Outwork Basketball Showcase provides opportunities for local basketball players to be scouted

Bryant & Stratton College transfer and Keystone grad Ethan Sokolowski participated in the Outwork Basketball Showcase over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Bryant & Stratton College Athletics)

Everyone’s college basketball journey is different.

There isn’t a cookie-cutter way to make it to the next level, but the players who do share something in common with their talent and passion for the game.

A group of Northeast Ohio’s best took the floor at HoopTech in North Ridgeville for the annual Outwork Basketball Showcase on June 30. In total, 24 schools and 38 coaches attended to scout the competition.

The showcase was comprised of many rising high school players, but it offered much more with recently graduated players and college transfers also in the mix. All 80 players come from different paths or are in different phases of their careers, but they all wanted college exposure.

“I thought it was a great opportunity to see where I was at,” Bryant & Stratton transfer guard and Keystone grad Ethan Sokolowski said. “The high schoolers had a lot of energy and they all have the same goal, they’re trying to get to college. At the same time, I enjoyed it because it gave me a chance to show them what college basketball is like.”

For the first time in over four years, Sokolowski feels healthy again. His senior year at Keystone in 2019-20 was cut short with a gruesome ankle sprain that resulted in a broken fibula.

Due to the injury, he reclassified and attended Aim High Academy, a prep school in Michigan, the following year. He never recovered in time to make a big impact as he only appeared in a couple of games.

Sokolowski’s next move was playing at Lorain County Community College, but a torn labrum forced him to miss another year. He was finally healthy enough to play the past two seasons at Bryant & Stratton College. He has two years of eligibility remaining, but the long road of recovery took its toll and he wasn’t sure if he would use them.

He chose to keep at it and has been training hard over the past few months. Needing a new home after two years at Bryant & Stratton, Sokolowski got a call from HoopTech AAU Director and Bethany College assistant coach Danny Zuchak to participate in the showcase.

After facing a tough few years, Sokolowski is rejuvenated.

“After doing the showcase and playing again (Monday), I feel like everything is starting to click again,” he said. “I’m finding my passion for it again, it feels like how used to in high school. It makes me really want to get after it and make the most out of these two years.”

It just so happens this wasn’t Sokolowski’s first time participating in the Outwork Showcase. In fact, he’s in a similar situation to two years ago.

Coming off of his injury at LCCC, he needed an opportunity to find a new home. He attended the showcase, where Bryant & Stratton men’s basketball skill and development coach Ray Yates found him. The rest is history.

“It’s very exciting,” Sokolowski said. “There’s only so many players who get a chance to play in front of that many coaches and showcase their talent. I did it once before and I got something out of it. I thought I would do it again and see what comes out of this one.”

Sokolowski will take some time to weigh his options and go on a few visits before choosing his next landing spot. He was recognized as a notable performer at the Outwork Showcase.

The high-end local competition didn’t just stop with Sokolowski at the showcase. Recent Wellington grad Sean Whitehouse was named as the Outwork Showcase MVP, while Avon Lake junior Brandon Bromley was named to the All-Showcase team.

Whitehouse had a stellar senior season this past winter. He averaged 21 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and led the Dukes to the district finals. Watching him play, there’s no doubt that he’s a college talent. He’s just waiting for the right opportunity.

“It meant a lot (to participate),” Whitehouse said. “Just to be there, it felt rewarding because there were a lot of good coaches there. I wasn’t really blessed with offers out of high school, but it feels good to be looked at. It basically set me up with some interesting choices.”

With just a look at Lorain County athletes alone, everyone forges a different path. Sokolowski is ready to begin his third season of college basketball, while Whitehouse is still looking for a home and Bromley is on the rise. An event like the Outwork Basketball Showcase put them all on equal footing.

“There was a lot of good competition there,” Whitehouse said. “I’d recommend this to anybody that’s trying to play basketball in college. Showcases are such a good opportunity and it’s not like any experience that you’ll get just playing in high school.”