In The Gym Hoops Winter Exposure Camp Standouts

On Saturday we headed east on I-75 to Indianapolis in order to check at the action at Felix Rogers’ In The Gym Hoops Winter Exposure Camp.  This year, the event was held at Factory D-I, and hosted approximately 214 players. Most of the kids we interviewed hailed from adjoining states such as Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, although there were several kids from as far as Florida and Louisiana.  The daylong event featured both skill and drills station work as well as 5-on-5 play, and concluded with all-star games in multiple divisions.  Of note was the impressive amount of media present at the event.  We were also really pleased with the amount of talent Rogers was able to assemble.  In fact, by our count, there were at least 9 or 10 nationally ranked players in the gym according to Coast2Coast Preps’ rankings.

Hands down the best player we saw all day was #6th ranked Ben Tshaka (6’8”/C/2025/Louisville, KY), who already has high major college size and athleticism.  Tshaka is an explosive athlete who handles the rock well for his size, protects the rim at a high level and tries to dunk everything!  He had the camp crowd and assembled media in an absolute frenzy with his multiple rim rattling dunks.  College coaches should be on this kid right now! We also liked Tshaka’s teammate, Kanyon Johnson (6’2”/CG/2025. Muhlen, KY), who also hails from the Bluegrass State and is pretty athletic in his own right. Johnson has good size and is already dunking the ball with ease. Moreover, we saw him make several quality moves to the cup and finish. While we’re talking about talented Kentucky kids, we have to mention Caleb Rimmer (6’0”/C/2027/Ashland, KY), who was a beast in the paint and refused to allow his man to get a clean look at the bucket. Also good were Jayden Johnson (6’3”/WF/2026/Louisville, KY); Jayden Logsdon (5’10”/PG/2025/Bowling Green, KY); and Trelin Edmonson (5’3”/PG/2029/Louisville, KY), all of whom traveled north to Indianapolis and proved that Kentucky is still a basketball state.

Number 49th ranked Peyton Kemp (5’7”/PG/2026/Clinton Twp, MI) arrived at the camp with a hefty national reputation and his play over the course of the day more than justified the hype.  Kemp is highly skilled, has a great feel for the game and can go get buckets.  He sees the floor well and is adept at making plays for teammates when he wants to. One of the best guards we saw on Saturday was #4 ranked Devin Colbert (4’10”/PG/2027/Indianapolis, IN), who impressed us with his skill set, aggressiveness and elite feel for the game.  We understand that he has a national reputation and we understand why. Colbert gets to any spot he wants, has an explosive first step, he excels at paint touches, and he can go get a bucket any time he wants it. With his performance, Colbert made a case for the top PG in the building regardless of class!  In terms of upside potential, Tristian Breland (5’2”/PG/2029/Indianapolis, IN) already projects as a D-I guard.  We’ve seen him on multiple occasions and he has balled out each time.  He has good size for his position, he clearly understands the game at a high level, and he should be real good going forward.  We also understand his dad is 6’5″, so there’s a good chance he will continue to grow. Chicago is well know for point guard play, and John Starks (4’10″/PG/2029/Chicago, IL) could be one of the next elite guards to come out of Chi Town.  This kid was very productive offensivley, and was knocking down treys off the bounce and euro-stepping to cup. We liked his ability drive and dish game, and his ability to change speed and direction was advanced. Nino Nesbit (5’10”/PG/2025/Columbus, OH) had a good day in Indy and showed the evaluators that he can really shoot that rock. We’ve seen Nesbit perform on numerous occasions at our Buckeye Prep Elite Showcases, and his play on Saturday confirmed for us that he is still growing and developing.  We look for Nesbit to be an early contributor to a high school program next year, and we expect him to be playing college basketball at some level in a few years.

There were numerous other guards that displayed elite skills such as  Askia Holloway Jr. (4’8”/PG/2030/Dayton, OH), Kark Mullins (4’1”/PG/2027/West Palm Beach, FL), Shane Bacon (4’6”/PG/2029/Chicago, IL), Ian Edmond (4’11”/PG/2027/Baton Rouge, LA), Lucas Holder (4’9”/PG/2029/Greenwood, IN), Anthony Dunson Jr. (4’3”/PG/2030/Dayton, OH), Braylan Davis (4’9”/PG/2029/Detroit, MI), Larry Brown (5’6”/PG/2025/Chicago, IL) and Gavin Allen (5’2”/PG/2029/Indianapolis, IN).  We’ve heard some good things about Jaden Shoults  (5’5″/PG/2026/Columbus, OH) and we’ve watched some video, so we were excited when we found out he was heading to Nap Town for the camp. Based on what we observed of Shoults, we’ve already moved him up in our city and statewide rankings. We liked his length, skill set, athleticism and his ability to get to the cup. To be sure, nothing excites us more than finding and evaluating legitimate college prospects! One of the best prospects in the gym was James Turner Jr. (6’5″C/2026/Cincinnati, OH), who is long, athletic, runs the floor well and can handle the rock in transition. He defends the post and can score close to the basket.  We currently have Turner ranked among the top 7th graders in Ohio, and his play in Indianapolis sealed the deal for us. In fact, in terms of potential D-I college basketball, book it!

Although it was our first time attending an In The Gym Hoops event, it won’t be the last, as we were impressed with the amount talent in the gym and how professional the event was run.  Congratulations to Felix Rogers and his staff for executing on a quality event!  Finally, all of the above players have been formally invited to attend our March 13th Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase.  Let’s run this back!  Also, follow us on IG @robt1.

Player Pictures

Ben Tshaka

Devin Colbert Jr.

Peyton Kemp

John Starks

Tristian Breland

Dakari Nesbit

James Turner Jr.

Calib Rimmer

Kanyon Johnson

Askia Holloway Jr.

Nino Nesbit

Darrius Hawkins

Anthony Dunson

Randy Livingston

Brendon Rogers

Shane Bacon

Justin Curry

Adam Daniels

Elijah Jenkins

Dooney Johnson

DeZhon Hall

Jamar Thomas

Kark Mullins

Braylan Davis

Lucas Holder

Gaven Allen

Ian Edmond

Trelin Edmondson

Jayden Johnson

Stevie Hall