End Of Summer Wrap-Up: Part-1
As I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in…
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Continue ReadingAs I’ve said in past articles, my focus is primarily Indiana, but with many of the Indiana teams traveling cross-country for different events during July’s second “live” period, I remained in the Midwest and attended USJN’s Midwest Summer Showcase in Westfield, Indiana, July 21st & 22nd, and then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for Certified Basketball’s The Finale on July 23rd and 24th. I saw several teams from Michigan, and below is a look at nine 2020 prospects specifically from Michigan who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Kadyn Blanchard, 5-8 G, Freeland H.S., Michigan Mystics Dreamteam
Kadyn is a really nice combo guard prospect who does a lot of different things fairly well. She has a nice, athletic frame, some length, and she absorbs contact very well. She is a solid athlete in most directions, and she plays with a really nice motor. She can attack the basket to score, she’s a capable perimeter shooter as well when in rhythm, but she also has good ball skill and can slide over and run the offense from time to time. I think she can become a full-time point guard offensively, but defensively, I worry about her defending the smaller, water-bug type of point guards. Regardless, she recently gave a commitment to Ferris State, and based on what I saw, I feel like that was quite the steal for them.
Alexys Carlstrom, 5-8 G, Harrison H.S., Team Blaze Select
Alexys is a really nice small college prospect with a lot of upside who I have seen several times due to her participation on an Indiana grassroots team. She is a very nice athlete with some bounce, she has length, and she has wiry strength. She is best when she’s going North/South and attacking the basket, but she can also knock down the occasional perimeter jumper when set and in rhythm. She plays with a really good motor, and she’s a willing and capable defender end-to-end. There is a lot to like about her game, and I think she can come into several situations and give them meaningful minutes from the start.
Emmah Coker, 5-11 F, Clare H.S., Jackson Jets Elite
Emmah is an interesting frontcourt performer who I think could offer great value to a small college program. She is a long, wiry strong power forward, she’s a solid athlete in all directions, and she plays with a really nice motor. Offensively, there isn’t necessarily one thing that stood out to me, so if she can maybe find that niche and make it dynamic, it would certainly help her game. But defensively, with the energy she gives, she can be a versatile defender who is also solid in help-side. She struck me as a kid whose best days are likely still ahead of her.
Riley Davis, 6-0 F, Chelsea H.S., Jackson Jets Elite
Riley is another really nice forward on this Jackson Jets Elite team. She is very long, lean, and fluid, plus she has some bounce to her game. She definitely needs to get stronger before college, but she seemed like a very tough and physical kid who didn’t mind contact at all. I felt like she was a “tweener”, because at times she would play around the basket, but then she would play facing the basket in the mid-post and even a little around the perimeter. If she can continue developing that perimeter game, it could really elevate her stock in terms of her recruiting. I also really liked her motor.
Raven Jemison, 6-2 F/C, East Kentwood H.S., MBA-Adams
Raven was an intriguing prospect to watch, because she was more athlete than ballplayer at this point, and she has tremendously high upside if she can continue to develop her skillset. She is extremely long and slender, but she’s bouncy, and she runs the floor North/South very well. The first step in her development should be strength, and she needs to work on playing a little lower…both kind of related. If she can play lower and move better laterally, I think that would change a lot of things for her. The next step then will be absorbing contact and being able to finish more consistently around the rim. But I think her athletic potential at her size suggest she could develop into a really nice Division-I or Division-II prospect.
Evelyn “Evey” Peplowski, 6-1 F/C, Williamston H.S., Michigan Mystics Showtime
Evey is one of those kids who doesn’t necessarily stick out during warm-ups, but as the game progresses, you figure out pretty quickly that she’s a highly productive kid who does some nice things in various spots on the floor. She has a wiry strong frame, and she probably prefers to post up around the block. She has good hands, decent footwork, and she has a soft touch around the basket. She has a nice face-up jumper in the mid-post, she works hard, and she’s a solid North/South athlete who rim-runs with effort. I think she’s a really nice “motion-5” who has some offensive versatility. She has at least one Division-I offer and a lot of good small college interest/offers.
Whitney Sollom, 6-4 F, Hartland H.S., Michigan Mystics Dreamteam
This was my first and only time to see Whitney over the Summer, and WOW…she has a chance to be a really good one at the next level. She has a tremendously long, wiry strong, and athletic frame. She is still somewhat slender, but she is physical and plays incredibly strong for her build. She has great touch, whether she’s shooting it from the perimeter or knocking down half-hooks inside. She also runs the floor like a gazelle, has really good bounce to her, changes directions quickly, and makes decisive, instinctive decisions with the basketball when she gets it. There aren’t many negatives to her game, and she recently gave a commitment to the University of Michigan.
Alize Tripp, 5-4 PG, Michigan Center H.S., Michigan Premier Blue
From the tallest prospect in this article to the shortest, Alize is another one of those kids who doesn’t stand out in warm-ups, but she plays with a tremendous amount of passion and productivity. She is a strong, physical point guard who seems to play with that chip-on-her-shoulder toughness. She takes care of the basketball, she finds teammates on-time/on-target, and she just understands how to play the game and position well. She’s going to play with a motor every possession, and she’s going to give you the intangible, hustle type of plays throughout a game. I think she can be a really nice small college point guard.
Amaka Unobagha, 6-0 F/C, Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Michigan Mystics Showtime
Amaka was easily one of the best athletes I saw throughout the second half of July. She is an extremely long, wiry strong, and very bouncy kid. She has broad shoulders, and I think she’ll be able to add good muscle-weight in college. She runs the floor well, changes directions well, and she gives good effort at both ends of the floor. Right now, she is more athlete than ballplayer, and she’s most effective at the defensive end of the floor blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. If she can continue to develop some sort of offensive game, she could be another tremendous steal for Ferris State (where she’s committed), because she certainly has Division-I physical talent.