15/16 U Forward standouts from Midwest Jamfest
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The Midwest Jamfest brought out many talented teams from across the Midwest to compete in Indianapolis during the second live period. In this article we’ll break down Ohio’s standout 15 and 16 U forwards that stood out at the event.…
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Continue ReadingThe Midwest Jamfest brought out many talented teams from across the Midwest to compete in Indianapolis during the second live period. In this article we’ll break down Ohio’s standout 15 and 16 U forwards that stood out at the event.
A high motor player, McNulty was productive because he simply played harder than a lot of the players he shared the court with this weekend. Going hard after every loose ball and rebound, McNulty grabbed numerous offensive rebounds and helped his team get extra possessions in both games I caught. Liked his length defensively as he blocked a shot and bothered a few more at the rim. An impressive athlete, McNulty finished at or above the rim a few times when he was able to get a nice running start into the paint. Would like to see McNulty’s offensive game come around but his current production and motor makes him a valuable piece to the Ohio Buckets 16 U squad.
Another athletic wing forward, Platfoot had one of the highlights of the weekend when on Sunday he had a put-back slam dunk that I caught out of the corner of my eye while simultaneously watching two games to the best of my ability. Platfoot is productive around the rim and has the bounce to get up and throw down. I also liked his motor on the glass, getting a ton of rebounds on both ends of the court. Defensively I thought Platfoot showed good IQ and knows where to be in help-side defense. Would like to see the jump shot start to be a weapon used more often but currently I like a lot of what he brings to the table for an elite small school high school program in western Ohio.
Highlights
Recently added to our 2025 rankings, we’ll spotlight Gross again when we breakdown the top new forwards from our 2025 rankings update. Gross is an athletic big who threw down some impressive slams in the Guros of Go’s blowout victory to wrap up a 3-1 weekend. Not a ton to take away from a game where the Gurus blew out their opponent convincingly, but Gross and a handful of their other prospects stood out in the win and felt at least one player deserved to be highlighted as a top performer.
Highlights
I had one open timeslot open up in my schedule which allowed me to check out Midwest Gold 16 U Cincy for the first time since the Midwest Showcase to start the month of April. I left impressed with Wassler as the center did a good job of keeping the ball high when he got it in the paint. Whether it was after receiving a post entry pass or after grabbing an offensive rebound, Wassler kept it high so the only result was either a finish at the rim or a foul. Attempting to show his range as a shooter, Wassler’s jumper is a work in progress right now. A prospect who started to figure things out at the end of his Sophomore season, I expect Wassler to play a major role next season for the Bombers who just hired a new head coach.
The final prospect of this article and the lone 15 U standout from this article is Horton. A skilled big man, Horton has an impressive variety of post moves he can use with his back to the basket for a prospect at such a young age. Horton can finish with either hand at the rim and made a few passes out of the post to set up shooters. Also showing a little range with a mid-range jumper, Horton is one of the most skilled bigs in Ohio’s 2026 class.