Rising prospect: Michael Engelbert (2018)
A year ago, Michael Engelbert was trying to find his place on a talented Park Hill squad that featured a deep and talented roster.
But after a strong summer with KC Premiere, Engelbert is looking forward to a big senior season. An athletic, 6’5 wing player who can play above the rim, Engelbert has drawn interest from several college programs over the past few months.
Engelbert can knock down perimeter shots, get to the basket and says his passing is an underrated part of his game.
“Over the past season I’ve grown as a player mainly from becoming more confident,” he said. “I think growing a couple more inches and getting stronger helped expand my game.”
Engelbert says competing for KC Premiere has helped his game grow as well as he competed alongside several talented players and in numerous big tournaments.
“I think the team has had a good amount of success throughout the summer starting off 3-1 in Iowa … Throughout the season I made a lot of friends through KC Premiere,” he said. “I hope the main thing I get out of the summer is a lot of college interest that leads to offers.”
Although he does not currently hold any offers, Engelbert has drawn interest from Lehigh, UMKC, Navy, Cornell, and Colorado School of Mines.
He says the biggest influence on his basketball career to date has been his mom.
“She always drove me to my games when I was young and improved my knowledge of the game greatly,” he said. “Given she is a great reader, she has always used books to teach me things about the game.”
Engelbert says he enjoys watching NBA guard Steph Curry play and has tried to take various elements of the stars game and make them his own.
“I feel I have taken a good amount of things from his game and tried to implement it into my own,” he said. “This would include studying his shooting mechanics, watching the way he moves without the ball, and learning how he is able to create space.”