Step Higher Tip Off: 2025 Standouts

The Step Higher Tip Off was a two day event hosted at Holmes High School in Covington, Kentucky. In this article we'll break down some 2025 standouts from Sunday's action.    Spire came out focused on Sunday and absolutely demolished Flyght Academy in a game that was uncompetitive from the jump. I was very impressed with Spire's ability to keep their foot on the gas pedal all game and continue to execute on both ends of the court. Register was one of their leading scorers as his teammates did a nice job of finding him open to shoot efficient shots. Knocking down a couple spot-up 3-pointers, Register has shown some shooting development in the past few months as he works to expand his range. Combine that with his size and physicality in the paint and Register was productive in a blowout win.     One of the most athletic players in Ohio, Lawson moves at a different speed than anybody else on the court. A blur in transition, it almost looks like Lawson is playing sped up while everybody else is moving in normal speed on the court. Having some thunderous dunks, Lawson gave the numerous videographers in the stands something to post with his performance. The future Duquesne Duke looks like a guard who could play early in his college career.     A high motor wing forward, McFadden was doing what he does best on Sunday. Getting rebounds on both ends, being efficient in the paint and just playing harder than a lot of other guys out there, McFadden had a strong overall performance. The exclamation point of the Panthers win was McFadden's Alley-Oop slam dunk. I expect a big season from McFadden and the Panthers who could compete for an OCC division championship.     I was impressed with some of the skill development Keita showed me since the last time I watched him play. Keita looks more confident dribbling the ball in the open court and had a couple coast to coast takes off rebounds and steals. After knocking down just 10 3-pointers as a Junior, Keita knocked down a couple jumpers on Sunday as he continues to expand his range. His best plays came when he caught the ball on the perimeter and was decisive with his dribble drive attack, scoring multiple floaters and and-1 layups at the rim. After finishing fourth on his team in scoring last season, Keita seems ready to take on a leading role for the Mustangs this winter.     The talented Hawthorne is going to be staying in state and heading to West Virginia after he finishes up his senior season at Huntington Prep. You saw some of the skills that made him such a unique prospect. Not many guys at Hawthorne's size have the ball handling and fluidity that he does. Able to put the ball on the floor and attack off the dribble, Hawthorne had a couple floaters and touch shots at the rim. With the size and athleticism that Huntington Prep has, they can be really tough to stop in transition and Hawthorne excels in transition.

The Step Higher Tip Off was a two day event hosted at Holmes High School in Covington, Kentucky. In this article we'll break down some 2025 standouts from Sunday's action.