Fort Wayne Futures Take 2
Despite only having brackets for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 classes. A fair amount of 2024 prospects decided to test themselves by playing up at the Great Eight in Fort Wayne. Here are six standouts.
Isaiah Atchison 6-6 2024 Montague Teamed with East Kentwood’s Christian Humphrey-Rembert to form a super imposing frontline. A very skinny, but very long post prospect with a lot potential. I was impressed with his mobility and aggressiveness on the day. Also showed good hands and the ability to finish in the paint. Will need to add weight and improve overall ball skills. Montague is primarily known as small school football power. However they have had some good years and they have a Breslin Center run not too long ago. Atchison should be stepping into a good situation for development with the Wildcats.
Shane Ryske 6-2 Schoolcraft I’m cheating a bit on this one. While Ryske was on the roster he was not there this past Saturday. However he was at the Fort Wayne Finale a few weeks earlier where he put on an absolute shooting exhibition. I honestly don’t believe he missed a single shot in his opening Saturday morning contest. After the game I went to watch the Storm’s 2023 squad that was a little short handed in terms of depth. Sure enough off the bench popped Ryske. Same jersey, different age group, same result. Moves well off the ball and already knows how to use screens effectively. Older brother Ty is a good 6-6 2022 prospect also playing for the Storm. If this player continues to develop and possibly get to that height, Southwestern Michigan opponents will be in trouble.
Jaxson Whitaker 6-2 Muskegon Reeths Puffer Must be the Orange jersey. With Ryske not in attendance this player stepped in and didn’t miss a beat from the perimeter for Storm UA Futures. Like Ryske, simply couldn’t miss from behind the arc early on Saturday. While the release is a little unorthodox he gets it off quickly and boy does it go in. Has excellent size already and won’t need to fill out much to play the two. I won’t go down the list but it felt like every tournament I went to this summer I was running into a Rocket standout. Needless to say the future is bright for the Reeths Puffer program.
Dylan Smith 6-5 2024 Walled Lake Northern Powerful young big. Has a nice frame with a wide lower body. Playing up a grade level with the Great Lake Warriors. Nice touch around the basket that belies the strength that he plays with. Also shows good footwork and hands. Gathered some difficult passes in transition and got them up quickly. Understands the definition of a power dribble. Not saying he should be ranked as high, but reminds me of Brother Rice 2023 prospect Xavier Thomas Xavier Thomas 6'6" | PF Brother Rice | 2023 State MI .
TJ Nadeu 6-3 2024 Detroit Catholic Central Smith’s frontcourt partner with the Warriors. Nadeu showed a little more of a perimeter skill set while also having the ability to mix it up down low. Operated well in the mid range in a loss to the Storm UA Future squad that featured a large frontline. Physical growth will determine positional fit. But has a skill set to go either way which is a nice problem to have. Like the Reeths Puffer program, there have been a lot of Shamrocks on the grassroots scene this summer. Coach Brandon Sinawi has some good building blocks.
Sutan Tutis 6-2 2024 Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills Prospect who does not pass the initial eye test. However the more you watch him you realize the potential is there for growth. Playing with a small B3 Athletics squad Tutis did the dirty work down low against much bigger players. Competed hard on the defensive end and was big on the boards all day. At 6-2 I did not see much of a perimeter game. If the skill level expands along with physical growth this could be interesting prospect.