KABC Titans Shootout: Friday Evening Standouts

The KABC Titans Shootout brought out some of the top teams from Kentucky and Ohio to battle it out in a bracket style tournament. In this article I'll break down three Kentucky and three Ohio standouts.    One of the top glue guys in Kentucky, Dawson is a kid who goes above and beyond to help you win games. It's not flashy to dive after loose balls, get offensive rebounds, deflect passes and talk on defense but Dawson does all those things. Also adding a little scoring punch with the jumpers off the catch and some transition buckets. After making some huge plays in the clutch moments as a Junior, the core is back for Great Crossing as they try and complete unfinished business to take a state title.     After playing a little as a freshman it was nice to see Holman take a big step and start to blossom into a starting role for Great Crossing. Holman knocked down a couple spot-up 3-pointers either off the catch or after jab step 3's. With soft touch on his shots, Holman had a friendly roll on a top of the key 3-pointer. Don't want to specifically talk about his perimeter shooting because Holman does a lot more than that on the court. Able to run in transition and score at the rim, Holman likes attacking with his left hand. I was also impressed with Holman's perimeter defense, showing good pressure and activity for a 2027 prospect playing varsity. Based on what I saw on Friday, Holman looks like one of the better guards in Kentucky's 2027 class and justifying his current top 10 ranking.     A physical forward, Decker uses his frame and strength to score at will in the paint. Lowering his shoulder and going into contact, if you don't come prepared for a battle with Decker he will knock you out. Scoring probably close to 20 points on layups alone, Decker can beat you off the dribble, score off cuts or get second chance layups. A productive high school player due to his motor and frame, Decker will need to improve his right hand and/or 3-point shooting to make a smoother transition to the college level. With his competitiveness and physical talents, Decker has the chance to be a very productive college player in the right fit.     After moving to Moeller last year, Franz had a transition to the Crusaders system which saw him become a vital bench piece as a Junior. Fast forward to June and Franz looks like one of the top players for one of the most historic programs in the greater Cincinnati area. Showing good versatility on the wing, Franz does a handful of things well. He moves his feet latterly well on the perimeter, he's able to occasionally knock down a 3-point shot and he rebounds the basketball. Looking more and more comfortable, the Moeller coaching staff thinks Franz is due for a breakout senior season that should attract serious college interest from a few levels. Look for Franz to debut in our Ohio 2025 rankings during the post summer update in August.     Turpin battled for the entire game against a much more talented and physical Louisville Trinity squad, only to fall short by five points. It was an impressive team effort but O'Toole was the guard I wanted to spotlight. Able to knock down open shots on the perimeter, O'Toole uses his quickness to gain space to fire away from downtown. Also making some key drives and finishes, O'Toole had layups to cut the deficit to five and four points inside the final 3 minutes of the game. Really liked how hard Turpin fought and despite coming up short, wanted to tip my cap to their effort and intensity on Saturday.     Olentangy Orange returns a lot of pieces from last season's regional runner up. Thomas is a nice frontcourt prospect who impressed me on Saturday with his ability to rim run and score in the paint. His size and physicality also helps with rebounding and rim protection. Thomas is a player I've seen a few times this spring/summer with both his grassroots and high school program. I thought Saturday evening was the best he's played in the handful of times I've watched him. Playing on a team that shares the ball so well, if Thomas makes himself available in the paint and keeps finishing, he'll be seeing the ball a lot as teams try to shut down the perimeter studs on the Pioneers roster.

The KABC Titans Shootout brought out some of the top teams from Kentucky and Ohio to battle it out in a bracket style tournament. In this article I'll break down three Kentucky and three Ohio standouts.