The Great Eight from the Great Eight
The name of the event was just too hard to pass for thematic synergy. So without further ado eight standouts from the Great Eight Showdown in Fort Wayne. Linden Holder Linden Holder 6'0" | PG De La Salle | 2021…
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Continue ReadingThe name of the event was just too hard to pass for thematic synergy. So without further ado eight standouts from the Great Eight Showdown in Fort Wayne.
Linden Holder Linden Holder 6'0" | PG De La Salle | 2021 State MI 6-0 2021 Warren DeLa Salle Battle tested point guard playing in the rugged Detroit Catholic league. This shows in how plays the game. No frills straight ahead hard nosed point guard. Type of player who really doesn’t have a glaring weakness. Assimilated well with basically a new batch of teammates. A good facilitator who can get his own shot when he needs to. Solid handle with the speed to get to his spots on the court. Fearless penetrator who is good at drawing and finishing through contact. A plug and play type of player who is going to make a college coach very happy.
Brady Titus Brady Titus 5'10" | PG Tri-Unity Christian | 2022 State MI 5-10 2022 Wyoming Tri Unity Christian No other way to put it. Had an actually huge day on Saturday. Coming off an injury in Wisconsin the previous weekend. Led UTS Elite to the 3-0 record and the 16U championship. Started the day by dueling with highly ranked 2023 prospect RJ Taylor RJ Taylor 6'0" | PG Grand Blanc | 2023 State #262 Nation MI and didn’t look back. Speed is his calling card. Virtually impossible to stay in front of. His outside shot and decision making have improved greatly since the first time I saw him at the Breslin Center as a Freshman. I’m not surprised he picked up his first D1 offer (Bethune Cookman) after the day he had on Saturday.
RJ Taylor RJ Taylor 6'0" | PG Grand Blanc | 2023 State #262 Nation MI 5-11 2023 Grand Blanc They say familiarity breeds contempt. While I hold absolutely no contempt for this young player, I have seen him for play a lot. I’m calling myself out for forgetting the subtleties that make him such a special player. A consummate point guard, often this summer I have seen Taylor taking a back seat and facilitating. On a Minor Threat squad that did not feature as much offensive firepower, it was nice to see him flex some of his offensive ability. Penetrated with purpose and was not afraid to pull from very deep range. Love the fact that there is no air of entitlement. Was diving on the floor near the end of his teams second game for a steal and bucket that had no bearing on the game. If you haven’t seen him yet just know you are in for a treat. A young point guard who is only missing size. Everything else is there.
Mason Woods Mason Woods 5'8" | PG East Lansing | 2022 State MI 6-0 2022 East Lansing While teammate Brady Titus Brady Titus 5'10" | PG Tri-Unity Christian | 2022 State MI was probably the player of the 16U bracket, his backcourt partner was not far behind. Woods really stood out defensively where his intensity caused problems all day. Got to the basket when he wanted and finished through contact. Despite not having ideal size I was impressed with how he was able to play at the two position. This is especially important as he will be playing off 2021 standout Marcus Wourman. If Woods continues to improve the Trojans will have one of the most potent backcourts in the entire state next year, with Woods ideally stepping up and helming the ship in the 2021-2022 season.
Alex Watters Alex Watters 6'1" | CG Lansing Catholic | 2022 State MI 6-1 2022 Lansing Catholic Central Staying in the Lansing area we find this compact and stout point guard. Playing for the host Grand Rapids Storm 16U Watters showed a diverse skill set. Some point guards are all about speed. While Watters has more than adequate foot speed, his game is all about power. Seemingly bounces off defenders as he goes the hole. Knows how to play and is canny in the pick and roll. Helps that he is left handed. That being said just as good with the right. Rises well with a true jump shot on the perimeter. With Williamston’s Mason Docks off to Texas. Watters will battle with Woods to be the top Lansing area point guard in the 2022 class, and possibly even the entire state.
Carson Cooper Carson Cooper 6'10" | PF IMG | 2022 State FL 6-9 2022 Jackson Northwest Enough with the little guys, let’s get to bigs. And I do mean big. Dick Vitale used to have the All-Airport team. Meaning the players that just look like basketball players. That is Cooper. Super long. Bears a resemblance to a young Zach Hankins (Ferris St). Once the ball tips, shows that there is a game to go with frame. Extremely mobile and gets up and down the court very well. Playing for a good Michigan Lightning team did an excellent of finding shooters when defenses collapsed on him. In terms of his own offense a little mechanical in the post. However has a soft touch around the basket. He does not have a soft touch when he putting it down with authority. He did this quite often in my trips to Fort Wayne and is very adept at getting the ball up quickly. Defensively is an excellent rim protector with his condor-like wingspan. Jackson Northwest will feature a twin towers look as fellow 2022 Ian Weller (6-7) had a good weekend as well. Probably the highest upside of any player on this list.
Grant Pikkaart Grant Pikkaart 6'6" | SF Portage Central | 2022 State MI 6-6 2022 Portage Central Quick side note. I went with this spelling of his last name to link him to other articles in our database. I have seen it spelled multiple ways in various places. With that out of the way. Long with a wiry but strong frame. To be honest at first blush you would call him gangly and unorthodox. However the more you watch you realize has a highly effective and diverse arsenal. Length and body type make him an absolute pest defensively. Same physical characteristics make him effective in the post despite his slender build. Stepped up when his MBA National squad needed it in the clutch. Sealed their first win of the day with two big steals. Then put it out of reach by calmly sinking two free throws. Unlike Cooper doesn’t pass the initial eye test but has a similar level of upside. Will be one of the top players in the Kalamazoo area for the 2022 class.
Austin Van Elst Austin Van Elst 6'8" | PF Thornapple Kellogg | 2021 State MI 6-8 2021 Middleville Thornapple Kellog Began with a 2021, so we will end with one. If you want an old school traditional big man, here is your guy. Standout game came the Mid Michigan Boys that featured former highly ranked Michigan 2021 Ty Fortney Ty Fortney 6'8" | PF Taylor Trillium | 2021 MI (moved to Canada) Van Elst took on the challenge of guarding this athletic big man and came out on top more often than not. Had two huge blocked shots in that contest, one of them on Fortney. Appeared to be mostly a back to the basket big. But moved well in pick and roll situations. Not the softest touch in the world but did show good hands in corralling several difficult passes.