Fab Five of Northern Michigan in Fort Wayne
Top Northern Michigan Prospects from Fort Wayne Last weekend I gave you the top ten prospects from the Brawl for the Ball. Due to a scarcity of Northern prospects at the Gym Rats National Championships in Fort Wayne we will…
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Continue ReadingTop Northern Michigan Prospects from Fort Wayne
Last weekend I gave you the top ten prospects from the Brawl for the Ball. Due to a scarcity of Northern prospects at the Gym Rats National Championships in Fort Wayne we will limit it to five in this installment. I’ll also expand the definition of Northern Michigan to include the US 10 corridor. Meaning Jeff Carrier(Mason County Central) missed the cut by a week; but I will get something up on him as he did not play in Fort Wayne after playing well in Grand Rapids.
- Peyton LaCombe 6-7 2022 Ludington Just entering his sophomore year this young big possesses huge upside. Ludington has a history of successful big men. In the mid nineties Chadd Holmes went on to play at pre-Steph Curry Davidson. More recent the Orioles are sending Joshua Laman to reigning NAIA national champions Spring Arbor after two appearances at the Breslin Center. I watched LaCombe’s very first high school game in person at Cadillac. Then and now, this is the type of long fluid athlete that immediately catches your attention. Suiting up with the nationally prominent AAU program Illinois Wolves, LaCombe fits in nicely with more lauded Chicago area prospects. Playing for Thad Shank at Ludington college coaches should have no worries about his defense. Well schooled, he uses his athleticism to close out quickly and properly on the perimeter. Also posses the length to develop as a potentially elite rim protector. Runs the court like a deer and fills lanes with good spacing. Had a big weekend in Fort Wayne. Game clinching rebound and clutch free throws in the Wolves overtime victory over Indiana Elite-Summit City on Friday. Also scored 11 points in the championship game of the Platinum Bracket. Still developing offensively but has plenty time and potential to do it.
- Lucas Lueder 6-5 2019/20 Sanford Meridian If we follow US 10 east we find a unique prospect who some might say resides in mid Michigan. Geography qualms aside Lueder is player who deserves mention. A standout player on a program that fell to Iron Mountain in the Class C quarterfinals, Leuder has exhausted his MHSSA eligibility. However through a dual enrollment program provided by his school district he will be graduating in the class of 2020 with an Associates degree in hand. On the court Leuder is intriguing due to his mix of size and perimeter skills. A legitimate backcourt prospect with long arms. These long arms allowed him to effectively play the lead guard position when I first saw Sanford Meridian in the regular season. It was nice to see him in the front court at Fort Wayne as his Champ Sports team was loaded with guards. He faired quite well in this position particularly on Saturday morning against Players Advantage (IN). Showed winning pedigree by leading his team to the Bronze bracket championship after going 1-2 in pool play. Went out in style, scoring 23 points in the final contest. Leuder is interested in playing at the next level. If a college coach is looking for versatile prospect with an advanced academic profile, they should give this young man a look.
- Drew Hess 6-0 2021 Mio If you viewed last week post I mentioned this young man is a shooter. If you didn’t, you probably still might know this kid a shooter. Added to his mantle the weekend GRBA 3 point shooting championship to go along with the MHSAA 3-point shooting trophy earned in March. So you get the point, this young man has a really good……overall floor game? Yep. Showed much more in Fort Wayne than I saw in Grand Rapids. Nothing flashy but showed an efficient and quality handle throughout the weekend. Involved his teammates as well. Showed the ability to move his game into the mid range when needed. Most impressively during crunch time in Parallel 45’s close Friday win against Nova Village, Hess wanted the ball in his hands. Good to see such competitiveness and fire.
- Jayden Alfred 6-3 2021 Mancelona Similarly to Hess, built off his strong performance in Grand Rapids continuing to show development. Type of athlete that can elevate over people, so it was nice see the use of a Euro-step to elude defenders in the open court. This is an important development as foul trouble dogged him the previous week. Highly competitive and did not back down from anyone all weekend. If he continues to add elements to his game Alfred will be an intriguing prospect due to athletic profile.
- Brady Hunter 6-0 2020 Gaylord St Mary As mentioned above Champs Sports had plenty of good guards, and Hunter was one of them. Highly competitive three sport standout who carried himself like it. Not overly long with a stocky build that is not going to get pushed around. A quarterback on the football field and the court as his leadership was evident throughout the weekend. Success on the diamond has brought Hunter plenty of winning and big game experience. Like Leuder this shone brightest outside of pool play. Showed his perimeter touch by draining six threes and scoring a team high 28 points during a win or go home victory to open Sunday. Contributed 11 points in the championship contest. Good small school prospect to keep an eye on.