Guards Cooking at CMU Team Camp

High school basketball is back, and I couldn't be more excited. I plan to provide Prep Girls Hoops coverage in every region of Michigan this June. It's like following a treasure map, and I know there will be dozens of hidden gems to discover along the way. The first stop on my coverage journey brought me to Mount Pleasant for Central Michigan University Team Camp. CMU has a rich history of hosting high school girls' team camps. Head Coach Kristin Haynie and the CMU WBB brought it back this summer, and the event was a major success. Teams from all across Michigan came out, and I had the opportunity to see a fantastic variety of prospects and teams throughout the day. Prospects fit for every level of college basketball appeared, and one of the coolest features of camp was that every team had an opportunity to play a game on CMU's main court in the arena. To maximize my coverage and ability to see as many teams as possible, I held down the fort in the SAC. Four adjacent courts are a scout's dream, and I had a fantastic time watching the games.   Many prospects stood out and demonstrated qualities in their game that translate to the next level. Here are several guards who delivered great performances for their teams throughout the day:    Brooklyn got stronger as the day progressed and put some impressive highlights on display at CMU Team Camp. She swished a corner three in game one and buried another one in the afternoon. Brooklyn put her dancing shoes on up top, using consecutive between-the-leg dribbles with lightning-quick transfers, sized up her defender, then pulled up to sink a straightaway three off the dribble that barely disturbed the net. She raced straight to the rim off a dribble handoff to score a bucket, attacked down the baseline with a burst to score a layup, and threw a kickout to the corner on a rope for an assist off dribble penetration. Brooklyn will be the unquestioned ringleader for a very young, talented, and dangerous Clarkston team this season.     Kayzia put on an impressive display of athleticism, quickness, and highlight-reel-worthy plays at CMU Team Camp. She generated many steals on the defensive end of the floor and immediately went into attack mode. Kayzia switched hands in the lane during an explosive downhill drive, jumped high off the floor, and made a mid-air transfer to her left hand to score the acrobatic layup. Kayzia drained a wing three off the dribble, hit a mid-range jumper from the corner, and took one dribble down the baseline to sink a pull-up. Kayzia side-stepped a long defender on a fast-break drive to score another acrobatic bucket high off the glass. She penetrated gaps, got to the third level, and made split-second dump-off passes to give teammates wide-open looks down low. I made a note of Kayzia's freakish athleticism, shifty dribbles, and high hops. She used a crafty inside-out dribble to create a driving lane, then finished with her left at the rim. Kayzia has been a big stock riser this spring on the PGH Circuit, and she separated herself again on Saturday.     Adalyn delivered a knockout performance for Grass Lake at CMU Team Camp. She was on fire from beyond the arc, burying four threes during my time watching her games from the wings, corners, and up top. Adalyn shoots with balanced feet, a rhythmic release, and a majestic high-arcing trajectory on her shot that often finds the bottom of the net. Her aggressive, active defense and strong finishes at the rim also stood out on the court. Adalyn intercepted a pass at half-court and pushed the ball the rest of the way for two points. She crossed over a defender and shifted into high gear to cause a foul at the rim. Adalyn finished layups with both hands, went up strong off two feet, and her anticipation as a help side defender resulted in multiple steals.     Ashlyn started strong Saturday morning at CMU Team Camp and continued to perform at a high level for Miflord throughout the day. Her aggressive defense and dribble penetration stood out early. Ashlyn caught a pass and changed hands in the air to convert a layup, side-stepped a defender on a fast break to score after stealing the ball away, and drove hard into contact to earn trips to the line. She created separation using lateral pocket dribbles, accelerated past her defender with her left down the baseline, elevated at the rim, and finished strong through the contact. Ashlyn used a quick crossover move to get by on a drive, finished with the left-handed lay-up, then tacked on the free throw. She crashed the glass to secure offensive rebounds and fired a pass up the court to a teammate sprinting ahead for an assist. In the afternoon, Ashlyn kept it rolling for the Mustangs. She used a killer combination of dribbles with a pocket, punch jab, and spin to get by her defender, then finished in traffic. Ashlyn proved that if you give her an inch, you give her a mile, swishing a three from the corner, a triple in the slot off the hop, and a smooth crossover straightaway three up top off the bounce.     Ella was in the lab cooking for Midland at CMU Team Camp. She looked confident in all phases for the Chemics. Ella competed at 100 mph, ripping the nets from three at a high clip, creating steals on the defensive end, attacking hard downhill off the dribble to get to the free-throw line, and actively pursuing rebounds. She was on fire from beyond the arc, sinking threes from the wings and the corners off the dribble and the catch. She closed out hard to block a shot, and the sound echoed across the gym. Ella jumped a pass for a swipe, then pushed it the other way in top gear for a fast-break layup. She stole the ball away again and turned on the jets for another full-court finish. One of my favorite moves was when Ella glided to the hoop, elevated, and rocked the baby to sleep with an underhand scoop left-handed finish in transition.     After missing her sophomore school season, Emma gradually started to work herself back to full health during the spring AAU campaign. She looked 100% herself at CMU Team Camp, turning in an impressive all-around day for Midland. Emma attacked on a rip drive, side-stepped a defender, then converted an and-one layup through contact, putting extra English on the ball to put it through the net. She tacked on the free throw to complete the three-point play. Emma swished a corner three and buried a triple from the slot off the bounce. She scored with her left off two feet, switched hands comfortably in the open court, tied up a rebound on the defensive end, and turned up the heat with her all-out defensive pressure.     Kaiya was impactful in every element of the game for Midland at CMU Team Camp, ultimately resulting in an opportunity to continue her basketball career with the Chippewas. If you consistently play hard on both ends, communicate constantly, energize your teammates, make the right plays, compete with a relentless effort, and have the fundamental tools to be successful at your position, you're going to impress college coaches. Kaiya has those qualities, and she consistently puts them into practice in whatever environment she's in. Kaiya was active on the defensive end, creating steals, then immediately fired passes up the court to create transition scoring opportunities for teammates. She crashed the boards to secure offensive rebounds and demonstrated excellent vision/instincts as a facilitator. Kaiya was efficient with the shots she did take and showed her ability to hit from the outside. She drained a smooth corner three and knocked down a deep three from the wing.     There should be no question when an elite, high-level prospect steps onto the court that they're the best player on the court. Paisley has the high D1 offers, and there was no mistaking that she's a special prospect during her games with Belleville at CMU Team Camp. She has length, quickness, advanced fundamental skills, X-ray court vision, unselfish instincts as the lead guard, a commitment to defending, accuracy from three, and athleticism that translate to a high level as a point guard. Paisley consistently penetrated off the dribble, got to the second and third levels of the defense, then dished out timely dump passes on the move to get teammates wide-open looks next to the basket. She wanted to get to a spot on the court, and she muscled through a defender to get there on a drive using a strong shoulder, then utilized a step-through pivot to score with her off hand. Paisley drove hard to the basket on a physical drive for another bucket, finished confidently with both hands inside, and displayed excellent balance in the paint. She went by using a quick crossover dribble, transferred to her right, then finished off two feet. Paisley buried a corner three, dished a sweet behind-the-back pass to a cutter, created steals on the defensive end, pursued rebounds, and added an emphatic block in transition. She doesn't quit on a play, competes equally hard on both sides of the ball, and does what needs to be done to win.

High school basketball is back, and I couldn't be more excited. I plan to provide Prep Girls Hoops coverage in every region of Michigan this June. It's like following a treasure map, and I know there will be dozens of hidden gems to discover along the way. The first stop on my coverage journey brought me to Mount Pleasant for Central Michigan University Team Camp. CMU has a rich history of hosting high school girls' team camps. Head Coach Kristin Haynie and the CMU WBB brought it back this summer, and the event was a major success. Teams from all across Michigan came out, and I had the opportunity to see a fantastic variety of prospects and teams throughout the day. Prospects fit for every level of college basketball appeared, and one of the coolest features of camp was that every team had an opportunity to play a game on CMU's main court in the arena. To maximize my coverage and ability to see as many teams as possible, I held down the fort in the SAC. Four adjacent courts are a scout's dream, and I had a fantastic time watching the games.