Mike's weekly standouts

Last week I attended three individual games, Steubenville @ Saint Clairsville, Madison Central @ Henry Clay and South Webster @ Minford. In this article I'll break down the standouts I caught from a busy week of action.    In a big rivalry win, Pastor was productive as a high energy wing forward who crashed the glass hard and showed off his athleticism with some above the rim plays including multiple slam dunks. Pastor knocked down a couple of 3-pointers as well including one at the halftime horn that gave the Red Devils some momentum heading into the locker room. Pastor is tough to stop for other east district teams because not many schools have a player as athletic as he is who can also play on the perimeter and crash the glass. With the new seven Division playoff format, Saint Clairsville has a path to win a regional title this season.     One of the bigger risers this winter from Ohio's 2026 class, Straub has become much more fluid and confident with the ball in his hands. Always been intrigued by his floor spacing ability at 6'7, Straub is now attacking off the bounce and ending plays with highlight-reel slam dunks. After a slow second and third quarter, Straub took over in the fourth quarter with some tough finishes at the rim with both hands to help his team secure a statement victory. Saint Clairsville needs Straub to stay out of foul trouble if they want to reach their ceiling in March. With college programs starting to take interest in Straub, I expect him to blow up this spring with Midwest Basketball Club.     One of the best pure point guards in the 2027 class, Haney plays the game with experience beyond his age. A steady ball handler who makes the right play and is a team leader as an underclassman, the intangibles Haney brings to the court is very impressive. Combine that with tough on ball defense and efficient shooting from downtown and Haney is a great high school basketball player. His recruitment will take some time to take shape but I expect college coaches to love everything he brings to the floor.     The game between Henry Clay and Madison Central required overtime to determine a winner and once the extra frame hit, Stephan took over and willed his team to victory. A wing who can knock down open shots, score in transition as a lob threat and attack off the bounce, Stephan showed his full offensive package on Thursday night. One of the more productive 2026 wings I've seen in Kentucky, Stephan showed more ball handling ability than I saw from him as a Sophomore as he continues to fill out his body and develop an all-around offensive game. Senior Hassan Bush also made some key plays for Henry Clay in the win.     A recent blow up recruiting wise, Feldhaus just picked up his first two Division I offers and it's easy to see why. After throwing down some crazy dunks in warmups I was excited to see what Feldhaus had in store during the game and did not leave disappointed. Able to play above the rim in the game, Feldhaus had a couple strong finishes over rim protectors. With a solid frame and explosive athleticism, it's tough to stop Feldhaus when he has momentum towards the basket. Defensively, Feldhaus pinned a shot on the backboard and showed potential as a help-side rim protector. If Feldhaus can speed up his jumper he will be able to take and make more looks from 3-point range, that would be the next step I'd want to see him take this summer on the grassroots circuit.     In front of a sold out home crowd, Montgomery dominated the first half and fueled Minford to a rivalry victory over previously unbeaten South Webster on Friday night. One of the quickest point guards in the state, the Jeeps simply could not stay in front of Montgomery as he was able to get to his spots to pull-up and knock down jumpers. Defensively, Montgomery picked the pockets of multiple South Webster ball handlers and turned those steals into layups on the other end. With West Liberty's frantic style of play pressing the entire game, I'm not sure how many players in Ohio are easier fits than Montgomery is for that system, a hand in glove fit at the next level.     When Minford went on their big third quarter run to go up double-digits, Kayser was the guy making plays on both ends of the court as Minford never trailed after taking control. Kayser's highlight of the game came during that stretch when he drove baseline and had a sweet reverse layup. Throw in a couple mid-range shots and a pick and pop 3-pointer and Kayser had his fingerprints all over this victory.     One of the more fascinating players to scout in Ohio's 2025 class, the physical talent with Roberts is obvious. On Friday night he had some thunderous dunks when he finally was able to get free under the basket. Minford did an excellent job of preventing Roberts from getting the ball in the paint but a few times he did overwhelm the Falcons with his size and strength. Also showing perimeter shooting flashes, Roberts had a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter and knocked down another 3-pointer on the wing. It'll be fascinating to see where Roberts ends up at the college level because his natural ability is sky high. We'll see if potentially a deep playoff run could get him more college interest.

Last week I attended three individual games, Steubenville @ Saint Clairsville, Madison Central @ Henry Clay and South Webster @ Minford. In this article I'll break down the standouts I caught from a busy week of action.