Ohio/Kentucky Nike Friday 17 U Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday was the start of the spring live period weekend for Division I coaches and EYBL/EYCL 17 U courts were filled with college coaches looking to get looks at 2025 prospects. In this article I'll break down five Ohio/Kentucky 17 U prospects who made an impression on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1432017"],"_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":"A new member to Indy Heat's roster, Fisher looked comfortable in his first game with the team as he came off the bench and provided instant offense for his team. Knocking down timely shots from the perimeter off the catch, hitting a couple floaters when he was ran off the line and getting some transition buckets, Fisher was scoring the ball efficiently. For an Indy Heat team that had struggled to find buckets from their complimentary pieces, Fisher filled a useful role and helped them close out a packed 17 U contest to start the weekend in Indianapolis. Fisher went up against high school teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1432037' first='Toby' last='Nwokolo'], who impressed on Saturday for [program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'].","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1432006"],"_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":"[program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'] finally removed the zero from the win column on Saturday evening but their Friday night contest was highly contested as well. I thought Barber impressed on both ends of the court, with his defensive activity standing out. Active hands defensively and a pest on the ball, Barber makes it difficult for bigger guards to be physical with him because of his ball pressure. Combine that with a high feel for the game and the ability to set his teammates up, Barber has a very old-school style of play. After missing the early stages of the spring with an injury, it was nice to see Barber back on the court making an impact. Few players in Ohio I enjoy watching more than Barber.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1432039"],"_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":"A flat out competitor, Leach fueled a near 20 point comeback victory for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] 17 U squad that continues to impress on the EYCL circuit. Mask on or mask off for Leach, he's going to get after you defensively and look to push the pace. Really impressed with his ability to finish at the rim, challenging a 6'10 center on layups with both hands. Knocking down the occasional jumper as well, Leach has taken his game to a new level finding the right fit on the grassroots circuit. Lots of low to mid major interest for Leach who is one of the marquee prospects on an [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] squad that had a large collection of college coaches there to watch them.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1491457"],"_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":"One of the purest strokes in Ohio's 2025 class, few things on a basketball court are prettier than watching Crutcher scorch the nets from long distance. If there's one thing I know Crutcher is going to do when he steps on the court, it's let it fly from long distance. In transition, Crutcher also threw down a breakaway dunk and got a couple easy layups as well. If Crutcher can become consistent with his motor on the defensive end of the court and add some muscle, he'll give himself a chance to be a real college contributor. With plenty of natural talent at his disposal, Crutcher's effort levels will determine how successful he is at the college level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1702934"],"_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":"Louisville native Tyran Stokes is one of the top athletes in the country and a top ranked prospect in the 2026 class. Playing next to prep school teammate Aj Dybantsa on Oakland Soldiers, the duo draw a lot of attention from blue blood programs. On a packed court 2 to close the night, Stokes was terrific, finishing with 31 points on 12/17 shooting. Knocking down timely shots from the perimeter is a key swing skill in Stokes game and he's clearly been working to improve that part of his game. I also thought Stokes showed some real ball handling flashes of dribbling himself out of traps and creating space in transition for his unbelieve open floor athleticism to shine. Throwing down a handful of dunks in this game, Stokes is a videographer's dream to post highlights of. One of the top players in the country, Stokes has a chance to be the highest regarded prospect from the Bluegrass state in quite some time by the time his prep career concludes.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66496f2b05e68"} /-->