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OTR The Opening Underclassmen Standouts Part II – March 25, 2023

OTR The Opening Underclassmen Standouts Part II - March 25, 2023
March 26, 2023

KENNESAW, Georgia, – On the Radar Hoops hosted The Opening at five different facilities in the Cobb-Cherokee County area last weekend. Travel teams from several different states made the commitment to compete and be seen at this event. Here is a recap of notable underclassman that we evaluated on Sunday at Kennesaw Rec Center.

By: Jonathan Hemingway

Guard Brendan Smith with Dunwoody United had one of the best weekends that we documented at The Opening. We watched him score 30 points in his first game of the day at the Kennesaw Rec Center, which included eight 3-pointers. The next game of the day he scored 23 points. In all, over a four-game span, he connected on 18 3-pointers in the tournament. Smith is clearly confident in his shooting stroke and does a great job of finding space beyond the arc.

Class of 2026 Kayden Allen is a player that has earned his share of praise in his first year of high school basketball. The 6-foot-5 wing is most noted for his versatility at this moment. He can battle for boards in traffic but can also stretch the floor with his shooting range. He had his full skill set on display with Team Huncho last weekend. He has been a consistent performer at OTR events in recent years. We expect to see his game hit another level this next calendar year.

Class of 2026 MJ Maddison is one the more intriguing prospects on a talented Georgia Stars 15U EYBL team. He is a 6-6 forward who plays primarily a complementary role along the front line for the Stars. Yet his talent and potential productivity are evident even if he is not the focal point of the offense at the moment. He rebounds well using his long arms and timing his jump to dominate the glass. His agility and versatility will only get better with age as he runs the court like a wing already.

Class of 2026 Ben Uhde is another sharp shooter that we took note of last weekend. We watched him connect on seven 3-pointers in the final tourney game of the day at the Kennesaw Rec Center. Uhde is a lanky 6-3 wing who shoots the ball with confidence. He does a good job of being active from end to end on the court. We will pay attention to Uhde’s development with the Dream Team and at Johns Creek High School.

Christian Campbell from Tier2Elite earned his way into my notebook with his play on Sunday morning. He has good size in the back court and is sure to stretch out a few more inches in coming years. The 2026 point guard has nice bounce in his legs, which he uses to elevate in traffic and to turn the corner with the drive. Campbell’s perimeter appears to be just fine as well. He projects to be a well-rounded guard as he moves up the ranks of high school basketball.

AYSA Panthers combo guard Omar Lewis showed promise in his most recent outing. He proved to be effective as a back court lead guard or as a wing scorer. He hit 3-pointers from around the arc. The 2026 prospect also showed poise as a leader who could get his team into an offense and execute.

Class of 2026 Adian Grady led the Young Kings to a win while we were courtside Sunday afternoon. The point guard is a solid ball handler who consistently makes plays. He appears equally committed to defending and making life hard for opposing ball handers. We will keep tabs on Grady’s development in the next calendar year to see if he continues to produce at this rate.

Jonathan Hemingway has been a National Evaluator for On the Radar Hoops since 2013. He has been involved in the basketball community since 1995 as a coach, camp director and evaluator. You can reach him at JLHemingway@gmail.com and follow him on twitter @JL_Hemingway.


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