The Stage: 2028 Michigan Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Stage, a marquee event of the Prep Hoops Circuit took place in the greater Indianapolis area this past weekend. Despite the Hoosier locale. Plenty of players from the Mitten stood out. Following is eight pack of standouts from the 2028 class. Please note I split my time between two gyms on the weekend. I was not able to catch a OTD 16U (Own the Day) squad that went undefeated. Playing with some players from the Muskegon and Ludington areas. You might want to catch them if they show up on your tournament listing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2539683' first='Noah' last='Kronberg'] 6-0 Saline </strong>Last year Freeland's [player_tooltip player_id='1806407' first='Wilson' last='Huckeby'] had the state's top shooter designation sewed up pretty early. Who will it be this year? Kronberg made a strong case this weekend with his exploits from beyond the arc. Has a smooth and quick release with little wasted motion. The quickness of the release is the key as he is not the tallest prospect. The height isn't that much of concern though. As Kronberg is not a two guard. He is a natural point who just happens to be an excellent shooter. Nothing to flashy. A sound ball handler who makes the right play. Not a blur but doesn't need to be with the deep range. If I am making him sound like a subpar athlete, he is not. Quick enough and has lateral speed to get to his spots. Just not an explosive above the rim finisher at the moment. That could change, as he still has two years to develop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2539710' first='Becker' last='Samaha'] 6-8 Saline </strong>Your weekly reminder that bigs develop at a much slower pace than guards and wings. Last year, in this very same gym. Samaha looked like a project. Still growing into his body with rudimentary ball skills. This year was a different story. Still showed promise after struggling a bit in the opener with foul trouble against an Indiana shoe circuit team. Played better on Sunday in close loss to UA Rise squad out of Ohio. Was more decisive with the ball and less mechanical in the post. Walled up well and provided good rim protection with his imposing frame. Has made noticeable improvements athletically and ran the court fluidly. Along with Kronbeg (see above) and 2029 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2825577' first='Tristin' last='Moore'] the Hornets have some interesting pieces in the next two years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2527220' first='Jayden' last='Fomby'] 5-7 Utica Ford (pictured)</strong> Diminutive Detroit area point guard owned the clutch moment of the weekend. In the waning moments of Sunday action. Fomby decided he wanted to make the long trip home with a win. Kept his compusure in a wild late sequence against Indy area Marlin Academy. Collected a loose ball, calmly surveyed the defense, then drove and rose to draw a foul with no time left on the clock. Followed by calmly sinking the winning free throw with an empty line. This was emblematic of the type of winning plays this player makes. I saw it last year with the [program_tooltip program_id='2076061' first='Detroit' last='Bulldogs'] and he continues to do it with [program_tooltip program_id='3562948' first='Hoops' last='High']. Put up 16 pints in the aforementioned contest. Not very big, but that is about you can mark him down for. Tight handle and excellent change of direction ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2845596' first='Marquis' last='Carey'] 6-2 Macomb Dakota </strong>While Fomby brought the perimeter punch for [program_tooltip program_id='3562948' first='Hoops' last='High']. Carey was simply a bucket in the post. Old school big at 6-2. However really knew what do with his back to the basket. Is built like a brick but has plenty of mobility and athletic explosion. Aggressive player who really sought out ball late and in the clutch. You don't often see that from a non-point guard. While Fomby got the winning free throw in the previously mentioned closing contest. Carey led the way with 22 points. Should be geared up to contribute at a rebuilding Dakota program. Had to sit out last after transferring from Warren De La Salle. I will be watching to see how he develops positionally. Not sure if he can be a back to basket scorer with his stature. However, there is a lot of athletic potential with this prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2845431' first='Dwane' last='Hayes Jr'] 6-6 Farmington</strong> Speaking of athletic potential. If this was a superlatives article. Hayes was easily the best athlete I saw on Sunday. Sturdy and well put together frame and ran the court fluidly. Didn't stray far from the paint in my viewings, and that is not a bad thing. Active defensively and gets off the ground quickly. Accumulated a handful of impressive blocks in Sunday action. Still has some development to do on the offensive end. However, like his frontcourt partner Carey (see above) there is so much physical upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2871496' first='Kalen' last='Hester'] 5-10 Flushing </strong>I was only able to catch one Shoebox Elite contest. But it was enough to be impressed with this small guard. Quick and decisive with the ball in his hands. Hester also appeared to ber an excellent live dribble passer. Showed deep range on the perimeter with a trigger quick release. Will certainly have to get bigger and stronger to take the next step in his development. Hester played up last year on a surprising Raider squad that went undefeated in the Flint Metro League. If he continues to grow, Hester could be another next level point guard prospect in a 2028 class that is loaded with them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3585153' first='Reed' last='Gates'] 6-4 Edwardsburg</strong> Located near the Indiana border. Understandably, the Eddies (great mascot) have a history of sending players to the Hoosier state for grassroots basketball. Gates is next on this list running with Indiana Impact-Leighton. Athletic frame and looked every bit of his 6-4 frame. Drove hard and finished well at the basket. Good ball handler for his size. I never want to assume. But you could double your fun here. As a very similar prospect (twin?) named [player_tooltip player_id='3587234' first='Law' last='Gates'] also played well for Indiana Impact-Leighton. Edwardsburg could have a strong squad in a few years as fellow Eddie (I can't resist) [player_tooltip player_id='3586938' first='Liam' last='Sieggreen'] (5-11 guard) also contributed on this squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2812577' first='Levi' last='Wassenaar'] 5-10 Grand Rapids Northpointe Christian</strong> This West Michigan point guard had a nice weekend for D1 SBG Fundamentals. Good ball handler and shooter who competed hard on both ends of the court. Makes up for a lack size with quickness and craftiness at the rim. Wasn't afraid to drive hard among the trees. Could form a nice regular season duo with 2027 Mustang [player_tooltip player_id='2929762' first='Kai' last='Vanderkodde'] who I saw last weekend. Most of Wassenaar's squad was from Northpointe Christian including fellow point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2812571' first='Daquon' last='Person'] (5-7) who played well. Not sure how good the Mustangs will be next year. But they will feature some good guard play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->