Grit Region Classic-Michigan Makes a “Point”

In a loaded and geographically diverse field. The state of Michigan was represented well by a stable of good point guard prospects. They also represented different regions within the Mitten. From Detroit, to the west side and even the thumb. It was all on display in Ohio. [player_tooltip player_id="863965" first="Scott" last="Sims"] 5-11 2022 Kalamazoo Central (pictured at top of article) I named Sims the best ball handler in my Saturday Superlatives column. He kept the strong play going on Sunday in his first weekend with DV45. Is the consummate point guard. Has the ball on the string and is a wizard in pick and roll opportunities. Not the tallest point guard but makes up for it with a powerfully built frame. While he didn’t show it as much this past weekend. Has the athleticism to make plays above the rim at 5-11. What he did show is the next level ability to accelerate quickly in both half court and transition opportunities. Really sets up teammates well as a distributor. It’s not surprising that regular season teammate [player_tooltip player_id="814626" first="Gerald" last="Crawford III"] excelled this weekend. Sims knew how to set up him up well and put the ball right where it needed to be. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Cameron-Brillantes.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1196708" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Cameron-Brillantes-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Cameron Brillantes 5-11 2022 Okemos Not a point guard in the true sense. However with his size this will be his position if he wants to play at the next level. He can play the point but really stands out a shooter. Was able to do that and then some as Sims manned the point for DV45. Not the biggest prospect but it is telling that his best games in Columbus came against teams with bigger backcourts. Scored 12 points in a victory against Nova Village. But saved his best for last. Drained nine threes for an even 27 points in the closing victory against Athlete Headquarters. Doesn’t need much space to get his shot off and really likes to pull it in transition. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/28_Andrew-McCarthyPrepHoops-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1061824" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/28_Andrew-McCarthyPrepHoops-2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1068139" first="Andrew" last="McCarthy"] 6-2 2022 Monroe Like Brillantes not a true point guard. However showed the ability to play both positions for Ohio based Athlete Headquarters. Has good size for a point guard and is a heady ball handler. It’s not a flashy handle but he does not turn the ball over. Really excels as a shooter. I have seen him in previous events drill them from behind the arc. In Columbus he was doing most of his damage in the mid range. Highly competitive player who continued to work hard despite his team not having the best results on the weekend. Will team with [player_tooltip player_id="863989" first="Xander" last="Middleton"] to form an a dynamic and big backcourt for the Trojans. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/600686F8-69AE-4C6B-8C85-FA1117903F5B-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1622834911.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1208269" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/600686F8-69AE-4C6B-8C85-FA1117903F5B-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1622834911-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1051082" first="Alonzo" last="Fears"] 6-1 2021 Detroit Cristo Rey The Detroit version of Sims. Excellent ball handler who just appears to move at a different speed than everyone else on the floor. At 6-1 with long arms he was able to effectively toggle between the 1 and 2 positions. At both positions Fears excelled as a penetrator. Has the size and athletic ability to make plays at the rim. Standout game was a clutch Saturday victory against a good Indiana Red Storm squad. Scored 19 points and wanted the ball in his hands in crunch time. Playing at a small Division 4 parochial school makes it seem like he has been a little under exposed. Averaged an impressive 24.6 points a game in his senior season. Could be a late steal or good candidate for a prep school blowup. [player_tooltip player_id="1076038" first="Trey" last="Kolakovich"] 5-11 2023 Croswell-Lexington What a difference a year makes. Not that he ever looked bad but Kolokovitch has really made strides athletically. Last year with UTS Elite he showed an advanced skill level for his age. However I wondered if he would develop the athleticism to develop into a lead guard prospect. Consider it done. He probably will never be a burner but moved with the same quickness and bounce that any other prospect had on the weekend. Also showed an a very clever array floaters that allowed him to score in the mid range. Played with a Michigan Cagers squad loaded with good shooters. Kolakovich— who is a good long range shooter in his own right set them up very well. This included regular season teammates [player_tooltip player_id="1130949" first="Zachary" last="Kroetsch"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1130947" first="Mitchell" last="Geiger"]. As you can see after a stellar season the cupboard is not bare for the Pioneers. Kolakovich and company should be able to keep the Cros-Lex train rolling.