10 Prospects From The Weekend
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As usual, there was a lot of very high quality basketball going on throughout Michigan over the weekend. I made at stop at the Icebreaker Challenge hosted by Arbor Prep. This was a collection of some of the most talented…
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Continue ReadingAs usual, there was a lot of very high quality basketball going on throughout Michigan over the weekend. I made at stop at the Icebreaker Challenge hosted by Arbor Prep. This was a collection of some of the most talented players and teams in the state. Over the course of 2 games, a Heritage victory over Lansing Catholic and an Arbor Prep win against Tecumseh, there were 10 Prospects who’s names kept showing up in my notes. Let’s take a look at these 10 players.
Mitchell was lights out in an impressive team win. I’ve always raved about her step back jumper, but now she’s added a hesitation move that caused issues for defenders over the weekend. Mitchell needed almost no space to get off a clean jumper, as I saw her hit at least 2 triples even with a hand in her face.
Alesia Ode
Alesia Ode
Ode was absolutely torching the nets for Heritage. She moved well off the ball, earning her a good number of clean looks from beyond the arc. Ode also got it done on defense. I really liked the way she used her length to jump the passing lanes.
Every team needs and wants a player like Braddock on their roster. From the opening tip it was completely obvious that she was willing to do the little things, whatever it took to get a W. Braddock was incredibly active on the defensive glass and rotated smoothly and quickly to provide good help defense.
Richards looked really solid on Saturday. I liked how she made herself a threat to score in a variety of ways. She showed blow by ability going left for 2 with a finish at the rim and then buried multiple triples when the defense played the dribble drive. Richards even rebounded her own miss and picked up a put back bucket.
Highlights
Jungwirth could be a difference maker for this team. She was fed the ball on the free throw line, turned, and finished off a 2 dribble drive. I saw her score in this fashion repeatedly at one of my open runs. Jungwirth had some nice passes and walked up well in the paint.
Wallace sent a message loud and clear at the Icebreaker Challenge. She’s going to tough to contain this season. Wallace has always been a silky smooth athletic scorer and a grinder on defense. But wow, did that jumper look nice on Saturday. If she keeps shooting like that, Arbor Prep may be hanging a banner.
Stacey Utomi and her defense was a problem through the entire game. She was so disruptive and really just seemed to be everywhere on defense. Utomi made it really difficult for the opposing team to set the ball and get into their offense.
While Utomi can create and score, it was probably her defense that stood out as well. She really sets a tone for her entire team. I was very impressed with her overall strength and ability to use it.
Wilke was impressive with her play over the weekend. I liked the way she tried to control pace and even beat the athletic Arbor Prep defense back off the bounce and drew a foul. Wilke was solid with her defense as well.
Moorehead was more than comfortable as a primary ballhandler, even against a high pressure defense like Arbor Prep’s. She showed the ability to be creative, like a spin move at the free throw line, in finding a way to get her shot up. Moorehead looked like she could use her mid range game very effectively this season.