Au Sable Shootout Standouts

The Au Sable Shootout is where I coached my first varsity basketball games three years ago, and I was thrilled to be back last week! 20 thumb-area and mid-michigan teams flooded the Tawas gym to compete. The Bay City Western Warriors appear ready to turn a corner in the SVL this winter. With a talented group of incoming freshmen and upperclassmen, they have the potential to take a giant leap forward in the North. Here are several prospects from Bay City Western and Concord who had a terrific day at the Au Sable Shootout.    Cieara is a competitor, and she gave Concord a spark on both ends at the Au Sable Shootout. She has a no-quit mentality. After a miss, Cieara pursued the rebounder, stole the ball back, and earned a trip to the free throw line. She pushed the ball with pace, using both hands in transition, and dished out assists to open teammates. Cieara split defenders with a hard drive to score a floater and finished contested layups in top gear. She created many deflections and steals with her effort on defense. Cieara outworked the opponent to secure offensive rebounds, blocked shots, and had an all-around impressive day.     Bradie was in the zone for Concord at the Au Sable Shootout. She was lethal from three-point range, burying many up top with balanced feet and a confident follow-through. Bradie fired one-handed passes to open teammates and tormented the opponent with her relentless on-ball defensive pressure. She tipped a pass, grabbed the ball, and finished a strong layup through contact off two feet--plus the free throw. Bradie created space using shifty crossover dribbles and hesitations. She blew by defenders with a burst and dropped in floaters with precision. Bradie grabbed a defensive rebound, raced up the court, and dropped in an and-one floater from the elbow. She finished the three-point play at the line. Bradie went by again to score a layup off two feet and shoveled a pass on the money for an assist. She had excellent court vision and swiped countless steals on defense.     Lia gave Bay City Western an advantage in the paint at the Au Sable Shootout. She caught a pass inside with soft hands, pivoted, and buried the turnaround jumper. Lia used an effective reverse pivot to get the angle for a left-handed layup and knocked down a smooth corner jumper. She has the length and versatility to be a very productive player this winter.     Claire is a returner who gives Bay City Western important leadership at the point guard position, and she had a solid day at the Au Sable Shootout. Claire anticipated a pass on the perimeter to grab a steal and took it the distance for a left-handed layup. She knocked down a confident corner three off an inbounds pass and dished crisp passes to teammates for assists. Claire beat her defender with a quick crossover move and drove downhill with an explosive burst to score a contested floater off the glass. Claire made a smart back-door cut and finished the reverse layup.     O.J. was recently named a Blue Star 30 prospect and has continued to prove why she's an elite prospect. She had a dominant day with Bay City Western at the Au Sable Shootout. O.J. caught a pass, used a sweep move, and exploded by with long strides to score her layup in two steps--that's not something you see often. She used a head fake at the top of the key and blew by her defender to score another layup off two feet. She zipped no-look passes across the court, blocked shots, and jumped passing lanes to swipe steals for layups. O.J. used a shot fake in the corner and attacked down the baseline for another layup off two feet. College coaches should pack the stands to watch her play alongside Michigan's top 2029 prospects at our Freshman Showcase in August!     Jenna had an outstanding day for Bay City Western at the Au Sable shootout. She handled the ball confidently with both hands and used a series of crossover combinations to beat pressure. Jenna is a sharpshooter, and she buried multiple three-pointers with confidence off the hop. Jenna froze her defender with a shot-fake and dropped in a contested floater. She dribbled into a straightaway triple that ripped the net and fired strong chest passes that hit teammates in stride. Jenna stole a perimeter pass and took it the other way to score a layup off two feet. She stole the ball away again and knocked down a free throw jumper. Jenna is going to be an immediate impact player at the Varsity level, and we hope to see her compete at our Freshman Showcase in August!     Adalyn had a very productive day for Bay City Western at the Au Sable Shootout. She is a high-level tennis prospect and also a very talented basketball player. Adalyn jumped a pass on the perimeter and took it the distance to score a contested layup. She made a great back-door cut and finished the layup off two feet. Adalyn pushed the ball confidently up the court with both hands and knocked down a smooth pull-up jumper in transition. She's a tough rebounder and hard-working defender who will be a key contributor this winter. Adalyn would be fun to watch at our Freshman Showcase in August!

The Au Sable Shootout is where I coached my first varsity basketball games three years ago, and I was thrilled to be back last week! 20 thumb-area and mid-michigan teams flooded the Tawas gym to compete. The Bay City Western Warriors appear ready to turn a corner in the SVL this winter. With a talented group of incoming freshmen and upperclassmen, they have the potential to take a giant leap forward in the North. Here are several prospects from Bay City Western and Concord who had a terrific day at the Au Sable Shootout.