Gotta Get It: Afternoon Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In its third year the Gotta Get It Hoops Classic at East Kentwood High School presented its usual ambitious six game slate. Following are standouts from the afternoon games </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1587845' first='Keane' last='Hinkle'] 5-11 2025 Byron Center </strong>Rinse repeat… Another Saturday Showcase, another outstanding shooting performance for the Bulldog guard. This isn't some “out of the blue” senior glow up. Hinkle has always been able to shoot. He also isn't the result of some late growth spurt. Hinkle still isn't very big. However what he has seemed to do is find is an extra gear of speed and quick twitch to his movements. This allows him to get to his spots easily and provides room to get his shot off. Not that he needs much room with a trigger quick release. Balanced it with playmaking and handles pressure well by keeping his dribble alive. Plays well in pick and roll situations and is an above average live dribble passer. Is putting it all together in his senior year. The only question going to next level is size. Finished with 18 points in the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437538' first='Lance' last='Stone'] 5-8 2025 Detroit Renaissance </strong>(<strong>pictured) </strong>From one diminutive point guard to another. The Detroit Mercy commitment didn't put on the type of show that he did at last years event. However still put together a solid performance. I was impressed with how he began to defer in the second half when he realized a teammate was cooking offensively (see blow) Shifted into a floor general mode and began to feed his teammates. Height doesn't seem to affect his court vision. Even when he has it working, the ball doesn't stick in his hands. Stays in motion and isn't an empty calorie ball handler. Finished with 12 points in the loss to the host squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1793647' first='Jordan' last='Sigmon'] 6-2 2025 Detroit Renaissance </strong>The definition of microwave scorer. Got to a very slow start in the first quarter. So much that I actually checked my roster to make sure I was looking at the right guy or he wasn't hurt. Started to gradually warm up in the second quarter with 9. However after the half, the light came on and that is putting it mildly. A twenty point third quarter where he got buckets in every way possible. Off of penetration, off of movement in the mid range, deep pull-ups. He had it all working. Like his backcourt partner, the only concern is positional size. The scoring skill set is division 1 caliber. With his height and slender frame. Can he play the two guard at the next level? He has another year of development and growth to sort that out. Finished with 30 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jeremiah Cook 6-1 2027 East Kentwood </strong>I was planning on including this player in “new names” column for a later date. Cook's second half explosion had other plans. Similar to his opponent across the court. Had a 20 point second half and did it in multiple ways. Really took charge and helped the Falcons get a statement come from behind victory. Attacked the basket without fear. Skied though the air on a designed baseline out of bounds lob. Patiently found seems in the mid range. Used the aforementioned bounce to rise above defenders in the mid rage. Has smooth and effortless release on his shot. Did I mention he is only a sophomore playing in his first year of varsity basketball? Scored 29 points and announced himself in major way to the class of 2027. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2218021' first='Jake' last='Bascom'] 6-6 2026 </strong>After the performances the guards put on game #2, I thought they would be the story of the afternoon. The Rockford star post had other plans. Bascom seemingly came out on a mission. Scoring the first 10 points of the contest. He never really let up. I've seen better shooters and athletes this year. I haven't seen a better competitor. When you combine the engine with the skillset he is a tough matchup. Did most of his damage flashing into the mid post. Doesn't hesitate after the catch and goes straight into attack mode. However even within that aggressiveness, he is not a black hole in the post. Is able to find open shooters with high velocity crisp passes. Rockford fortunately has plenty of shooters to find. Finished with 26 points in the dominant team victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->