Ohio State Tournament: Mike’s Sunday 2026 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ohio State tournament wrapped up with Nova Village defeating [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] Black in the championship game of the 17 U bracket. In this article I'll break down six 2026 prospects who stood out in the semifinals and championship games of our 17 U tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2458397"],"_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-683cc3866594a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Playing for the championship winning Nova Village 17 U group, Hemphill plays a vital role due to his strength, rebounding, motor and athleticism. Hemphill has always drawn the assignment of guarding some of the top forwards on the opposing team and wears players down with his physical style of play. Offensively, Hemphill flashed a couple nice moves off the dribble and finished at the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2301451"],"_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-683cc386659af"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Filling in for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075761' first='Ohio' last='Buckets'] Black this weekend, Schmidt showed his versatility as a wing guard who can adjust to different teammates and fit different systems. His positional size, shooting ability and basketball IQ all translated and I loved his off ball movement to get easy looks. All of these qualities make Schmidt a high priority small college target for regional programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2874795"],"_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-683cc386659fc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Culver was one of my favorite pure point guards I watched all weekend as he spent his time setting the table for his teammates and playing tough defense. Despite being undersized, Culver gave bigger ball handlers fits with how low he gets to the ground and his activity on the ball. Offensively, Culver made a couple impressive passes and had a sweet euro-step finish as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2437299"],"_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-683cc38665a43"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The top prospect on the Ohio Saints 17 U group that made a nice run to the semifinals, Strasser has continued to develop his game since I watched him last summer playing up at the 17 U level on the Prep Hoops Circuit. Strasser's physical dominance is even more notable than last year with another year of weight room training. Strasser has also stretched out his range from beyond the arc and had a couple nice kickouts to shooters when he played on balance. One of the top players in the Licking County League, Strasser should be a target for regional small college programs looking for size and skill from the forward position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2450714"],"_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-683cc38665a89"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A wing guard who made timely shots all weekend, Eaton played with a lot of confidence offensively and wasn't scared to create his own offense against longer athletes that defended him. After seeing his scoring ability this weekend, I'm not surprised Eaton scored 17 PPG on 58% from 3-point range at the Grassroots showdown two weeks ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2409081"],"_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-683cc38665acc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I love the energy Sheppard played with, having one of the highest motors of any player I saw all weekend. His effort going after loose balls and rebounds got his team extra possessions and he also finished second chance opportunities and rolls to the basket after setting screens. Really enjoyed just watching Sheppard compete on Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->