Kentucky 17 U Standouts from Made Hoops Midwest Mania

I spent the weekend in Hamilton, Ohio for Midwest Mania which brought hundreds of teams to the spooky nook complex. In this article I'll break down the Kentucky 17 U standouts I caught.    With solid positional size as a wing guard and the ability to knock down shots on the perimeter, Wuchterl checks a couple boxes that small college programs look for. While he knocked down a couple of 3-pointers in the game I caught, his most impressive shot was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to go into halftime. I also was impressed with the actions Kentuckiana ran to get him open with some nice elevator screen sets to free him for looks. Quality small college target who also stood out at the KHSAA Sweet 16, Wuchterl is a clear stock riser over the past two months.     You won't find many players with the size and athleticism that Hunt has in Kentucky. Hunt and [player_tooltip player_id='2171645' first='Jarett' last='Simpson'] worked well on big to big actions early as when one of them gets the ball near the block, the defense usually tries to double and force them to give it up. A fluid athlete, Hunt threw down a dunk in transition where he got behind the defense. Also working on the glass with a couple of putback layups off offensive rebounds. Another player worth a look at the small college level on a team filled with college talent.     Recently committed to Kentucky Christian, Watts continued his impressive grassroots season with another impressive performance where he played above the rim and threw down some impressive dunks in transition. After watching him with Martin County in the winter, I didn't realize how athletic Watts was when he was in the open court. I also thought Watts made smart decisions in transition, using his body to shield off defenders and playing on balance when going up for layups. Watts turned defense to offense a few times and had some key plays in a buzzer-beating victory over [program_tooltip program_id='2335148' first='Kentuckiana' last='Hoops'] which was one of the best games I saw all weekend.     Keene had one of the best shooting performances I saw all weekend in the final game of the event as players were tired and Keene still had his legs under him to convert on a bunch of open 3-point attempts. An off guard who shoots a consistent ball out his hands every time, Keene gets good balance when he catches the pass and even his misses are on line. If you are looking for a perimeter shooting specialist, you could do a lot worse than Keene.     I've been so impressed with Ohio Champion's early spring resume as they are unbeaten against some stiff competition. The engine to their offense is McGillis who is one of the best passers in Kentucky. Able to get past his first defender and make advanced reads as a slasher, McGillis had a nasty jump pass skip to the corner for a wide open 3-pointer. When McGillis gets by his man it seems like he was toying with the defense and waiting for them to make a move before hitting the open man. I expect Division II and NAIA programs to be all over McGillis this spring and summer and would be worth a look at some low major programs during live period events.     On a team stacked with Division I talent, Clark isn't asked to do too much off the bench for one of the top 17 U teams in the Midwest. Hustle, defend and make the simple pass are things that can be difficult for a lot of kids to bring as one of the last scoring options on the wing. I was really impressed with Clark's energy Vs Indy Heat EYBL as he had a couple steals, got his hands on loose balls and putback layups to make a positive impact as a glue guy. Players who can make an impact with more talented players around them usually find the court sooner rather than later at the college level and I expect scholarship programs to be very interested in Clark due to his ability to fit in.

I spent the weekend in Hamilton, Ohio for Midwest Mania which brought hundreds of teams to the spooky nook complex. In this article I'll break down the Kentucky 17 U standouts I caught.