Jeff McDonald Classic: New Names

<!-- 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. While the field featured a handful of known commodities. A few under the radar names had excellent day as well. Following are six that caught my attention. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356942' first='Miles' last='Pritchett'] 6-6 2024 Benzie Central (pictured) </strong>Even though his more lauded teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1112371' first='Jaxon' last='Childers'] put up a game high 16 points. Pritchett took home game MVP honors. How did he pull that off? By simply owning the glass on both ends of the court. Has frame that catches your eye. With the rare mix of length and bulk. Has thick upper body with long arms. Is light on his feet with accompanying lateral quickness. Explodes to the rim quickly and doesn't need much room for takeoff. Has been hot of late for the resurgent Huskies who won in the opener in overtime. Coming off an 18 rebound performance against a Glen Lake squad that features a large frontline. On Saturday came alive in the extra period when his team needed it most. Had two key blocks. Followed with an and 1 finish after playing a little volleyball on the offensive glass. Finished with 15 points and appears to be in the process of fulfilling his vast physical potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2353070' first='Landen' last='Reister'] 6-1 2025 Sparta </strong>First time catching this West Michigan combo guard in action. I came away very impressed. Wasn't doing it against substandard competition either (see directly below) Against a Traverse City West squad loaded with guards. Reister went right at them. Has good size and the corresponding skill set to play both backcourt positions already. Advanced the ball quickly and efficiently with high velocity passing. Getting the Spartans into plenty of transition opportunities. Came alive late as West battled back to make it interesting at the end. Had a highlight reel reverse layup to stem a run. Shut things down with a confident corner three. Finished with 25 points and took home game MVP honors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1372969' first='Lincoln' last='Lockhart'] 6-0 2025 Traverse City West </strong>Lockhart continued what has been a breakout junior campaign. Competed hard and led the Titans almost all the back after facing an early deficit. Is a point guard all the way with his tight handle and playmaking ability. However can score when his team needs him to. That is what he did late. Fearlessly drives hard to the basket despite a slender frame. Will need to add weight to take the next step in his development. However skill wise, he is pretty much already there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2348939' first='Jimmy' last='Marshall'] 6-3 2024 Petoskey </strong>A familiar name to Northern Michigan basketball followers. Older brother was jet quick point guard who finished his career in Indiana before heading off to play for Division III power Trine. The younger Marshall is a much different player. Not a point guard. Has a much bigger frame and can play both at and away from the basket. Might have had the best PER rating on the day (the geeks know what that means) Scored 24 points in limited minutes against an overmatched opponent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mahdi Dabaje 6-4 2025 Dearborn Fordson </strong>Dabaje did a nice job playing against a big and physical Cadillac frontline. Has long arms and lateral quickness that helps him play bigger than his listed height. Played off the Tractors star [player_tooltip player_id='1434240' first='Mohammad' last='Habhab'] well. Really competed down low as Habhad stretched his game to the perimeter in the second half. Finished with 11 points in the overtime loss. Showed the potential to take on a bigger role for Fordson after Habhad moves onto Mt Pleasant. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haji Taylor 6-0 2027 Grand Rapids Union </strong>Union is going through a major rebuild. They are still looking for their first win of the year. That being said, the Redhawks showed signs of a promising future in a loss to Petoskey. Taylor led a group of young players who played hard despite a sizable margin. Has good size already for a point guard prospect. Showed a nice handle and good speed. If Union is going to bounce back in the next few years. It will most likely be led by players like Taylor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->