Up North Standouts from the Fort Wayne Finale
In this truncated grassroots season my region of Northern Michigan performed fairly well. A quick overview of some familiar names along with new (and young) names from the Fort Wayne Summer Finale in Fort Wayne. 1. Anthony Ribel 6-1 2024…
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Continue ReadingIn this truncated grassroots season my region of Northern Michigan performed fairly well. A quick overview of some familiar names along with new (and young) names from the Fort Wayne Summer Finale in Fort Wayne.
1. Anthony Ribel 6-1 2024 Traverse City Central While I have written about this young player previously this was my first extended (multiple games) setting. I came away extremely impressed. I can see what coaches and trainers have been raving about for a few years. Put simply, as a lead guard there just isn’t much he does wrong. Running point for a very talented Storm Futures squad, did an excellent job of setting up teammates and efficiently getting the group into a offense. Has excellent size already that allows to see over many defenders. On the weekend chose to be a facilitator but had no problem creating his own shot when needed. Adding more bulk to his frame will be the next step in the development of this exciting young prospect. I could nitpick and say he could be more assertive on the offensive end but I’m not sure that is necessary for the next few years. The Trojans have a plethora of young talent. Two Division 1 football recruits in the post and talent on the wing. Like crosstown guard Wyatt Nausadis Wyatt Nausadis 6'4" | PG Traverse City St. Francis | 2023 State MI (11.4 ppg) Ribel could have a breakout campaign and not really average an eye popping number of points.
2. David Shilinger 5-6 2024 Ludington This young diminutive point guard did some serious work on the defensive end. Played up a grade level with the Bates Fundamentals squad and was easily the best on ball defender in the bracket. An absolute bulldog defensively who played aggressively with no fear. Lost count in my notes of the steals he accumulated. Not just a defensive specialist. Steady ball handler who showed an extra gear while finishing many of his thefts in transition with a lay up. A lot of arc on his perimeter shot which is needed due to his height. Showed a nice soft mid range floater that he was able to finish through contact on more than one instance. I would not want to be a coach trying to score on Ludington in the next few years. The Orioles feature a seasoned defensive coach in Thad Shank, an elite rim protector in 2022 6-8 forward Peyton LaCombe Peyton LaCombe 6'8" | PF Ludington | 2022 State MI , and this defensive dynamo on the perimeter. Size will be a key in his development, but this is talented prospect who will be stepping into an excellent developmental program.
3. Cole Jenema 6-8 2022 Cadillac I previously mentioned the undeniable physical talent of this young prospect. But I also wanted to see a little more aggression. That was not case this past weekend. Jenema played with more assertiveness on both the offensive and defensive ends. The addition of Alma’s 6-9 Sam Leppien allowed Jenema to play more on the perimeter this weekend and he is clearly more comfortable out there. Showed the ability to handle the ball like a wing. On Sunday crossed up a defender and went from the top of the key all the way to rim for a dunk. Didn’t quite get the finish, but it was still an impressive physical play. Showed defensive upside with long arms and quick feet that led to multiple blocked shots. As I will cover below the Vikings should one of the top teams in Northern Michigan. But will also have a huge leadership void. If Jenema can carry over some the aggressiveness I saw this past weekend to the regular season he could really put himself on the recruiting map.
4. Dylan Cragg 6-4 2022 Grayling Like his Storm teammate Jenema, much more impressed this time around. It doesn’t take much projection to see that Cragg is an impressive physical talent. Has the ability to play above the rim to go along with a sturdy athletic frame. This past weekend he showed off an expanding perimeter game to go with the athleticism. This was readily evident in a Sunday afternoon loss to a good DV45 squad. With his team trailing Cragg led a spirited a comeback simply by firing from behind the arc. The stoke was fluid and easy. I counted three in a row from the corner. If he can consistently knock down outside shots to go along with his top shelf athleticism this could be a prospect that attracts the attention of college coaches. Will be getting pushed every night in what will be a very talented Lake Michigan conference.
5. Jaden Montague Jaden Montague 6'3" | PG Cadillac | 2023 State MI 6-1 2023 Cadillac Like his regular season teammate this young player showed extra elements to his game which merit a mention. While still playing with the Storm, he was playing with a different group that did not have a primary point guard. Montague stepped into this void and showed a combo of steady ball handling to go along with creative play making ability. Continued to show an uncanny knack for scoring down the baseline and quickly getting shots off in traffic. The Vikings are coming off a very good year. But they will have a big hole at the point guard with the graduation of conference player of the year Tipp Baker. While he has primarily been a two guard up until this point, Montague showed the potential to slide over to the 1 if needed. If that is what his team needs this positional versatility could really broaden the possible recruitment for this young prospect.