Michigan State Team Camp Standouts
On June 16-17th, teams from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan came together to participate in the Michigan State team camp. Here are a few players that stood out because of how well they played or how much they meant to their team.
Lamar Norman – Godwin Hts. (Michigan) – PG – 2018
Lamar is a very athletic point guard who can jump out of the gym. He had spectators make their way to his court during warm-ups to watch him show off a variety of dunks. It was very impressive to watch. He has high basketball IQ and was able to pick up on the other team’s tendencies, jump the passing lanes and then finish with another slam. Other teams also failed to keep him in front of him on defense, so Lamar was able to penetrate and kick to open shooters. He also showed the ability to shoot knocking down four 3’s in one game. He is a leader for Godwin Heights, and helps get his guys into the right positions on defense as well as on offense when running plays.
Mark “Rocket” Watts – Detroit Old Redford (Michigan) – PG – 2019
Mark was by far the quickest guard at the University of Michigan team camp. He continued to blow by defenders all weekend with a killer first step. Explosive! He scored all of his teams 19 points in the first half in one game, then the other team sent double teams which Mark dribbled around and either finished at the rim or found open shooters. He showed the ability to shoot the 3 as well as being able to shoot off the dribble. Right before half, he dribbled the clock down to about six seconds, started to drive to the basket from the left wing, stopped at the left elbow, acted like he was going to shoot, got the defender to jump, then he crossed over and created about 5 feet of space to shoot the open jumper which he made right before the buzzer went off. That move and several others drew a lot of “Oooohhs” from the crowd including current Michigan State player Myles Bridges who was running the clock. He currently has offers from Georgia Tech, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan St, Marquette, Mississippi St, UAB and a few other mid-majors. I’m sure that list will grow as he plays on the EYBL circuit with The Family.
Trey Syroka – Toledo Whitmer (Ohio) – PG – 2019
At first glance, Trey doesn’t pass the eye test. He’s only 5’8 and that might be a basketball program height. Being that small, almost every opponent tried to pressure, be physical with Trey in hopes they’d turn him over and then it doesn’t take long to realize this kid can play. His change of direction, hesitation and ability to get separation from his defender help him protect the ball while his defenders are getting embarrassed drawing many “Ooohhhhhs” from those in attendance. Trey is the catalyst for Whitmer, setting up the offense, getting guys matched up on defense and breaking the press by himself, breaking down the defense and kicking out to shooters. His handles, vision and ability to finish at the rim despite being small make him an ideal PG for any team.
Nate Bruns – Marion Local (Ohio) – Wing – 2018
Nate Bruns has been having a great summer and many college coaches are starting to notice. He can play inside and out and this was evident this weekend at Michigan State. Nate would post smaller defenders or shoot the 3 or drive around post players that tried to guard him. Nate is going to be a mid-major type of player in college especially if he gets quicker or he will play at the D2 level and continue to be a problem for his opponents.
Naz Cameron – Lima Senior (Ohio) – Post – 2021
Naz is a talented freshman that plays much bigger than his 6’5 frame. He has really good control of his body and his ability stay vertical to challenge shots as a freshman is one of his best qualities. He is an extremely good rebounder on both ends of the floor, and his ability to keep the ball alive by tipping it gave his team extra possessions they needed to win a few close games during this team camp. He has a nice spin move that he used a couple of times and either drew a foul or made the basket. Naz held his own against much bigger and more experienced post players that are being recruited by D1 and D2 colleges. I can see Naz being recruited by D1 schools in the next couple years.
Southfield Christian Trio (Michigan)
There has been a lot of talk in the NBA concerning “Super Teams” and “Big 3’s” in order to win a championship. Southfield Christian High School has a “Big 3” in Caleb Hunter (5’10, 2019), Harlond Beverly (6’4, 2019), Bryce Washington (6’4, 2018) and I’m sure they’ll be talking about a championship and hopefully playing for one this upcoming March.
Bryce Washington is a dangerous man in the open court because he wants to dunk on you and he has some serious bounce in those legs. He is also strong enough to finish through contact with either hand. Bryce showed his ability to knock down the 3 this weekend while also driving past defenders looking for contact as he drove to the rim. I thought he also made the proper basketball plays kicking it out to Beverly or Hunter when they were open when defenders were in good position to take charges.
Harlond Beverly is a 6’4 shooting guard that can fill it up in a hurry. He is long, athletic and shows a good first step to get by defenders. In transition, Harlond showed his ability to pull up or finish at the rim through traffic and contact. In the half court, he showed his ability to knock down shots running off screens. He showed good instincts anticipating several passes, getting out into the passing lanes that led to transition points for his team.
Caleb Hunter, the son of Lindsey Hunter, has picked up a lot of the traits his father had as a point guard in the NBA. Caleb is a strong point guard who can bully his way to get where he wants to go but he also has a very nice hesitation move that helps him get into the lane and finish with a floater over long, athletic post players. He knocked down 3 after 3 this weekend and when the games got tight, he seemed to keep his poise and lead his team to the W.
In the final game of the weekend, Southfield Christian found themselves down 7 with a 1:20 left against Flint Beecher. The Southfield Christian trio went on to make a series of plays that included stealing an inbound pass by Hunter with 2 seconds left, so he took a dribble and hit a floater from the baseline as the buzzer went off. Having three players with their ability, they have a chance to beat anyone.