A look inside Meechie Johnson and Kalen Etzler’s perfect AAU summer

After seeing nearly every state have to suspend or cancel their respective high school basketball seasons in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it looked like there would be no AAU season after the cancellation of the Nike EYBL, UAA Circuit and Adidas Gauntlet, the three biggest shoe circuits which allow players to be seen by hundreds of college coaches each weekend.

That was not the case, however, as the Indy Heat, a prominent EYBL program based out of Fort Wayne (Ind.), took matters into their own hands, helping put on several tournaments which allowed thousands of kids to compete while using proper safety guidelines and livestreaming the games for a multitude of coaches to see.

Dominating their own events, Indy Heat’s 17u squad has made the most of the chance to get back on the court as Ohio State commits Meechie Johnson and Kalen Etzler have helped lead them to a 17-0 record and two tournament titles while also getting the opportunity to gain experience playing together for the first time before the two will meet up in Columbus next year.

“We have a lot of high level players who are completely okay with playing team basketball,” Etzler told BuckeyeGrove. “It’s hard to beat a team of 7-8 Division I players who all play together and move the ball.”

Despite their roster being full of Division I kids, Etzler also attributes a lot of their winning to the relationship they all hold off the court, which is critical to any team’s success.

“Our bond off the court is special too,” said Etzler. “We all play for each other and love to win, so we do whatever it takes to go undefeated and win out every weekend.”

Indy Heat 17u head coach Jason Delaney also told me that the leadership of Johnson has helped the squad excel this summer, saying, “Meechie is a born leader to go along with his outstanding skill set and it just makes everyone around him better. He has his hand of influence in just about every possession of the game on both ends of the floor.”

Despite the two being amongst the elite prospects in Ohio in their class, this summer is the first chance Johnson and Etzler have got to share the floor together, as Etzler played with EYBL program All-Ohio Red last summer and Johnson was sidelined due to a knee injury. When I asked Etzler about the experience, he highlighted how it’s been a great chance to mesh their games before taking the court together at The Schott.

“It’s very critical because it’s created a great relationship and feel for what’s next,” Etzler said. “We run a really nice pick and roll. I can pop and slip, and he can knock down shots and get to the rim. It’s extremely hard to guard.”

While Johnson has done a great job leading the team at the point and keeping everyone involved, Etzler has had his hand in the outcome of many of their dominant wins as well.

“Kalen is a versatile threat that can do so many things on the floor,” Coach Delaney said. “He can space out a defense by knocking down the three or post up a smaller defender inside. His length makes him a very tough guard.”

Despite COVID-19 cases continuing to increase, the duo hopes to get back on the floor for at least one more tournament this summer.

“I do not know to be honest, it truly just depends on the virus,” said Etzler when asked when they will be playing again.

Regardless of how the rest of the summer plays out, the two are thankful to have played some ball this summer in the midst of all of the chaos going on in our world. It’s definitely a bonus getting to play with a future teammate and oh yeah, I’m sure winning every single game has probably been enjoyable as well.