Top Kiddos at the Nixa Invitational Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Missouri watched several games from this weekend's Nixa Invitational Tournament. There were some impressive young prospects on display at the NIT. Here are some of the top Class of 2026 and 2027 players that caught our eye at Nixa.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2194413' first='Adam' last='McKnight'] (Nixa): The 6'4" 2027 forward had a big weekend in leading the Eagles to a second-place finish. He was a bucket in the paint. He was rolling in the championship game, where he scored a game-high 27 points. He was tough to handle in the paint as he finished very well with a good blend of power and finesse. He was also very active on the offensive boards to get putbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2334901' first='Chase' last='Branham'] (Logan-Rogersville): The 6'3" 2027 point guard is one of the top young prospects in Missouri. He has excellent poise, good fundamentals and a little pizazz to his very talented skill package. He topped 20 points in a couple of games over the weekend. He can take advantage of his size to shoot over smaller defenders in the lane. He handles the ball and passes it very well as the ball does not stick in his hands. He also has 3-point shooting range and the creativity to work off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1598824' first='Brody' last='Owen'] (Marquette): A 6'2" 2026 point guard who has creative scoring ability to go along with his passing and playmaking skills. He scored 15 points in the Mustangs victory over Park Hill in the consolations finals. He could hit the 3-pointer he had some slippery moves along the baseline, which led to short jumpers off the bounce. His mid-range game is pure, especially when he goes to the step back. He can also locate open teammates with his court vision and then hit them with a pinpoint pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2334926' first='Kyrese' last='Simpson'] (Hillcrest): The 5'8" 2027 point guard had already made a strong impact at the varsity level this season. He has good quickness and he also has a nice change of pace game that can keep defenders off balance. He has a nice burst to get himself into the lane and he will hit the open 3-pointer. He had 23 points in a victory over Troy in the first round. He also keeps his head on a swivel when he penetrates in the lane to find the open teammate, either inside for a layup or on the perimeter for an open 3-pointer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2090492' first='Isaiah' last='Caston'] (Park Hill): A 6'1" 2026 point guard who looked very impressive in the third-place game against Marquette that I watched. He got himself rolling early with three 3-pointers in the first quarter. He has a good combination of strength and quickness. He had some good coast to coast drives for layups. He is also a very good on-ball defender as he gets into a good stance and move his feet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2117946' first='Alex' last='Komorech'] (Marquette): A 6'5" 2026 forward who had a strong performance in the third-place game victory over Park Hill. He recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He played with good aggressiveness inside and had some good footwork in the post. He was very effective on the offensive boards. I was impressed with him when I watched him during the summer at one of our Prep Hoops events as he played with the [program_tooltip program_id='2075691' first='Missouri' last='Mavericks'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->