Midwest Basketball Club Showcase: 16 U Standouts
In this article:
The Midwest Basketball Club Showcase allowed me the opportunity to catch lots of the Midwest basketball club teams under one roof on Saturday and Sunday. In this article I’ll break down the 16 U standouts from the two days of…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Midwest Basketball Club Showcase allowed me the opportunity to catch lots of the Midwest basketball club teams under one roof on Saturday and Sunday. In this article I’ll break down the 16 U standouts from the two days of action.
I thought Williams was excellent on Saturday, impacting the game in a variety of ways on both ends of the court. Running the show offensive with good size, Williams plays with good poise and gets his teammates involved. While he made some shots from the outside, his passing ability was what stood out the most to me on the offensive end. Defensively, I thought he gave excellent effort on that end of the court and made life difficult for opposing ball handlers. This appears to be a scholarship level prospect and should get a bunch of attention of the next 12-16 months.
Noles hit a game winning shot in both Saturday games, coming in clutch when his team needed it. After a strong end to his sophomore season, Noles has picked up where he left off and is continuing to play with confidence. The biggest question for Noles will be how often he makes perimeter shots, he made a couple on Saturday but still could be more efficient from the perimeter. I liked some of the impact defensive plays he made as well, Noles has a good body for a rising Junior. Expect Noles to be one of the most productive players in the Central Catholic League this upcoming season.
A big-time shooter, Hess was making shots from all over the court on Saturday afternoon. A dangerous shooter from even a few feet behind the 3-point line, Hess was letting it fly from deep. After making a few 3’s, he took advantage of an aggressive defense that looked to run him off the line by passing it to open teammates. I was impressed with the overall offensive performance Hess gave from the guard position, Jonathan Alder has some impressive shooters returning next season and should be one of the better teams in D2 from central Ohio.
Cotton is starting to figure some things out and a dominant shooting performance on Sunday is just the start for what should be a stock rising spring and summer for the wing sniper. I’m impressed by his ability to move without the ball, his quick release and confidence. Cotton is also starting to have more success putting it on the floor and attacking overaggressive closeouts. I expect Cotton to continue to develop as a player and his long-term upside is very intriguing.
Maybe the most pleasant surprise from the entire event was finding Sanders on Sunday. After scoring 25 PPG as a Sophomore, it was clear that he was potentially a hidden gem in southwest Ohio’s 2025 class. After watching him on Sunday, I’m a big fan of his game. A quick guard with some real burst and shiftiness with the ball in his hands, Sanders was getting where he wanted to. An excellent long-range shooter, Sanders scored with great efficiency. If Sanders can fill out his body, then there is some huge potential for this off guard, he will be debuting very high in our next 2025 rankings update before the end of the month.