Jeff McDonald Classic: Fab Five

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday showcases are not a major feature of the basketball scene in Northern Michigan. A few programs are at the forefront of trying to change that (Cadillac and Traverse City St Francis etc) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In its second year Cadillac's Jeff McDonald Classic delivered a competitive four game slate. The field also featured a handful of next level college players who performed well. Following are five that caught my attention. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1434245' first='Charlie' last='Howell'] 6-6 2024 Cadillac (pictured) </strong>Howell simply did it all in Cadillac's overtime victory against Dearborn Fordson. Took over the game late on both ends of the court. Showing a clutch gene in the process. Displayed excellent court awareness and athleticism on a clutch late drive. Exploded down the left baseline to get the line after the first option broke down. Took on the task of guarding Habhad (see below) after [player_tooltip player_id='1439046' first='Gavin' last='Goetz'] fouled out in the second half. Held him mostly in check. Played extremely hard with a dive out of bounds that would make Derek Jeter blush. Has put together quite a week going up against Division I talent. Put up 29 points on Tuesday against Whitehall and their star [player_tooltip player_id='1373000' first='Camden' last='Thompson']. Put up 25 on Saturday in a game where points were at a premium. With these recent performances, the unsigned senior should be generating increased recruiting attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1434240' first='Mohammad' last='Habhab'] <strong>6-9 2024 Dearborn Fordson </strong>The Central Michigan commit did everything well in the nip and tuck loss loss. Despite his shooting touch abandoning him at times. Consequently really stood out on the defensive end. Cadillac is a big team that likes to score at the rim. Habhab's length and timing at the rim simply made that difficult. Notched a handful of blocks and “bothers” with his intimidating presence. Has excellent lateral quickness and is light on his feet. Can stay in front of smaller players out on the perimeter. Offensively he showed off the full arsenal. Got to his spots efficiently with the ball handling ability of a guard. Really creates space with the creative use of a pivot and a variety of step backs. Finished with 18 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1787594' first='Kyle' last='McGowan'] 6-7 2025 Cadillac </strong>Got off to a slow start against what is easily the tallest opponent he has seen this year. However once he seemed to get adjusted. Literally and figuratively took off in the fourth quarter and extra period. Kicked things off with acrobatic reverse layup down the baseline. Hung in the air and used the rim as a shield to avoid a shot blocker. Along with McGowan himself, the highlight seemed to shake the fans out of their malaise in a low scoring contest as well. The only junior on this list. McGowan is beginning to pop as a long term prospect. Has a nice mix of strength, bounce, and skill. Is a good ball handler. If the outside shot continues to develop. He could become an ideal stretch four or even 3 and D player at the next level. Finished with 11 points, with almost all of them coming late. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1140334' first='Kaeson' last='Frost'] <strong>6-2 2024 Bay City Western </strong>Got off to a slow start on Saturday. However really got going in the fourth quarter. Helping Western push the opening contest into overtime. At one point scoring eight in a row. Showed extremely deep range on the perimeter. Has good positional size with a sturdy and athletic frame. Flashed the ability to play both backcourt spots. Seemed a little more comfortable off the ball. Finished with 16 points in the close loss. Coming off a good grassroots campaign with [program_tooltip program_id='2078460' first='The' last='Program']. Frost should have options if chooses to pursue the hardwood. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112371' first='Jaxon' last='Childers'] 6-2 2024 Benzie Central </strong>Played a large role in Frost's slow start. A next level athlete who is attracting gridiron interest as well. Childers got after it on the defensive end. Often disrupting sets with heavy ball pressure out on the point. Didn't shy away from pressure. Wanted the ball in his hands late. Also took charge on the defensive end. Getting a crucial late steal. Isn't a natural point guard. However handled the ball well confidently in the face of furious Western pressure. Brother was a late bloomer who is beginning to take off at Albion. If he were to focus exclusively on hoops. Could take similar developmental path. Good problems to have. Finished with a team high 16 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->