Northern Michigan Prospects from the Bank
In it’s 16th year the Bank Hoops All State delivered the usual menu of high level basketball. This year it also featured nationally ranked top 100 player and Michigan St commit Pierre Brooks Pierre Brooks 6'5" | SG Detroit Douglass…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn it’s 16th year the Bank Hoops All State delivered the usual menu of high level basketball. This year it also featured nationally ranked top 100 player and Michigan St commit Pierre Brooks Pierre Brooks 6'5" | SG Detroit Douglass | 2021 State #76 Nation MI .
Following are five Northern Michigan standouts who played well in this highly competitive environment.
Grayson Verberkmoes 6-3 2021 McBain This under the radar prospect who missed most of his junior season due to a broken arm seems to be poised for a breakout. Like most players from this storied program, really stands out on the defensive end. Simply put, if you don’t defend you don’t play there. In addition to being well schooled has the length to and foot speed to defend both backcourt positions well. On the offensive end has a quick and fluid release on the perimeter. Shoots it well both in the mid range and beyond the arc. Next step is tightening up his handle and becoming a more assertive penetrator. Both parents were college athletes and his older brother plays at NAIA Northwestern Ohio. A small college coach looking for a willing defender, with winning program pedigree, and a 4.0 GPA. Here is your player.
Dylan Cragg 6-4 2022 Grayling When you get placed in a drill group with multiple college players including a future Big 10 commit you have a chance to stand out, and boy did he ever. Showed next level athleticism by exploding to the rim and playing well above it once getting there. Foot speed and lateral agility were on full display in drill sessions as well. Fiery competitor who carries himself like he belongs anywhere. Still kind of looking for a position as he toggles between the 2 and 3 right now. An improved perimeter shoot could cement that position. That said I’ve seen him get hot from beyond the arc in the summer, so that might be nitpicking a bit. Coming off a good grassroots season with the Grand Rapids Storm, a big junior season could shoot this player up recruiting boards.
Evan Solomon 6-3 2022 Charlevoix This player might be falling into the “familiarity” category for me. Meaning I’ve seen him so much I’m starting to take what he does a little bit for granted. What does he do? Consistently goes out and scores at three levels while also displaying a solid all around floor game. Showed off this court sense with some clever and difficult assists in transition on Sunday. Does it primarily on the ball for his high school team. While also showing he can excel off the ball this summer with Parallel 45. Has good vertical size and utilizes it well by playing straight up and not falling into the trap of playing smaller than he is. Showing off athleticism by having a standout year on the gridiron. A big junior year could cement him as the top overall prospect for Northern Michigan in the 2022 class. He’s that good.
Quinn Zickert Quinn Zickert 6'2" | CG Benzie Central | 2022 State MI 6-2 2022 Benzie Central A player I missed at the Top 250 Expo, so it was good to catch him here. Appeared to be playing with a slight limp on the day so he might not have been at his best. Despite that continued to show the old school game that makes him an intriguing and unique prospect. Has such a soft touch that belies his stocky build. Made a difficult catch and finish in transition that displayed good hands. Was teamed with the previously mentioned Brooks in the 5-on-5 portion so showed he can run with top notch competition. Like a lot the Huskies is “gym open, I’m playing” type of player, so expect further improvement from this player in the next two years.
Nate Childers Nate Childers 6'2" | CG Benzie Central | 2022 State MI 6-1 2022 Benzie Central I normally prefer not to write about players in back-to-back weekends. But when you shoot like Childers did on Sunday it warrants another mention. I bring up shooting because I would say that would be one glaring omission from this guards game in previous viewings. Like running mate Zickert, not a waterbug speed merchant backcourt prospect. Stocky and physical, Childers stepped up without hesitation when left open this weekend. Stroke looked smooth and clean and went down a bunch. Not the quickest of releases but plenty of time to speed that up. If he can keep Northern defenders honest with his shot has the physicality to do some damage down low. Strong Benzie contingent on Sunday with senior point guard Mitchell Wilkinson participating and playing well too. Future looks bright for this program.