tES: Week in Review (June 29)
The Endless Summer. A blog by Cory B. McKinnis. June’s end took me to one of my favorite places in the world to cover grassroots basketball: Wichita, Kansas for the MAYB Summer Kickoff. Co-hosted at a dozen venues across the Wichita…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Endless Summer. |
A blog by Cory B. McKinnis. |
June’s end took me to one of my favorite places in the world to cover grassroots basketball: Wichita, Kansas for the MAYB Summer Kickoff. Co-hosted at a dozen venues across the Wichita metro, the event made for an exciting showcase of inter-state showdowns as contenders from Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas congested scores of courts at the city’s lavish facilities.
Player of the weekend. . .
I was thoroughly impressed by a pair of performances by Anthony Allen Anthony Allen 6'5" | SF Broken Arrow | 2022 State OK , a swingman with applicable talents from the post and the wing who led the Tulsa Hawks 16U’ squad to an appearance in the championship of the primary bracket. On a game-by-game basis, Allen recorded outstanding stat-lines, including double-doubles and 20-plus-point outings. He moves exceptionally, pairing a powerful frame with grace and finishing capabilities with his dominant hand, though his off-hand could use some development. Nonetheless, the junior was spectacular on the weekend on both ends of the floor, personifying the adage, a man amongst boys. Defensively, Allen was a show-stopper in the paint and gave no room for error to finishing guards around the rack. Offensively, he used his explosive athleticism to finish a few highlight-worthy flushes and overwhelm opposing posts with his back to the bucket. He even explored his long-range game a few times in the face of doubtful defenders. Allen has potential to be the best player produced by the Tulsa Hawks program in some time.
The event. . .
I have covered about a half-dozen events, including a few of our own tournaments, at the Wichita Hoops facility in Bel Aire, Kansas, just a hop, skip and a jump from down-town Wichita. It may be my favorite facility in the Midwestern States of America, but its greatest competitor for my affection is only five miles down Greenwich Road: the Wichita Sports Forum, another co-host of the event which boasts six courts, over 21 thousand square feet of turf, batting cages, a trampoline park and more for the family. The experiences of the weekend prompted the question: which city has the best facility or facilities, and which facility takes the crown? I ranked my favorite facilities of events I have covered below:
Message me on Twitter about your favorite facilities!
Offers, offers, offers. . .
Jacobe Johnson Jacobe Johnson 6'3" | SG Mustang | 2023 State OK , the second-ranked prospect in the Prep Hoops Oklahoma ’23 class became the first sophomore to receive a Division-I offer last week when he received a bid from Oklahoma State on Monday before the Sooners extended an offer Wednesday. Not only has Johnson reached the pinnacle of in-state recruiting on the hard-wood, the two-sport standout also holds offers from both schools in football, as well. As far as I know, he is the only in-state recruit in my life-time to earn offers to play football and basketball from Norman and Stillwater, and he still has three years to go.
Claremore standout Caison Hartloff Caison Hartloff 6'4" | SG Claremore | 2021 State OK also earned a well-deserved first offer from Arkansas Tech after a couple outstanding weekends for the Tulsa Hawks. I have contended for two summers that Hartloff may be the most undervalued prospect in the Tulsa-metro. He can shoot the ball from the dribble with efficiency consistent with the best shooters in the state, and his 6-foot-5-inch frame does not hurt his potential, either. He was also outstanding in Wichita last weekend, recording a 27-point match and sinking a quartet of late free-throws to help the Hawks escape their quarter-final match with a victory.
Crossing borders. Out-of-state prospect spotlight. . .
A few out-of-state players caught my eye at the MAYB event last weekend. First was Manny Austin Manny Austin 6'3" | SG Des Moines Hoover | 2021 State IA (Des Moines Hoover, IA), a combo guard who showcased a diverse range of skills for Beyond Ball 24K 17U. His ball-control at top-gear was a spectacle worthy of his top-thirty ranking from our Prep Hoops Iowa team. He’s exceptionally athletic, explosive and moves really well with the ball. Also a crafty finisher, Austin was always a threat with the ball in his hands, though my favorite plays of his usually came from off-ball tries, including what was almost the dunk of the day from a rebound and return had he not struck it off the back of the rim.
I also had my first opportunity to see the new Team Buddy Buckets — Kansas program, and while the roster is solid from the top-down, it was Jack Johnson Jack Johnson 6'2" | CG Andover | 2021 State KS , a combo guard from Andover High School, who impressed the most. Perhaps the most efficient prospect of the weekend, Johnson is a well-developed, practiced and capable player who can take the ball to the rim, shoot, defend opposing guards and handle just about every duty on the hardwood. He’s an exceptionally quick ball-handler with smooth maneuvers and hand-work that rivaled just about anybody at the event. As an on-ball floor general, he utilized his vision to make plays for teammates in the half-court.