Michigan Premier 2029 and 2030 Practice

Monday night, I journeyed south to Parma Western High School to watch the [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] 2029 and 2030 teams practice. Over the years, I have attended various AAU club practices to supplement my evaluation efforts and also provide Prep Girls Hoops coverage for new or under-the-radar prospects around the state. The [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] coaching staff did an excellent job of organizing the practice, creating an environment that maximized my ability to evaluate all of their players effectively. The girls wore different colored jerseys with numbers that matched the printed roster sheet I was provided at practice. A structured practice plan was used, and everything was time/detail oriented. I had the opportunity to observe the girls during various skills in drills, small-sided games, and 5-on-5 segments. A few observations I made of the practice as a whole included: everthing was a competition (losing comes with a consequence), football practice level energy, physicality, and intensity (the gym was loud!), players were diving all over the floor to compete for loose balls, constant high-fives, nobody is blowing the whistle for jump balls, you've gotta rip the ball away (who wants it more?), the girls understand where to be defensively (ball, gap, help) and communicate. Many girls showed potential, and here are some of the prospects who particularly stood out.    Abby is a quick and shifty point guard who caught my attention during [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She keeps her eyes up to find open teammates while creating space with quick crossovers in transition, and was very effective in the gap on defense. Her awareness, positioning, and fast hands stripped the ball away on drives. Abby drove downhill with a burst, finished layups with a soft touch in traffic, cut backdoor for a catch and finish off two feet, and had an accurate jumper. She showed her grit and determination by consistently leading the group during sprints.     Charley made quite the impression at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She knocked down mid-range jumpers and threes with confidence. I noted her speed, quickness laterally to pester ball-handlers, ability to penetrate off the dribble, good ball pressure, and balanced footwork on step-back threes. She switches hands comfortably and creates space to attack using a variety of crossovers, pocket dribbles, and spin moves. Charley pushed the tempo, using shifty, low crossovers, and long pushout dribbles with both hands in transition. She ran hard during sprints and was consistently at the front of the group. Charley split the gap with a burst to score layups and showed off her touch on a soft floater. She drained a mid-range jumper and a smooth wing three. Charley made the hustle plays and competed for loose balls.     Hailey is a scrappy and skilled guard with some twitchiness that stood out during [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She sets defenders up with her hesitation pocket dribbles and switches hands comfortably. Hailey delivered bounce passes accurately and effectively using either hand. She showed good anticipation on the defensive end and jumped into passing lanes to create steals. Hailey used quick basket cuts and made a great transfer for a tough catch and finish.     Hayden is a quick point guard who can create shots for herself and teammates. She protects the ball from reaching defenders, changes speeds, and stares down the rim before driving to keep defenders on their heels. Hayden was active in the passing lanes, reached in to tie up a rebound, and stripped the ball away with her quick hands. She's a bulldog on-ball defender who works tirelessly to apply pressure. Hayden has an accurate perimeter jumper. She knocked down shots from three and in the mid-range.     Lola has length, athleticism, and skills as a guard that give her a great deal of next-level upside. She's not afraid to shoot the three, has good balance, and switches hands well in traffic to finish at the rim. Lola snagged a pass in stride to score a scoop finish, cut backdoor, caught the entry pass, then switched hands late to score the contested bucket. She drained a corner three, made quick, unselfish extra passes to open shooters, and lobbed a nice entry pass over the defense into the post. Lola jumped up to make a contested catch and finished with a soft touch off the glass. She stood out at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice.     Giuliana had length and shiftiness that stood out at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She shoots the three, has good balance on her drives, and uses quick, low crossovers to evade defenders on her path to the basket. Giuliana changes hands at the rim to finish with ease and shuffles quickly to stop drives. She chases down offensive rebounds and competes hard on both ends of the floor.     Tristin was a high-energy playmaker at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice who stood out from start to finish. She applied relentless pressure, talked continuously, called out screens and switches, bottled up ball-handlers with her quick feet/anticipation, dove on the floor to secure 50/50 balls, and generated steals. Tristin is an effective court general and a high-IQ two-way guard. She demonstrated excellent vision, toughness, the ability to distribute passes with either hand, and skilled ball-handling. Tristin is a perimeter threat, and she knocked down multiple threes throughout practice. She doesn't quit on a play, and her comprehensive impact was noticeable.     Remmi never slows down and plays with a high IQ on both ends of the court. Remmi used good form on her free throw jumpers and finished full-speed layups with her left and right hand off two feet. Remmi knocked down mid-range shots with balance and won battles for loose balls. She passed and cut to get open, constantly moving on the offensive end. Remmi is an effective court general who knows how to play without the ball. She has good instincts on the defensive end and jumped into the passing lanes to create steals. Remmi drove hard to the rim, landed in a jump stop, let the defender go by, then absorbed contact for the contested layup. She chased down offensive rebounds and paced the group during sprints, ending practice by sinking her free throws.     Cassa caught my attention on the PGH MI College Tour, and her next-level potential stood out again at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She's long, quick, athletic, moves well, makes smart basket cuts, shoots confidently from three, and plays with toughness. Cassa drained a wing three, crossed over a defender near half court, attacked with a burst downhill to get to the nail, then swished a smooth runner over the help defender. She caught a pass in the paint, used a quick spin move to get the scoring angle, then finished the contested layup with her left. Cassa's perimeter pressure and active hands caused deflections.     Vanessa was dialed in at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. She's a compact guard who can handle the ball and punish defenses with her perimeter shooting. Vanessa drained mid-range jumpers and ripped the nets with her three-point accuracy. She swished threes from the wing, corner, and up top. Vanessa swiped the ball away to score a layup with her left off two feet, converted a smooth reverse off a backdoor cut, and drove hard to the basket for another layup with her left. Vanessa maintained excellent defensive positioning against a screen and roll to deflect the entry pass and threw passes to teammates with good touch.     Sloane has athleticism, skill, and hustle that grab your attention. She consistently finished first in sprints, communicated actively on defense, and separated herself on both ends of the court. Sloane defended well without fouling, sprinted back in transition to pick off a pass, and after forcing a turnover with her ball pressure, drove straight to the basket, switched hands, and finished with a layup. She used a behind-the-back snap on the perimeter to create a driving lane, split the gap, and scored the bucket. Sloane penetrated the gap for a layup against a post, finished with both hands in the paint, and dished out assists to cutters. She swiped the ball away to score a stretch layup in transition against a contesting defender and turned the corner with speed off a DHO to score with her left off two feet. Sloane showed her accuracy from beyond the arc, burying many threes off the hop and the dribble during shooting drills. She had an impressive showing at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice and is a prospect with a high ceiling.     Mia had a strong showing during the PGH MI College Tour III, and she stood out again at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice. Her combination of length, physicality, non-stop effort, and versatile skill set is difficult for forwards to match up against. Mia knocked down a free-throw jumper and wasn't afraid to pull it from beyond the arc. She catches and finishes layups with both hands, competes with a high motor, and has an effective face-up game. Mia crossed over a defender off the dribble, switched hands in front of the rim, and finished with her left off two feet. She scored a full-speed layup off the dribble, grabbed offensive rebounds, and used a double-crossover move to create a driving lane for another layup. Mia blocked shots away with aggression in the paint and turned in a solid all-around effort.     Hadleigh has fundamental skills, mobility, footwork, and length that put her in a high category as a forward prospect. She can stretch the floor with her three-point shooting, get up and down the court in transition, and defend in space. Hadleigh catches passes with good hands inside, keeps the ball high, and finishes with touch. She maintains balance and speed when finishing with either hand around the basket. Hadleigh knocked down a mid-wing jumper, scored through contact off two feet, drilled threes with a confident follow-through in shooting drills, grabbed rebounds, blocked shots on drives, and deflected entry passes. She had a very impressive showing at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice.     Allie is a physical and skilled front-court prospect. She has the size and strength to mix it up inside, but can also punish defenses from the perimeter with her three-point accuracy. Allie has good instincts in the post and doesn't force the issue when defenders overcommit. She threw smart kickouts out of double-teams inside, finished multiple layups off two feet, and caught passes with soft hands. Allie talked on the defensive end and drained open threes from the slot and the corner. She poked the ball away for a steal on the perimeter and had a solid showing at [program_tooltip program_id='714462' first='Michigan' last='Premier'] practice.

Monday night, I journeyed south to Parma Western High School to watch the Michigan Premier 2029 and 2030 teams practice. Over the years, I have attended various AAU club practices to supplement my evaluation efforts and also provide Prep Girls Hoops coverage for new or under-the-radar prospects around the state. The Michigan Premier coaching staff did an excellent job of organizing the practice, creating an environment that maximized my ability to evaluate all of their players effectively. The girls wore different colored jerseys with numbers that matched the printed roster sheet I was provided at practice. A structured practice plan was used, and everything was time/detail oriented. I had the opportunity to observe the girls during various skills in drills, small-sided games, and 5-on-5 segments. A few observations I made of the practice as a whole included: everthing was a competition (losing comes with a consequence), football practice level energy, physicality, and intensity (the gym was loud!), players were diving all over the floor to compete for loose balls, constant high-fives, nobody is blowing the whistle for jump balls, you've gotta rip the ball away (who wants it more?), the girls understand where to be defensively (ball, gap, help) and communicate. Many girls showed potential, and here are some of the prospects who particularly stood out.