PH Next Middle School Camp (Michigan) - Defense

There's a ton of basketball players that can score. Defense, that's sometimes the difference between good and great. There were some players that at the middle school camp in Michigan that made some impressive defensive plays. Let's look at a few of the players that stood out on that end of the floor.    Brown impressed me with his defensive instincts. He was quick and fluid when stepping over to play help D. Brown was able to shut down the dribble drive with that help defense. Not just that, but he talked on D, always communicating with his teammates.     Holden was very active on defense and showed quick hands to match. Even as a smaller guard, he was quick enough to get his hand on a shot early and strip it away.     I love when young players are truly engaged on defense and Fite was just that. He attacked on D, wanting to make a play. Fite did a good job using length and angles.     Jackson was just a beast on defense. He consistently outpowered his man and won defensive position. Jackson was strong enough to guard bigs, but quick enough to lock down on the perimeter.     Potter showed some natural rim protector in his game. I saw him on multiple occasions challenge players and shots at the rim. Potter did a nice job using high hands and staying vertical.     Defensive communication is of utmost importance, and that's an area where Swetz stood out to me at the middle school camp. He talked through screens and helped his teammates know the action around them.     Burgin was a solid all around defender. He challenged shooters with good closeouts. Bergin played bigger than his height by staying vertical with high hands on D.     Defense is a hustle based skill. Kniceley is one step ahead in that department. He sprinted back on defense, from baseline to baseline, and picked up a key transition stop.     Talking on D seems to be a theme here. It's so important, yet not done enough. I certainly heard Brummond communicating with his teammates on defense. That's 1 step ahead as a high school player.     I talked a lot about Rembert's defense in the last article, but let's face it, the young man might have been the defensive MVP of the camp. Defense transfers levels, so this young man is on the right track.     Sturgis is flat out fast and he used that skill on the defensive end of the floor. He used his speed to make a hustle play when he sprinted back on D and picked up an open floor stop.     Cabana has a chance to be an elite defender. The size, strength and mobility are all there. He can defend effectively basically anywhere on the floor.

There's a ton of basketball players that can score. Defense, that's sometimes the difference between good and great. There were some players that at the middle school camp in Michigan that made some impressive defensive plays. Let's look at a few of the players that stood out on that end of the floor.