Midwest Melee: 15U Sunday Stars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sunday was jam-packed with a bunch of fantastic basketball from 15U squads. Nail-biters and buzzer-beaters added a little bit of a spice to an energetic atmosphere. It was a goal of mine to identify brand new faces that were an important factor to each of their respective teams. Check out these four unrecognized athletes who created a ton of buzz on the final day of Midwest Melee!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1966825,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jack Dempsey","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Oak Lawn ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Chicago Lockdown ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Dempsey is a quiet competitor, with a calm demeanor, who lets his game do the talking which suggests a focused and determined mindset. One of the first areas in his game that I noticed was his basketball IQ specifically with cutting. He understands the game and shows the ability to read a defense and cut to open pockets creating scoring opportunities. Displays a natural athletic ability which enhances his ability to create plays on each end of the court. Possesses a quick release on his mid-range jumper allowing him to create scoring opportunities off the dribble. This exact skill was showcased when Dempsey calmly sank a game-winner against Greater Purpose 2026-2. His coast-to-coast ability and knack to start fast-breaks contributes to his team's offensive efficiency. Dempsey demonstrates a high motor and hustles the entirety of a game which energizes his teammates and impacts overall performance.rnrn[embed]https://twitter.com/jburs2/status/1660317759866109952?s=20[/embed]","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":1966831,"_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1588156' first='Aydn' last='Roth'] ","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Paw Paw (MI)","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"United Persuit 2026-1","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Roth possesses a natural quick release enabling him to get a shot off effectively; a valuable skill to have when being closely guarded. His shooting form flows smoothly with a seamless sinking of the hips and gentle rise into a shot, it's a beauty to watch. Roth also demonstrated proficiency in shooting from three-point land. Against Young Bucks 2026 (IL), he calmly drained 6+ triples while registering 20+ points. He has a remarkable ability to knock down long-range shots. In addition, Roth exhibits the ability to penetrate, pass to open teammates, and relocate which all benefits to free himself into open shots. He settles into perfect positions around the perimeter for kick-outs which creates spacing and scoring opportunities for United Persuit.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":1966574,"_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Isaiah Whitehead","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Marist","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"Chicago Lockdown 2026","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Whitehead displayed solid ball-handling skills all weekend long. Assisted by a quick hesitation move, he gained a step on defenders, sneaked into the paint, and connected on many floater and soft-touch layups over taller opponents. By attracting help defenders, Whitehead demonstrated great court vision and decision making by delivering dump-off passes and timely assists. With his passing and ball-handling abilities, Whitehead showed good awareness when receiving on-ball screens by making crisp passes to the roll or slip option. His scoring skillset includes driving and finishing through contact, and perimeter shooting via catch-and-shoot or pull-up jumpers. As a small guard, Whitehead silences the doubters by displaying physical and mental toughness. Against Greater Purpose 2026-2, he showcased an excellent performance all-around and provided numerous clutch plays to help Chicago Lockdown secure a 62-60 victory.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":1966575,"_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Donovan Williams ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2026 ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Stevenson ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"Fundamental U 2026 Black ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Williams exhibited a high-level of accuracy from beyond the arc, and he's proficient because of active offensive movement and relocation to find open shots. When he wasn't knocking down perimeter shots, Williams demonstrated the ability to exploit closeouts by aggressively attacking baseline or into the heart of the defense. Presented open-eye awareness by accurately passing to open teammates under the rim or a kick out to the perimeter. In addition, Williams displayed craftiness and creativity when finishing at the rim, utilizing unique moves and angles to elude defenders and convert challenging attempts. His entire skillset came in full display throughout a tough contest versus Full Package 2026 Black, where Williams totaled 15+ points including multiple treys, smooth crossovers into mesmerizing finishes at the rim, and graceful ball-handling and footwork.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646d80aaf3767"} /-->