Rumble in the Rapids- 2023 All Tournament Teams

As with any listing or ranking or listing there comes trepidation. So here is my annual disclaimer. I only write about what I see with my own two eyes. You might not see me much at a tournament because I’m constantly moving trying to see as many players as I can. That being said I can’t see them all. So if you are angered or wondering about an omission chances are I just didn’t see it. After doing the vets (2022) and the kids (2024) let wrap it up with the in between group. First Team PG- [player_tooltip player_id="986892" first="Shawn" last="Foreman"] 5-11 Comstock Park Foreman earned his spot by being Mr. Clutch on Saturday for the Grand Rapids Thunder. Began the morning with game winning steal and assist to Javion Otton (GR Kenowa Hills) to defeat Chicago Lockdown 55-54. Did it again later in the evening. This time did it all himself. Got the steal, drew a foul, then split a pair at the line to defeat Michigan based The Process 52-51. So obviously he is a excellent perimeter defender. Moves his feet well and has quick hands. Lived up to his reputation as a ball handler. He will have to improve his shot from the perimeter as it did look a little flat at times. SG- Marshaun Flakes 6-2 East Kentwood This exciting young combo guard had an excellent weekend for a B3 Athletics squad that went 3-1 on the weekend. You don’t usually see guards notching a double double. Flakes pulled it off in the opening contest to the tune of 19 points and 11 assists. Kept the production going throughout the event. Finished off the weekend with 20 points against R4L. There is a TON young talent coming up through the Falcons program. If Flakes continues developing he should be in a winning environment. SF- [player_tooltip player_id="1213117" first="Parker" last="Swartz"] 6-5 Muskegon Mona Shores First time seeing this prospect who had an extremely productive weekend leading MBA Lakeshore 2023 squad to a 4-0 record. It was a very deep cohesive unit that wasn’t really tested. Scored 25 points against a B3 Athletics squad with good backcourt depth. (see above) Swartz has excellent size for the 2/3 positions which allowed him to exploit B3’s smaller backcourt prospects. He is also an explosive athlete in transition who is able to finish above the rim. Shores is one the best football programs in the state with the banners to prove it. Swartz and fellow MBA participant 2022 6-9 [player_tooltip player_id="983526" first="Donovan" last="Russell"] will be aiming to make the Sailors known for their hardwood exploits. PF- [player_tooltip player_id="985669" first="Damaryon" last="Fishburn"] 6-5 Taylor Trillium (pictured at top of article) At such a big event I wouldn’t dare to come up with a tournament MVP—that being said if I HAD to I might have to go with this multi faceted player. I don’t generally do this but here is his scoring line for the weekend. Fishburn posted 23, 28, and 24 points in his first three games. Honestly I lost count in the last game but it was well over 20. Perhaps more impressive was the effortless way he managed to do it. He’s not a pump as his points came within the flow of the offense. His Hoop Mentality squad went 4-0 on the weekend so these were not empty stats. A true three level scorer. I could easily see him playing the 2 through 4 spots depending on physical growth and development. Has a wide frame that allows him to create space down low. But also has the quickness to play on the perimeter. With [player_tooltip player_id="811091" first="Pierre" last="Brooks"] moving onto Michigan St Fishburn and Tri Unity’s 2022 PG [player_tooltip player_id="863922" first="Brady" last="Titus"] should battle it out for the top Division 4 player status. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/16005C04-0E77-487D-A620-88E28A46118F-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1620153494.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1184544" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/16005C04-0E77-487D-A620-88E28A46118F-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1620153494-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> C- [player_tooltip player_id="1076004" first="Donovan" last="McDonald"] 6-6 Croswell Lexington I first saw this young man last summer with UTS Elite. The potential was easy to see with his long athletic frame. One year later after a quarterfinal run with a deep Croswell Lexington squad McDonald looks closer to a finished product. He appears to have thinned out a little and this has provided more agility and explosion around the rim. This increase in mobility makes him lethal in pick and roll situations. Rolls hard to the basket and showed good hands in gathering some difficult passes. Has excellent touch around the basket with both hands. Scored 16 points in the Michigan Cagers decisive tournament concluding victory over H.I.T 2023 (IL). If he continues on this development trajectory he should be hearing from college coaches by this time next year. Second Team <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1184548" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/C31CDB62-1991-466A-AA2D-EE20FFBFAEC7-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1620153756-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> PG- [player_tooltip player_id="1170692" first="Trenton" last="Boike"] 5-9 Genesee Christian While McDonald was doing work down low this guard was manning the perimeter for the Michigan Cagers. Solid ball handler with an advanced outside shot. Not the biggest or fastest prospect but had no problem getting to his spots or getting his shot off all weekend. Primarily played off the ball on the weekend but clearly has the skills to be a point guard. Intense player who got under the skin of his opponents. Standout game was on Saturday morning when he scored 18 points in a victory against Team Outwork. Size and quickness are going to be huge factors in this players development. For what it’s worth I thought he looked taller than his listed height. SG- [player_tooltip player_id="1214780" first="Jackson" last="Reynolds"] 6-0 Dearborn Divine Child Reynolds’ Top 1 Elite unit was easily the biggest team at the event. But when they needed a bucket the ball was in Reynolds hands. Almost single handedly brought his team back in a Friday defeat against MSF Flight. As the comeback showed, Reynolds is highly competitive and does not back down from a challenge. Not the biggest prospect as a two guard but is a good enough ball handler to play the point if needed. Has a level of speed and explosion that you would not expect from his stocky build. Should be noted that his squad bounced back from the Friday loss to go 3-1 on the weekend. Not surprising as Reynolds simply makes a lot of winning plays. SF- Harrison Sorelle 6-6 Grand Haven Swartz partner crime on a very good MBA Lakeshore 2023 team. Sorelle is a long, lanky, and bouncy athlete. I first saw him last summer with the Grand Rapids Storm. A year later clearly taller with an improving skill set. Sorelle was in double figures in multiple games on the weekend but excels in more of the intangible categories right now. Has the length to be a multi positional defender. Despite a slender frame is not afraid of contact and is a presence on the glass. The Buccaneers broke Muskegon’s decade plus long stranglehold hold on their district and have a lot talent returning. Most of that talent was on display this weekend with other MBA teams. Too many to list but Sorelle showed this weekend that he can play his role well. Consequently the statistics might not jump off the page. This should not deter college coaches due his measurables and winning pedigree. PF- [player_tooltip player_id="1214781" first="Jahvair" last="Pauldo"] 6-5 Detroit Henry Ford While [player_tooltip player_id="985669" first="Damaryon" last="Fishburn"] was filling it up from everywhere. This young man was doing the dirty work down low. Not the tallest post prospect but extremely long arms and lateral quickness make up for it. Displayed his quickness multiple times by hedging on picks and stepping out to guard the opposing point guard. Big time presence on the glass all weekend. Formed an imposing frontcourt with [player_tooltip player_id="863942" first="Stephon" last="Bibbs"]. Bibbs has bounced around a little bit but Pauldo is slated to team with him to form what could be the top frontcourt in the always competitive PSL. If they can continue what they have started with Hoop Mentality Detroit Henry Ford should be in good shape. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1184552" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/E03B5E86-F313-4F46-8BCF-7694D5D7F963-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1620153971-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> C- Colton Wiler 6-6 Reading As previously stated Top 1 2023 might have been the biggest team in the entire field. That did not intimidate this post prospect at all. Giving up 2-3 inches on every player Wiler produced a gem of a game on Friday evening for MSF Flight. Not afraid of contact would be an understatement. Threw his body all over the floor. Not just a banger though. Showed skill by stepping out to hit multiple shots from the perimeter including two threes. Moved well without the ball which you don’t usually see in a post. Good blood lines as his brother plays football at Saginaw Valley St. If Wiler keeps developing he could follow in his footsteps on the hardwood.