Motor City Wednesday Warriors

As I did on Monday. I hit two gyms on Wednesday in my trip to the Motor City. Unfortunately the second gym did not provide much in terms of scouting. How about this— Obi Toppin can really dunk. I enjoyed taking my son to a Pistons game for Christmas. But before I went. I stopped by the Motor City Roundball Classic for another good but abbreviated (for me at least) day of basketball. Here five prospects that stood out. Carter Bandemer 6-2 2022 Howell Heady point guard had good day in leading the Highlanders to a come from behind victory over a good a Saginaw Heritage squad. More importantly it was also their first win of the season. After dropping two close ones to open season it would have been easy for a team to hang it’s head after their slow start. Bandemer wouldn’t let them do that. Good size for a point guard. Skinny and lanky build that makes him look taller than his listed height. Has kind of unorthodox looking game. But is an efficient ball handler who made few mistakes. Howell did struggle with Heritage’s press late. But the Highlander’s seemed to settle down once the ball was in his hands. Only scored six points. But they were huge ones. Hit back to back threes in the third quarter that gave his squad it’s first lead that they would not relinquish. Has some small college interest. His body will probably fill out in the next few years. Type of player who could take a leap in the right situation. [player_tooltip player_id="1112377" first="Tyler" last="Ode"] 6-5 2024 Saginaw Heritage Easily the standout of the day in the few games I watched. The best athlete on the court as a 2024 prospect. Did it all on the offensive end. I was speaking with a trainer that works with him a few weeks ago. He described him as a “hoss”. After viewing him that is a pretty apt description. Just a country strong physically advanced scoring wing. Not all strength though. Rises quickly and has a soft touch in the mid range. Always has his shoulders squared to basket when he shoots. I’d like to see him speed up his release a little from beyond the arc. But he still young and there is nothing mechanically wrong with the shot. Moved well without the basketball and showed well schooled footwork in pick and roll situations. Really showed off the strength in the post. Did it two different ways. Simply bullied players at times. However I was impressed with how he instinctively carved out position and sealed off defenders in the post. I hate to stay in the same school for a comparison. But reminds me a lot of Parker Day (Grand Valley St) More offensively skilled at this point of his development. But a similar athlete in terms of explosive leg strength. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Braylon-Isom.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1209926" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Braylon-Isom-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1112372" first="Braylon" last="Isom"] 6-2 2024 Saginaw Heritage Even though the stats won’t jump off the page I was impressed Isom’s effort on Wednesday. When I first caught him with Puma Elite 1 of 1 this summer the physical attributes immediately catch your eye. Simply put there are not many 2024 prospect that can match Isom’s measurables. But I wondered during the regular season how he would look against players closer to his size. The answer is Isom just expanded his game and became a serviceable and big point guard. I did not see that coming after this summer. Don’t get me wrong. I would be surprised if that is his long term position. But played it well on Wednesday. Stood out defensively. Stepped into passing lanes for steals. Took one coat to coast for a powerful dunk. Has good body control that he uses to score easily around the rim. Showed toughness by playing through an early pretty nasty facial injury. Accordingly is generating some interest as a gridiron recruit as well. Whatever he chooses the future is bright for this prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="983502" first="Peyton" last="LaCombe"] 6-8 2022 Ludington (pictured at top of article) Not much went right for the Orioles in their loss to Ann Arbor Skyline. But LaCombe put in some good work. Particularly late in the contest. A late tip dunk appeared to get both him and his team going a bit after a lethargic three quarters. Followed that with a big time blocked shot that provided a glimmer of hope. Most impressive play of the day however was a pass. Grabbed a rebound and fired a high velocity three quarter court outlet pass to a streaking [player_tooltip player_id="1300876" first="David" last="Shillinger"] for a bucket. Not resting on his laurels after committing to Michigan Tech. Seems to show a new aspect of his game every time I see him. Moved well without the ball on Wednesday. Getting a bucket off a nice back door cut. Kept fighting even with the game well out of reach. The Huskies are getting a good one. Sam Koelling 6-5 2023 Ann Arbor Skyline One of the main catalyst in Ludington’s struggles was Skyline’s long and athletic frontline. Leading the charge was this versatile defender. Used his length to collect a pair of blocked shots. Like his opponent LaCombe moved well without the ball all night. This set up some good looks in the mid rage that he calmly sunk with a nice soft touch. Appeared to have good hands as corralled some difficult passes. Also converted an unusual looking layup solely with one hand. Not the biggest scoring output but made a lot winning plays that his team used to pull away from a good squad. A little off the recruiting radar right now. But that could change quickly with a big junior season and summer. Already has the physical profile.