Grit Region Memorial Classic: 2024 Standout Forwards

In a weekend full of talent and good games, some players stood out over the rest. I saw games from players in 6 different states throughout the weekend, so in the third article of my new series, we look at the 2024 standout forwards from the states of Indiana and Michigan for the Grit Region Memorial Classic in Columbus. Let's get started.   Donovan Brewer (2025) - 6'3" SF - Indiana 465 Select 2025 (Southport) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Brewer is a big post player inside who is aggressive in the paint. He has solid post moves in the paint and around the rim, and he has the ability to finish through contact. He also attacks the glass on both ends of the floor, and his offensive rebounding was a big help for Indiana 465 all weekend."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":342977,"3":{"1":0},"9":0,"10":2,"11":3,"12":0,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Times New Roman","16":11,"19":0,"21":0}">Brewer is a big post player inside who is aggressive in the paint. He has solid post moves in the paint and around the rim, and he has the ability to finish through contact. He also attacks the glass on both ends of the floor, and his offensive rebounding was a big help for Indiana 465 all weekend. Travon Cooper - 6'4" SF - Puma 1of1 Elite Black (Cass Tech) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cooper is a bigger forward who is dominated the paint all game. He is an aggressive rebounder on both ends of the floor, and he got a couple of easy putbacks off of his hustle on the offensive glass. He also can finish very smoothly around the rim. He has nice touch, hit a nifty reverse lay-in, and threw down a fast break dunk. Cooper also knocked down a couple of triples. He is an all around player who has a lot of potential to be a very good collegiate player in the future."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14721,"3":{"1":0},"10":2,"11":3,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Times New Roman","16":11}">Cooper is a bigger forward who is dominated the paint all game. He is an aggressive rebounder on both ends of the floor, and he got a couple of easy putbacks off of his hustle on the offensive glass. He also can finish very smoothly around the rim. He has a nice touch, hit a nifty reverse lay-in, and threw down a fast-break dunk. Cooper also knocked down a couple of triples. He is an all-around player who has a lot of potential to be a very good collegiate player in the future. Tyson Frey - 6'3" PF - Tipping Point (Fairfield) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Frey is a smaller post player who does the fundamentals the right way. He is a strong offensive rebounder who will fight down low. He always keeps the ball high when he has it in the post which allows him to make passes ior score inside. He can finish in transition, and he sat at the top of the 1-3-1 and causes some problems with his length. Frey will be an interesing player to watch develop in the coming years."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":1325473,"3":{"1":0},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"11":3,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Times New Roman","16":11,"21":0,"23":2}">Frey is a smaller post player who does the fundamentals the right way. He is a strong offensive rebounder who will fight down low. He always keeps the ball high when he has it in the post which allows him to make passes or score inside. He can finish in transition, and he sat at the top of the 1-3-1 and causes some problems with his length. Frey will be an interesting player to watch develop in the coming years. Tim Murphy - 6'4" SF - LevelUp Basketball Red (Flat Rock) Murphy is a bigger wing who plays tough. He had some very impressive drives to the hole and looked to finish through contact every time. He also always hustles every second on the floor. He didn't show much of an outside shot, but the development of one would make him a very tough player to defend. Lucis Rzepa - 6'4" SF - LevelUp Basketball Red (Monroe) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Rzepa is a smaller forward who was the no doubt glue guy for LevelUp Red. He isn't the most skilled player by any means, but he does what needs to be done for his team to win. He crashed the boards on both ends and came up with several offensive rebounds. On the defnesive end, he came up with several deflections, and he hustled every second he was on the floor. Rzepa also knocked down a key triple down the stretch. He is the type of player that every coach needs on their team."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14721,"3":{"1":0},"10":2,"11":3,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Times New Roman","16":11}">Rzepa is a smaller forward who was the no doubt glue guy for LevelUp Red. He isn't the most skilled player by any means, but he does what needs to be done for his team to win. He crashed the boards on both ends and came up with several offensive rebounds. On the defensive end, he came up with several deflections, and he hustled every second he was on the floor. Rzepa also knocked a key triple down the stretch. He is the type of player that every coach needs on their team. Keylan Smith (2025) - 6'3" SF - Indiana 465 Select 2025 (North Central) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Smith is a 2025 wing with a ton of length. He plays solid defense and uses this length to come up with multiple steals and blocked shots. Keylan is a strong finisher inside and always goes strong to the hole. It also seemed like he was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted with ease. He ended with double digit points in all three of their games on Saturday, and he had 24 in their second one. Look for Smith to really improve his game when he gets to high school next year, but it was a great weekend from the young forward."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":342977,"3":{"1":0},"9":0,"10":2,"11":3,"12":0,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Times New Roman","16":11,"19":0,"21":0}">Smith is a 2025 wing with a ton of length. He plays solid defense and uses this length to come up with multiple steals and blocked shots. Keylan is a strong finisher inside and always goes strong to the hole. It also seemed like he was able to get to the rim whenever he wanted with ease. He ended with double-digit points in all three of their games on Saturday, and he had 24 in their second one. Look for Smith to really improve his game when he gets to high school next year, but it was a great weekend from the young forward. Kasien Stevenson (2025) - 6'1" SF - Indiana 465 Select 2025 (North Central) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Stevenson is a smaller wing who does things well on both ends. He has good hands on the defensive end of the floor and got delections and steals to keep the opponents off balance. He also really played well inside on the offensive end. He has good post moves and knows how to finish at the rim. He also surprised me by takig a steal and going coast to coast for a lay-in. Overall, it was a good weekend for Stevenson."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":342977,"3":{"1":0},"9":0,"10":2,"11":3,"12":0,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Times New Roman","16":11,"19":0,"21":0}">Stevenson is a smaller wing who does things well on both ends. He has good hands on the defensive end of the floor and got deflections and steals to keep the opponents off balance. He also really played well inside on the offensive end. He has good post moves and knows how to finish at the rim. He also surprised me by taking a steal and going coast to coast for a lay-in. Overall, it was a good weekend for Stevenson. Braiden Whitaker - 6'0" SF - LevelUp Basketball Black (Dundee) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Whitaker is another smaller wing who can do quite a bit on the basketball floor. He is very athletic and can jump out of the building. He had a really nice coast to coast lay-in and made multiple buckets finishing through contact. He is the type of player who needs to ball in his hands to create inside, and he uses quick first step to do so. It was a pretty good weekend for Whitaker overall."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14721,"3":{"1":0},"10":2,"11":3,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Times New Roman","16":11}">Whitaker is another smaller wing who can do quite a bit on the basketball floor. He is very athletic and can jump out of the building. He had a really nice coast-to-coast lay-in and made multiple buckets finishing through contact. He is the type of player who needs to ball in his hands to create inside, and he uses a quick first step to do so. It was a pretty good weekend for Whitaker overall. Quron Williams - 6'4" SF - Puma 1of1 Elite White (Detroit Edison) <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Williams is a long and lanky wing who played great defense all game. He loves to get up and pressure the basketball, and he was able to come up with a bunch of steals with his length and athleticism. On the offensive end, he is very smooth around the basket with a ton of different finishing moves, especially in transition. This is a player with a ton of potential from what I saw, and if he has or can work on a jump shot, he will be an even tougher player to defend."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":14721,"3":{"1":0},"10":2,"11":3,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Times New Roman","16":11}">Williams is a long and lanky wing who played great defense all game. He loves to get up and pressure the basketball, and he was able to come up with a bunch of steals with his length and athleticism. On the offensive end, he is very smooth around the basket with a ton of different finishing moves, especially in transition. This is a player with a ton of potential from what I saw, and if he has or can work on a jump shot, he will be an even tougher player to defend.