End Of Summer Wrap-Up: Part-2
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 eight 2021 prospects specifically from Michigan who had nice performances when I was able to watch them.
Jillian Brown, 5-10 G, East Grand Rapids H.S., MBA-Adams 17U
Jillian is a talented and skillful combo guard who does a lot of everything at a high level. She has really good length, a wiry strong frame, and she is a fluid athlete who moves well in all directions. She has good ball skill and can play point guard, plus she’s a willing & capable distributor who doesn’t mind passing up a shot to make a pass for a better shot. At the same time, she can get to the rim and score, and she’s a consistent perimeter shooter when she gets set and is in rhythm. I already think she’s a fairly accomplished guard as-is, but she also has a lot more potential, especially if she can continue getting stronger and absorbing contact better. Every mid to high-major Division-I school in the Midwest should be evaluating her.
Abrie Cabana, 5-9 G, Grass Lake H.S., Michigan Premier Blue 17U
The backcourt at Grass Lake is going to be fun to watch this year, and Abrie will be a big part of that. She is a long, somewhat slender, but fluid and smooth combo guard. She plays with a great motor, she glides around the floor somewhat effortlessly, and she can affect a game in a variety of ways. She is probably more of a scorer first, but she does have solid ball skill and understanding, so she can slide over and play the point guard position from time to time. However, as a scorer she is solid off the bounce, but she has a really nice-looking shot and is a consistent shooter at all levels. If she can continue adding strength, I think it will really help her game reach another level. She has already given a verbal commitment to Grand Valley State University.
Mackenzie Egger, 5-9 F, Mount Pleasant H.S., Michigan Mystics Blackout 16U
Mackenzie was enjoyable to watch, and she strikes me as a “team first” type of player. She has a really nice motor, and she does a lot of the little things no one else wants to do. She has length, wiry strength, and she’s a solid athlete in all directions. She is a bit of a ‘tweener, as she looks like she’s transitioning from maybe more of an interior role to a perimeter position, but at the same time, she plays with great versatility at both ends of the floor. She can put the ball on the floor 3-4 dribbles and get somewhere, she has a solid shot, and she can score it in a variety of ways. Defensively, she’s an active rebounder, she gets to “help” well, and she can defend some guards, wings, and undersized ‘4s’. Ultimately, I think she might be a “fit” kid, but I could see a few Division-I schools interested, as well as most Division-II and NAIA schools.
Mya Hiram, 5-11 F, Onsted H.S., Michigan Premier Blue 17U
Mya is a solid looking frontcourt prospect who does some really nice things and flashes some versatility as well. She has a great frame that’s athletic and strong, plus she moves well in all directions. She plays with a nice motor, and she makes a lot of hustle plays other girls don’t. She ideally fits in the mid-post, where she can knock down the 15-footer, attack the basket in one dribble, and finish through contact off the bounce, but she has the ability to step outside and knock down an occasional 3-pointer if you don’t keep an eye on her, or she can take smaller defenders to the block and score with her back to the basket in the post. I think she’s the perfect inside-out ‘4’ who successful small colleges absolutely love.
Alyssa Leister, 5-10 W, Alma H.S., Michigan Mystics Blackout 16U
I really enjoyed watching Alyssa play, and she is someone who still stands out to me as having great upside for the next level. She is a long, somewhat slender, but smooth and fluid wing. She has very good ball skill and is probably more of a point forward right now. She can create and make plays for others, plus she does a solid job of getting to the basket, but she’ll need to get stronger and finish through contact a bit better. She has a good feel for the game and makes basketball plays when things break down. I think she is a decent shooter from the perimeter, but once that becomes more consistent, and once she proves she can defend a wider variety of true guards off the dribble, she will eventually become more of a true guard herself, and she’ll play a guard role instead of a wing at the next level.
Breanne “Bree” Salenbien, 6-3 W, Lenawee Christian School, Michigan Mystics DreamTeam 17U
Bree is a highly sought after wing in this 2021 class, and it’s easy to understand why. She is extremely long, fluid in all directions, and smooth with the basketball in her hands. She is still very slender, and she needs to gain a lot more strength before college, because she can be moved easily, but at 6-3 she plays primarily around the perimeter anyway. She has a good handle, she has a nice jump-shot from the perimeter, and she can create scoring opportunities for others off the dribble. She plays hard and tries to be physical, and I think she can become a very versatile defender because of her length and her ability to move around the floor well at her size. She has already drawn a great deal of high-major Division-I interest/offers, and I think added strength will only increase that interest.
Arieonna Ware, 5-11 F, Battle Creek Central H.S., MBA-Adams 17U
Arieonna has formed a nice partnership with Jillian Brown (above) on this MBA grassroots team. Arieonna has a nice, athletic frame, she has some wiry strength, and she’s a run & jump kid who moves well in all directions. Athletically, I think I was most impressed with how quick her feet are, and her ability to defend multiple positions, including some guards. She can handle it a little and push the ball in transition, she is a decisive driver to the basket, and she finishes very well around the rim. She also looked very comfortable with her back to the basket, and she showed off a variety of post moves as well. I did not see her shoot any/many jumpers from distance, so I would like to evaluate that part of her game at some point, but I think she’s a very skillful kid in the mid-post and a really nice athlete everywhere on the floor.
Abigail Williams, 6-1 F, Homeschooled (Farmington Hills), Michigan Mystics Blackout 16U
Abigail didn’t have a big reputation entering the Spring/Summer season, but I would hope she does now that it’s over. She is a homeschooled kid, so I’m guessing with little to no media coverage, not many people were familiar with her game. She is a talented prospect, though, with a great deal of upside. She is probably more prospect than finished product at this point in time, but she has a lot of qualities I think some Division-I and Division-II schools might enjoy. She is extremely long, she’s still fairly slender, though, but she is a fluid athlete who moves well in all directions, plus she is somewhat bouncy. She has solid skill in the mid-post, and when she lets the game come to her, she is effective, but at times she tries to do too much and she can get a little careless with the ball. All in all, though, I think she has a really nice ceiling to improve, and if she can add some strength to that frame, I think her game will come full-circle and become that much more consistent.