Six Up North Standouts from the Great Eight
The Grand Rapids Storm held an excellent one day one shootout in Fort Wayne. The Great Eight featured eight teams apiece from from 2021, 2022, and 2023 classes respectively Below are three new players (or players I hadn’t caught this…
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Continue ReadingThe Grand Rapids Storm held an excellent one day one shootout in Fort Wayne. The Great Eight featured eight teams apiece from from 2021, 2022, and 2023 classes respectively Below are three new players (or players I hadn’t caught this summer) who stood out on the weekend, followed by three players covered in depth earlier in the summer.
Peyton LaCombe Peyton LaCombe 6'8" | PF Ludington | 2022 State MI 6-8 2022 Ludington After playing with the out of state Illinois Wolves this was my first time catching this young big this summer. His unfamiliarity with the Grand Rapids Storm was apparent. However still showed a lot of the attributes that make him a very recruitable player. A long, mobile post who runs the court extremely well. He’s been that since his freshman season. One of the improvements I saw were a fluid and smooth release on his perimeter shot that will allow him to become a true stretch four. Also showed court awareness with a nice slip off high pick when the center of the court opened up. Defense is where he is really catches your eye. Contested well at the rim throughout the day and showed the foot speed to defend away from the basket on switches. Highlight was meeting high flying Grand Rapids Northview wing Jalen Charity Jalen Charity 6'4" | Guard Grand Rapids Northview | 2022 MI above the rim in a game against UTS Elite. Fouled out in the final contest of the day. While that’s not always great this is indicative of an increased level of aggression. Young for his grade and with a good academic profile. I would expect his recruitment to pick up in the coming year.
Brock Broderick 6-3 2022 Traverse City Christian My first time catching this prospect in any setting. Came away impressed with his overall athleticism and toughness. Played with a Minor Threat squad that did not feature a lot of size outside of Holland Christian’s Jalen Overway. Accordingly they played quite a bit of 2-3 zone. This often left Broderick playing at the bottom of the zone. Frequently matched up against much bigger players. Has a long wing span that helped in this size disadvantage. Stepped into passing lanes well and had the game clinching steal in a close victory over the Michigan Titans. Has an unorthodox release on his shot that might need to be ironed out. Playing at a small parochial school averaged 19.1 points per game. If he can continue to expand his game, Broderick should attract the attention of small college head coaches.
Nate Childers
Nate
Childers
6'2" | CG
Benzie Central | 2022
State
MI
6-1 2022 Benzie Central I had watched him a few times this summer with Parallel 45 White. This weekend with Minor Threat was the best performance I had seen. A physical competitive guard who has played a lot of basketball. While Broderick was down at the bottom of that 2-3 zone, Childers was mostly up top with big time 2023 prospect
RJ Taylor
RJ
Taylor
6'0" | PG
Grand Blanc | 2023
State
#262
Nation
MI
. Standout game was the second contest, a close victory against the Michigan Titans. When things got tight it was nice to see Childers step up and show some offensive aggressiveness. Went hard to the hole and drew a foul in a big spot. You don’t have to worry about aggressiveness on the defensive end. Playing with a good group to grow with at Benzie Central, Childers is one to keep an eye in the next few years.
Special Mention- I’ll end with three players I have covered extensively before on this site. I try to be fair and not cover any player too much. But these prospects showed new facets and elements to their game that I believe warrant special mention.
Wyatt Nausadis Wyatt Nausadis 6'4" | PG Traverse City St. Francis | 2023 State MI 6-3 2023 Traverse City St Francis I was thoroughly impressed with this lead guard in his first trip to Fort Wayne at the Brawl for the Ball with Northern Exposure 2023. This weekend he played with the host Grand Rapids Storm. With St Francis and Northern Exposure, plays primarily on the ball. With his advanced size and skill I wondered how he would look playing off the ball at the two. Well I got the answer this weekend, and it was a good response. Looked comfortable playing off the ball playing with East Grand Rapids point guard Drew Caswell. Stayed active and was in continual motion. Came off of screens well and continued to elevate well on his jump shot. Had probably the pass of the weekend. Not sure what to call it. Let’s call it no look/pocket pass that somehow went from under the basket to player at the top of the key for three. Continuing on a upward trajectory
Luke Hazelton Luke Hazelton 6'7" | PF Glen Lake | 2023 State MI 6-7 2023 Maple City Glen Lake While Hazelton didn’t necessarily show a new wrinkle, I did see something I had not seen before. Toughness. Now don’t misinterpret that to mean that I thought he wasn’t, he simply showed a lot. Went down with what appeared to be a bad ankle sprain in the second game of the day. In a one day shootout with only one game left it would have been easy just to shut it down. He didn’t do that and then some. Played well in a victory against the Great Lakes Warriors with a noticeable limp. This level of assertiveness will be essential as he moves into a more prominent role for Glen Lake in the upcoming season.
Evan Solomon 6-3 2022 Charlevoix Like Nausadis plays primarily on the ball with Charlevoix. Unlike Nausadis got some valuable experience playing off the ball with Parallel 45 Green earlier in the summer. I thought he looked uncomfortable in the role the first time around in Fort Wayne. Not so this time out. Playing with the previously mentioned Minor Threat squad. Not only played well off the ball, even showed some grit working in the post both offensively and defensively. Stepped up big in the clutch. Hitting a big 3 late in the first game of the day, a close loss to eventual champ UTS Elite. Also operated well in the mid range all day. If he continues this expansion in the next two years, will be a very versatile player and a true three level scorer.