The annual Generation Next Basketball Association “GNBA” middle school proving grounds tipped off its 2022 edition in Louisville, Kentucky as part of the Grassroots Showcase and with the stage set inside the historic Freedom Hall a number of talented prospects opened some eyes.  Here’s a look at more standouts in part two of our weekend rewind from Session 1 of the GNBA…

Trey Resch – 2027- Hybrid Guard – CBA Elite – Another big weekend by Resch who continues to make his mark as one of the top 2027 prospects in Wisconsin. Resch plays well on the attack aggressively going to the basket. He has a sweet stroke from range and communicates well on both ends of the floor which is rare at this age. Resch is a smart guard and has a bright future.

Ashton Lumbatis – 2027- Power Forward – Ohio Future Trout – Already 6-2 around 220 pounds, Ashton was a physical force all weekend and used his frame to maneuver around the basketball and score easy buckets.  Showed some soft touch by making 12 free throws in the 2 games I watched him play. Intriguing prospect who best sport might be football.

Michael Daniels – 2027 -Point Guard – Mid Ohio Pumas – An electric pass first point guard, Daniels controlled the pace for his team throughout the weekend. He is a very skilled passer that consistently put his teammates in positions to score. He hit some big shots in a close win over CBA Gold in bracket play.

Oliver Belot – 2027 – Shooting Guard – CBA Gold - One of the more skilled scorers at the 13U level. Belot can flat out shoot the ball. Once teams attempt to run him off the 3-point line, he attacks the basket with soft floaters and making the right pass to his teammates. A very underrated rebounder as he had many offensive rebounds for his CBA Gold team.

Caleb Jones – 2027 – Point Guard – KY Future Elite – Jones is a playmaking point guard and floor general for his KY Future team. He didn’t score a lot but made a huge impact on the floor with his distributing, reading the floor, and communication to his teammates. He has good handle and very rarely made bad passes to his teammates.

Michael Rogers Jr.– 2027 – Point Guard – CBA Elite – Rogers is one of the better playmakers in the 2027 class in Wisconsin. Rogers is very tough to defend off the dribble with his quickness and can really shoot it from 3. Very unselfish player who can get his teammates going and then score the ball himself.

Brian Ceol– 2027 – Small Forward – Mid Ohio Pumas – The lengthy 6'2" forward was one of the top wings of the tournament. He scored at ease, rebounded the ball well and defended all positions on the floor. Not a big name in the 2027 class as of right now but a name to watch moving forward.

Jordan Garcia – 2027 – Small Forward – CBA Gold - Garcia has been a pleasant surprise during the 2 weeks I have seen him play. He has good size and handle and attacks the rim with a purpose. He rebounds that ball well and can initiate the offense. Garcia scored 16 points in a comeback win Saturday night over Ohio Future.

Grant Rose – 2027 – Small Forward – KY Future Elite – Rose is a smooth wing that plays well with or without the ball. Knocked down some big shots in a comeback win over CBA Gold on Sunday afternoon. Very tough to stop once he gets going downhill and effective communicator on both ends of the floor.

Jakai Terrell – 2027 – Combo Guard – CBA Gold – Intriguing young prospect with a high IQ.  The combo guard had a strong weekend contributing in numerous ways for his team. Terrell made some nice passes to teammates in transition and showcased an improved shot from the 3-point mark on the weekend.

Smith Wasilk – 2027 – Shooting Guard – North Oakland Wolfpack – Wasilk can flat out shoot the basketball. I watched 2 of his games this weekend and in those games, he hit a combined 13 three-point baskets. He single handily kept his team in their Sunday finale by exploding of 24 points on 8 for 13 shooting from deep.

Braxton Keathley – 2027 – Small Forward – Team Rise – I watched Braxton play 3 of his 4 games over the weekend. The combination of size and skill for his age really impressed me. He posted smaller defenders, he stepped outside and hit shots from deep, and rebounded the ball to imitate the break for his Team Rise team. I look forward to following him more this spring and summer.

Brody Denny – 2027 – Combo Guard– All Ohio Red – I really liked what he brought to the table this past weekend as he handled the ball, showed range, and turned in a number of quality efforts when he took the court. Denny is a blue-collar gritty guard that has some flair to his game. Denny continued his great play from the early April NY2LA Spring Extravaganza, Indianapolis.

Mateen Cleves Jr. – 2027 – Combo Guard – The Family – Much like his father, Cleves is A tough talent who can take over the game by scoring or getting his teammates involved. He helped lead his team to two victories over the weekend with solid performances that included a 17-point effort in a victory over Nike Proskills. He played hard with consistency and left me impressed with his shooting ability.

Riley Walz – 2027 – Shooting Guard – Closed Gyms – I’ve watch Walz play a lot over the last 2 years, and I really love the way he plays the game. Never the biggest or fastest player on the floor but he just plays the game the right way. He picks his spots to attack, knows when to be aggressive scoring the ball and when to get it to his teammates when they are playing well. He led his Closed Gyms team to 3 wins on the weekend, averaging 13 points per game.

Zach Hewitt – 2027 – Traditional Guard – 24:UP – Zach led his team with 15 points in a win over a very good Martin Brothers team who had been previously undefeated on the season. Hewitt did a little bit of everything for his team throughout the weekend which led to them finishing GNBA session one with a 4-0 record.

Wes DuCharme – 2027 – Dual Forward – Wisconsin Swing – DuCharme came out and dominated right from the opening tip of his first game. Standing at 5-8 with a nice solid frame, he got most of his buckets in transition and on hustle plays. He also displayed a nice shot from deep in route to a 19-point performance in his team’s victory on Saturday afternoon.