Ohio 16 U Standouts from Made Hoops Midwest Mania

Midwest Mania brought hundreds of teams to Hamilton, Ohio for one of the biggest grassroots events of the spring so far! In this article I'll break down the standout 16 U performers from Ohio.    Playing next to a bunch of talented players, Simpson doesn't have to force the issue for Phenom United 16 U who have a very talented and deep roster. Once Simpson settled down he had a strong two-way impact with a couple of steals, shots off the catch and finishes off drives. If Simpson can continue to produce for this team as a utility guard, he'll rise up our rankings and get some early college interest as a 2027 prospect.     I thought Brinager held his own on a floor filled with Division I prospects thanks to his motor and energy. Flying around the court defensively, Brinager had a steal and was active as a help-side defender. Brinager also knocked down a time and space 3-pointer in the game I was at and looked comfortable against much more talented opposition than he sees during the high school season. Getting used to playing this top talent will help Brinager when he returns to Meigs and plays against local competition in June and during the winter.     Foster was killing for [program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'] with numerous 3-pointers and transition dunks as they built a big early lead against [program_tooltip program_id='2076317' first='Midwest' last='Basketball Club 3SSB']. Foster was playing through a left-hand injury which had him wearing tape around his wrist and hand. I've been impressed with Foster's athletic growth as he's flying in the air on dunks which including a sweet alley-oop slam where he flew to throw it down. One of the top prospects in Ohio's 2027 class, Foster is now teaming up with [player_tooltip player_id='2140535' first='Isaiah' last='Mack-Russell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125748' first='Joshua' last='Tyson'] to give Phenom United 16 U the top 3 ranked players in our Ohio 2027 rankings. Safe to say that team will be must watch for basketball sickos and high major college coaches during live period events.     I thought James was exceptional for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] 16 U group on Sunday as he was making plays in transition all day in what turned out to be an exciting victory over Tennessee Impact 3SSB. James does such a great job of decelerating in transition and using his body to seal potential shot blockers from behind. Another time James used a pump fake to let a defender fly by for an easy score and had multiple euro-steps that gave him easy looks at the rim. James is one of the best small guard finishers in Ohio as he has the touch, craftiness and feel to be efficient when he goes up with the trees surrounding him.     A player I caught during the playoffs and I noticed a significant improvement in his confidence and athletic ability. Those two areas of his game continued to shine as Creager was getting busy on the perimeter by creating quick one to two dribble pull-up jumpers and floaters and Creager certainly doesn't pass up open 3-point shots very often. With a ton of high feel players and floor spacing, Creager and the rest of his team generate a bunch of open looks and on Sunday Creager happened to be the guy who finished those looks with buckets over and over again. Establishing himself as a potential Division I prospect, Creager will be one of a few names on [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] 16 U who college coaches will look to get their eyes on during live periods this summer.

Midwest Mania brought hundreds of teams to Hamilton, Ohio for one of the biggest grassroots events of the spring so far! In this article I'll break down the standout 16 U performers from Ohio.