Muskegon Basketball Showcase: Kalamazoo and King Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The middle contest of the Muskegon Basketball Showcase was an instant classic. A back forth battle with two stars trading blows and playing at a high level all night. In the end Kalamazoo Central held on for the 65-60 victory. One of the better games I have seen this year. A game that deserved a stand alone column is going to get it. <br><br>To the victors go the spoils. We'll start with the standouts for the Maroon Giants. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kalamazoo Central </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1077679' first='Hutch' last='Ward'] <strong>6-8 2023 Kalamazoo Central (pictured) </strong>One of the top overall performers on the Prep Hoops Circuit. Continues to carry that momentum into the regular season. One of the better shooting bigs you will see anywhere. Showed the added element of shooting off the dribble on Saturday. Also showed a tighter handle that could allow him to expand beyond spot up shooting at the next level. Along with the handle showed more burst and lateral quickness than I thought he had. As a good of shooter as he is. Showed versatility and grit late. In money time he went down into post. Did this as a smaller player was switched onto him (see below) The Wayne St commitment finished with 28 points and eight rebounds as he kept the Maroon Giants undefeated in the nail biting victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1300899' first='Terrance' last='Jones'] 6-2 2023 Kalamazoo Central</strong> Jones is an old school pass first point guard. It was refreshing to see him looking for his shot more in this contest. Scored five straight in a critical juncture of the game. Has excellent size for a point guard and it showed with a timely tip in late. Strong enough to easily finish through contact. Had a big time basket and foul that allowed his team to take the decisive lead in the waning moments of the contest. Accordingly the clutch gene was on full display. Finished with the balanced stat line of 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Has been attracting a lot of small college interest. It is not hard to see why. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1300900' first='JP' last='Spybrook'] <strong>6-0 2023 Kalamazoo Central </strong>A pretty active player on the grassroots and campus elite camp circuits. This was easily the best I have seen him play. Always shoots the ball well. But showed an increased level of toughness and competitiveness on Saturday. Showed a big euro step on the break along with the ability to finish through contact. Handled the heavy pressure from King's backcourt well. Appeared taller than his listed height. Might be coming into his body late and could be a steal for a small college coach willing to take a chance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Detroit King </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1140922' first='Chas' last='Lewless'] 6-2 2024 Detroit King </strong>Turned in a masterful all around performance in the losing effort. I could go blow by blow through the offensive repertoire because it was very impressive. However I'm going to focus on something you don't often see. Central's [player_tooltip player_id='1077679' first='Hutch' last='Ward'] came out on fire (see above) Lewless took on the challenge of guarding the much bigger Ward. Used his speed and lower center of gravity to really get into and disrupt his shooting motion. Forced Ward to make an adjustment and go into the post in the second half. Still competed and showed surprising strength down on the block. Did it all offensively. I was impressed with his patience in the two man game. Waited for players to get open didn't force it into tight spots. Set up players nicely at the rim (see below) The San Diego commitment stuffed the stat line to the tune of 28 points, eight assists, and seven boards. One of the better all around performances I have seen so far this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='986573' first='Jonathan' last='Coffey'] 6-6 2024 Detroit King </strong>Took a little bit to get going but came on in a big way late. Has good mobility for a player with his bulk. Played well both off the ball and in pick and roll situations. Made himself a large target for Lewless. Showed good hands and caught some difficult passes. Has a powerful lower body and got off his feet quickly. Had the gym buzzing with a powerful two handed dunk. That seemed to get him going a bit. Older brother was a similar prospect who is now playing a Wayne St. The program listed him as junior. If he stays in that class and has another strong year of further development. He could be on a similar path. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->