West Michigan Hoop Summit: 2027 Standouts

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, and 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. Here are several 2027 prospects who had an outstanding day for their teams.    A scrappy point guard who plays with endless energy, toughness, quickness, and constant effort for 32 minutes on both ends is the type of prospect college coaches want in their program. Aries demonstrated all of those qualities for East Kentwood at the West Michigan Hoop Summit. She applied tremendous pressure on defense, was physical, and cut off the ball with her fast lateral movement. Aries used a hard dribble, spun, changed hands, and finished with a soft left-handed layup off the glass. She accelerated down the lane with a burst and banked a soft left-handed floater off the glass in traffic. Aries closed out fast to block a shot and sprinted from behind for another swat. She pursued rebounds with determination, handled the ball confidently with both hands, distributed the rock to open teammates, and played through pain. Aries scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out four assists, and blocked two shots for the Falcons.     Elise had a very impactful day for Grass Lake at the West Michigan Hoop Summit. She drove hard to the basket, absorbed contact, and finished with a strong and-one layup. Elise completed the three-point play at the line. She was aggressive on defense and worked hard to keep forwards from getting position to catch entry passes into the post. Elise used excellent wall-up technique and dished out an assist after swiping the ball away. She converted a tough, contested layup with her left and made a great jump pass assist on the move after driving baseline. Elise contributed 11 points (5 for 5 FTs), with five assists, and three steals in the win.     Makya gave East Kentwood a spark on offense with her tough finishes and aggressive downhill drives. She used a quick rip move, drove by her defender, and finished the layup. Makya scored another bucket after an effective euro-step and batted down a pass for a steal. She dropped in a contested floater off the glass and was active on the glass. Makya contributed eight points and four rebounds for the Falcons against a tough opponent at the West Michigan Hoop Summit.     Payton was on fire from beyond the arc for Catholic Central at the West Michigan Hoop Summit. She ripped the net with three deep moonshots from the wing and drained a game-high five three-pointers off the hop. She kept her hands active inside and racked up four blocks on the defensive end. Payton used good footwork to create space with a pivot to drive and reached around a defender to force a foul. She drained both shots at the charity stripe. Payton led the Cougars with 19 points and earned Co-MVP honors.     Timera was a weapon for the Lady Reds from beyond the arc on Saturday. She found her hot spots in the corner and made the defense pay for giving her open space. Timera is active in the passing lanes, handles the ball well with both hands, and can get to the rim. She poured in 12 points with a game-high four threes and picked up three steals on defense for Muskegon. She's a dual-threat guard to have on your radar.     Jakayla pushed the ball up the court using both hands, created space, penetrated the defense, and looked to set up teammates on her hard downhill drives. She anticipated a pass to snag a steal and took it the distance with pace for a coast-to-coast layup. Jakayla caused deflections and a jump ball with her quick hands on defense. She used her athleticism to block a shot and turned on the afterburners for another full-court layup off a steal. Jakayla chased down rebounds, competed hard, and made positive plays for Waverly throughout the game. She scored six points and led the team with nine rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Jakayla had a productive day at the West Michigan Hoop Summit and showed her next-level potential.

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, and 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. Here are several 2027 prospects who had an outstanding day for their teams.