Wednesday Ohio 3SSB Standouts
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The Adidas 3SSB Finals got underway on Wednesday and despite college coaches not being allowed to be in the building on that day, the energy and competition levels were high. In this article I’ll take a look at some Ohio…
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Continue ReadingThe Adidas 3SSB Finals got underway on Wednesday and despite college coaches not being allowed to be in the building on that day, the energy and competition levels were high. In this article I’ll take a look at some Ohio standouts from the action I caught.
The headliner for Ohio’s 2025 class, Peterson is a consensus top 5 national talent and continues to show why he’s so highly regarded. One of the most skilled players in the country, Peterson has a deep bag of tricks when attacking the basket, finishing at the rim and using his elite touch to get shots to fall. The full scoring package was on display on Wednesday as he single handedly brought back Phenom United 16 U to take the lead against Indiana Elite 16 U after being down by almost 20 points early in the second half. Peterson had a putback slam, some nasty finishes at the rim and a handful of pull-up mid-range jumpers to finish with probably somewhere in the 25-30 point range on the game. Really the one thing I want to see more from Peterson is the spot-up 3-pointer. If he can shoot that shot with confidence off the catch, it’ll open up even more of his rhythm shot making moves that he’s so incredibly tough to stop with.
In a triple overtime thriller, Kayser had a big outing for Midwest 16 U Gold, who qualified after an impressive regular season record. Finishing a lot of tough shots around the paint, Kayser has good touch and can finish through contact and use the bank to his advantage. Expanding his range to beyond the 3-point line, he knocked down a pair of 3’s in this game. Looking like more of a wing than a forward, Kayser has shown more ball handling and perimeter skills than I previously have seen him show. His clutch play almost got his team the win as Kayser had a putback layup to tie the game with 5 seconds left in regulation and had a corner 3-pointer to tie the game with three seconds left in double overtime.
Midwest’s 15 U 3SSB squad has a lot of big names but Reed-Davis was one of their standout guys on Wednesday with a productive effort off the bench. An undersized guard who plays really hard and isn’t afraid to get into ball handlers and pressure them defensively, Reed-Davis forced a couple turnovers with his pressure. Offensively, he’s capable of making open shots when they fall to him and typically makes the right pass in half-court and transition. Not the most talented prospect but when you play the game the right way you give yourself a chance to help your team win and that’s what he did on Wednesday in a shorthanded effort.
It was a tough game for Midwest 16 U 3SSB on Wednesday before bracket play started but Cotton was a bright spot on his team. Making shots from the perimeter and making the extra pass, Cotton has continued to impress and develop each time I watch him play. A standout in multiple settings for both Midwest 3SSB 16 U and Lima Sr, Cotton has shown why four in state MAC programs have already offered him. A name to continue to monitor in NW Ohio’s 2025 class, Cotton could become a statewide household name by the time his Junior season wraps up.
Highlights
Phenom United were down double digits with about seven minutes to play and Kendrick hadn’t made a huge impact on the game to that point. Around that time, a switch was flipped, and Kendrick scored around 15 points in those final seven minutes to fuel a gigantic comeback and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Where Kendrick was struggling getting all the way to the rim early, he started doing a better job of creating contact early and then making space to finish at the rim with either hand. The increased defensive pressure of Phenom United 15 U also allowed them to get some transition points and a steal off a full court press defense led to a Kendrick and-1 layup late in the game. Kendrick had a couple nice euro step moves and used the floater, a key shot for him moving forward. With 40 seconds left, Kendrick made a sweet skip pass to Je’Carious Reaves Je’Carious Reaves 5’11” | PG Trotwood Madison | 2026 State OH in the corner for a 3-pointer to break the tie and win the game.