Intact Basketball Preview Standouts

Schroder, Thomas, Daniels, Tucker, Fields & Wilson

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to checkout some of the action at the Intact Basketball Preview at Whitehall HS near Columbus. In addition to the slate of Intact games in grades 2^nd-4^th grade, there were also several Central Ohio Boys Basketball (COBBA) games held in the same facility.  In terms of the preview format, each game consisted of one 20-minute half.

One of the best players we saw all day was Trayton Schroder (4’8”/SG/2026/Olentangy). We’ve seen Schroder on several occasions, as he has been a consistent all-star out our Buckeye Prep Elite Showcases. Schroder’s play with his community-based team was very impressive, and it’s clear he is continuing to develop.  He’s a true floor general who excels at running his team with poise, communicating and making plays for his teammates. Schroder is also highly skilled and he has a high basketball IQ.  At this rate, Schroder should be a star when he reaches middle school, and he should play varsity ball early in his high school career.

Possibly the best player in the gym was the youngest player in the gym.  Gabriel Tucker (4’7”/PG/2028/Reynoldsburg) is only a 3^rd grader, but his skill set, savvy, and poise are that of a much older and mature player. Tucker handled the rock with precision, changed direction and speed at an elite level, and unlike most 3^rd graders, Tucker displayed a strong crossover, in and out dribble, euro-step and step back shot. From what we saw, there can’t be very many 3^rd graders in this state more talented than Tucker. No wonder he’s running with the Akron-based Ohio Phenom Academy in the spring and summer.  We intend to keep a close eye on this kid’s development! 

We were also impressed with the size of Khani Thomas (5’10”/C/Columbus/2026). We’ve seen him excel at our elite showcases, so his talent was no surprise to us.  With his Probound Silverbacks winter team, Thomas towered over the other players on the court.  Consequently, he was a rebounding machine! we also liked how Thomas advance the ball on the break after the rebound. If Thomas continues to grow and to develop his skill set, he could eventually end up being a long-term post prospect.  Right now, he’s simply bigger than everybody else!  We got our first look at Brody Fields (5’2”/PG/2026/Ashville), but what little we saw suggests he could be a good one down the road.  Good length and skill is what we saw.  

No discussion of standout would be complete without mentioning Mike Daniels (4’7”/SG/Hilliard/2027).  Daniels is a dynamic player who is equally adept at scoring or making plays for teammates. He’s smart, plays hard and is a committed defender.  He also is talented enough to play up against 5^thgraders and not miss a beat. It should also be mentioned that Daniels is currently ranked among the top 4^thgraders in the state. We look forward to seeing him play at our March 9^thBuckeye Prep Elite Showcase, where he will participate in the prestigious North vs South All-Star for the Central Ohio All-Stars. Below is a complete list of standouts we saw at the event. 

Standouts

Treyton Schorder	Gabriel Tucker	Mike Daniels
Khani Thomas	Brody Fields	Chavis Wilson
Jett Jerwers	Amare Spina	Landon Sears