Midwest Showdown: Under the Radar Two-Way Standouts

In my first weekend as a scout and contributor for Prep Hoops, I took in a lot of the action from the Midwest Showdown at the Community First Champion Center in Appleton, WI. In doing so, I was impressed by the following players who performed at a high level on both ends of the court. These athletes showed well-rounded all-around games and stood out as players to be recognized and watched going forward.    Alex took the court with United Hoops WI 2027 Seeman and showed great potential to be an impact player for Watertown High School in the coming seasons. On the offensive end, he displayed a solid handle, range from beyond the arc and the ability to finish through contact and over size. He stayed after it on the defensive end and picked up some steals in the process. He also helped his team through rebounding, including following his shot to keep an offensive possession going.     I wrote "hustle" in my notes for Myles several times. He plays with determination, getting after loose balls, attacking passing lanes and battling on the boards. He is fundamentally sound and implements ball fakes as effectively as anyone I saw over the weekend. He can spot up and knock down the three and is creative when taking the ball to the bucket. Myles made several quick and clean passes to cutters showing nice court awareness.     Out of Oregon High School and playing for Granite Basketball 2026 at the Midwest Showdown, Nicholas was the epitome of "clutch" in a matchup with Bradley Elite 2026-2 on Saturday afternoon. He hit two quick triples and a layup in the closing minutes of the first half for Granite in a highly contested game. Throughout the second half he dropped dimes, grabbed rebounds, scored from all three levels and forced turnovers. An unselfish point guard, who will take the shot if it's there, Nicholas provided the fuel for an overtime win, draining a three, a free throw and a layup in the extra frame.     If you walked into the gym, you wouldn't necessarily focus on Broderick immediately. He is undersized at 5'9" and he doesn't demand the spotlight by being overly demonstrative. But that doesn't matter, because he is the glue guy... the quiet assassin... whatever term you want to use for the player who stays composed and contributes in a variety of ways. I really liked his workmanlike demeanor, as he knocked down a significant quantity of threes at an excellent percentage. He is a persistent defender who forces turnovers and plays smart position defense, even when outsized in the post. He's a combo guard who runs the point effectively or slides to the wing as the lineup dictates. Brodrick may not be flashy, but I sure do like his game.     At 6'4" Ian wasn't the tallest player on the floor in games this weekend, but that didn't keep him from being a handful in the post, particularly on the glass. I watched some of his [program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] South Showcase team's action on Saturday and then a complete game on Sunday morning, in which Ian posted a double-double. (I lost track of points and boards after both hit 10.) He did some nice things in transition, showed a spin move in front of the basket and passed effectively from the post as well. He's got a strong frame and will likely need to develop his outside game more if he wants to move to the next level, but overall he did what was needed to help secure a W for his team on Sunday.

In my first weekend as a scout and contributor for Prep Hoops, I took in a lot of the action from the Midwest Showdown at the Community First Champion Center in Appleton, WI. In doing so, I was impressed by the following players who performed at a high level on both ends of the court. These athletes showed well-rounded all-around games and stood out as players to be recognized and watched going forward.