Rumble in the Rapids: Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second verse the same as the first. As the second day of the Rumble in the Rapids presented plenty of high level play highlighted by shoe company teams and plenty of under the radar finds. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cleaves lives up to the hype </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's get the obvious out the way first. When you carry the name [player_tooltip player_id='2758274' first='Mateen' last='Cleaves Jr.'] (pictured) there is going to be pretty big target on your back. When you marry that with playing with one of the more high profile high school programs in the state. It is is only magnified further.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conversely you also might expect a sense of entitlement from a player so young who already received so much attention. What I saw Saturday was something completely different. No coasting, no mean mugging officials. Just hard work, no frills, winning basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Played through a slight injury to put up 17 points in a close victory over the [program_tooltip program_id='2077017' first='Grand' last='Rapids Storm']. The offensive game is closer to that of his recent teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437536' first='Trey' last='McKenney'] </strong>than his namesake. A bully bull 6-3 forward who uses his wide and strong frame to get to the line often. Is automatic there with a soft touch on a shot that easily extends out to the three point range. The handle is tight and you are not going to turn him over. Showed a clutch gene as he came back into the gene with the Storm on a run. Calmly made big plays down the stretch. Oh yeah, did I memtion he did this all while playing up an age group as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trending towards being a top recruit nationally in the 2028 class. Cleaves did nothing to slow that momentum in Grand Rapids. When [program_tooltip program_id='2077030' first='The' last='Family'] gets going on the EYBL I expect his profile to grow even more. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The “Carter's” are ready prime time… </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Matching Cleaves shot for shot from the Storm side was Grandville's 2027 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2270810' first='Carter' last='Wade']. The Bulldog standout has dealt with injuries early in his career and played with a Puma team last year during the grassroots season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now running with the Storm, I was curious to see how he would fare against elite national competition. The asnwer is a resounding— just fine. Wade controlled the tempo of the aforementioned game against the Family. Not a small “speed merchant” type. He is as powerful of a penetrator as you will see. Uses his frame and creativity to shed defenders on drives. Not an above the rim athlete but has the intangibles to be a factor at the rim. Simply put, he's going to find a way to get it up there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If he can't, he is an efficient, willing, and sometimes flashy drop off passer. Didn't play the rest of the weekend. So I still have some concerns about injuries. However in limited action, Wade made his case as one of the top point guards in Michigan's 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other “Carter” I was intrigued to see was Traverse City West's [player_tooltip player_id='2477378' first='Carter' last='Grubb'] The 6-7 forward pulled off the feat of rising up my recruiting boards without any grassroots participation. Just did it with hard work and performances at campus elite camps. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That being said, after a strong year in Northern Michigan, how would translate to the AAU season? The ability to get off ground quickly travels well within any competition. Grubb has that in spades. So he more than belonged playing with West Michigan Premier. Made multiple plays above the rim on Saturday. There are not many players that run the court like him as well. It will be interesting to see how his senior year unfolds. Early in the spring he has shown that he can run and jump with anyone, not just Northern Michigan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northern Michigan putting in work </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a resident of the region, I have been acutely aware of a possible down year upcoming in Northern Michigan. However, I might have jumped the gun on thar assumption. As there was a cadre of players putting in work to change that narrative. It wasn't just limited to one team or high school program as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You had McBain with [player_tooltip player_id='2276657' first='Clayton' last='Heuker'] (Storm 2027) [player_tooltip player_id='2847775' first='Colton' last='Haverkamp'] (Real 2026) and [player_tooltip player_id='2430755' first='Josh' last='Rodenbaugh'] (Real 2027) Nearby Pine River with [player_tooltip player_id='2110784' first='Mason' last='Gugle'] (Midwest Stampede 2026) [player_tooltip player_id='2300933' first='Eli' last='Smith'] (HB Elite 2026) and <strong>Stone Walker</strong> (HB Elite 2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That was just a small snippet from a 20 mile radius. I'll cover more later. However, if this group of players continues to improve this spring/ summer. Perhaps I could look foolish for embracing that narrative early. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->