Grit Region Memorial Classic: 2024 Ohio Standouts – Cincinnati
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In a weekend full of talent and good games, some players stood out over the rest. I saw games from players in 6 different states throughout the weekend, so in the fourth article of my new series, we look at…
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Continue ReadingIn a weekend full of talent and good games, some players stood out over the rest. I saw games from players in 6 different states throughout the weekend, so in the fourth article of my new series, we look at the 2024 standout guards from the state of Ohio and in the Cincinnati area for the Grit Region Memorial Classic in Columbus. Let’s get started.
Taebron Bennie-Powell – 6’1″ SF – Midwest Basketball Club Gold (Lakota East)
Bennie-Powell is a guard who is very tough to defend. He is quick to the hole and knows how to finish at the rim. He is smooth and has a good touch, and he has the ability to go through the contact. All of these scoring abilities made him look pretty impressive in their win on Saturday evening.
Israel Bradford – 5’9″ PG – Midwest Basketball Club Gold (Walnut Hills)
Bradford is an unselfish guard who loves to get out and run as much as possible. He was smooth inside, and he hit a very nifty up and under. He can also knock it down from the outside. Bradford is the type of guard who can create for both himself and others which makes him a potentially intriguing prospect.
Carson Brown – 5’4″ PG – Cincinnati Royals (Moeller)
Brown is a very small guard who may have been the scrappiest player of the weekend. He ran the point and was a great passer of the basketball. He always has his eyes up looking for the open man. Scoring the ball, he had a nice finger roll, hit a mid-range, and knocked down a triple to show he can do it all. Obviously, he is going to have to grow to be able to play at the next level, but he should continue to develop in the coming years.
Jaylen Dandridge – 6’1″ SG – Midwest Basketball Club (Moeller)
Dandridge was the top scorer for MBC in this one as he was scoring in many different ways. He ran the point and is a smooth ball handler who can make plays with the ball in his hands. He loves to pull up triple and can shoot the ball great overall, knocking down three triples in this one. On the defensive end of the floor, he moves his feet well, communicates with his teammates, and is very active. I was very impressed by Dandridge overall.
Braden Greer – 6’1″ PG – Kentucky Defenders (Mason)
Greer is a solid offensive point guard who put up 16 in their win on Saturday afternoon. He has a nice little pull-up jumper and a very good outside shot. He also takes it strong to the hole every time and is smooth around the rim. In addition to scoring, Braden sees the court very well and sets up his teammates. It was an impressive game from Braden in this one.
Tyler Johnson – 6’4″ SF – Cincinnati Royals (Elder)
Johnson is a good scorer who was one of the better mid-range shooters of the weekend. He hit 5 in this one and loved to shoot the pull up jumper. He also attacks the offensive glass and gets a couple of easy lay-ups because of it. It was a good overall game on Saturday evening for the shooting guard.
Maddox Kelly – 6’5″ PF – Cincinnati Royals (Beechwood)
Kelly is a smaller post player inside who plays pretty physically on the defensive end. He also hustles for everything when he is on the court. On the offensive end, he is big on the offensive glass and makes plays for his teammates by being a great passer out of the post. I was impressed with Maddox’s overall play inside on Saturday evening.
Ru Mills – 6’0″ SG – Midwest Basketball Club Gold (Hughes)
Mills is an athletic guard who is incredibly aggressive around the rim. He can finish through contact and goes strong every time. He also knows how to protect the ball when going to the hole. Mills missed a big dunk, but he showed he can really fly through the air. He also came up with multiple steals by reading the passing lanes on D. It was a very impressive performance by Ru on Saturday afternoon.
Hakeem Smith – 6’1″ SG – Midwest Basketball Club (Lakota West)
Smith is a solid shooting guard who is quick with the ball. He drives well to his left and has good touch on his floater, but he did get out of control a couple of times on his drives to the hole. He also knocked down a triple. He also played great defense on the opposing top scorer.
Cobi Taylor – 6’0″ PG – Midwest Basketball Club (Lakota West)
Taylor is another quick guard from Lakota West who sees the floor well. He is an unselfish player who loves to get his teammates involved, but he can also knock it down from the outside. Additionally, he is very athletic, and this should become more apparent as he continues to develop.