This past weekend, we finally had the opportunity to check out the action at a Midwest Circuit event, and it did not disappoint. The event was held at the 8-court Pacer Athletic Center in Westfield, Indiana, and featured bracket play for 3 divisions [Gold, Silver & Bronze].   Not only were there a number of very talented teams participating, there were was a ton of individual talent in the gym as well.  Moreover, because there were so many Ohio-based teams participating in the event, the circuit finale gave us a great opportunity evaluate teams and players for our Power Rankings and individual Top Player lists. Of note was the fact that in grades 4th-8th, Ohio teams took home 3 Gold Bracket titles, not to mention the numerous Silver and Bronze champions and runner-ups!  In terms of teams, we have to mention  2027 Edmond Sumner Select’s (ESS) domination of the event.  Starting on Friday, ESS put their undefeated season on the line, then proceeded to run through the competition, winning each game my more than 20 points. Unexpectedly, ESS secured a lopsided win over a very talented Indiana Elite, thus completing back-to-back circuit championships.

As good as the teams’ effort was, the individual performances were impressive as well. As an example, Cincinnati’s Joshua Tyson, Bryce Curry, Kamron Mercer, Cooper McCutchen, Max Joiner; Cleveland’s Jayden Quaintance, Damari Dammons; and Columbus’ Deon Johnson all deserve special recognition for logging in big time weekends.  Other Ohio champions included C2K Elite (2026) and Akron Infantry 2025. Below is a more complete list of the standout performers we saw at the event. in total, we highlighted over 40 players over the course of the weekend.  All of the players highlighted in this report stood out among the pack, and have been invited to participate in our August 21st Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase.  Now that the 2021 travel basketball season is almost in the books, it’s time for players to showcase their individual talents as they go head-to-head with the best players in the region.  See you in August!

Joshua Tyson

Cooper McCutchen

Jayden Quaintance

Deon Johnson

Bryce Curry

Damari Dammons

Max Joiner

Kamron Mercer

Ben Mirgon

Cam Elwer

Amari Owens

Karson Stoudemire

Phoenix Glassnor

Brady Bowman

Geovonni Vinson

Jason Gardner

Ty Harrison

Sammy Dari

Name Hgt/Pos Class City Evaluation Notes
Jushua Tyson 5’6″/CG 2027 Cincinnati Highly skilled, 3-level score, great in transition, can score & make plays, great vision & passing skills
Cooper McCutchen 6’1″/PF 2026 Cincinnati Good length, finishes at a high rate, soft touch around the rim, solid handle, passes well for position, blocks shots, college prospect
Jayden Quaintance 6’6″/C 2025 Cleveland Hgts Great size for his age, elite rim protector, nice touch around the rim, defends smaller players, elite prospect
Deon Johnson 6’0″/PF 2027 Columbus Good size, long arms, athletic, impacts game on both ends, defends well, solid rebounder, D-I prospect
Bryce Curry 5’10″/WF 2027 Centerville Good size, athletic, 3-level scorer, solid skill set, has mid range pull up, rebounds, D-I prospect
Damari Dammons 6’2″/SG 2025 Cleveland Good size & athleticism, solid ball skills, goes strong to rim, good court vision & passing skills, explosive 1st step
Max Joiner 5’7″/PF/C 2028 Cincinnati Long, lean, athletic, rebounds & block shots well, nice touch around the rim, runs floor well solid handle for position
Kamron Mercer 5’8″/W/PF 2027 Cincinnati Athletic, solid skill set, 3-level scorer, finishes at high rate, college prospect
Ben Mirgon 5’9″/PG 2027 Hilliard Elite skill set, IQ, great court vision & passing skills, can score & make plays, shoots the rock well
Cam Elwer 5’8″/PG 2026 Delphos Highly skilled, sees floor & passes well, dropped 27 points in one game
Amari Owens 5’7″/SG 2026 Lexington, KY Strong, physical & aggressive guard, good court vision & passing skills, lefty who can shoot & make plays, clutch
Karson Stoudemire 5’2″/WF 2029 Jeffersonville, IN Good size, elite scorer, dropped 22 points in championship game
Phoenix Glassnor 5’10″/SG 2025 Port Huron, MI Strong & physical guard who attacks the rim aggressively, 3-level scorer, dropped 22 points in one game
Brady Bowman 5’1″/PG 2028 Cincinnati Highly skilled floor general w/great court vision & passing skills, tough as nails, high IQ, clutch in lates games
Geovonni Vinson 5’1″/PG 2028 Akron Highly skilled, pass-first PG w/excellent playing making ability, plays w/poise & good pace, can’t be sped up
Jason Gardner 5’2″/PG 2011 Fishers, IN Highly skilled PG who can score & make plays for teammates, attacks rim and sees floor well
Ty Harrison 5’0″/PG 2027 Cleveland, Heights Dynamic, highly skilled, super quick PG w/elite ball skills, lives in the paint, excels at drive & dish game, plays up, college prospect
Sammy Dari 5’7″/SG 2027 Strongsville Highly skilled off guard w/ excellent range out to the 3-point line. hit 7 treys & 26 points in one game.
Jordan Taylor 5’3″/CG 2028 Twinsburg Shifty, crafty, solid ball skills, changes speed & direction well, plays w/good pace, hits FTs, clutch
Athens McGillis 5’4″/PG 2026 Cincinnati Highly skilled PG w/high IQ, vision & passing skills, can shoot w/range, tough, typical coach’s son
Noah Harper 5’1″/SG 2028 Akron Excellent 3-point shooter, knocked down 3 treys in a game we watched. solid handle, has nice baseline floater
Jaden Shoultz 5’7″/CG 2027 Columbus Highly skilled & aggressive PG, excels at dribble penetration, changes speed & direction &  creates space well
Kai Cox 5’6″/WF 2028 New Castle Good size, defends paint well, good at outfitting the ball, passes well out of the post, dropped 14 points in championship game
Xavier Steele 5’0″/CG 2028 Bedford Solid skill set, good court vision & passing skills, good at dribble penetration
Bryson Thomas 4’10/PG 2028 Dayton Shoots it well, nice looking pull up jumper, skilled, can score
Evangelos Vertinis 5’9″/WF 2026 Wadsworth Solid skill set, gamer, consistent performer, leads team in scoring
Micah Jackson 5’0″/CG 2028 Sheffield Standout performer
 Luke Bates 5’6″/C 2028 Liberty Big, moves well for size, finishes well through contact, runs floor, hits late game free throughs
 Amileo Norvell Jr. 5’0″/PG 2028 Dayton Highly skilled PG, defends well, solid motor, plays with poise and pace, solid ball skills, clutch
 Austin Davis 5’4″/PF 2028 Alexandria, IN Good size, can score, physical
 Amir Clark 5’0″/PG 2027 Columbus  Skilled, can get hot from beyond the arc
Jagger Hutchins 6’5″/SG 2025 Lima Good length/size, moves well, good foot work, defends well can step out & hit the 3-ball
Jekel Cotton 6’1″/SG 2025 Lima Hit multiple catch & shoot treys, passes well, does not force his shot, scored 16 points in a game
 Brock Woods 6’6″/C 2027 Paintsville, Ky Great size for his age, finishes and defends well
 Jeremiah Murphy 5’2″/PG 2027 Indianapolis, IN  Player w/poise & pace, has good feel for the gamelan hit treys off the bounce, solid court vision
 Ja’Kye Hoard 5’2″/PF 2028 Dayton Big, can knock down catch shoot treys, physical to the cup, clutch , hit multiple late-game threes
 Jayden Nelliemsbey 6’1″/PF 2027 South Euclid Good size & ball skills, plays physical
Malachi Payne 5’4/PG 2026 Hunnington, WV Standout performer
Tayveon Wilson 5’11/PF/C 2026 Hunnington, WV Goes strong to the cup, hit big late game shots
 Kruz McClure 5’10″/PG 2025 Columbus Standout performer, dropped 16 points in a game
 Malis Pearson 5’7″/PG 2027 Akron Standout performer
Zymir Knox 6’1/WF 2026 Willoby Standout performer, team’s leading scorer, hit game-winning layup, clutch
Diante James 5’4″/SG 2026 Canal Winchester Standout performer, team’s leading scorer in game we watched
Lepla Parker 6’6″/PF PF Goodrich, MI Great size, strong frame, college prospect
Karson Alderman 5’7″/WF PF Cincinnati Good length, can score, great interior passing, can score from high post, clutch, hit big late-game shots

Jordan Taylor

Athens McGillis

Noah Harper

Jaden Shoultz

Kai Cox

Xavier Steele

Bryson Thomas

Evangelos Vertinis

Jayden Nelliemsbey

Luke Bates

Amileo Norvell Jr.

Austin Davie

Jagger Hutchins

Jekel Cotten

Amir Clark

Brock Woods

Jeremiah Murphy

Ja’Kye Hoard

Conner Hodge

Micah Jackson

Lepla Parker

Malachi Payne

Bryce Johnson

Tayveon Wilson