Seven Thursday Night Mystics Open Run Shout-Outs

I took a short day trip over to Mott Community College to evaluate the 2028, 2029, and 2030 prospects at Mystics Open Run. Here are seven prospects from the two sessions who grabbed my attention during the 3v3 and 5v5 games.    Naomi broke onto the scene with an All-Showcase First Team performance at the PGH Michigan State Showcase, and I had a feeling when I saw her at Mystics Open Run on Thursday that she was about to turn some heads. Naomi has the ball on a string. She changes speeds, accelerates with an explosive burst through the gap, and finishes with great touch at the rim. Naomi scored a full-speed drive-by bucket with her off-hand against a contesting defender from a tough angle, kissing the shot high off the glass. She buried a smooth slot three, then raced down the court on a fast break and pulled up again from the wing to sink another confident triple on the next possession. Naomi drilled a straightaway three off the bounce, drove by with a burst for a bucket, sank a mid-range pull-up, and buried another three from the slot. She's a crafty point guard playmaker, and I'm anticipating a breakout sophomore campaign for her at Northville this winter.     At PGH, we are always on the hunt to identify new prospects and catch new players performing at their best. Being there to capture those moments is probably my favorite part of the job. Madeline was that new kid on the block who turned in an eye-popping performance at the Mystics Open Run. She played with a confidence and swagger against the taller girls that really stood out. One of her highlights was when she drove to the basket with a full head of steam, absorbed contact from a long defender, switched hands in mid-air, and put the layup through the net. Madeline was on fire from beyond the arc. Here are some notes: wing three, deep wing three swish, wing three, back-to-back mid-corner threes, wing three off the dribble, mid-corner three. Madeline used head fakes, crossovers, and retreat dribbles to create space from defenders. She has a tight handle on the ball and gets downhill with a burst to score speedy layups. Madeline is going to be a playmaker in the backcourt at Fa. Gabriel Richard.     Lily had me on the edge of my seat at Mystics Open Run on Thursday. She put on a fireworks display from beyond the arc. I always say that I want a shot maker, not a shot taker. Efficiency is the mark of a great shooter. Lily went on a stretch where she hit 7 of 8 attempts, with several coming from the mid-corners on both sides of the court, corners, deep wing shots, and a straightaway bomb. Beyond shooting, Lily impacted games with her vision, firing crisp passes to open teammates across the court and dump-offs on the move for assists. She scored a sweet scoop finish layup with pace, chased down an offensive rebound, then went up off two for the finish. Freeland is adding a dynamic duo to their backcourt, and Deshone will be a complete point guard to watch at the PGH Michigan Freshman Showcase.     Her nickname should be "Ferrari" if it's not already. Elliana plays like a Ferrari on the court, maintaining a full-throttle pace on both ends. She pressured the ball on the perimeter for a good five seconds, defending with her feet and sliding quickly laterally both directions to eliminate any dribble penetration. Elliana scored a speedy catch-and-finish, changed lanes with a sudden crossover dribble, then shifted into high gear for an explosive drive-by bucket. She split the gap to score an inside-hand finish at the rim, went by with a full-speed inside-out move for a layup, drained a smooth corner three, and created steals with her relentless ball pressure. Elliana had a strong showing at Mystics Open Run on Thursday, and it looks like wide open lanes to a huge day at the PGH Michigan Freshman Showcase.     Vivian is starting to fill out her long frame. I commented, "Have you gotten taller?" when I walked by because she definitely looks like it. She's not just looking taller; Vivian is starting to look like a very promising higher-level guard-wing prospect. She's athletic, jumps out of the gym, and her fundamentals are really starting to take hold. Vivian was efficient around the basket. She went up strong off two feet to finish at her highest point, which kept defenders from altering her shot. Vivian scored effectively with her left and right off two feet. She made good backdoor cuts and showed her outside range by sinking two confident corner threes. Vivian buried a short jumper off a crossover dribble, and she separated herself at the Mystics Open Run on Thursday.     Presley is a guard in this class who's starting to look the part of a higher-level guard prospect. She has good length, is starting to add some muscle, and her skills are definitely a separator on the court. Presley buried a smooth step-back jumper from the wing and added a clean catch-and-shoot three from the slot. She recognizes an advantage before catching the ball and immediately zipped a pass to a sprinting teammate in stride for the assist during a fast break. Presley knocked down two more corner threes and was very efficient with her ball touches. She doesn't force the issue and makes the right play. Presley is going to have a stellar sophomore campaign at Powers Catholic, and she had a very strong showing at the Mystics Open Run on Thursday.     Bay City Central is adding an immediate playmaker to their backcourt. Taylor drained a deep three up top and added another smooth triple from the wing off a jab step-back. She jumped up to snatch a defensive rebound at its highest point and handled the ball with poise. Taylor stretches the floor with her outside shot, creates with her dribble, and does a nice job of moving to open space. She'll be a prospect to watch at the PGH Michigan Freshman Showcase.

I took a short day trip over to Mott Community College to evaluate the 2028, 2029, and 2030 prospects at Mystics Open Run. Here are seven prospects from the two sessions who grabbed my attention during the 3v3 and 5v5 games.