Cincinnati / Louisville Weekly Standouts

This week I attended two solo games, one in Cincinnati and one in Louisville. In this article I'll break down my standout performers from Cincinnati Deer Park @ Reading and Louisville St Xavier @ Louisville Male.    A skilled wing forward who impacted the game in a variety of ways, VonderMeulen was a quick decision maker as a connector for Reading as they swung the ball around the half-court, VonderMeulen leads the team in assists per game at around four. Scoring off the ball, VonderMeulen converted off a cut, a BLOB set and drove baseline to score. Solid game from a senior who should be all conference in the Cincinnati Hills League.     The second member of Reading's senior duo who each average almost 15 PPG, Smith caught fire off the catch for his second game of the season with three or more 3-point makes. Smith knocked down shots from the corners with his feet set, as his teammates found him when he was open. Also getting some leakout layups, Smith took advantage of easy scoring opportunities. Look for Smith to generate some small college interest due to his ability to knock down shots, defend off the ball and play within a system.     Maybe the top scorer in all of Ohio high school basketball, this was my first opportunity to watch White in person. An elite shooter, White's 3-point percentages don't reflect how elite he is at that skill due to the difficulty of shots he's forced to take as the primary scoring option. Judging by his 80+% free throw line mark, White is money when he's open. Quick on the ball, White gets into his pull-up in an instant. Also a dangerous transition option, White does an excellent job of reading when his team is about to get a steal or defensive rebound and quickly leaks out for transition layups. While White does save some energy to focus on scoring, he does provide nice value as a defensive player with his gambles and steal attempts. A name that I'm not sure many people know about outside of Cincinnati, White is a name who should be on JUCO, Post Grad and Division II radars.     The most complete offensive game from Lindsay out of the four I've seen this season. Scoring 33 points and looking confident on the ball as a creator, Lindsay had multiple self-created drive and finishes, which is something I've been wanting to see more often from Lindsay. Athletically, Lindsay lived above the rim all game and had three dunks in the final minute to cap off a dominant effort.     I was really encouraged by the offensive flashes Jackson showed as he rolled and cut to the rim with a purpose and finished with dunks and layups in the paint. Jackson's athleticism allows him to be an elite rim protector as well and Jackson had a handful of blocks and a couple goaltends where he made sure his presence was felt. One of the top prospects in the 2028 class, Jackson will draw a bunch of college coaches to his [program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'] 16 U EYBL squad.     With the injury to [player_tooltip player_id='2360949' first='Trey' last='Hillerich'], Johnson is even more important to a Male squad that is now short on depth. The freshman was very productive as a roll man to the rim, scoring multiple buckets off assists by [player_tooltip player_id='2439209' first='Jordan' last='Mitchell']. Johnson does a nice job creating contact in the paint, giving him space to finish through taller rim protectors. Physically already ready to contribute at the varsity level, Johnson is one of the few freshman who will be relied upon for teams that have state title aspirations this March.     An eighth grader making an impact on varsity, Calhoun was confident on the ball and made multiple plays as a dribble driver in this game. Getting to his spots and hitting shots in the floater and mid-range area. A name to know for the future, Calhoun should add weight and muscle to his frame over the next couple of years and become one of the best guards in Louisville as an upperclassman if he continues to work.

This week I attended two solo games, one in Cincinnati and one in Louisville. In this article I'll break down my standout performers from Cincinnati Deer Park @ Reading and Louisville St Xavier @ Louisville Male.