Two Gyms, a Snowy Saturday and a Slew of Standouts

The first Saturday of the New Year was a fun one for your fearless friendly scout. A decided to channel my inner Ernie Banks (look it up kids) and do two. I hit the first annual Schoolcraft Champions Classic. Then on the way home to my rural abode I stopped one more time at Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament.   I mean the roads were great and the sky was clear— right. The roads were horrible and it was colder than Nome Alaska. But I enjoy my job. Following are a handful of standouts from Saturday's two locations.   [player_tooltip player_id='2217992' first='Andrew' last='Caldwell'] 6-4 2026 Flint Powers Catholic Where else is their really to start? Simply put, one of the breakout performers of the year. The Christmas showcase season is frequently highlighted by players becoming comfortable and even just eligible at times with the new semester starting. In two viewings I can't stress this enough. The recent lefty Clarkston transfer looks he has been playing in the high powered Powers system his whole life. Not only is he is good shooter. He gets it off with a high release point from his lanky 6-4 frame. With the return of the Chargers point guard from injury (see below) He was more of a spot up threat on Saturday. However at times he showed the advanced ball handling that allows him to get to his spots on the perimeter. Attacks the basket without fear despite a very slender frame. Adding weight and becoming a more assertive finisher at the rim will be next step in his development. That being said, as a 2026 I don't think this step is a huge leap. Eager to see how his finishes out the year and how his grassroots participation will take shape.   [player_tooltip player_id='2058638' first='Javontae' last='Ross'] 6-0 2025 Flint Powers Catholic (pictured) A finger injury sustained on the gridiron curtailed the start of Ross' senior campaign. You wouldn't know it by watching him play Saturday. The skeleton key for Ross will always be the quickness and an almost elite ability to change directions. Can seemingly get to the basket at will with this skillset. Had a huge drive and finish late to quell a rally from the host Schoolcraft. I haven't quite been able to figure out why seems hesitant at times to attack. If it's because he is frequently in ball distribution mode, there is no shame there. As he has plethora drive and kick options to hit (see above) High velocity passer and is a good live dribble passer. The decision making could use a little improvement at times. However I think this is an underrated player who could blossom in the right spot at the next level.   [player_tooltip player_id='1616010' first='Tucker' last='Walther'] 6-4 2025 Schoolcraft I am always impressed by this lengthy wing's versatility. However it was a different attribute that I took from Saturday's action— tenacity. Flint Powers came out firing on all cylinders in the finale. They led most of the way and kept the home crowd from largely being a factor. Walther kept coming all game and nearly willed his team into an improbable comeback at the end. Despite still being on the thin side. Walther continues to aggressively attack the basket as a senior. Had a powerful two handed finish in transition that featured a nasty fall as well. Showed toughness by playing through that and keeping his team in the game. Despite not being a natural point guard, efficiently got his team into sets and found open teammates. Covers so much ground with his long strides and bounding movements. I wonder if he could develop into an uncharacteristic tall point guard at the next level. Speaking of the next level. There was pretty good representation of college coaches on hand vying for his services (I counted three) Finished with a hard earned 21 points in the loss.   [player_tooltip player_id='2423654' first='Keaton' last='Blanker'] 5-11 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian Saturday's showcase was aptly named the “Champions Classic.” Appropriate because from the coaches to players, you had multiple state champions in action. Blanker chief among them. I was reminded of this in his this steady point guard played. No frills, nothing fancy, just winning basketball. Was held virtually scoreless in the fist half. Was a factor though in helming the Crusaders efficient offensive attack. However when winning came in the second half, was a major factor. Did it primarily by getting hot from beyond the arc. Two early threes loosened the defense and opened driving lanes for penetration opportunities. Found open teammates on dump off passes when the defense began to collapse on him. Finished with 16 points and helped give legendary head coach Mark Keeler his 700th win. The Grace Christian commit had a good day with his future head coach watching.   [player_tooltip player_id='1588230' first='Jaxon' last='Salenbien'] 6-4 2026 Adrian Lenawee Christian The junior did not have his best game on Saturday. However showed enough skill and versatility for me to keep pegging him as possibly top individual talent in Division IV. Due to injury and absence. Lenawee was slightly short handed on Saturday. Capably played the point. That will not be his position at the next level and not sure if he normally plays it with the Cougars. Either way, showed the ball handling ability and court vision to pull it off at 6-4. Didn't strike me as the quickest player. Made up for it with “in the gym“ range from the perimeter. The release was effortless and smooth. If you have to play up tight, has more than enough straight line speed to blow by defenders. The lateral speed will need to be improved. That was evident on the defensive end. Played well at the top of the zone at times with quick hands and instincts. However it also played a role in falling into second half foul trouble. The fouls short circuited what looked like was going a big offensive day. Had 14 first half points. Fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.   [player_tooltip player_id='2218038' first='Michael' last='Lindquist'] 5-10 2026 Greenville In the finale of the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament. Lindquist turned in a performance similar to Blanker (see above) A steady solid first half of fundamental point guard play. Followed by a dynamic offensive second half when his team needed it. The Greenville rotation is talented but doesn't feature much size, while their opponent Cadillac featured a lot. Lindquist led an explosive dribble drive attack that scattered Cadillac and saddled four Viking starters with two first half fouls. That set the tone for the game. Lindquist was quick and decisive when he got a step off a screen. Also kept his dribble alive and stayed out of trouble spots as Cadillac hedged out hard. Plenty of quickness and took it to the trees down low despite not being very big. Finished with 16 points and game MVP honors.

The first Saturday of the New Year was a fun one for your fearless friendly scout. A decided to channel my inner Ernie Banks (look it up kids) and do two. I hit the first annual Schoolcraft Champions Classic. Then on the way home to my rural abode I stopped one more time at Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament.