Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase Final Results

Sean Martin, Sharon Barnes, Chris McLavish Jr., Jaylen Rigdon & Michael Maldanado

By most accounts, the 2019 fall Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase was a success!  With a slate of very competitive inter and intrastate rivalry games on Saturday morning, followed by very competitive showcase games later in the day, the storied event delivered on its promise of “Elite Competition & Maximum Exposure!”  In terms of the early morning all-star games, the class of 2026 was well represented, as the event hosted many of the classes’ top players.  Some of those players included TJ Crumble, Brayden Fogle, Khani Thomas, Darek Whitfield, Malsi Pearson, Cole Albers, JR Bates, Drake Ahrens, Dantrell Hughes and Amari Addy.

As a recap, in the 2026 North vs South All-star game, the South All-Stars defeated the North by a score of 53-44. MVPs for the game were Khani Thomas,who scored a team-high 14 points for the South and Brayden Fogal,who knocked down a game-high 15 points for the North.  In the 2025 Ohio vs Michigan contest, Team Michigan notched an impressive 67-54 win over Team Ohio.  Michigan was led in scoring by John “Trey” McKenny III, who went for a game-high 26 points on his way to MVP honors.  Team Ohio was led in scoring by Arness Lawson who grabbed MVP honors on the strength of a team-high 17 points. In the 2026 Ohio vs Michigan game, Team Michigan pulled a first-ever sweep of Ohio with a 41-35 victory.  MVPs for the game were TJ Crumble, who poured in a team-high 13 points for Ohio and Keyshawn Summerville, who dropped a game-high 16 points for Team Michigan.  

At the conclusion of the event, two additional all-star games were held featuring the day’s top middle school and 4^th/5^th& 6^thgrade players. The top performers in each of the games were presented “Top 5 Awards.”  In the Middle School game those awards went to Sean Martin, Sharod Barnes, Chris McLavish Jr., Michael Maldanado and Kentucky’sJalan Rigdan.  In the 4^th/5^th/6^thGrade game, the Top 5 Awards were presented to Damere McClellan, Malsi Pearson, Taveon Vaughn, Drake AhrensandDarek Whitfield.

Damere McClellan, Malsi Pearson, Taveon Vaughn, Drake Ahrens & Darek Whitfield

 During the course of the showcase games each player was evaluated and ranked, with the top 2-3 players being selected for the final all-star games.  According to the coaches’ evaluation sheets, the following players were ranked as the #1 player on their respective teams: (Middle School Division) Sharod Barnes, Michael Maldanado (2025), Christian Wilkins, Chris McLavish Jr., Sean Martin and Peter Penrod. (4^th/5^th/6^thGrade Division): Mario Murray, Keyshawn Summerville, Khani Thomas, Demere McClellan, Brandon Mercer and Drake Ahrens. 

Below is a complete list of players who were selected to the all-star games.  Also below are the final showcase rankings. Those rankings were based on the all-star game results coupled with where players were ranked by their respective coaches. As an example, the MVPs of the early all-star games and the Top 5 Award winners were ranked in the top 10, then the #1 ranked players, the #2 ranked players and so on were added.

 All-in all, it was a great day of competitive basketball!  Shout out to the class of 2026 who came strong and represented their loaded class.  Finally, big props to the Michigan players who supported the event and represented their state very well!  See you in February!

All-Star Game Rosters

Final Showcase Rankings