Non-Circuit Prospect of the Year: Ethan Conley
For the overall impact that Ethan Conley had on Dayton Metro this season, he has earned the award for Non-Circuit Prospect of the Year.
The powerful and skilled 6’3” wing from Franklin-Monroe kicked off the spring with offers from Ashland, Urbana, Cedarville, Findlay, and Tiffin. He then became a prioritized recruit for those programs because of his sustainable scoring, rebounding, motor, and world class intangibles.
With Conley at the helm, Dayton Metro finished as the no. 12 team in the state. Although he was talented enough to make an impact on any 17U team in Ohio, Conley stuck with his local team and elevated everyone around him by drawing colleges to games as the focal point of their Sunday runs.
“He gave us the ability to play matchups,” said Dayton Metro 17U coach Dan Gudorf. “If you try to put someone big on him, we can put the ball in his hands to let him initiate the offense or create offense. And then if you try to put someone of a similar size, maybe a big guard on him, he’s just too strong.”
Offensively, Conley will primarily play as a 2 or 3 at the Division II level, with the chance of defending 4s on certain nights because of his frame. But for Dayton Metro, he defended forwards every weekend.
That may seem like no big deal at first glance. But consider how crucial of a summer this was for rising seniors in terms of recruitment. Most kids are going to want to play to their strengths and showcase their natural role in their 17U season.
But as Gudorf explained, Conley approached the defensive role with zero ego.
“He’s willing to do whatever is needed for the team to be successful,” he said. “If he needed to [play the] 1, he’d go 1. If we went small and put him at the 5, he went to the 5. He never batted an eye one time.”
Conley’s acceptance of a role and inspiring on-court effort is a testament to the person he is away from the game of basketball. As is excellently detailed in a piece by Fox 45 Now, Conley is thankful to even be playing basketball after he was hospitalized as a child.
“Ethan is an amazing young man with an incredible story,” Gudorf said. “He represented the Dayton Children’s Hospital for a year, he was their ambassador. That’s the kind of young man he is. People want to hear his story and see how he makes an impact. He’s an incredible young man.”
He played with true passion this spring and summer. We’ve been writing about his skilled mid-range scoring ability since the breakout 35-point performance at this year’s Flyin’ the Hoop. But it was his toughness at the rim as a rebounder and finisher that really led to his blow-up as a recruit and winning of the Non-Circuit Prospect of the Year.
Others considered:
Jeremiah Keene (2019), 6’1” PG, Nova (James) / Westerville North
Brandon Rush (2019), 6’2” G, TNBA Ohio / Warrensville Heights
Jack Sawyer (2021), 6’5” F, Mid Ohio Pumas Elite / Pickerington North
CJ Anthony (2020), 6’0” PG, Ohio Bulldogs / Harvest Prep
Nathan Bruns (2019), 6’7” W, Northwest Ohio Basketball Club / Marion Local
Jackie Harris (2019), 6’6” F, All Ohio Gold / Toledo St. Francis
Lunden McDay (2019), 6’3” G/W, Nova (James) / St. Vincent-St. Mary