Preseason Mr. Basketball Candidate: Marcus Bingham
Marcus Bingham, of Grand Rapids Catholic Central, will be one of the top picks to take home Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award this season. The Michigan State commit has blown up over the past year or so, going from virtually unknown to a Top-100 prospect nationally. Here at PrepHoops, we have him ranked as the number 2 player in state. At 6’10, his upside is obvious – especially given the facts that he has above average mobility for a big as well as the ability to shoot the three. Despite not typically being the strongest on the court, Bingham is an elite rebounder, as he has long arms and great timing to go with his 6’10” frame. He excels at catching and finishing lobs – even if there’s a defender between him and the hoop. Defensively, he’s an elite shot-blocker, a skill that allows him to be a great paint protector. Bingham is also capable of defending guards on the perimeter if a switch is necessary, which is a skill that is almost required in today’s game.
Rankings and offers mean nothing once you get on the court. Unlike many of the other candidates in the Mr. Basketball race, Bingham has not been a household name for his entire high school career. However, he did have a good AAU season running with Indy Heat on the EYBL. As many may know, the EYBL is widely considered the top youth basketball league in the country. He averaged 8 points per game, 5 rebounds per game and a block per game while shooting 85% from the free throw line.
With all things being considered, I broke my prediction down into three main categories: individual production, team performance and competition. When taking a look at past Mr. Basketball competitions, these have been the three biggest factors the voting coaches have taken into consideration. So, without further ado:
Production
Unlike many of the other candidates in the Mr. Basketball race, Bingham hasn’t dominated at a Mr. Basketball-esque level for an entire season. Last season, he had to sit out half the season due to transfer rules. While he’s certainly proved he could excel against the best competition, his doubters would question how big of numbers he can put up throughout a whole season, especially considering other candidates have put up better numbers than him in past seasons. However, this season Bingham is in a great situation to have an elite year production-wise. There is no doubt that his rebound numbers and block numbers will be some of the best in the state. Offensively, he will need to put up north of 20 points per game to even be in consideration for the award. Certainly he has all the ability in the world to put up these kind of numbers.
Team Performance
Last year, Bingham led his team to the regional finals. This year, they’re a legitimate contender in Class B. However, Mr. Basketball is a regular season award, so that’s all that matters as far as the award is concerned. Grand Rapids Catholic Central has one of the best frontcourts in the state between Bingham and Indy Heat teammate Jacob Polakovich. These two alone are talented enough to carry GRCC to at least 15 wins. However, when looking at other candidates teams, Bingham may have to lead his team to 18-19 wins if he wants to be considered a legitimate contender for Mr. Basketball. It’s very possible that this could happen, but they would need to win a couple big games against some talented teams, most notably Grand Rapids neighbor Godwin Heights. If Bingham can lead his team to victory in some key games, as well as take care of business against less talented teams, he’ll have a strong case as far as team performance goes.
Competition
This year’s Mr. Basketball competition is stiff. There are 8 high-major commits/recruits in the 2018 class alone – that’s not to mention the plethora of top notch mid-major talent the 2018 class boasts. Thomas Kithier’s transfer to Clarkston puts 3 of the 8 high-major players on the same team. With only so much ball to go around, that might help desaturate the field for Bingham. That’s not a guarantee, however, and that doesn’t even take into account the other 4 high-major players. What Bingham has going for him is this: he’s committed to Michigan State. Being committed to one of the two in-state high-major programs has proven to be a difference maker in the Mr. Basketball race in years past. However, 6 of the 8 high-major players in the race are also committed to Michigan or Michigan State, so that factor doesn’t play as much of a role as it usually would. It’s important to note that the race doesn’t only include high-major players; it’s possible a mid-major player explodes for a monster season and steals the award – there are multiple around the state that have the talent.
With all this being said, if Bingham can put up great numbers production-wise as well as lead his team to a 18-19 win or even undefeated season, he has a great case to win Mr. Basketball. When looking at many of the other candidates, they play alongside elite talent – their teams will be far more talented than 95% of the opponents they play. While Bingham’s team is certainly talented, they are not so supremely talented that they should be expected to roll everybody. As mentioned before, there are a handful of games on the schedule for GRCC that will be legitimately tough matchups. If Bingham can play well in these games, as well as take care of business in games against less-talented teams, he’ll have a strong shot to win Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award this season.