Midwest Circuit Finale Standout Performers

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