The Stage: Mike’s Saturday Evening Standouts

The Prep Hoops Circuit came to Lebanon, Indiana for an early grassroots season event that gave teams the opportunity to mesh together and develop some early chemistry. In this article we'll break down some standouts from Thursday evening action.    An impressive athlete in the open court, Johnson could play above the rim and glided with the ball in his hands. With quick change of direction ability, the euro step was a move Johnson used to leave the defense in the dust. I thought Johnson also displayed advanced change of pace ability off the bounce, able to start, stop and start again attacking the basket. If Johnson can add some muscle this offseason he could be a breakout star this winter for Henderson county.     I thought it was a true team effort by SEMO Select and had a hard time picking out one individual to spotlight here. I ended up going with Prost as his passing ability and feel for the game stood out. I also liked his off-ball movement which gave him some easy looks in the paint. Their balanced scoring effort allowed them to go 2-1 in pool play with their lone loss coming by just one point.     One of the toughest on ball defenders in the 2028 class, Saxton is a pest you can't shake off if you are an opposing ball handler. Nova Village as a program usually likes to use full court pressure and trap often on the defensive end of the court and Saxton is a perfect fit for that system. Offensively, Saxton knocked down a couple shots off the catch from the perimeter and also threw some sweet passes that led to slam dunks. His best move of the day came on a pump fake and pivot that got the defender guessing and gave him an easy shot near the block. One of the most productive guards in Ohio's 2028 class, Saxton is a name fans around Columbus will continue to hear about often.     Liked what I saw from Jones as a wing guard athlete who played with a sense of urgency on the court and was consistently in attack mode. Playing on the perimeter, Jones did a nice job of attacking closeouts and being decisive with his moves to the rim. After getting some buckets in the paint, Jones ended the game with back-to-back corner 3-pointers to extend the lead for Nova Village. A name I'll be following along over the next few years.     Prater came out the gates firing with an early scoring outburst that had [program_tooltip program_id='2345418' first='Ky' last='Future Elite'] ahead for the first 10 minutes of the game. A wing who can attack off the dribble, crash the offensive glass and play under control, Prater shows an advanced feel for the game considering his age. I thought Prater attacked off the dribble with a purpose and did a solid job against swarming defensive pressure. Already a top 30 player in our Kentucky 2028 rankings, Prater has a bright future ahead of him.     Marshall had some loud buckets in this game as he was knocking down some tough shots on the perimeter. No move caught my eyes quite like his step-back and-1 3-pointer that he hit from the top of the key. I also was impressed with Marshall's ability to finish with his left hand at the rim and his ability to hang in the air on layup attempts. Looking like one of the more talented guards in the Lexington area for the class of 2028, Marshall will be a name I'll be keeping my eyes on.

The Prep Hoops Circuit came to Lebanon, Indiana for an early grassroots season event that gave teams the opportunity to mesh together and develop some early chemistry. In this article we'll break down some standouts from Thursday evening action.