I spent all of Saturday at the Recruit Look x Hardwood Events Sunflower Showcase in Kansas City. I watched a lot of terrific performances from Iowa players today but here were 10 that were among the most eye catching today.

Vance Peiffer | 2023 | F | 6’8 | Kingdom Hoops Elite 17u | Waukee

Peiffer always impresses me when I watch this Kingdom Hoops 17u squad. First off, he had a huge dunk in transition tonight, then almost had another poster. Beyond the highlights, he is a consistently great interior defender. He makes everything tough and almost always finishes the play with the rebound when needed. Offensively, he is a trusty finisher in the paint and his jump shot looks good extended out to the three point line in catch and shoot situations.

Cade Kelderman | 2023 | G | Kingdom Hoops 17u Elite | Waukee Northwest

Kelderman had a really nice game today, especially in transition. He got his hands on a lot of passes that led to him being able to finish in transition on the other end. Kelderman does a good job of finishing through contact, and can knock down a lot of threes. On drives, he is able to stay really low but still be explosive to get past defenders.

Jaime Grossoehme | 2023 | G | 6’3 | Kingdom Hoops 17u Navy | Webster City

Grossoehme brings good size to the guard spot. He can also make shots at a high rate. The tall guard can hit shots at all three levels and has great form from three. I was also impressed by Grossoehme’s touch in the midrange, where he has a smooth floater.

Ridik Meton | 2024 | G/W | Iowa Battlers 2024 | Dowling Catholic 

Meton stood out today with the intensity he brought to the court. Whether it was getting on the floor, grabbing a rebound, jumping passing lanes, or guarding on the ball Meton was doing what his team needed. He also has good athleticism and is a real threat running the floor in transition. In the half court, Meton is a threat driving and getting into the paint. 

Chase Schutty | 2024 | W | All Iowa Attack Elite Red 16u | Ankeny Centennial

Schutty had a fantastic performance this afternoon in All Iowa Attack Elite Red 16u’s final game of the tournament. He is a really strong athlete that has nice skills as well. Today, Schutty excelled driving the ball, guarding on-ball on defense, and rebounding the ball. As a driver he is good at maintaining balance through contact and finishing. Schutty also showed a nice three point shot on spot up opportunities.

Rico Byrd | 2023 | G | All Iowa Attack Elite Red 17u | Assumption

Rico Byrd was one of the better on-ball defenders I saw all day. He brings a ton of effort to that end of the floor and has the quickness to really shut people down. Offensively, Byrd has the quickness to blow past defender and get to the rim as well as step out and hit the three.

Jonathan Howard | G | Pure Prep 16u | DCG

Howard was on a heater today. In the game I watched he had seven threes and a couple other midrange looks and drives. He was getting to his shot in a lot of different ways. Off spot ups, off the screen, and creating for himself off the dribble, Howard hit them all. He also did a good job running in transition to get fast break opportunities.

Landon Craven | G | Beyond Ball 24k 16u | Des Moines Christian

Craven brings a lot of skill to the guard spot. He passes the ball well and makes good reads in actions. I was also impressed with the touch that Craven has on his floater and his ability to hit threes off of movement. Defensively, Craven kept active off the ball and jumped passing lanes to get a couple steals.

Aidan Harder | W | 6’3 | Pure Prep 16u | Norwalk

I think the best word to describe Harder’s game is fun. The Pure Prep wing plays with a ton of craft that is very enjoyable to watch. He is a fantastic passer and sees opportunities that aren’t obvious to most. He is also very creative and effective finishing around defenders in the paint. On the other end of the court, Harder was solid guarding multiple positions on the ball and showed good hands to force turnovers.

Traijan Sain | G | 6’4 | Martin Brothers 17u | CR Washington

I was going to avoid writing about players that I already wrote about last night, but Sain has just been very impressive, so I had to do it. Tonight, he seemed to be seeking out defenders to try and dunk on. While he did not get a poster, he was able to put down a lob that caught everyone in the gym’s attention. It is immediately obvious when you watch Sain that he is an elite athlete and that athleticism plus the skills he has make him a player that is absolutely worth an opportunity at the next level.