Run N Slam: Saturday Morning 16 U Standouts

The Run N Slam in Fort Wayne is always one of the most competitive events in the Midwest each spring and in this article I'll break down my 16 U standouts from Saturday morning's action.    One of the top shooters in Ohio's 2028 class, Dunn was knocking down shots off the catch at a high level on Saturday morning as his Midwest Cincy MHC 16 U squad rolled to a win in the game I caught. A handful of Dunn's 3-pointers were well behind the college 3-point line as he spaced the floor extremely well for his group. To end the first half Dunn had a soft touch bucket from the 10-12 foot range area on the court and also made a couple live dribble passes to teammates. Seeing Dunn expand his game and attack closeouts is exactly what the grassroots season is for as players want to continue to display their strengths while also working on new parts of their game that don't get the opportunity to be shown during the winter.     I caught Cochran in the winter at the high school level and he impressed me with his strong legs and base as an athlete. A power athlete, Cochran has the strength to go right through you if you aren't ready to match his physicality. As a scorer, Cochran is at his best when he's turning defense into offense as his two hand jam in transition was off a steal he made. With his strength and aggressiveness getting to the paint, Cochran was living at the foul line on Saturday and forcing the defense to foul him to prevent easy layups. One of the more underrated 2028 prospects from central Kentucky, Cochran could be a name who picks up some steam with performances like this more consistently.     Eubanks had a size advantage in the paint and put that to good use on Saturday morning as he scored a handful of times after catching with his back to the basket. Eubanks got a couple friendly bounces off the rim and crashed the offensive glass by using his height advantage for extra possessions. A name I'd expect regional small college programs to get very familiar with next summer, Eubanks is on a nice team that wins a lot of games while also is helping him develop as a player.     A northern Kentucky prospect I was able to see this winter, Broz had a nice offensive game on Saturday morning in a win for his team. Broz had one of the best outlet passes I saw all day for an assist, helping jumpstart some transition opportunities for his team. In the second half Broz found the range from the corner and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers from that spot and had the layup that helped his team reach the mercy rule with under two minutes to play. Talented 2028 prospect to monitor.     A fun new name to add to northern Kentucky's 2028 database, Topmiller is a talented wing guard who took a DHO and threw down a big time dunk off a great set by his team. With good positional size and the athleticism to play above the rim, Topmiller found success when he was able to find clear driving lanes to get to the rim. A talented natural scorer, Topmiller took and made some tough shots. After a strong sophomore campaign for Beechwood, Topmiller's best game might've come in a win over Highlands where he scored 31 points on just 11 shots. Expect Topmiller to have a lot of college interest next summer when small college programs focus on 2028 prospects.     The Cincinnati native has had a strong spring for [program_tooltip program_id='2229551' first='Moss' last='Elite'] as his positional versatility from the wing forward position has been on full display. Sheppard made a couple nice quick moves out of the triple threat and is a quick leaper both as a finisher at the rim and rim protector. In transition Sheppard can take long strides and extend at the rim as his physical gifts start to take over. Still needing some polish as a ball handler and decision maker but Sheppard is clearly improved from the winter and on a upward trajectory to try and become one of the most productive players in the CMAC next winter.     Playing with as high of a motor as anybody I watched on Saturday, Lamirand was physical and living at the foul line for the Ohio Bruins. Lamirand is a wing forward who wants to face up and get to the rim attacking with his dominant right hand. Add in the fact he scored well from the dunker spot just catching and finishing layups created by his teammates and able to execute set plays out of timeouts and BLOB's, Lamirand has a lot going for him as a player. I'd expect Lamirand to become a household name across northeast Ohio next winter as Saint Ignatius always plays one of the toughest schedules in the state year in and year out.     The Fairview wing forward made some key plays down the stretch as the Ohio Bruins had to fight off a scrappy effort from a fellow MHC squad. Reagan made a couple nice assists through traffic, passing the ball better than I'd ever seen him before. Making the extra swing pass to his teammate to turn a good shot into a great shot can be tough for young shot makers and it seems like Reagan is letting the game slow down for him out there. Add in his physical ability with a couple contested rebounds and looking the part getting up and down the court and Reagan's clutch efforts late in a tight win earned him a writeup for a balanced Ohio Bruins 16 U squad that small college coaches will come watching in groups next summer if they decide to stick together.

The Run N Slam in Fort Wayne is always one of the most competitive events in the Midwest each spring and in this article I'll break down my 16 U standouts from Saturday morning's action.