Brawl for the Ball: Ohio/Michigan Top Performers

<p>We will close the book on Brawl for the Ball coverage by touching on the top performers from the states of Ohio and Michigan. Despite being hosted in Fort Wayne for the last two years due to looser Coronavirus protocols, this tournament does draw heavily from Michigan due to its permanent home in Grand Rapids. Let’s take a look at five players that stood out on the "other" teams while I was focused on evaluating the state of Indiana talent.</p> <h3>Anchor Basketball Academy</h3> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="863993" first="Ethan" last="Crabtree"] (Coldwater H.S. Michigan 2022)- As I have already mentioned in my weekend notebook, Crabtree was without a doubt one of the best college prospects in the gym at Brawl for the Ball. The 6’4" point guard was on fire from beyond the arc in the game that I saw while also showcasing the ability to consistently get to the rim of the dribble. With his combination of size and athleticism he is a very good finisher inside as well. Low-major Division I need to get out to evaluate him, and he is without a doubt a high-level Division II player.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="986745" first="Kaden" last="Johnson"] (Hartford H.S. Michigan 2022)- The 6’8" forward’s most intriguing trait is his positional versatility on both ends of the floor. Johnson is a good ball handler who is certainly comfortable handling it on the perimeter and has the ability to attack off of the bounce. He also showed off patience in the post playing with good pace as he got into his moves, finishing with a nice left-handed baby hook shot. Defensively he moves his feet pretty well and then can be long at the end of drives to disrupt shots inside. Coaches need to get eyes on him in the final evaluation period.</p> <h3>Bates Fundamentals 17u Red</h3> [caption id="attachment_1067042" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/SeanCraig.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1067042 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/SeanCraig-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1211318" first="Sean" last="Craig"] (Sylvania Northview/Bates Fundamentals Red)[/caption] <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1211318" first="Sean" last="Craig"] (Sylvania Northview H.S. Ohio 2022)- Craig is a really, really nice prospect that has coaches at all levels interested in his services. He did recently earn his first Division I offer from St. Francis (PA) and there should be more to come. At 6’7", Craig is a really fluid athlete both vertically and laterally which gives him the ability to be switchable defensively and guard multiple positions. I really like his game.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="863938" first="Juwan" last="Maxey"] (Renaissance H.S. Michigan 2022)- Like Craig, Maxey recently picked up his first Division I offer as well from Mississippi Valley State. The 6’1" point guard can really fill it up offensively with excellent shooting ability. When he gets hot, watch out. Off the dribble he is really shifty too showcasing the ability to get into the paint whenever he wants. Can play either guard spot at the college level.</p> <h3>MBA Lakeshore-National 17u</h3> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1067860" first="Jalen" last="Overway"] (Holland Christian H.S. Michigan 2022)- Standing at a legit 6’9", Overway showed off some impressive footwork and soft hands around the basket to go along with his massive frame. He has some nice offensive skill that is intriguing at his size. He was very good in the game I watched on Saturday at Brawl for the Ball. If you need a 5-man you need to go see him play!</p>