GVSU Shootout Session III: 2019 Standouts
The third installment of GVSU’s four June shootouts was a huge success! The event allowed forty-five teams to prepare for their winter seasons and hundreds of players to showcase their skills. I spent the majority of my Friday and some of Saturday on the Lakers’ campus and got to see loads of talent. Below are players from the Class of 2019 who had an impressive weekend!
Sean Cobb – 6’6 – PF/SF – Williamston
In the games I watched, Cobb consistently dominated on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he had moves in the post to get himself an open look at the basket, finishing with both hands. He could also score off the drive, and he displayed great speed and body control for someone of his size while doing so. He further showed his versatility by hitting nothing but net on a beautiful midrange jumper. Outside of scoring, Cobb assisted his teammates out of the low or high post and actively rebounded on both ends of the floor. Finally, he can block shots like nobody’s business. I first saw him play against a generally shorter team where he was a monster defensively, but later that day against a team that rivaled his own height-wise, he continued this trend, proving to be a great shot-blocker. He’s bound to have strong statlines all winter!
Dexter Shouse – 6’4 – PG/CG – Mattawan
Shouse may have been the best guard I saw the whole weekend! He has great height for his position as well as a great physique. Some players could get by with just height and strength, but in Shouse’s case, these are paired with great skill to make him deadly on offense. His shot falls from just about anywhere, and he is not afraid to pull up off the bounce. That being said, he has a confident handle, speed to get past you, and will readily attack the rim. On the drive, he uses his height and strength as well as some finesse (deceptive/creative placement of the ball), body control, and athleticism to finish his layups. Shouse has mid- and low-major D1 offers and, as a transfer from out of state, will make Mattawan better right away.
Nolan Foster – 6’10 – PF/C – Mattawan
Teaming up with Shouse at Mattawan is another high-level athlete in Nolan Foster. It seems as if Foster can really do it all. Obviously, he gets blocks and rebounds; his height is instantly an asset. However, he is not tall and skinny but has strength and a solid build, making him appear physically ready for the next level. Offensively, he can do a lot. In the post, his strength and height make him very difficult to stop, and he has a very nice touch around the rim. He also surprised me when he readily took and made a beautiful corner three. On both ends of the floor, he makes an imposing figure and effects the entire game.
Kasean Pryor – 6’7 – SF – Ann Arbor Pioneer
Pryor is a small forward who likes to dribble. On offense, his favorite thing to do was to dance around with his defender, then pull up for a jumper or floater in the midrange. He has a better handle than most players his height, and, for the most part, he found success attacking this way. Outside of his handle and shooting, he is athletic. He utilizes his bounce to get his shots off and dunk on offense, rebound, and to get blocks on defense. Pryor promises to be a dangerous mismatch. Put a guard on him, and Pryor can shoot over him. Match him up with a forward, and the defender will have difficulty keeping up.
James Gilbert – 6’4 – SG/SF – Mona Shores
Gilbert is a productive guard/forward playing alongside a star and leader in Mona Shores’ Jarvis Walker II. He and Walker alternate bringing up the ball, giving Gilbert some experience at the point. However, he showed his greatest value playing as a shooting guard or small forward. He was often the tallest on the floor for the Sailors, and he stepped up to the challenge of collecting rebounds on both sides of the ball. He was decent inside, able to score off the glass and hit floaters. His height also lent itself to contesting shots on the defensive end. Finally, while he got the majority of his stats inside, he proved able to hit some outside shots.
Vincent Overway – 6’5 – SF/PF – Holland Christian
Overway offers both a solid build and the right skillset to be a threat from inside and out. He was very good driving to the basket. An effective move he performed multiple times was to drive in from the wing, lose his defender with a spin, and finish with a layup. With either a move or just a traditional drive, he scored most of his points and could finish with either hand. He could also drive in and pitch the ball out to a shooter. In addition to his inside game, Overway has a nice outside shot that he readily takes and consistently makes, making him a two-way threat on the wing.
Zach Goodline – 6’0 – PG – Coloma
With speed and the handle to break down and beat defenders, Goodline might have been the best ball handler in attendance. He gets things going for Coloma as, nearly every trip down the floor, he would penetrate and create an offensive opportunity. He then did an excellent job finding and feeding teammates for them to score. Needless to say, he will get all sorts of assists and be an essential part of the machine that is Coloma’s offense. Paired with his handle and court vision is an outside shot that forces defenders to guard him honestly.