A prospect who should be on a lot more regional scholarship radars, Copas is a guard who can help you win games. Leading his team to a district title upset last season and almost a huge upset over Bishop Hartley a few weeks ago, Copas isn’t afraid of the big moment. An underrated athlete with the burst to create for himself and very skilled with the ball in his hands, Copas is a prospect who could play right away at the Division II or NAIA level and make an impact. Currently holding an offer from Rio Grande, he could continue to elevate a program that’s been on the rise in southeast Ohio over the past few years.

Maybe the most impressive performer of the day, Copas brought the strong North Adams crowd to their feet multiple times with absurd highlights. These highlights ranged from fallaway pull-up jumpers to no look dimes and killer crossovers. A point guard with an excellent pace and very skilled handle, Copas is one of the toughest guards in the state to speed up. When his pull-up jumper is falling, there’s little a single defender can do and Bishop Hartley started sending two and three defenders at him. An old school game, Copas is incredibly comfortable in the 15-18 foot range moving in that area looking to score or dish to a teammate. Copas is an example of a senior who deserves some more attention from scholarship programs after the performance I watched on Saturday.

Southeast Ohio prospects sometimes don’t get a ton of attention due to the area of the state they come from, but these next two prospects have done enough to get on our radar and the radar of scholarship college programs. Basketball runs in the Copas family as his father, Nathan Copas, is in the Rio Grande Hall of Fame for his basketball career. After leading North Adams on an impressive playoff run that ended at the hands of the next prospect on this list, southeast Ohio has some talent to know about this winter!

Copas made the long drive to Mason from southeast Ohio and made his journey worthwhile with an impressive showing. One of the top prospects in the league, Copas showed off why he’s so highly regarded and holds an offer from Rio Grande. Able to create space for himself, Copas looks to either hit pull-up jumpers or make passes to his open teammates. With his gravity, Copas opens up passing windows for his teammates and zips the ball across the court, getting it to the right place at the right time. After leading his team to a district title as a Junior, expect another big season for Copas as a senior.

Only two southeast district teams were invited to midwest live with North Adams and South Point getting the exclusive invitation. Copas showed the small-town school could compete with a great showing against Lebanon in a big win. Quick off the bounce, Copas can score it in a hurry and after he got going early with his shooting ability, Copas used the extra defensive attention to make the right pass to teammates who were ready to score. His best play of the day came on a tough mid-range pull-up after a couple crossovers that was contested. Getting scholarship interest, Rio Grande has made Copas a priority as a local recruit.

Another Midwest Basketball Club group with some talent, Copas is one of the top guards from southeast Ohio while DeBrosse can get hot in a hurry from downtown.

Copas couldn’t buy a bucket in the first quarter as everything he threw up early wasn’t falling. After he saw one bucket go through the hoop, he was a different player for the rest of the game as he led North Adams to an upset win over top seeded Minford. Copas can create shots for himself whenever he needs to and hit some tough jumpers with dudes in his face on numerous occasions on Sunday afternoon. What I was most impressed with Copas was his maturity and ability to control the game, taking care of the basketball and putting his teammates in a spot to succeed. With the leadership of Copas, North Adams played with incredible confidence in the fourth quarter and shut the doors on any potential Minford comeback to secure the district championship.