Gilbert’s Notebook: Week 4 Notes

Jonathon Gilbert March 8, 2021 @ 05:15 PM

In the homestretch of this vapor of a season here are some Week 4 four standouts JJ Marshall 5-11 2022 Petoskey Displayed the usual level of quickness that have I viewed before. However showed a level comfort and maturity that allowed him to basically control the tempo against a Cadillac team that was favored to win the Big North conference. For a small guard is explosive in the open court. Went coast-to-coast on more than one instance against Cadillac. Good penetrator who avoids the trap of getting too deep. Once in the paint does a good job finding teammates and keeping passes up high for the big guys. Having a big junior campaign. Followed up his Cadillac performance with 20 points against a deep Traverse City Central backcourt. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/141_Peyton-LaCombePrepHoops-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1061914" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/141_Peyton-LaCombePrepHoops-2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="983502" first="Peyton" last="LaCombe"] 6-8 2022 Ludington As with most young bigs aggressiveness is something that tends to develop late. It was nice to see LaCombe show a new level of offensive assertiveness against a small Benzie Central frontline. Scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Huskies. Playing more of the 5 than he his accustomed to as the Orioles are smaller than usual. Accordingly has added some muscle to what was once a skinny frame. That won’t be his position at the next level. Stepped out and looked very confident draining a three. Also handled the ball well in transition. Finished off the week with another double double of 13 points and 10 rebounds against Cadillac. Will probably stick closer to home for the AAU season this year. College coaches will want to catch this young man. [player_tooltip player_id="1125791" first="Evan" last="Borr"] 6-6 2021 Cadillac The physical tools have jumped of the page for three years. But like a lot young big men has a tendency to float a bit. No floating on Tuesday. While the numbers were not there against Petoskey I was impressed with the aggressiveness. Took it right at Ben Wagar (see below) and 2022 Braidon Ewing. Carried that over into a huge performance against Ludington on Saturday. Four first quarter three’s allowed him to finish with a game high 21 points. Not sure about his recruitment. But to put it simply— there is always a place for bouncy long athletes who can hit the three. Also has an excellent academic profile. Could be a late steal in this most unusual recruiting calendar. [player_tooltip player_id="864009" first="Nate" last="Childers"] 6-2 2022 Benzie Central (pictured at top of the article) If you like your point guards to have a little more strength. This is your guy. While not the quickest prospect makes up for it with strength and competitiveness. Not a natural distributor but appears to be growing into the position. Makes good decisions and has enough of a perimeter shot to keep defenders honest. Struggled a bit with the speed of Ludington 2024 standout David Shillinger. But get used the that sentence in the next few years— he is fast. That being said Childers did appear to be quicker than when I saw him in the fall. Very active in grassroots basketball, so exposure should not be an issue. If he can keep going on this trajectory, there could be a place for him at the next level. Ben Wagar 6-7 2021 Petoskey I’m not going to try and sugarcoat it. I have seen this young big man before and never came away with much to write about. That changed against Cadillac Tuesday in a big way. Had an excellent game against the Vikings imposing frontline that features Borr (see above) and 2022 standout [player_tooltip player_id="1068145" first="Cole" last="Jenema"]. Scored both at the basket and even stepped out to hit a few threes. Very skinny but offsets that with a high level of mobility and lateral quickness. Also has very long arms. Appeared to be left handed but good with the right as well. I believe in the old adage that big guys develop late. That could be the case here. If a small college coach wants to hit Huddl for a late steal this could be your guy.