West Michigan Summit: 10 Top Performers

The West Michigan Hoop Summit is an annual high school showcase I've been wanting to see for some time now. The stars aligned and I was finally able to make the trip West to Aquinas College for an exciting day of Michigan girls basketball. Five games, 10 teams, media coverage, free roster access for scouts and college coaches, concessions, a hospitality suite; this event was well done by the host. Muskegon vs. Wayne Memorial and Grass Lake vs. East Kentwood were my two favorite games from a coach/spectator perspective. Stars and hidden gems both put their next-level abilities on display under the spotlight. More prospects will be revealed in the coming articles and these ten were some of the most impressive on Saturday.   GAME RESULTS   Wayne Memorial defeated Muskegon 55-48   Caledonia defeated Lansing Waverly 39-27   Grass Lake defeated East Kentwood 59-57   West Catholic defeated Saginaw Heritage 47-41   Rockford defeated Catholic Central 79-44    Alexis gave West Catholic the physical advantage inside they needed to pull off a 47-41 victory against Heritage at the West Michigan Hoop Summit. She worked constantly to gain an advantage, sealed off defenders with a strong stance, caught passes with great hands, and finished strong off two feet. Alexis drove hard downhill then finished high off the glass through contact for the and-one: she finished the three point play at the line. Alexis blocked shots, scored another old-fashioned three point play, and imposed her will on the glass. She won Co-MVP honors with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Falcons.     In this clash between two D1 heavyweights, Dy'Nasti was at her best. She went up strong, high-pointed rebounds, scored through contact, and battled for inside positioning. Dy'Nasti fought to secure multiple offensive rebounds, elevated, and finished with power off two feet using both hands confidently at the rim. She controlled her body, moved her feet, and utilized her length to block shot attempts in the paint. Dy'Nasti ended the game just shy of a double-double. She scored 13 points with nine rebounds and three blocks for Muskegon.     Neveah impressed me with her relentless hustle, physicality, strong takes to the basket, determined rebounding, and defensive effort. She used hard rip moves to create space and finished a pair of and-ones through the defender off two feet. Neveah pursued offensive rebounds with a relentless hustle and scored powerful put-backs. She forced a help defender to commit to her drive and dished a bounce pass to an open teammate for the assist. Neveah came flying in to snatch a key offensive rebound late in the game to give East Kentwood an opportunity to tie the game. Neveah led the Falcons with 12 points and 10 rebounds, earning West Hoop Michigan Summit Co-MVP honors.     Aaliyah is back in Michigan for good and she's having a memorable season for Wayne Memorial. She consistently cut off athletic ball-handlers with her fast feet and lateral quickness to disrupt the opponent's offensive flow. Aaliyah accelerated through the gap on a drive, pivoted, stepped-through, changed hands, and dropped in a tough left-handed floater off two feet. She scored a sweet rock-the-baby opposite hand finish and buried a smooth three-pointer in the deep slot off the bounce. Aaliyah created space with her shifty crossover combinations, penetrated the defense with a dribble burst, and dished out assists. She poured in 11 points at the West Michigan Hoop Summit in a statement win.     Adalyn ignited Grass Lake's offense with her pinpoint perimeter shooting and strong finishes in the paint. Adalyn scored a tough and-one layup through contact, then tacked on the free throw. She attacked downhill off the dribble and dropped in a soft floater off the glass. Adalyn crashed the glass to score an offensive rebound put-back and made the defense pay for giving her space. She has deep range, firing with balance and textbook shooting mechanics. Adalyn drained a game-high four triples and led the Warriors with 19 points during their win at the West Michigan Hoop Summit.     I kept hearing "[player_tooltip player_id='801857' first='Kaylee' last='King'] the Queen of the Court" in the stands, and that description certainly matched her performance on Saturday. Kaylee maintained excellent defensive positioning to cut off drives, utilized her length to block shots, and walled up with excellent technique to avoid fouling. She stepped up for the Zebras as a shooter, knocking down timely jumpers from the top of the key, free throw line, and the short corner. Kaylee was a warrior in the paint. She muscled her way into rebounding position, grabbed the ball with strong hands, and gave the team second chance opportunities. Kaylee finished strong off two feet, forced the defense to put her on the line, and converted several free throws. She led Wayne Memorial with 20 points and nine rebounds, earning West Hoop Summit Co-MVP honors.     Reese turned in gritty double-double effort for Grass Lake on Saturday during their hard-fought win. Reese used her left hand confidently to convert many tough layups in traffic. She dove on the floor to fight for 50/50 balls, boxed out strongly to secure rebounds, and crashed the offensive glass. Reese drove hard downhill for a layup and used an effective euro-step to create an open look for another left-handed finish. She swiped the ball away on defense, pushed it quickly up the court, and dished the ball ahead to a sprinting teammate for the assist. Reese finished tough, contested layups and made smart backdoor cuts. She earned West Michigan Hoop Summit Co-MVP honors with 12 points and 11 rebounds.     "Call her Air Mariah", is what I found myself saying to a friend after I watched Sain use a swift crossover dribble, explode past defenders, then float in mid-air to score a double-clutch finish off the glass. She's a special talent and her high-flying athleticism is something you just don't see on the regular. Most players play on the floor, but Mariah plays above it. I wrote down "plays above the floor" multiple times in my notes and that includes jump shots. She cut backdoor to score a euro-step layup and split the gap with her dribble to bury a smooth free-throw pull-up. Mariah beat a double team in the corner with a quick spin move and beat the midline defender to the basket for another hanging finish. She dished out assists, used wide pushout dribbles to create driving lanes, and scored a put-back after crashing the glass. Mariah earned West Michigan Hoop Summit Co-MVP honors, leading Muskegon with 17 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.     Kenley put up a stat stuffing performance for West Catholic that helped them grind out a tough win against a very talented opponent. She buried a straightaway three off the dribble, cut backdoor for a nice finish, and went right to the rim off a screen for another bucket. Kenley attacked hard off the dribble to score layups, made a great dump-off pass on a drive for the assist, and created a key steal late by denying an entry pass into the post. She grabbed what proved to be the game-clinching offensive rebound and converted both free throws at the line. Kenley led the Falcons in points, steals, assists, and rebounds. She had 17 points and 10 rebounds in an impressive all-around effort.     Sienna was firing on all cylinders for Rockford yesterday. She caught a pass inside, used an effective counter pivot, caused the foul, then buried both shots at the line. Sienna's length, mobility, and ability to finish through contact caused a matchup problem for the opponent. She drove hard down the baseline to score off two, cut backdoor for a catch and finish layup, then scored a strong and-one plus the free throw. Sienna swished a pair of smooth triples, dished out assists, and swatted a shot attempt. She led the Rams with 21 points to go with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Sienna earned West Michigan Hoop Summit Co-MVP honors in a big win.

The West Michigan Hoop Summit is an annual high school showcase I've been wanting to see for some time now. The stars aligned and I was finally able to make the trip West to Aquinas College for an exciting day of Michigan girls basketball. Five games, 10 teams, media coverage, free roster access for scouts and college coaches, concessions, a hospitality suite; this event was well done by the host. Muskegon vs. Wayne Memorial and Grass Lake vs. East Kentwood were my two favorite games from a coach/spectator perspective. Stars and hidden gems both put their next-level abilities on display under the spotlight. More prospects will be revealed in the coming articles and these ten were some of the most impressive on Saturday.