Best of the Midwest: Friday’s Top Performers (Michigan Only)
Friday marked the second full day of pool play here in Grand Rapids. Most teams played more than one game today, finishing up their pool play and locking in a spot in the playoff brackets. There were numerous good games throughout the day – with plenty of college coaches in attendance. Here are some of my top performers from Friday:
Myron Gardner (1Nation 16u) – Gardner had himself a fantastic day and was one of the best, if not thee best, individual performer of the day. His first game of the day he matched up with gold medalist Romeo Weems; the two went back and forth at each other possession after possession. He impacted the game in a variety of ways – he scored, defended, collected blocks and steals, as well as rebounded at a high rate. He followed up a great performance with another stellar outing, going for 28 against Adidas Gauntlet team Arizona Power.
Drew Lowder (The Family 16u) – While Gardner was going off for 1Nation, Lowder was busy matching if not one-upping everything he did. Lowder started the game hot and continued to roll until the final whistle. Lowder always gets a few buckets from either midrange or at the rim, but what really helped him dominate today was his hot shooting from beyond the arc. He caught fire and made multiple threes against 1Nation. When Lowder is hot like he was today, he’s unguardable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he played himself into his first D1 offer today, as there were multiple coaches who were impressed with his performance.
Terry Armstrong (The Elite 17u) – Today, Armstrong displayed a number of tools that make him one of the top players in the state, regardless of class. While he always puts up good numbers in the scoring category, Armstrong impressed today with his work on the glass. He was gobbling up rebounds on both sides of the ball, despite their being multiple players on the court who had a couple inches on him. Also, Armstrong’s handles look really good today – he showed he has the ability to be the primary ballhandler, if necessary.
Romeo Weems (The Family 16u) – As previously mentioned, Weems and Gardner entertained everybody in attendance with an intense back-and-forth battle all game long. Weems did Weems things – swatting shots, cleaning the glass and finishing around the rim. Weems also looked good as a playmaker – something that is nearly unstoppable given his combination of size, strength and athleticism. He put up numbers individually as usual, but most importantly he helped his team secure a 2-point mercy over in-state rival 1Nation.
Payton Harley (Grand Rapids Storm 17u) – Harley once again impressed, as he continued his high-level play from yesterday into today. Harley had a similar role for his squad today – he was their primary playmaker as well as primary on-ball defender. He did a really good job penetrating and kicking to the open man, often leading to uncontested three pointers for his team. He also scored at a good rate, finishing at the rim through several different high-major big men. There were several times throughout the day where Harley simply carried his team to avoid getting blown out.
Jacob Boonyasith (Grand Rapids Storm 17u) – Boonyasith was Harley’s sidekick today, taking over when Harley was either on the bench or struggling. He is a smooth scorer who puts up numbers efficiently. While not above average athletically, Boonyasith uses a nice set of handles and a solid body to get in the lane and finish at a high rate. Combine that with a consistently above average shot and you get a player who can put the ball through the net from all three levels – something that he did today. Boonyasith makes the top performers list because he seemed unfazed being guarded by several different high-major players – scoring on them just as he would anybody else.