Lake St Elite Camp: Northern Michigan Standouts

<p>You didn’t need to look far to wonder why there was such a strong Northern Michigan contingent at the Lake Superior St Elite Camp. The Lakers have a long history of recruiting and having success with Northern players. Camp counselors included Northern alums such as <b>Jayden Perry </b>(Manton), <b>Xander Okerlund </b>(Glen Lake) <b>[player_tooltip player_id="789879" first="Andy" last="Soma"] </b>(TC West), and <b>[player_tooltip player_id="789766" first="Blake" last="Cassidy"] </b>(Pellston) Not a comprehensive list but here are five that stood out from a long list of attendees. <br /> <br /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1068264" first="Dylan" last="Cragg"] 6-4 Grayling </strong>I have watched this prospect a lot in the last two years. If you have been following along at home you know what comes next—BIG time athlete. I wasn’t sure he was there at the beginning of the day.  When he got to the drill station in which players attacked the rim. Let’s just say the whole gym knew he was there. You don’t see one step no dribble windmills every day. I think you get the picture that this young man is a big time leaper. Also has a sturdy frame that has him considering football at the next level. Has deep range on his jump shot and a quick effortless release. College coaches will want to catch him with Parallel 45 in Indiana during the summer AAU season </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1068123" first="Evan" last="Solomon"] 6-3 Charleviox </strong>Another Northern Michigan wing who perhaps the opposite of Cragg. A skilled and well coached wing without elite athleticism. I don’t want to sell him short. He is a very good athlete as well. Has some gridiron exploits of his own to prove that. However the strength of his game is in perimeter efficiency. Very little wasted motion in his shot and overall game for that matter. Excelled when the drills were split between guards and bigs. Showed excellent footwork and the ability to take smaller guards into the post. Displayed a lethal step back during the scrimmage portion in the evening. Played with the Grand Rapids Storm in the spring so should be easy to spot this summer. </p> <p><strong>Colin Hudson 6-7 Escanaba </strong>The evaluation comes with a bit of a caveat. Hudson was injured and did not participate in the evening scrimmages. Before the injury showed a lot of potential in the drill portion. Moves very well with a skinny but sturdy frame. Showed quick explosion to the rim and was able to finish with authority. Part of the big Eskymo frontline that is coming off a quarterfinal appearance. Should move into more a featured role in his senior season. Was hoping to catch more at the camp but I will have to wait until the regular season. </p> <p><strong>Tate Besteman 6-6 Rudyard </strong>The other UP big man who made a mark on the camp. Besteman first caught my eye last week at the Cadillac Summer Shootout. Had an up and down camp but when you put those two performances together deserves mention. A lot to like physically. Runs the court very well for a big and has excellent lateral agility. Has a quick second jump that makes him effective on the glass. Also has soft touch around the basket and even out on the perimeter. I thought he struggled a bit in the drills. But when the scrimmages started he showed the ability and promise that I saw in the previous week. The counting stats might not be there in the coming season. Plays on deep Rudyard squad coming off a semi final appearance. But has a chance to open some eyes with a big senior season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1220826" first="Caleb" last="Caul"] 6-2 Grayling </strong>This is the classic case of the comparison crunch. Caul’s athleticism isn’t in the class as his regular season and AAU teammate Cragg. However as he showed at the camp— it’s still pretty good. Moves well in quick short burst and is able to make plays above the rim. Decent ball handler but will need to firm it up a little if he wants to play at the next level. I have always been impressed with his competitive nature. This was on full display at the camp. Doesn’t back down from anyone. A big senior season could open the eyes of a small college coach. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>