Havoc in the Heartland: Lincolns and Buckeyes

While the Havoc in the Heartland field was largely centered on the home state. Players from other Midwest states stood out in the deep slate of prospects. After giving you Michigan yesterday. I'll wrap up coverage from the event by providing some additional standouts from the states of Illinois and Michigan broken down by class.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2027 </h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='2842627' first='Josh' last='McClary'] 5-11 Peebles (OH) Lead guard with who really played well on Sunday. Taking on a 4-0 Indy Jazz team. McClary came alive in the second half. Not the tallest prospect and has a slender frame. Makes up for it with fearless penetration and a lot of moxie. Got wherever he wanted with an extremely straight handle. Audacious shooter who wasn't afraid to take difficult shots. Showed the ability to fadeaway on his jumper. Which you don't often see from sub-6-foot prospect. Finished with 24 points in the previously mentioned game contest against Indy Jazz. I was sitting behind the Jazz bench. He was earning some serious respect from his opponent as they could not figure out how to stop him.   Matthew Dick 6-8 Eastern Local School District (Brown County OH) Proof that old school back to the basket big men have not gone extinct. A country strong kid. Has a wide lower base and thick broad shoulders. Didn't appear to be overly explosive vertically. However, was good athlete who ran the court well. Also showed decent lateral quickness and the ability to move his feet. Has some new school tendencies, particularly deep range on the perimeter. Has a smooth and effortless release from beyond the arc. Also appeared to be a good passer and could initiate offense out of the high post at times.   [player_tooltip player_id='2858337' first='Cai' last='Goings'] 6-2 Lynchburg-Clay (OH) A combo forward with bouncy athleticism. Goings held up well down low despite a slender frame. Lived around the rim with sudden elevation and a quick second jump. Seemed to be playing mostly in the post out of necessity. His squad only had six players on the weekend. Played bigger than his size. In full disclosure, I thought he looked a little bigger than 6-2. Also showed the ball handling ability to play away from the basket. Will probably need to improve as a shooter to firmly establish himself as a wing.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2028</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='3219720' first='Ladarrion' last='Tucker'] 6-5 Bradley Bourbonnais (IL) (pictured at top) Like his Ohio partner mentioned. Proof that a old-school wide-bodied post can still be effective. I wasn't as impressed with Tucker a few weekends ago in Chicago. While his team went undefeated. It was against smaller clubs, and he did not need to be utilized as much. That was not the case in Indiana this weekend. That was especially apparent in the opener. As Tucker bullied his way to 16 points in a win against All Area Indiana. Tucker establishes deep post, has good hands, and a soft touch around the basket. He is not going to get moved off the block. As you would expect, got to the line often where the soft touch was once again evident.   [player_tooltip player_id='2864295' first='Mishon' last='Calvin'] 6-2 Bradley Bourbonnais (IL) While Tucker was banging down low. Calvin headed up the All Love perimeter attack. On Sunday, Michigan's United Persuit squad featured a bigger frontline. Accordingly, Cavin went to work with his smooth offensive game. Has nice release on his outside shot. Has very little dip, without a hitch, and in one continuous motion. Also drives to basket with force and has explosive elevation. Gets the rim with a quick first step and a solid handle. Long lanky athlete who plays taller than his listed height. Put up 20 points in the loss against United Persuit that his squad led most of the way in.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class of 2029</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='3594124' first='Keegan' last='Puckett'] 6-4 Peebles (OH) I was impressed with the versatility of this young post a few weekends ago at The Stage in Indianapolis. Rinese and repeat in two close Saturday losses in Indianapolis. Isn't the quickest or most explosive athlete vertically. Makes up for with a fundamentally sound and heady game. Gets around defenders with solid drop step footwork and by using his shoulders to create space. Plays his with head up for a post and is a good passer. Bounced back with a big win to close out the weekend on Sunday. As an out of state scout, I don't know much about the depth of the Peebles program. I would think it is possible he could form a pretty good inside/out duo with the first player on this list.

While the Havoc in the Heartland field was largely centered on the home state. Players from other Midwest states stood out in the deep slate of prospects. After giving you Michigan yesterday. I'll wrap up coverage from the event by providing some additional standouts from the states of Illinois and Michigan broken down by class.