Kettering, Ohio — Fairmont hosted their annual Summer League to kickoff June at Trent Arena. The other participating schools along with the Firebirds A and B teams were Alter, Bellbrook, Butler, Carroll, C-J, Fenwick, Graham, Miamisburg, Monroe, Oakwood, Tecumseh, and Waynesville.
A lot of players came into this summer league after a strong spring AAU season. Alter’s Jacob Conner and Oakwood’s Will Maxwell are each good examples of that as they both have had big springs. Conner has been playing for Wildcats Select 17U on the Adidas Circuit and Maxwell has been playing for All-Ohio Red 16U on the EYBL Circuit.
Some other interesting details heading into this particular summer league were the coaching changes. Specifically, the change of head coaches at Fenwick. With Kelven Moss returning to coach at his alma mater at Middletown, it only felt right for Mike Holweger to take the opening at his former alma mater at Fenwick. The new Falcons head coach would receive an early introduction to his team and he would also have to face his old team as Waynesville was also present at Trent Arena.
Top Performers (In order by school):
Jacob Conner | G | 2022
Jacob Conner has continued to pull in offers this spring after his huge summer last year. He’s playing with Wildcats Select yet again and has been showing off his leaping abilities. Conner had a couple of impressive dunks during Alter’s games and he also showed his improving three-point shot along with his ability to drive and finish around the basket.
Gavin Giesel | G | 2023
Gavin Giesel continues to make huge strides in his game. He’s put up great numbers so far this spring while playing for the Mid-Ohio Pumas. Giesel’s shot continues to improve as he showed off his deep-range ability time after time against Fairmont and Fenwick. Giesel’s three-point shot should be his main weapon this year as he looks to take a big step forward heading into his junior season.
Ryan Chew | G | 2022
Ryan Chew was only able to play half of the season last year but still made a huge impact in the games he was able to play. His quickness on defense leads to a lot of transition baskets and his passing ability while driving is another great asset for this Alter team to have. Chew will be one of four sharpshooting guards that the Knights will return.
Kylan Tucker | G | 2022
With the duo of A.J. Solomon and Dan Nauseef graduating from the Eagles’ 2021 final four run, they will need some younger players to step-up. One of those players might be Kylan Tucker. He looked really comfortable running the point guard position and distributed the ball well as he also scored efficiently during the Eagles’ summer league action.
Dasan Doucet | G | 2022
After another successful run with Hopson Elite, Doucet returns to the Firebirds program as their second leading scorer from a year ago. Dasan’s ability to create space from his defender continues to be his main strength. He uses his physicality and size well and looks to have another solid season for Fairmont.
Anthony Johnson | G | 2022
Anthony Johnson has been a part of Fairmont’s varsity squad since his freshman year and he’s looked even better year after year. Johnson seems more confident in his shot than ever before and his ability to slow down the game and find open teammates should be critical with how young Fairmont’s varsity contributors will be this year.
Anthony Coppock | F | 2022
With a majority of the Vikings’ team from last season graduated, Anthony Coppock will be the man in Miamisburg this season. The 6’2″ forward looked good against Fairmont as he converted on multiple and-ones. His defending ability also looked good as both Jackson McGohan and himself had impressive chase-down blocks.
Will Maxwell | G | 2023
One of the top prospects in Southwest Ohio, Will Maxwell continues to make improvements from his freshman and sophomore season. With a majority returning team, the junior should have a great season for Oakwood. His shot continues to improve and has had a great AAU season already with All-Ohio Red. The junior should continue to pick up more offers in July and heading into next season.
Keon Wright | G | 2022
After moving from Fairmont, Keon Wright had a breakout junior season with Oakwood. He was one of the top scorers on a Lumberjack team who fell to Trotwood in the District Semi-final. Keon showed off his leaping ability and athleticism multiple times as he went in for dunks with other defenders in the paint. With Maxwell and Wright both returning it will be an interesting landscape in D2 next season.
Luke Rubin | G | 2025
Luke is the younger brother of former Oakwood star and current Denison guard, Darren Rubin. Although Luke is undersized he was able to drive the ball effectively against the bigger defenders. He also showed off his range and it should be interesting to see where Rubin starts off the year. If he isn’t a varsity contributor right away he should definitely be a name to watch out for as he could be the future of the Lumberjacks’ team.