Louis O’Neal Classic: Frontcourt Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Louis O'Neal Classic returned the campus of Saginaw Valley St with an ambitious seven game slate. Following are five standout frontcourt performances from the deep and talented field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1289694' first='Sean' last='Wesolek'] 6-6 2025 Bay City John Glenn </strong>John Glenn entered the contest against a good Mt Pleasant team a little short handed. Wesolek did yeoman's work keeping his squad in it for three quarters. Simply put, good things happened when the ball was in his hands. He is an old school post all the way, but he ran the point at times in this contest. It wasn't just out of necessity. Sees the court well and initiated offense like a seasoned floor general. Especially evident when he catches in the high post where he is most comfortable. Also passed well in pick and roll situations. Nice to see as he is normally the roll man. Has such a crafty and soft touch around the basket. Showed quickness and elevation on a handful of nice blocks. A sudden burst recovery from the foul line to the baseline stood out among the approximate four rejections he tallied. Finished with 21 points in the loss. Could have easily been more as he left some points on the line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1622922' first='Nnaemeka' last='Ikechi'] 6-7 2024 Warren De La Salle </strong>The only current Division 1 commitment in the field— and he played like it. Is headed to Army to play basketball and his Saturday was emblematic of a player cut out for a service academy. Against a smaller Flint Hamady frontline put up one the better rebounding performances I have seen in quite some time. Showed quick and easy elevation to the rim with a pair of strong two handed dunks. Moved well in the post with a thick and muscular frame. Will need to improve his touch from the perimeter to take his game to the next level. Left some points on the foul line. Despite this filled up to box score with 13 points and 16 rebounds. Not empty calories either. Everyone one of them were needed in the overtime victory. West Point is getting a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1514482' first='Nicholas' last='Speiser'] 6-5 2024 Warren De La Salle </strong>Speiser was somewhat quiet for most of the game but came alive late when his team needed it in the clutch. Held his ground defensively against an athletic Flint Hamady frontline. Handled the ball like a guard dealt with late game pressure maturely. Has a smooth and easy release from beyond the arc. Corresponding well schooled footwork keeps his shoulders squared to the basket. Made a handful of intangible winning plays that are not going to show up in a box score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437572' first='Jesse' last='Cull'] 6-5 2025 Flint Powers Catholic (pictured) </strong>You never have to worry about shooting with this prospect. However on Saturday showed a stronger dribble drive game than I had expected. Was able to absorb contact on drives and finish through contact. Always catches the ball in the shooting motion and has a trigger quick release. Finished with 12 points in a victory over a Schoolcraft squad with good size. After sitting out last year due to transfer. Appears to be shaking off the rust quickly and is poised for a big junior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1140325' first='Mason' last='Struck']</strong> <strong>6-6 2024 Chesaning </strong>The counting stats jump off the page and I'll get to those in a moment. However I was impressed with the defensive mindset he brought Saturday. Played at the top of diamond press that was a turnover generating machine. Used his length and lateral quickness to consistently get into passing lanes. Offensively was simply automatic on the block. Scoring with both hands and in a variety of creative ways. Shows good foot work and explodes to the rim quickly. Finished with 27 points against a Carrollton unit that had a big frontline. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->