Midwest Basketball Showcase Saturday Observations
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Prep Hoops Missouri was in the house on Saturday for the first day of the Midwest Basketball Showcase, which is being held at the HyVee Arena in Kansas City. The event is presented by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. There…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Missouri was in the house on Saturday for the first day of the Midwest Basketball Showcase, which is being held at the HyVee Arena in Kansas City.
The event is presented by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. There are 92 high school teams from five states with a third of them being from Missouri. Here are a few observations from the first day of action.
AIDAN BURNS SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT
The 6’3 2024 guard from Thayer was impressive in his opening game against Maryville. The young man is a serious bucket who can score from all three levels. He was pulling up from 3-point range and knocking down mid-range jumpers. He is also a potent offensive player in the low post. He has a smooth turnaround jumper with a feathery shooting touch. He makes it look fairly easy at times.
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KC AREA TEAMS WIN CLOSE ONES EARLY
In a pair of early afternoon games, Oak Park defeated Waukee, IA 49-48 and Staley defeated Shawnee Mission Northwest (KS) 45-44 in a pair of of thrilling games that I watched at the same time.
Oak Park is a talented team with a lot of answers on the perimeter, led by 6’4 do-it-all 2025 guard Corbin Allen Corbin Allen 6'5" | SG Oak Park | 2025 State #169 Nation MO . He’s a big point guard who also dominates the boards and scores in a variety of ways. Fellow 2025 guard Caleb Estes Caleb Estes 6'2" | SG Oak Park | 2025 State MO was getting smooth buckets from all three levels. The Northmen should enjoy a big year in 2024.
Staley is re-tooling after graduating several top players from its Class 6 state championship team. 6’7 2025 Xavier Wilson Xavier Wilson 6'7" | SF Staley | 2025 State #320 Nation MO will step into a much bigger role. He is a very good all purpose player who will add more scoring. KV Stone is a stocky 6’2 guard who scored six big points in the closing seconds as they Falcons rallied from a double digit deficit to win.
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NIXA DEFEATS DESMET
In a SWMO vs St. Louis battle, Nixa defeated DeSmet 39-32. Nixa has a dynamic 2024 wing duo in 6’3 Josh Peters Josh Peters 6'3" | SG Nixa | 2024 State MO and 6’4 Garrett Hines Garrett Hines 6'4" | SF Nixa | 2024 State MO . Both of them can really shoot it from deep. They are also very solid players.
DeSmet will be depending a host of young players. Riley Massey Riley Massey 6'3" | PG De Smet Jesuit | 2025 State MO is a 6’3 2025 wing with good athleticism and shooting ability. Ian Thomas Ian Thomas 6'3" | SG DeSmet | 2026 State MO is a physically strong 6’3 2026 southpaw guard who can initiate offense at the point and bulldoze his way in the lane with his strength.
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LUTHERAN NORTH VS PEMBROKE HILL IN BATTLE OF FINAL FOUR TEAMS
Watched the first three quarters of Lutheran North vs KC Pembroke Hill. North was the Class 3 state runner up while Pembroke Hill finished fourth in Class 4. Both teams displayed some perimeter firepower.
Lutheran North’s 6’4 2024 guard Bryce Spiller Bryce Spiller 6'4" | SG Lutheran North | 2024 State MO is a three-level scorer who can drain 3-pointers and power his way into the lane. Felllow 6’3 2024 guard Jai Smith was also very impressive as a scorer. He was revelation to me on Friday.
Pembroke Hill’s 6’2 2026 Mav Hawkins Mav Hawkins 6'2" | CG Pembroke Hill | 2026 State MO was excellent. He was shooting the deep ball well, but he is now the primary ball handler and he was spreading the ball out nicely to fellow shooters Max Sprott Max Sprott 6'2" | SG Pembroke Hill | 2024 State MO (2024) and 6’2 2026 Jack Grant Jack Grant 6'2" | SG Pembroke Hill | 2026 State MO .
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A FEW OTHER WHO CAUGHT MY EYE
Trey Williams (Vashon): The 6’1 2025 guard has a beautiful shooting stroke from 3-point range. He’s just as dangerous off the catch and off the dribble. He’s also playing some point guard as well.
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Nelson Shinkle Nelson Shinkle 6'8" | PF Jefferson City | 2024 State MO (Jefferson City): The 6’8 2024 forward was very assertive, which leads to a lot of good things. He was snatching rebounds above the rim, throwing down impressive dunks and hitting the perimeter shot.
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Amare Witham Amare Witham 6'2" | CG Glendale Highschool | 2026 State MO (Glendale): The 2026 is one of the most impressive offensive players that I watched on the day. His shooting range is deep and he has those swaggy handles that enable him to create his own shot at any time. He goes at his own pace, but he gets by defenders before they realize they have been beaten.
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Cameron Barnes (Lee’s Summit West): Have seen the 6’8 2027 on the stream many times, but this was my first time seeing him in person. The youngster is put together. And he’s very skilled with the ability to drive it and shoot it from the perimeter. Very highly touted and I can see why.