Michigan State Tournament: Steve’s Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here were my Saturday Standouts from the Prep Hoops Michigan State Tournament.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2442483' first='Tyrell' last='Taylor'] BNB 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor&nbsp;at 6'4 was the most dominant player on the court. He used his long wingspan and athleticism to change the game for BNB. Tyrell cleaned up everything in and around his area on the boards. Most of all his points were from offensive rebounds. In what was the biggest play of the day was a pass off the backboard that Taylor dunked over one of the defenders.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2446365' first='Ja'Kari' last='Lovelady'] BNB 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lovelady has that nonstop motor that coaches love. He manages to get involved with every play no matter where the ball is located. Ja'Kari is a strong on-ball defender who at times intimidates the other guards. He had several steals on the day that led to layups. In a half-court set he gets downhill and usually creates contact before scoring the bucket. Lovelady will be an impact guy once he gets to high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jeremiah Melendez Hoop District 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Melendez is a jittery scoring guard who struggled some at the start of the game. He was able to hit a pair of threes early but couldn't get anything else to fall until the second half. Jeremiah played much better in the second game of the day.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Muskegon Heat Trio 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muskegon Heat had a blowout from start to finish. But three players racked up countless layups during play. [player_tooltip player_id='2539724' first='Demetrio' last='Dockery'], Artis Williams, and Jay Williams. All of them scored in double figures, mostly off layups from steals and missed shots that became transition buckets.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harbor Impact 2028 Duo&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second game for Harbor Impact, I was able to get more of an evaluation for LeJordan Fowler and [player_tooltip player_id='2454031' first='Zameir' last='Clayton']. Fowler is an athletic wing player who gets downhill and scores through contact. Clayton is also a skilled wing player who can score from all three levels. Both players crash the boards hard and are dependable rim protectors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kendall Dillion Muskegon Heat 2030</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dillion had a field day in the second game for the Heat. He had countless layups in what was a thirty-point blowout win. Kendall had 23 points mostly off jumping passing lanes and finishing layups on the opposite end.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2873740' first='Hudson' last='Worm'] HB Elite 2029</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hudson played well in one of the few games that came down to the wire. He's a workhorse forward that is always near the ball in some fashion. Worm worked well from the perimeter as he made tough drives to the rim look effortless. He finished with a team-high 20 points in a close loss to Hype Elite.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1223510' first='Jeremiah' last='Hale'] Hype Elite 2029</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was impressed at the ball skills of Hype Elite guard [player_tooltip player_id='1223510' first='Jeremiah' last='Hale']. He has great change-of-pace moves with the ball in his hands. He was at his best in one-on-one situations when he broke guys down and scored in the lane. When the team went zone Hale still got in the lane and found open teammates. Jeremiah would also make two threes in the contest and led his team in scoring with 18 points and a win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->