Ferris Elite Camp: Fab Five

Sporting a 2018 national championship. Ferris St has consistently been one of the better Division 2 programs in the nation. Head coach Andy Bronkema held the Bulldogs first elite camp of the 2023 calendar season this past Sunday. Following are five standouts from the deep and talented field. Plus a few additional notables. I’ll drop a group of 2025’s and younger standouts tomorrow. [player_tooltip player_id="993799" first="Makell" last="Johnson"]-Dobbs 6-2 2023 Warren Michigan Collegiate (pictured) I have caught this backcourt prospect in the last few weeks playing with Supreme Elite on the Prep Hoops Circuit. On that squad he primarily plays off the ball with the presence of Kenoly Jones. At Ferris ran the point and looked like a completely different player. Bouncy and explosive. Seemed to move at a different speed than the rest of the field. Got the basket at will and was a good finisher. Was also a good shooter. Hit from both mid range and three. A true three level scorer. Should be more settled in at Collegiate after transferring from Roseville. Based on Sunday’s performance. Could be set up for a big senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="1434240" first="Mohammad" last="Habhab"] 6-9 2024 Dearborn Fordson First time catching this prospect and I was throughly impressed. Tallest and more importantly longest player at the camp. Posted a 6-10 wingspan to go with a 6-9 measurement that even surprised his coach. When the ball tipped for scrimmages showed his rapidly improving game. Used his size to get shots off easily. Both in the post and in the mid range. Showed advanced ball skills and was a very good ball handler. Still growing into his feet as he went to the ground after getting broken down defensively. A coach implored him to go and get it back on the offensive end. Sure enough that’s exactly what he did. I was impressed with a jab step drive that led into a mid range step back jumper. Coming off a good spring with the Michigan Warriors and is a prospect on the rise. [player_tooltip player_id="1223499" first="Jake" last="Vermaas"] 6-2 2024 Grand Rapids South Christian Competitive and skilled point guard who plays with high level of swagger and moxie. Attacking player who excels at penetration. But also shot the ball extremely well on Sunday. I can’t stress enough his level of competitiveness. One particular play stood out for me. Skied for offensive rebound among the trees. Then created space with a power dribble. However the adjective “power” doesn’t do it justice. It was a fierce and violent. Allowing him to easily finish a put back. Also had his pocket picked in the open court (not good). Quickly turned around and stole it right back from the defender (real good) I was also pleasantly surprised that he checked in at 6-2 during the measurement portion. Plays at storied and traditionally powerful program with a lot of young talent. If you haven’t already. You will be hearing about this player. [player_tooltip player_id="986252" first="Jamison" last="Eklund"] 6-5 2023 Pewamo-Westphalia Workmanlike performance from a veteran of the exposure camp circuit. The upside here is the versatility. Able to play inside and out. Has a tight handle and nice outside shot. But also has the strength and disposition to play down low. Like Vermaas plays at a storied and successful high school program. It shows as he simply makes winning basketball plays. Also like Vermaas plays with the Grand Rapids Storm AAU program. Exposure and competition will not be a concern with this small school prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="1434245" first="Charlie" last="Howell"] 6-5 2024 Cadillac Howell showed the ability to score with just about anybody on Sunday. I have always been impressed with how he sees the court and plays with his head up. He’s not a point guard so this ability allows him to easily find seams in defenses to score. Once there his height and length allows him to easily get shots off. The length also makes him a threat in transition. Scored off a swooping euro step on the break through contact. A little under the radar to due to his region and three sport participation (nothing wrong with that) Showed Sunday that he has the potential to play at the next level on the hardwood. Notables [player_tooltip player_id="986581" first="Charlie" last="Deutsch"] 6-4 2023 Rockford Shot the ball extremely well. Drive ability took one of the better players in the camp to the floor. But the shooting ability is what has the potential to carry him to the next level. Could be a prototypical stretch four for a college coach willing to look beyond the lack of ideal height at that position. Coming off a good spring with UTS Elite and headed for a big senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="1300902" first="Christian" last="Zielinski"] 6-2 2023 Homeschool/Coleman Prospect who doesn’t pass the initial eye test. But simply put— continues to play like a college basketball player. I watched it last summer at Bank Hoops All State and Northwood. Continued to do it this spring with REAL basketball on the grassroots scene. And had one of the better camps Sunday at Ferris. Doesn’t have ideal measurables and faces an uphill climb as a non-traditional recruit. Highly competitive and not scared of any matchup. [player_tooltip player_id="1465492" first="Austin" last="Buckley"] 6-1 2023 Byron Center I watched Buckley put 29 points last weekend in Columbus. Among those points were some impressive finishes above the rim. So it was not surprising when he posted the highest vertical leap in the camp at 33 inches. Buckley is not very big. So he will need a skill to set up him apart from a crop of similarly sized guards. Sunday’s vertical performance is a good start. Isaiah Atchison 6-9 2024 Montague Won the measurement portion of the camp. Matched Habhab with the longest wingspan in the camp at an eye opening 6-10. Also showed excellent lateral foot speed. When the offense catches up to the defense could be a special prospect.