Season Preview: Top 5 Backcourts

It’s finally that time. Next week high school basketball tips off in Michigan. Let’s kick our season preview into high gear by looking at some of the best positional units in the state. We’ll start with the backcourts. Limiting it to five made for some extremely difficult cuts. Hence the Honorable Mention section at the end. Tried to limit to specifically guards and not count stretch fours or fives. *All players are seniors (2022) unless noted 1. Orchard Lake St Mary’s Simply put this is a unit that has it all. Blue chip battle tested senior leadership— check. [player_tooltip player_id="1181896" first="Kareem" last="Rozier"] (Duquesne) and [player_tooltip player_id="787651" first="JaVaughn" last="Hannah"] (Western Michigan) are longtime grassroots teammates who are reuniting for one final run. Rozier (pictured at top of article) is a jet of a point guard with so many winning intangibles. Recent transfer Hannah is a powerfully built scorer who overpowers opponents at the high school level. If we stopped with those two the Eaglets would have a case for the top spot. But there is so much more. Youthful reinforcements with size— check. Sharod Barnes (6-2) and Trey McKenney (6-4) alone would be one the top 2025 backcourts in the state if not the nation. They are that good. Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah shooting— check. 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1111918" first="Daniel" last="Smythe"] (6-1) and baseball standout [player_tooltip player_id="1211145" first="Jack" last="Crighton"] (6-3) can both fill it up from deep. [caption id="attachment_1197780" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/5C4874D8-6421-4390-A49A-B8985CEC8337.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1197780" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/5C4874D8-6421-4390-A49A-B8985CEC8337-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Photo: Prep Hoops[/caption] 2. Grand Rapids Catholic Central The defending Division 2 state champions return just about everyone in the backcourt so this is a pretty easy call. What makes this group equally scary is that it is primarily led by youth. [player_tooltip player_id="1112374" first="Durral" last="Brooks"] is arguably the top player statewide in the class of 2024. “Phat Phat” stands out to me because he is just as good on the defensive end as he is offensively. You don’t often see that in a player so young. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="987270" first="Kaden" last="Brown"] (pictured) is an electric point guard who proved himself on the national level with the Mac Irvin Fire this summer. [player_tooltip player_id="863974" first="Jorden" last="Brooks"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1068148" first="Luka" last="Ressler"] are much more than just steady senior leaders. They are both very good basketball players who would receive more individual accolades if they were on different different team. I especially enjoyed watching Ressler this summer with the Grand Rapids Storm. Depending on how you classify [player_tooltip player_id="787680" first="Jack" last="Karasinski"] you see how truly deep this group is. At 6-6 the William & Mary commit has plenty of perimeter skills. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Spencer-Feig-Kobe-Kambestad.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1187719" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Spencer-Feig-Kobe-Kambestad-300x168.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="168" /></a> 3. Williamston The return of Division 1 bound Mason Docks (UMBC commit-you know the 16 seed that beat Virginia) from Texas elevates this group into the upper echelon. Docks is a lightning quick pass first point guard. He can be an absolute terror on the defensive end with his speed and quick hands. [player_tooltip player_id="863940" first="Jacob" last="Wallace"] is a walking bucket who scores at all three levels. Capable of running the point. The addition of Docks allows Wallace to get back to what he does best. Score the basketball. Even without the Docks this group might have been in the top five due the presence of [player_tooltip player_id="1190243" first="Spencer" last="Feig"] (pictured). Feig is an excellent ball handler with a smooth release on his left handed perimeter shot. Not the biggest or deepest unit. But with three legitimate college basketball players the Hornets will be a tough out in Division 2. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Untitled-1.gif"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1059625" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Untitled-1-300x300.gif" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a> 4. Grand Rapids Northview Basically the West Michigan version of St Mary’s. Talented, big, and deep. It starts with Belmont commit [player_tooltip player_id="787685" first="Kyler" last="Vanderjagt"] (pictured). A big time athlete who will be in the running for Mr. Basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="1111924" first="EJ" last="Ryans"] runs the show and is one of the top players in 2024 class. Vanderjagt (The Family) and Ryans (Indy Heat) tested themselves on a national level during the AAU season. [player_tooltip player_id="864018" first="Jalen" last="Charity"] is a top shelf athlete who plays well above the rim and is electric in the open court. [player_tooltip player_id="1068141" first="Grant" last="George"] is an excellent shooter who gets plenty of open looks. And don’t forget about 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="987644" first="Tyran" last="Thomas"]. Thomas often plays slightly out of position in the front court. However as he has shown on the fall showcase circuit he has plenty of perimeter skills. The same explosive athleticism and length that allows him to compete down low will serve him well at the next level. 5. Battle Creek Pennfield I can’t put Grand Rapids Catholic on here and not include their opponent from the last years Division 2 state final. While they graduated an all state performer in Ryne Petersen there is plenty of firepower leftover. [player_tooltip player_id="1211160" first="Aiden" last="Burns"] is not very big but is arguably one of the best shooters in the entire state. Burns gets a lot of open looks due to heady play of point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1211144" first="Luke" last="Davis"]. Davis at 6-1 has excellent size for the position and is a flashy but efficient ball handler. Davis and Burns play off each other well and had an excellent summer with United Persuit on the Prep Hoops Circuit. Honorable Mention Grand Blanc- The most difficult cut. The defending Division 1 champs feature a pair 2023 point guards who make up for a lack of size with big time games. [player_tooltip player_id="985658" first="RJ" last="Taylor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="986250" first="Amonte" last="Allen"] are both legitimate Division 1 prospects. Taylor has an outside shot at the 2023 Mr. Basketball award. Could be in the number one spot next year. Warren De La Salle- A very deep group that lacks size. Caleb Reese is high academic player with Division 2 offers. No drop off whatsoever when 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="986883" first="Nino" last="Smith"] takes over at the point. Recent transfer [player_tooltip player_id="983510" first="Tamario" last="Adley"] will help out on the size front. 2023’s [player_tooltip player_id="986245" first="Triston" last="Nichols"] and [player_tooltip player_id="987290" first="Jack" last="Yanachik"] will bring their football championship hardware and mindset to help on the defensive end. Coldwater- Excellent size on the wing with skilled [player_tooltip player_id="863993" first="Ethan" last="Crabtree"]. [player_tooltip player_id="863976" first="Brandon" last="Downs"] is a good scorer who will play somewhere at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="1300875" first="Luis" last="Capellan-Lebron"] is a good ball handler who sets up his teammates up well.