Mike's Weekly Standouts

This week I covered two games, Botkins @ Russia and Summit Country Day @ Purcell Marian. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from these contests.    Russia has been one of the best small town programs in Ohio over the past three seasons and their group of seniors in the 2025 class are giving it one last run to try and win a state title. York is the most talented player from that 2025 class with his ability to stretch the floor, use his length defensively and hit shots over smaller defenders. The biggest leap I think York has made from Junior to Senior year is he's impacting the game even when he's not making shots. On Tuesday York did a nice job getting into passing lanes, forcing turnovers and moving without the basketball. York had a couple layups off backdoor cuts, got out in transition and simply shot over smaller defenders on 10-15 foot turnaround shots. York is a player regional small college programs should get familiar with.     The big man in the middle for Russia, Francis did an excellent job of protecting the rim and blocking shots. His size and strength is a big factor at the high school level as Botkins struggled to score in the paint when Francis was on the court. Francis also had a couple slam dunks late in the game to finish off a scrappy Botkins squad that was competitive for about three quarters on the road.     Pitts was the most impressive offensive player I saw for Botkins on Tuesday night, showing some fearlessness for a Sophomore guard. Pitts drove to the basket with confidence and the lefty had a couple tough finishes with his strong hand. I was also impressed with how Pitts avoided shot contests at the rim and he was able to get to the rim off the bounce. A player that SCAL fans will become very familiar with over the next few seasons.     Walters was the most impactful defensive player on the court Friday night as he was flying around on that end of the court with some tough on ball defense and had a crazy chase down block. Walters also attacked the rim aggressively and drew fouls due to his determination to get to the rim. A true competitor on the court, Walters is a guard who will compete and help you win games.     The first game of the season for Stocks, he started a little slow with a couple travels but once he shook the rust off, he was arguably the most impactful guy on the court. A guard with an elite first step, Stocks can get by his initial defender in a flash. Also a capable shooter from the outside, Stocks made a couple time and space 3-pointers, including one in the second half that helped really start to put some separation between the sides. Look for Stocks to make his debut in our 2026 rankings during our next update.     Washington had been lighting up the scoreboard early in the season, entering the game averaging over 26 points per game. He was held below 24 points for the first time all season on Friday night but I was still impressed with the scoring ability of Washington. A point guard who is really quick on the ball, Washington is a guy you need to get a body in front of in transition. Transition was also where Washington made his most impressive passes of the night. More of a volume scorer than anything from the outside, Washington is shooting 30% from downtown this year. A name I'll be tracking in Cincinnati, it'll be interesting to see Washington at the grassroots level as well this spring.

This week I covered two games, Botkins @ Russia and Summit Country Day @ Purcell Marian. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from these contests.