#PHGatewayToTheWest 16U Saturday Standouts Part 1

<p>The Prep Hoops circuit made its way to Omaha this weekend for the Gateway to the West Classic. Some talented squads from around the midwest descended upon the UBT Sports Complex for a weekend of hoops. Here are some 16U prospects who stood out to me in my day of taking in the action on Saturday in Omaha. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="973286" first="Ryder" last="McConnell"] &amp; Alliou Diallo - Colorado Titans Gold</strong></p> <p>In the first game I took in to start the day, this backcourt duo did a little bit of everything for Colorado Titans Gold to lead them to their second win of the day on Saturday. Diallo is listed at 5’10, but was playing well above his height battling for rebounds on both ends of the floor, while also finishing with 15 points on the game. Diallo made smart cuts with and without the ball, and also showed strong passing ability. McConnell had multiple strong finishes at the rim through contact. Almost all of his points came at the rim. I was thoroughly impressed with his body control. </p> <p><strong>Aiden Johnson - NorthStar Titans</strong></p> <p>I watched Johnson and his NorthStar titans group a couple of times on Saturday and Johnson was one of the best players in the gym. The 6’4 wing has great length for his size and plays very physical when fighting for rebounds. In a matchup with Nebraska United, he tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds as well as 3 blocks. In 3 games on Saturday he finished with double-doubles in each game. Johnson has some tools that should make him an intriguing prospect to keep tabs on for coaches at the next level. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1167668" first="Keavian" last="Hayes"] - Arena Basketball Club </strong></p> <p>When it comes to highlight-reel plays in a single day, [player_tooltip player_id="1167668" first="Keavian" last="Hayes"] was the man to beat on Saturday in Omaha. The 6 foot guard from Sioux City West, had multiple acrobatic finishes at the rim as well as some emphatic dunks as well. Hayes can jump out of the gym, and even blocked a couple of shots throughout the day. He’s can handle it well, and use his athleticism to his advantage when slashing to the basket. His mid-range pull-up game was also impressive. </p> <p><strong>Luke Blaska - HOF 2023</strong></p> <p>Blaska made his presence known at all three levels on Saturday for his HOF 2023 squad. He’s got great length at 6’6, and was a force defensively in the paint. Blaska also stepped outside and made some jumpers from both the mid-range and from three-point range where his shot looks very smooth. Blaska played very strong inside on both ends of the floor throughout the day </p> <p>Part 2 of Saturday Standouts Coming Soon!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>