NEO Youth Elite Christmas Classic: Underclassmen Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NEO Youth Elite Christmas Classic brought out some of the top teams in northeast Ohio to compete. In this article we'll break down the underclassmen (2027 and 2028 prospects) standouts from the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2140872"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676b0e84ecf6d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Cleveland Central Catholic Vs Maple Heights game had a bunch of excitement surrounding the pregame with players transferring over on both sides from last season. Young was at Maple Heights as a freshman and has since made the move to Cleveland Central Catholic. This was my second chance to watch Young (both have came at the NEO Youth Elite Christmas Classic) and he once again performed at a high level. Young just finds a way to make plays in the most dramatic of circumstances, his buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter was a prime example of him flat out being a gamer. One skill that Young is elite at is body control and touch at the rim. It's really tough for undersized point guards to really make a name for themselves as college prospects but Young shows some unique abilities that could see him beat the odds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2410846"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676b0e84ecfd1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A new name for myself, Driscal is an impressive athlete for Cleveland Central Catholic who had a big football season and has continued this momentum into the winter. Driscal is a quick twitch guard who can change direction in an instant and was tough to stop in transition. Also showing some ball handling and shooting flashes, Driscal had a nasty behind the back move that led to a pull-up 3-pointer. Defensively, Driscal got his hands on the basketball often whether it was on the ball or as a help-side defender. A name to monitor in northeast Ohio's 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2703762"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676b0e84ed023"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another undersized point guard, Shelton was a pest defensively with six first half steals. Shelton did an excellent job of pressuring ball handlers and reading the opposing guards by jumping passing lanes. Shelton was also rewarded as a scorer due to his defensive activity with a couple breakaway layups and even spot-up 3-pointers. Lutheran West has a new look team this year and Shelton has established himself as a key piece for their team this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2703765"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676b0e84ed066"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A disappointing loss for VASJ, Spikes had some bright flashes as a young player they can continue to develop and emerge as a star in the future. With good length and size, Spike had a couple of blocks and altered numerous shots at the rim. I was also impressed with how Spikes moved his feet and showed a little perimeter shooting ability. Definitely a project on the offensive end right now but Spikes has some skills you can't teach, a prospect we'll be keeping tabs on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2461889"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676b0e84ed0b0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lutheran East suffered their first loss of the season in a tough back and forth contest with Warrensville Heights. While the young Falcons will grow and learn from this loss, they had some bright spots fighting back into the game. Zeigler hit some insane 3-pointers to bring his team back into the game, shooting the ball with a ton of confidence. It was another performance that showed why Zeigler is one of the premier prospects in Ohio's 2028 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->