Best of the Midwest: Thursday’s Top Performers
The Best of the Midwest, better known as the Brawl for the Ball, takes place this weekend in Grand Rapids. While some teams played Wednesday night, a majority of the teams competing in this tournament laced them up for the first time today. There were a few big games, but none bigger than the in-state matchup between Michigan’s best in The Family and 1Nation. There were a plethora of coaches from all levels in attendance – everything from JuCo all the way up to high-major. Here are some of my top performers from Thursday:
Markeese Hastings (1Nation 17u) – Hastings had the best day of anybody here by far, playing not one but two very good games. In his first game he matched up with high-major players Marcus Bingham and Brandon Johns, both who are taller than Hastings. However, that didn’t stop him from dominating the glass and finishing inside at a high rate. Such was the story in his second game against in-state rival and former team The Family, as Hastings dropped 26 points and 14 rebounds on Purdue commit Trevion Williams. Hastings dominated this game in a variety of ways – he will surely earn more D1 offers following his play today.
Payton Harley (Grand Rapids Storm 17u) – Harley had an overall great game against C2K Elite today. He started by getting a couple of buckets around the paint, then continued with a string of offensive rebounds. In fact, he had a possession in which he secured the offensive board 3 times in a row. He finished the first half with 11 points and 7 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. Harley continued his stellar play into the second half, doing everything he could to win the game for his team. He did all of this while playing high-level on ball defense, which is usual for him. Individually, he had a great day, despite his team losing in the final seconds.
Ryan Wade (1Nation 17u) – While he didn’t have the most dominating performance of the day, Wade impressed by coming in and making an instant impact after getting promoted to 17u from the 16u squad. In his first matchup of the day with EYBL team Indy Heat, Wade hit 4 straight threes; he would finish with 5 total. In his second matchup with The Family, Wade helped spark nearly a 20 point comeback by hitting back-to-back threes then getting another bucket just a minute or two later. Wade is a knockdown shooter but is not incapable of making plays with the ball in his hands, as he displayed today. He also defended well considering his matchup against year older, EYBL competition.
Setric Millner (The Family 17u) – Millner had himself one of his typical quiet but productive games today. He got some buzz, however, as he had the game-winning tip-in against 1Nation. In this game, he went for a super-efficient 20 points to go with stellar defense. Millner consistently produces against any level of competition and proved it again today that he is one of the most underrated players in the state. He will most definitely be a steal for whatever college he decides to attend.
Brandon Wade (1Nation 17u) – Wade has a good amount of mid-major offers but is still looking for that first high-major offer. With his play today, you would be surprised to learn that he doesn’t have at least one HM offer, as he consistently gave HM players buckets. He played well against EYBL teams Indy Heat and The Family, both of which have multiple HM players. Wade once again displayed his ability to score at all three levels, as he hit shots from all over the floor. He really impressed with his ability to finish at the rim in traffic, especially given the fact that both teams he played today had HM big-guys. He is looking like one of the best players here so far.
Romeo Weems (The Family 16u) – Weems dominated in ways he usually does. He was a monster in the paint – rebounding, scoring and defending at an extremely high rate. Besides the usual paint dominance, Weems impressed with his ball skills as well. He hit multiple mid-range jumpers, made multiple impressive dribble moves to get to the rack and had a few nice passes as well. One play that stood out in particular occurred when Weems was driving down the lane, as he did the Rondo-signature behind-the-back pass fake into a layup. He would finish with a double-double in a blowout victory over C2K Elite.
B.Artis White (The Family 16u) – B.Artis had a day similar to Ryan Wade’s – he didn’t dominate but he excelled at his role and seemingly made no mistakes. White started his game against C2K Elite with a pair of smooth threes. He also got a couple buckets at the rim despite being the smallest player on the court. White made the most of his minutes, getting double digit points while limiting his mistakes. His jumpshot was very impressive, as it’s super smooth withgood mechanics. His footwork is great and he elevates quickly allowing him to get his shot off over taller opponents.