Flyin to the Hoop Top Performers
Written by Dustin Kavanaugh
Flyin to the Hoop is ranked the #2 high school basketball showcases in the nation and for good reason. I was able to be in attendance for 3 out of the 4 days and was able to watch 12 games over the 3 days! Unfortunately I was unable to attend on Saturday so please take that into consideration before you criticize that I left someone out as I was unable to watch anyone play on Saturday. I have gone back and checked box scores for Saturday so I will be including some of those Saturday players in other articles about the event.
Day 1 Top Performers
Chris Nwuli | 6’7 Class 2025 | Dynamic Prep, TX
Nwuli was one of the most efficient players all weekend that I was able to watch. He was 80% from the field. Nwuli’s game was an efficient scorer from inside the arc. He had an incredible motor that allowed him to find seams in the Richmond Heights defense. He would often catch it in the high post and turn, face, and attack the rim. Richmond Heights did not have an answer for Nwuli or Toombs who we will discuss next. He finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds to help lead Dynamic Prep to victory over Richmond Heights. Rutgers is going to love his motor and ability to impact winning in all aspects of the game next year.
Jaden Toombs | 6’9 Class 2025 | Dynamic Prep, TX
Another top performer of night 1 is Nwuli’s teammate Jaden Toombs. Toombs was unstoppable in the paint on Friday night. He had 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists in a dominant performance against Richmond Heights. Richmond did not have anyone that was nearly as big as Jaden and that played a big part in being able to stop him from scoring. He shot 7 for 11 from the field all being buckets in the paint. His pick and roll game was nearly unstoppable. He uses his body and footwork really well when setting picks and rolling to the basket then sealing his guy to get touches in the paint. Once he gets the ball inside, good luck stopping him from putting it in the basket. He has a variety of post moves. Using his body and first step to get position on his defender and keep them on his hip was his go to on Friday night. Toombs is signed to go to SMU next year and they are going to love his ability to rebound the basketball and defend as well.
Kaden House | 6’3 Class 2026 | Compass Prep, AZ
House lit it up in the second game on Friday night as he led his team AZ Compass to a two point victory over Prolific Prep out of California. House is a lightning quick guard that does a lot of damage in the transition game as he catches the ball on the outlet and gets out and runs quick. Time and time again House was blowing by defenders and attacking the rim where he used his body to protect from being blocked by defenders. He had multiple high flying finishes where he would almost throw his body sideways to avoid the defender and lay it up off the glass in an acrobatic fashion. His game was very fun to watch as he led his team with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. House has several big time high major offers on the table and I expect even more to come by the end of the summer on the EYBL circuit where he plays with AZ Unity.
Day 3 Top Performers
DeCarlo Prince | 6’4 Class 2026/ St Vincent St Mary, OH
Prince was the leader of a St V team that honestly shocked me with how well they played Sunday. Last year St V played against Faith Family Academy and took a 20 point loss. This year they came out hot right from the jump and never let up against Fairfield who was in the lead in the GMC up to this point. Prince was incredibly efficient from the field shooting 7/10. He finished with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on the way to a 24 point victory over the Indians. DeCarlo has a nice mix of size, speed, and strength on the wing to go along with a big time motor. He was attacking the paint time and time again and was getting to the bucket at ease in the transition game where he out hustled everyone. This is my first time watching DeCarlo and I look forward to hopefully catching him this spring/summer on the grassroots circuit.
Landon Vanderwarker | 6’7 Class 2025 | Delaware Hayes, OH
Landon is a Kent State commit and after what they watched on Sunday I would imagine they are very happy that he chose them to continue his basketball career. Landon was lighting it up from all over the floor and in a variety of ways Sunday. He was 3 for 5 from deep and 7/13 from 2 point range. He showed off his versatility Sunday as he would step out and knock down the 3 ball and then next time down the floor catch it in the post and score off a nice soft over the shoulder turn around hook shot time and time again. He moves incredibly well without the ball in his hand which gets him open touches in the high post and on the block where he is very difficult to stop. He is too quick for bigger defenders and too strong and crafty for smaller guys to defend him. Landon is looking to lead Delaware Hayes to a possible State run this March!
Xavier McKinney | 6’4 Class 2026 | Reynoldsburg, OH
McKinney had a big time performance on Sunday night for the final matchup of the night with Centerville. I have been able to watch McKinney play in the past during the grassroots season and this is probably the best performance I have seen out of Xavier thus far. He has incredible versatility on the court. The ability to defend with his quickness and athleticism is going to help him go a long way in his career. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of a highlight because of his motor and willingness to go try to pin Eli Greenberg on the backboard in a fast break that resulted in Eli dunking on McKinney. That did not put him down though as he came back with a fire under him and led Reynoldsburg to victory finishing with 22 points and 7 rebounds on 9 of 19 from the field. McKinney is looking to help a loaded Reynoldsburg team get to the State Finals this year!
Day 4 Top Performers
Julian Washington | 6’4 Class 2026 | Margaretta, OH
Julian had the best performance of anyone all weekend on Monday. I have NEVER seen Julian play the way that he played on Monday against Valley View. He showed off every skillset in his game in front of the crowd that included several Mid and High major coaches. Julian was incredibly efficient as he went 13 of 16 from the field for 35 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. Washington showed off his ability to attack the basket which he does best and finish above the rim with his incredible athleticism. However, the thing that I have not seen him do as efficiently yet is knock down the 3 ball. Monday he did just that as he went 7 for 10 from deep. I would be shocked if Julian does not end up as a high major player when said and done. What I love most about Julian’s game is how humble he is and how amazing of a teammate he is. He does not trash talk, argue with the refs, or talk back to his coaches. He just goes out there and lets his game do all the talking. His stock is rising and you do not want to miss out on this prospect.
Shawn Foster | 6’2 Class 2027 | Lima Sr, OH
Monday to start the day we were able to catch what I believe is probably the top prospect in Ohio in the 2027 class. Foster showed off his ability to knock down the deep ball early on in this matchup. He has such a quick release and he can shoot it from anywhere in the gym. If you fail to get a hand up while guarding you probably will see him drain it from deep as a result. Foster also was showing off his athleticism and motor especially in the transition game. He had a sick windmill dunk in transition late in the game that made the crowd get on their feet. He finished with an incredible stat line of 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 10 of 17 from the field. Foster is going to be someone to continue to follow as his high school career goes forward. He is a High major recruit without a doubt and will be fun to watch where he ends up when said and done.
Wes Lyons | 6’0 Class 2025 | Toledo Whitmer, OH
Whitmer has 3 dynamic guards on their team already in West, Young, and Leach, however on Monday the 4th guard Wes Lyons was the top performer of the game! Lyons finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds on the day while shooting 50% from the field. He showed his ability to shoot it from beyond the arc knocking down 4 threes. Also he attacked the basket very well and finished with a variety of floaters and layups to keep the defense from blocking his shots even with his lack of size. Lyons is a player that I have not seen before and I always love when players like that have big time performances on this stage. Flyin to the Hoop is one of the top showcases around and Lyons had a huge performance at just the right time. We will see what comes of this performance and how it impacts his recruitment going forward.