weekend than he was earlier in the year. He played a lot in a very short rotation for Orange. He knocked down open shots but never forced them. Always made the right play and extra pass. He plays very hard on both ends and plays bigger than he is. Showed a ton of heart. Displayed that you don't have to be scoring 20 points to help your team win a game. He impacts the game in many different ways. He is exactly what you want a freshman to do on a senior-led team.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Kalen Winbush","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Newark","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Kalen-winbush-districs.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-1836688 alignleftu0022 src=u0022https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/Kalen-winbush-districs.jpg?w=300u0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022198u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eWinbush played the hardest of all the players I saw on Saturday. He was flying around on both ends, took charges, got on the floor for loose balls, and played great defense against bigger players. I was very impressed when Newark switched to a zone defense and his communication as a sophomore in the middle of the zone. He did all the little things exceptionally well. He showed great passion and effort. Earned every minute he got and was super impactful to help Newark win. He also did a great job of cutting at the right time to get him rebounds and baskets.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64081251b619e"} /-->