Louis O’Neal Classic: New Names

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The staff at Saginaw Valley St put together another outstanding six game slate to open the 2024-2025 basketball season. While the established stars played well on Saturday. Anytime you have an early and ambitious showcase, new names are bound to appear. Following are five that caught my eye. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1438861' first='Danny' last='Wolak'] 5-10 Flint Powers Catholic (pictured) </strong>Part of a deep and packed backcourt rotation at Davison the past few years. He is getting the chance to break out his senior year at Powers. That opportunity was further heightened when the Chargers star point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2058638' first='Javontae' last='Ross'] was injured during football. Wolak looked more than ready for this task. Ran the point as if he had been in the system for years. Powers is a fast paced offense and they like to get up shots quickly. Wolak kept the offense moving at a brisk speed without getting frantic. Distributed the ball well and pushed the tempo. As you would expect with the new surroundings. Seemed to settle in even more as the game continued. Was a big factor in clutch as the game tightened up late. Not very big but has an excellent touch from beyond the arc to keep defenses honest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2217992' first='Andrew' last='Caldwell'] 6-4 2026 Flint Powers Catholic </strong>Like Wolak another transfer who appears extremely comfortable early in his run with the Chargers. Caldwell is transfer from Clarkston who has run with the North Oakland Wolpack during his grassroots participation. I only bring that up because this is clearly a prospect who has played a lot of well schooled basketball. Looked very comfortable on the court and fundamentally sound. The lefty has a good size already and a quick release from the perimeter. When you combine it all with a solid ball handling skill set, he can get his shot pretty much wherever he wants. Showed a smooth and effortless release. Wasn't just some floater out on the wings. Attacked the rim and was a presence on the offensive glass. With a handful of tip ins as well. Finished with a team high 16 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2610337' first='Landon' last='Jones'] 6-3 2025 Imlay City </strong>With the Spartans star player saddled with foul trouble for most of the game. Jones produced a solid all around effort to keep his team in it until the end. Kind of a positionless player who scored in a wide variety of ways. Attacked the basket hard and did not appear to mind contact. Wasn't just all strength. Had a nice floater early to avoid an offensive foul. Good shooter who confidently sunk a few threes. The ball didn't stick in hands. Got a few easy looks by staying in motion off the ball. Though Imlay City took the loss. Jones' performance provided the glimpse of a string senior duo with [player_tooltip player_id='1300916' first='Zander' last='Nash'] that could make some noise in March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2140477' first='Cannon' last='Flynn'] 6-5 2027 Rochester Adams </strong>Along with opponent [player_tooltip player_id='2112203' first='Jaylin' last='Cooper'] (Saginaw Heritage) This was the breakout performer in the event for me. Started out hot from beyond the arc and put together an outstanding four quarter performance. With Adams down two post players due to injury. Flynn essentially played the five all game against Heritage's 6-8 center. Did more than just capable job, especially defensively. Competed hard and stayed low. Using leverage to keep his much bigger opponent away from the basket for most of the game. Did this largely with a thick and sturdy upper body. As good as he was defensively. Really shined on the offensive end. Seemed automatic from the three with a no windup release that had little wasted motion. Well schooled footwork and shoulders were seemingly always squared. Seemed most comfortable and lethal from the corner. Had four threes on the contest but it honestly felt like more. Was also a good passer who dropped a dime to a teammate on a back door cut. Finished with 21 points and probably opened some eyes statewide.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1806520' first='Caseton' last='Sendry'] <strong>6-0 2026 Grand Blanc </strong>Grand Blanc played an extremely deep and young rotation in their victory over Riverview Gabriel Richard. Sendry appeared to be the leader among this precocious bunch. Swing guard prospect who slid easily between the 1 and 2 spots easily. Has an athletic athletic and sturdy frame that absorbed contact easily on penetration. Type of athlete that you imagine will have some type of option with a sport at the next level. Stepped into the the leadership void after senior [player_tooltip player_id='1438257' first='Donnie' last='Huddleston'] fouled out. Kept the team composed and organized as the contest got a little sideways late. The Bobcats are rebuilding a bit and appear to have found stability at the coaching spot. Sundry will most like be at the center of any type of Grand Blanc resurgence in the next two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->