The Stage: Buckeye and Bluegrass Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Midwest swing of the Prep Hoops Circuit kicked off outside of Indianapolis on Friday night. The Stage provided plenty of high level play in the 2028 class. After giving you Illinois and Michigan standouts on Friday. I'll move onto the great states of Ohio and Kentucky. All prospects are from the 2028 class </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2830423' first='Luca' last='Filia'] 6-1 Olentangy Berlin (OH) (pictured) </strong>Outstanding weekend so far leading Nova Village to an undefeated record through Saturday. Lead guard with length that helps him play bigger than his listed height. Really seemed to take charge defensively on the perimeter after Kentucky Future Elite got off to a red hot start. Really good with either hand, which unfortunately you don't often see at this grade level. Finished with 22 points in the aforementioned victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2751440' first='Xavier' last='Jones'] 6-3 Westerville South (OH) </strong>Perhaps the highest ranked player in the 2028 field. But more importantly played like it. Excelled at going to basket with next level athleticism. This also made him a major factor on the defensive end and out in transition. Used his frame to get to the line early and often. Showed smooth and confident stroke there. Has a chance to make some waves this spring/summer as Nova Village moves up to the top Under Armour circuit. Matched his teammate Filia with 22 points in the Saturday night victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2529552' first='CJ' last='Thomas'] 6-7 George Rogers Clark (KY) </strong>While the top two guys on this list are closer to finished products. Some projection is needed with this Kentucky post. There is a lot to work with. Has a wide athletic frame with broad shoulders and hips. It's not just for show as he does not get pushed around on the block. While he will need to get quicker overall. He is light on his feet and showed good lateral movement. Played a little better in his second game against a team from Michigan that had a smaller frontline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2360954' first='Nick' last='Prater'] 6-4 Perry County Central (KY) </strong>An impressive looking athlete who clearly knows how to play the game. Has a long and lanky frame that he uses well. Catches the ball and gets into either a drive or shooting motion very quickly. Glides around the court and covers a lot of ground. Competes hard on the block despite slender frame. Put up 12 points against Nova Village. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2383084' first='Preston' last='Clouse']</strong> <strong>5-8 Western Hills (KY) </strong>Cheating a little on this one. As Clouse didn't make it into my Friday night column. Should have as he put up 37 points in a dramatic victory over Indiana's Finest. Not a lot size but that is about that is about all you could knock him for. Makes up for it with extremely deep range on the perimeter. Isn't just some unconscious pump. He scored those 37 because his team needed them in a come from behind victory. Also sets up teammates well and plays with his head up. Accordingly plays like a veteran in the pick and roll. Even tested himself by playing up an age group with the Shelby County Stars on Saturday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->