Rumble in the Rapids: Teddy’s Sunday Notebook

2025 Hardwood Midwest (MI) Beats Down on Midwest Aces (IL) I had to start things off with the 2025 Michigan-Based Hardwood Midwest Squad. They were up 50-2 at one point against an opponent on Saturday. This morning, they faced Midwest Aces. Defense was the focal point for both teams to start. I loved the defensive hustle for Hardwood Midwest in the early going. They forced at least 3-4 turnovers in the first five minutes. But the Midwest Aces were responding with some great defense too. Xavi Granville made some great blocks and fought hard on the glass early. He also displayed some nice ball handling skills in transition. But Hardwood was hitting more shots early. They took a 13-4 advantage 6 minutes in. Buckets started to fall once the rock was shared more. Forwards Camden Thompson and Kam Koehler were making some great plays in the lane to start things. Both are passing well with one another and scoring over defenders early. Rebounding was also a major reason why Hardwood took control early. The rebounding advantage was the highest I had seen. At the same time, they continued making great plays with one another and were able to make shots from all over. Thompson was spectacular with the mid-range and inside scoring. He made tough layups and fadeaway shots look easy. His 10 points led all scorers at halftime as they led 33-14. TJ Byard started to get hot for Hardwood in the second half. He had a great block on the defensive end, and followed it up with and ankle-breaking 3-pointer. He also made found open teammates in transition for some nice assists. Kam Koehler also made some more plays, with a 3-pointer. It was a full all-around performance leading to a solid victory for Hardwood Midwest. PA’s 2025 Coast2Coast Athletics Impresses Against MI Avengers In the early going, It was a back-and-forward game between Coast 2 Coast 2025 and 15U Michigan Avengers. But C2C would be too much for the Avengers. Coast 2 Coast, in the B-Pool, had won all three of their games, and I hadn’t watched them before until now. They’re the first team from Pennsylvania I’ve covered. Liam Gallagher showed off his range early with two 3’s. 5’10” Guard Calvin Winfrey also made some nice plays. He did a great job fighting for rebounds, and also made a few baskets inside to go along with a 3-pointer. Dominic Heiple made some great plays to close out the half. He buried a three and followed it off with a steal and fast-break layup. C2C made great plays from all over the floor and had a big lead at halftime. What I liked most was their unselfish attitude. Players were making extra passes when they didn’t need to, and baskets were still going in. Winfrey continued to stay hot with a 3-ball to start the 2nd half. He also forced some tough shots on the perimeter. He’s been the most efficient player today for C2C. He made his best play midway through that half with a terrific spin-move in transition to get past a defender for a layup. Meanwhile, Liam Gallagher continued to make it rain with tow more 3’s. Dominic Heiple also hit a 3 and played some terrific defense. He hit another shot late too as C2C cruised to a big victory and a 4-0 Weekend. Age More Than a Number For Michigan Majors BNB (MI) and Michigan Majors squared off in C-Pool action. I saw a little bit of BNB yesterday. Michigan Majors are full of middle-schoolers. This is easily the youngest team in the 15U field. BNB got off to a strong start. Mhakai Brooks is a player I really like for Michigan’s BNB. He’s a crafty ball handler who can get buckets anywhere in the floor. He also makes great plays for his teammates. A mid-range pull-up jumper in transition started the game off. He also displayed some great defensive footwork on the perimeter as it was difficult for guards to dribble past him. This is not the same when he’s being guarded on the perimeter, as he can work his way past many defenders. I should have given him more recognition for his effort on Saturday. 7th Grader Carter Canfield is the youngest player on the floor. He just made two great offensive plays. He hit a 3 and then went coast-to-coast for a nice layup. Only 5’6”. The 2027 product has lots of room to grow, and is already playing at a high level. He a super crafty point guard who has some nice ball-handling skills for his age. The game was close in the first half. Danelle Bothwell was leading all scorers early for BNB with 10 points. He was finding excellent lanes in transition and drove to the basket with confidence. 6’3” 2025 F Justin Bell made some solid plays the the paint during the first half. He displayed some great footwork in with the ball in the post, and had a nice block on the other end. But BNB Held a 2-point lead at the break. Brooks got hot with a 3-pointer and a nice layup driving down the lane. He followed that up with a block on defense, and a bounce-pass to an open teammate down low. They had a 4-point lead at this moment. This was when BNB went in a big run where everyone was moving the ball well and making plays on both ends. Davion Matthews made some great passes and fought for every loose ball in the second half. He also came away with several tough baskets. BNB Would hold on to win this one 58-47. 2024 Michigan Goonies Impress in Win I hadn’t seen the 2024 Michigan Goonies until now. 5’10” Point Guard Justin Lifshay was an offensive machine for the 2024 Goonies. He knocked down shots from all levels early for them as they got off to a quick 12-point lead. He also made some excellent feeds. He was already in double-figures early in the first half. 2025 Braeden Holder is a name I haven’t heard of who’s playing up on the 16U team. He’s a super creative ball handler with nice vision and a high IQ. He’s knocked down a couple shots from different areas already. So many players made plays for the Goonies early on. F Braeden Holder is filled great holes in the paint and forced tough shots on defense. He also had a nice steal leading to transition points. 5’9” Derian Williams had a nice spin-move, leading to a tough layup. He attacks the basket with a lot of confidence. The half ended with a half-court buzzer beater by [player_tooltip player_id="1437577" first="Mason" last="Parker"] to give them a 41-18 leadIn the 2nd half, Nicholas Speizer had some great plays attacking the basket. Passing was a focal point as almost every basket this game came off an assist. 15U Wisconsin Crusaders Beat Down On Chicago’s Mike Glennon Elite No, this is not the football Mike Glennon. Forward Morgan Sleik had a very strong start in the paint for 2025 Crusaders with 3 buckets down low and 7 quick points. He was very physical on both ends. Keegan Vankauwenberg got it going with a couple 3-pointers too. Later on, [player_tooltip player_id="1441371" first="Oskar" last="Kangas"] showed some mid-range abilities with a nice pull-up jumper. His rebounding really stood out in the first half. They were up double-figures early and never looked away from that. For Glennon Elite, 2024 JD Gamboa showed a lot of confidence all over the floor. He scored some tough baskets inside over taller defenders and hit a 3 late in the first half. But the Crusaders were still too much. Sleik continued his strong play with a tough layup to end the half. The crusaders were up 14. The strength and physicality he showed carried over into the 2nd half. [player_tooltip player_id="1441371" first="Oskar" last="Kangas"] also hit a 3 in the corner to start the 2nd half. He’s showed he can be a 3-level scorer from this afternoon’s play.The Crusaders bursted out to a 41-19 lead to start the 2nd half. Glennon Elite would try to crawl back, but the lead was too large. The Crusaders won 50-36. Justyn Greer-Sykes leads Michigan’s “Sky’s The Limit” past MBA Lakeshore. This was the final game I watched before a long drive home. Justyn Greer-Sykes showed a lot of confidence early on with a handful of transition buckets for STL. He was also capable of getting to the free throw line, and showed a lot of physicality out there. The full-court trap gave MBA a lot of problems. The lead was 15 with 6 mins to go in the first half. Then Jordan Bush got going for STL. His size and mobility gives him the most upside on this team. He has a high defensive IQ and has quick hands. He almost had a put-back slam too. But Greer-Sykes was easily the most dominant player out there. He became much more of a passer late. In fact, this was the case with pretty much their entire team. They blew them out with their quick ball movement up-and-down the floor. By the end of the half, Greer-Sykes had a double-double in points and rebounds. He put back three offensive rebounds in the closing minutes of that half.