Breslin Final Four: Division II All Tournament Teams
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For the purposes of this series. I’m going to treat the state finals at the Breslin Center as a four team invitational tournament. Following are first and second teams broken down by position from the three game slate. First Team…
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Continue ReadingFor the purposes of this series. I’m going to treat the state finals at the Breslin Center as a four team invitational tournament. Following are first and second teams broken down by position from the three game slate.
First Team
PG- Jake Vermaas Jake Vermaas 6'2" | SG South Christian | 2024 State MI 6-2 2024 Grand Rapids South Christian Hate to use an old sports cliche. But it is appropriate in this case. Vermaas left everything out on the court. Felt like every time I looked up this weekend. He was on the ground or taking some type of contact. Ran the point for the Sailors. Frequently found post players on rolls or when they slipped screens. Also a good kick out passer to open three point shooters. Was playing in his second state championship of the season. Earned the victory in November as a wide receiver. Scored 14 points in the championship and came up just short of the double. Hit a handful of clutch free throws to seal the overtime victory in the semifinals. Is slated to run with Grand Rapids Storm on the Under Armour circuit.
SG- Javarie Holliday Javarie Holliday 6'3" | SF Saginaw | 2023 State MI 6-3 2023 Saginaw The Trojans senior leader was also its leading scorer. Finished with 20 points in the semifinal loss to eventual champion Ferndale. Most of these points came in the second half. During a spirited come back when his team needed them the most. Did this while playing limited minutes due to foul trouble. Also missed time with injury after taking a shot the face. Doesn’t have big time recruiting reputation at the moment. However I could see that changing after a few years at a JUCO or a lower level. Scorers with toughness are always needed. This young man has the ability to do that.
SF- Caleb Renfroe Caleb Renfroe 6'2" | SG Ferndale | 2023 State MI 6-3 2023 Ferndale Outside of the MVP (see below) it is difficult to pick one particular standout from a deep and balanced Ferndale unit. Renfroe is going to get the nod for simple perseverance. Seems like a lifetime ago when I first caught this player as a rising freshmen. A global pandemic tends to mess with one’s perception of time. In that span Renfroe has missed a lot of time on the court. However on Saturday. There he was making big plays and helping Ferndale raise its first state championship trophy since 1966. Standout game was on Friday. Led the Eagles with 20 points. But one exchange stands out in that contest. At a critical juncture of the close contest. Renfroe showed his athleticism with a big block followed by a reverse lay up on the other end. Was a big factor on Saturday as well.
PF- Christopher Williams Christopher Williams 6'4" | SF Ferndale | 2023 MI 6-5 2023 Ferndale **MVP** I have never believed the adage that a dunk isn’t that big of a deal. That it’s simply worth “two points” like everything else. Especially at the high school level. Where games are shorter and more emotionally charged. Williams had two big dunks on the weekend. They both came early in the second half of the semifinal and final. They played a big role in swinging the momentum towards the eventual champions. Beyond those two plays. Williams lived above and around the rim all weekend. Led the Eagles with 16 points on Saturday. Capped off an impressive career in the best way possible.
C- Sam Medendorp Sam Medendorp 6'3" | SF Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 State MI 6-7 2023 Grand Rapids South Christian The Sailors semifinal opponent was a lot of thing. Good, deep, and young among them. However Summit North Academy is not very big. Medendorp exploited his size advantage throughout the contest. Did not score in double figures but stuffed the stat sheet in other ways. Showed off his length and rim protection with four blocks. Matched that total the next day in the final against a bigger Ferndale frontline. Also had some clever assists and showed a soft touch around the basket. Was able to finish above the rim when needed. Is joining an impressive NAIA recruiting class at Aquinas. The Saints are getting a versatile projectable big man who could really pop at that level.
Second Team
PG- Amir Perryman Amir Perryman 5'9" | PG Summit Academy | 2025 State MI 5-9 2025 Romulus Summit North Academy No other way to say it. South Christian really dominated much of their semifinal contest with the Dragons. One of the main reasons this game went into overtime. Was the steady play of this sophomore. The stats aren’t going to jump off the page. But simply kept coming all night. Putting his teammates in positions to succeed. That’s all you would want from any point guard. Let alone one so young playing on this big of a stage for the first time. Both he and his program have a bright future.
SG- Jacob DeHaan Jacob DeHaan 6'2" | CG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2023 State MI 6-2 2023 Grand Rapids South Christian The quarterback for the Sailors state championship team has had one of the more impressive twelve months you will see from an athlete anywhere. Starting with his run with an excellent MBA squad in the summer grassroots season. Won a championship on the prestigious Hoop Group circuit. However that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Followed that up by hitting the game winning shot to win the equally prestigious Brawl for the Ball tournament back in his hometown. Lifted an aforementioned football trophy at Ford Field in November. But he might have saved the best for last. Someone had to step up and fill the scoring gap left after the season ending injury to star Carson Vis Carson Vis 6'3" | PG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2025 State MI . DeHaan did that and then some. Scored 27 points in the overtime semifinal victory. Followed by 14 in the final. No idea what his spring sport plans are. That being said has earned himself a break. Goes without saying whichever coach gets this player at the next level. They are getting a stone cold winner
SF- Dominic Krzesowiak Dominic Krzesowiak 6'5" | SG Summit Academy | 2025 State MI 6-5 2025 Romulus Summit North Academy Like his fellow sophomore and teammate Perryman. Doesn’t have the counting stats. But Krzesowiak hit the shot to send the game to the extra session. How he did it was particularly impressive. As things got tight late and the Dragons needed a three. It was clear they were trying to set up this tall shooter. However he just couldn’t get loose. At one point state championship head coach Mark White called a timeout. Then physically walked through what he wanted Krzesowiak to do— all the way out on the court. I’ve never seen anything like it. But it worked. With the clock expiring. He curled off at the top of the key exactly how he was instructed. This time he stuck the three. Shooter with excellent size has a lot of upside going forward.
PF- Brandon McCune Brandon McCune 6'3" | PF Saginaw | 2024 State MI 6-3 2024 Saginaw Speaking of three point shooting. McCune was the Trojans marksman all tournament. After shooting Saginaw back into it to stave off a 12-0 run in the quarterfinals. McCune was instant offense in the semifinals as well. Went 4-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points. The younger brother of former Trojan star Tommie McCune. Tommie went onto to play at both West Virginia and Oakland. Brandon probably doesn’t have the size to reach those levels. However shooting travels. And this young man can really stroke it.
C- Jayden Hardiman Jayden Hardiman 6'7" | C Ferndale | 2023 State MI 6-7 2023 Ferndale (pictured) As the trophy and the past three years have shown. The Ferndale program has some serious depth. However this year they were not slated to have as much size. Enter Hardiman who transferred into the program. Early in the season he appeared to be adjusting to new surroundings. That period did not last long. Was especially apparent in the semifinals against a Saginaw squad that did not have a big frontline. Really owned the paint in that contest. Is slated to play both basketball and baseball next year at Mid Michigan CC.