Ohio State Tournament: Mike's 17 U Standouts Part 1

The Ohio State Tournament brought a ton of talent to Fieldhouse USA where almost all of the 17 U action took place. In this article, we'll look at five prospects who stood out on Saturday morning at the 17 U level.    Elite Mentality rolled through their first two games of the weekend with dominant performances. Lewis stood out with his ability to play off the ball and knock down open shots as well as attack a closeout. Lewis also created transition opportunities for himself off steals and got easy buckets due to his defensive pressure. The guard duo of Lewis and [player_tooltip player_id='1580475' first='Cash' last='Ingram'] will be key for Fairfield next season as star Junior Kameron Sanders is moving to Georgia for his senior season.     The standout performer for Elite Mentality, Riep has been getting very familiar with the rim when he hangs on the rim after a dunk. Having around four to five dunks in each of his teams first two games, Riep has been active in transition and looking for opportunities to throw the hammer down. Looking more fluid as an athlete since I last saw him in December, Riep is moving easily in transition and playing with more burst and pop in the half-court. A rip through baseline into a slam dunk was a move Riep wasn't making as effortlessly a couple months ago. One of the major stock risers this weekend, Riep is due for a massive rankings boost during the post summer update.     Making it to the final four, NW Ohio used a scoring by committee approach today that worked wonders for their group. Filled with unselfish players who aren't worried about who picks up the stats in any individual game, NW Ohio is showing how playing the game the right way has benefits for everybody. I was impressed by how hard Orr played this afternoon. Using his physicality and motor to chase after rebounds, loose balls and create extra possessions for his team. Not to mention his ability to stretch the floor from the wing position off the catch. Orr had college coaches in the gym taking notes of his effort levels and how he contributes to winning.     I saw Nichols at a Prep Hoops Circuit event a couple weekends ago and knew he was an athletic freak, however, I didn't know he was capable of some of the dunks he threw down this morning. Two putback slams and one crazy two-foot finish were some of the best highlights of the day at the Ohio State Tournament. I wrote about why Nichols made his debut in our rankings recently and his play on Saturday shows he needs to move up on our lists. Small college programs need to take notice of this athletic freak.     The floor general for his Nova Village Twinam squad, Ponder might be undersized but he made a lot of plays on both ends of the court on Saturday. I really liked the passing ability Ponder showed with a couple dimes in transition where he put the right touch on his pass. Ponder broke the single season school record for assists as a Junior and based on what I saw today, he should break his own mark as a senior. Also a capable scorer when left alone, Ponder is relied upon to score more at the high school level but is still dangerous when you leave him alone or allow him to drive to the paint. An under the radar name in central Ohio's 2025 class.     A 2-0 day for [program_tooltip program_id='2080539' first='Gem' last='City Basketball Club'] gets them back on the right foot this weekend. I was impressed with the play of Bradshaw and [player_tooltip player_id='2448288' first='Bryce' last='Haught'] when I caught their team in action. Bradshaw is a very impressive athlete who has excellent burst, explosiveness and change of speed abilities. With his athleticism, Bradshaw is best used off the ball where his energy allows him to chase after loose balls, score off cuts and grab offensive rebounds. His overall activity levels were high and once he got going his teammates tried finding him for alley-oop attempts. While Bradshaw wasn't able to bring the house down with an alley-oop slam, his overall impact on the game was tremendous due to his hustle.

The Ohio State Tournament brought a ton of talent to Fieldhouse USA where almost all of the 17 U action took place. In this article, we'll look at five prospects who stood out on Saturday morning at the 17 U level.