UAA Live Period: Kentucky/Ohio 17 U Standouts
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The only spring live period brought out a lot of talented teams from across the country to Cincinnati, Ohio for the Under Armour circuit. In this article I’ll break down five 17 U standouts from Kentucky and Ohio who impressed…
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Continue ReadingThe only spring live period brought out a lot of talented teams from across the country to Cincinnati, Ohio for the Under Armour circuit. In this article I’ll break down five 17 U standouts from Kentucky and Ohio who impressed me over the weekend.
Griffin Elite has a ton of offensive talent so their scoring is usually spread out across their 17 U roster. On Saturday, Edmonds made an immediate impact with his interior scoring and physicality. A strong forward who can score with his back to the basket, Edmonds used his post moves to bully defenders at the rim. A solid athlete with a head of steam, Edmonds threw down a couple dunks going up off his preferred right foot. A capable shooter from the outside, if you leave Edmonds open he will make you pay from 3-point range. A top player from the Louisville area, I expect Edmonds recruitment to pick back up in the summer.
We wrote about Butler after the Bill Hensley Run N Slam and once again I walked away from watching him play very impressed. A wing forward who knocks down shots, plays under control, is physical and efficient, Butler checks a lot of boxes for college coaches. With his size and strength, Butler is a player you need to box out or he will punish you with second chance points. I knew Butler would be productive this weekend but he shot the ball better from 3-point range than I saw a few weekends ago in Fort Wayne. Butler should be getting a lot of scholarship interest from Low major and Division II programs.
Highlights
Stars Basketball Club have a solid 17 U team with a mostly Tennesse based team. Finley is one of two Kentucky 2025 prospects who come off the bench and I was impressed with Finley the most. A thicker built guard, Finley used his frame to box out and was physical on both ends of the court. I also thought Finley played with a good feel, making skip passes to the opposite side of the court to shooters and moving the ball quickly. Combine this with a couple strong takes to the rim where he looked to finish off two feet and Finley impacted the game on both ends. Cumberland University has already offered Finley and expect more to come in if he impresses during the summer.
Highlights
A tough weekend for Nova Village 17 U, getting challenged by some of the best UAA teams on the circuit this weekend in their home state. Despite the 1-3 record, I thought Nova battled on both ends of the court and showed a lot of fight against more talented teams. Both Brown and Tai Perkins Tai Perkins 5’11” | PG Westerville North | 2025 State OH showed flashes of taking over the game offensively with Brown being the most consistent performer I saw at both games on Saturday. An excellent passer of the basketball, Brown set his teammates up at a high level this weekend and drew a lot of attention when the ball was in his hands. Brown also was aggressive getting to the rim and drew around 8-10 free throws in the first half of a game this weekend. Add in his 3-point shooting that was efficient and Brown did a lot of things well on the offensive end of the court. Had a handful of Division I coaches there to either scout Brown or continue to recruit him after offering him in the past few months, one of the top wings in Ohio’s 2025 class.
Highlights
OBC got a signature win on Saturday over Griffin Elite with Moody and point guard Kenny Scott Kenny Scott 5’11” | PG Archbishop Hoban | 2025 State OH standing out. The fast up and down style of play was perfect for Moody’s game as he scored early and often in transition. Whether Moody got behind the defense for breakaways or ran the court for 2 on 1 situations, he was scoring at the rim when his team had a numbers advantage. Add in the fact that Moody shot the ball with confidence off the catch and it was the best offensive performance I’ve seen Moody have. Would be a solid option at a college program looking for athletes on the wing and play at a high tempo. His style of play translates to the JUCO level well at the moment, where he could continue to develop and work.