Mike 16 U Standouts from Queen City Clash

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I spent the majority of Saturday watching 17 U action but I did get the chance to watch two 16 U games. In this article I'll spotlight the 16 U standouts I caught on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2109839"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the top long term prospects I saw all day, Straub had a big game for MR22 16 U squad that was in attendance. A stretch forward who can knock down shots from the outside, Straub has a bit of a funky release but hit shots consistently off the catch. An athlete who can play above the rim, when Straub got a head of steam he looked to either dunk it or lay it up above the rim when contested. As a defender, Straub blocked a handful of shots against players who looked to drive on him. With a lot of upside, there's room for improvement with Straub over the next few years. Look for him to try and improve his base in the weight room, he currently plays upright and can get knocked over against more physical defenders. One of the top prospects in eastern Ohio's 2026 class, Straub and [player_tooltip player_id='1952003' first='Tyson' last='Pastor'] form a great duo for the Red Devils of St Clairsville.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2412033"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Wise did a nice job of scoring in transition for a Cincy Titans squad that caught my eye on Saturday. Best in the open court, the athleticism of Wise was clear when he was able to get a runway and attack the basket. After a few layups in half-court and transition, Wise started attacking the rim and looking for teammates to kick it out to. Luckily for him, his teammates were shot ready off the catch and shot a high percentage from 3-point range. An easy choice as a standout from 16 U action on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2382329"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I could've picked a handful of players as my second spotlight from the Cincy Titans 16 U squad, I landed on Gearding. A guard who makes the extra pass, took care of the ball and could knock down an open shot. Gearding wasn't the most talented kid on the court, but he did the little things well and few players had as big of an impact on winning as Gearding did on Saturday. When you have players that do the things that Gearding does on the court, it becomes infectious to the whole team. With a 16 point win and 21 point win on Saturday, safe to say the Cincy Titans are doing something right this weekend playing in their hometown.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2403758"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[program_tooltip program_id='2076166' first='Grand' last='Park Premier'] teams always play solid, fundamental basketball and that's exactly what I saw from their 16 U White group. Biggs hit shots from the mid-range, played with pace off the bounce and threw it ahead for his teammates. Also racking up a pair of steals in the first half, Biggs turned one into an and-1 finish and the other into a mid-range pull up. With two 20+ point wins, [program_tooltip program_id='2076166' first='Grand' last='Park Premier'] had a great start to the Queen City Clash.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1560967"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Another standout from the [program_tooltip program_id='2076166' first='Grand' last='Park Premier'] White 16 U squad, Kersey used his strong frame to play through contact and be efficient from the floor on Saturday. When a driver creates contact first against the defense, it gives them the advantage to separate to score the basketball. Kersey did that a few times, showing off his toughness. Combine that with a sweet shooting stroke from the outside when left alone and he made a big impact on his team.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661b1c2cdeb95"} /-->