End Of Summer Wrap-Up: Part-2

As I've said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July's second "live" period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN's Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for Certified Basketball's The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw several teams from Ohio, and below is a look at eight 2021 prospects specifically from Ohio who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.   Dream Cherry, 5-0 PG, St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S., Midwest Power 17U If she won anything, it was definitely for the best name we saw all Summer long. Based on how she played, I would guess Dream causes more nightmares for her high school opponents. She is little, yes, but she is extremely quick/fast, and she's a genuine playmaker. She plays like she understands she's small, so she doesn't try to do too much outside of her ability. She is steady with the ball in her hands, she gets inside defenses, causes them to collapse, and finds open teammates. She can also finish in the lane with the floater, plus she's a capable perimeter shooter. Defensively, she is an absolute gnat, flying around and pestering opposing ball-handlers. She finished the event with a nice performance against Sport City U, as she made some highlight plays against their elite guards.   Brianna Counts, 5-10 F, Sycamore H.S., Cincy Nation-Baltimore 17U Brianna is a really nice, inside-out forward, who does a little of everything. She has a strong and physical frame, she's a solid athlete in all directions, and she shows off a skillset that is effective at all levels. She is probably best in the mid-post right now, because she has good touch, a nice motor, and she can attack the basket 1-2 dribbles from there. She's strong enough to post on the block and score inside, plus she's a willing rebounder, but she also has some touch shooting it around the 3-point line, and she has a decent feel and can pass the basketball downhill as well. She reminds me a lot of a 2019 Indiana graduate headed to a Division-II school this season, so I can see Brianna drawing a variety of Division-I and small college interest over the next couple of years.   Marissa Janike, 5-9 G, West Clermont H.S., Cincy Nation-Baltimore 17U This was my second time seeing Marissa in July, and I continue to be excited about her potential. She is a long, slender, but somewhat wiry strong guard prospect. While she isn't overly quick/fast, she is extremely smooth and fluid, and she is a nice all-around athlete. I honestly think she's a traditional point guard offensively, because she's a really nice playmaker off the bounce, she possesses a natural feel for the position, and she has good vision and finds teammates on-time/on-target. She's also capable of scoring it by attacking the basket, and she can knock down an open rhythm 3-pointer. My biggest concern, is that I'm not yet convinced she can defend all types of point guards, especially little water-bugs. She definitely has the length to do so, but she'll need to continue learning how to take angles and flatten out opposing ball-handlers who have speed/quickness. I think Marissa has Division-I potential as a point guard, though.   Brooke Kennedy, 5-11 F, Manchester H.S., South Central Basketball Club (SCBC) 16U Brooke is an intriguing front-liner because she already possesses some substance to her game, but she also has a nice ceiling to continue developing. She is very long, somewhat slender, but fluid and athletic in most directions. She plays with a really nice motor, she pursues rebounds outside of her area, and she can attack the basket straight-line from the perimeter for scores. Right now, I think she is more of a mid-post '4', but I think she's talented enough to develop into more of a wing for college, especially if she can continue working on making her handle more dynamic and prove she can shoot it from distance consistently. She does have a nice jump-shot, and she makes mid-range shots regularly, but now it's time to add more variety to her shot types. I really like her upside, though, and I think she can become a top-level small college prospect who might even draw some Division-I interest.   Tialyn King, 5-4 PG, Southview H.S., Midwest Power 17U I was really impressed with Tialyn's veteran savvy and overall feel for the position. She is a somewhat lengthy, wiry strong little guard, who plays with great pace to the game. She is a solid athlete in all directions, but she rarely plays too fast or tries to do too much outside of her capabilities. She is a traditional point guard with a nice calming presence, and she delivers the ball where her teammates ask for it. Tialyn can knock down an open jumper, and she can go by defenders for scores, but she is such a good game manager, that I think you'd want her to run the team and keep them efficient. Defensively, she is tough and gritty, though she could be a little quicker laterally. She doesn't mind physicality, though, and she rebounds well for her size. I think she'll be a really nice small college guard.   Elliana Schaefer, 5-4 PG, Margaretta H.S., North Coast Showtime 16U Elliana was very entertaining to watch when I was able to see this North Coast Showtime team play. She is shorter, but she has some wiry strength, she's extremely tough and feisty, and she didn't seem to back down from anyone. Elliana is quick/fast, and she is skilled with the ball in her hands. She played with a good motor and was constantly moving...almost like she had a nervous energy about her. She got into the lane and collapsed the defense often, she was good at finding open teammates, but she herself has a nice shot as well and knocked down a couple with range. I also thought she was very active and affected the game at the defensive end of the floor. I really like how she plays, and I think she can be a really nice small college point guard; she's just smallish.   Kelsey Siereveld, 6-2 C, Lakota East H.S., Cincy Shock 17U Kelsey is a very intriguing post prospect, and while she needs some work skillfully, I think she has really nice upside for the next level. She has a lean, wiry strong frame with really good length. She definitely needs to build up some muscle at some point, but she plays the right way and tries to be physical. It was easiest to evaluate her defensively, as she filled the lane well and presented a nice obstacle with her length. I think with a little more work on her timing, she can become an effective shot-blocker. Offensively, it was difficult to tell how skilled she is, because she didn't always get the ball where she wanted it. She appeared to have solid hands though, and she looked like she knew what to do with it, but again, she was often out of position by the time she moved to secure the pass. I think she is a nice prospect with upside, but strength and additional skill work will help.   Nakiya Sigman, 5-2 PG, Lima Senior H.S., Toledo Thunder-Johnson 17U I am a big fan of what I saw out of Nakiya in Cincinnati. She is a shorter point guard prospect, but she is extremely quick and shifty. She is strong for her size, very feisty and tough-nosed, and she doesn't mind playing a physical game because she can absorb contact well. She plays low to the ground, she can split traps and cut into the heart of the defense, and she's a willing and capable passer who finds teammates where they want the ball. She is every bit of the facilitator you want running the show. I also like the fact that she can knock down an open rhythm jumper to keep defenses honest. Defensively, she can be a real disruption, flying around making plays and turning over opposing ball-handlers. I think Nakiya is a legitimate Division-I prospect, despite her size, so I hope colleges see her the same way, because I think she's a playmaker who can definitely help someone.