Elk West Shootout: Statewide Standouts

First a word about the title. What is the "Elk West Shootout" It's my moniker for this year's iteration of the Up North Shootout. Hats off to the organizers for being nimble. But my day started at Elk Rapids in what is becoming a bizarre recurring trend. Heavy rain and power outages.   Action was moved to Traverse City West. If you are familiar with this region. That's not just down the street. There is a "little" thing called the Grand Traverse Bay you need navigate around to get to these neighboring districts. Beautiful, but certainly not short. You can quibble with my opinions or rankings. But you can't say I'm not committed. I caught almost all the action. Following are six standouts from outside of Northern Michigan.   [player_tooltip player_id='2715417' first='Dexter' last='Lillmars'] 6-3 2028 Fruitport (pictured) One of the breakout performers from the spring AAU period. A hot shooting two guard for one of the best 16U squads on the Under Armour circuit. With his regular season team, he has to do a lot. That's not necessarily a bad thing as gets to show he is much more than just a long range sniper. In the opener got off to a bit of slow start against Cadillac. Understandable as everyone was trying to get their bearings after the venue change. He was also guarded by a [program_tooltip program_id='2077017' first='Grand' last='Rapids Storm'] teammate who knows his game and has good length (Cadillac's 6-7 [player_tooltip player_id='2758267' first='Domenic' last='Wing']) This simply meant Lillmars nedded to get creative and use his handle to get into the mid range. Uses pump fakes and a wider frame for a guard to create space in that part of the court. Had a long day with three games. He looked pretty gassed by the end. The competitiveness was still evident in the fatigue. One of my favorites in the 2028 class.   [player_tooltip player_id='2958185' first='Garrett' last='Olson'] 6-6 2029 Fruitport A high upside versatile young post. I was very impressed with him last year at a combine put on by a local AAU team. I haven't seen as much of him this spring. I'm told he is pursuing baseball a little more aggressively than the hardwood. Well, if baseball is his better sport. I don't want to be a left handed hitter on the lakeshore. Olson scored both from the high post and was electric in transition. In prior viewings I thought he was very dominant with his left. Made plays with both hands on Thursday. Also used a hard initial drive to the right to set up a strong comeback to the left. Bouncy and finished well above the rim with a handful of impressive dunks. Only a sophomore, if Olson continues to play as he did Thursday. He could have some difficult (but good) decisions in the next few years.   [player_tooltip player_id='2951435' first='Harper' last='Huntington'] 6-2 2027 Grand Haven Simillar player to Lillmars (see above) Just a little further down the lakeshore, older, and left handed. Type of shooter that you surprised when it doesn't go in. Good ball handler with quickness. Got to his spots easily against a Menominee squad that was good defensively in the backcourt. Was in constant motion and moved well off the ball. Caught the ball in the shooting motion and got it up quickly with a smooth and effortless release. Grand Haven seems to get a lost in the deep OK Red shuffle at times. Coming off a nice spring with a strong West Michigan Premier squad. Huntington looks to be geared up for a big senior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='2843916' first='Alex' last='Dunn'] 6-9 2027 Jonesville Let's get off the Lakeshore and get a new arrival for the Comets. Dunn who has good basketball bloodlines looks to be fitting in nicely after a transfer. Is a legitimate 6-9 with eye opening length. With his family history has been on the radar a while and has long tantalized with his physical upside. Uses these traits to be a major factor at the rim. Can score from unique angles that other players simply can't get to. Has a soft touch around the basket but can also finish emphatically at the rim. Had some nice dunks in three games of action. Has good ball skills and court vision. Can handle the ball and initiate offense out of the high post. In the past, you could knock him for maybe avoiding contact. On Thursday against Negaunee, caught the ball on the low block and got a well deserved offensive foul-- and I loved it. As he lowered his shoulder and trucked a smaller defender. I don't believe it was a flop. If Dunn can play with that level of tenacity and aggression. He could be the top senior playing in Division III next year.   [player_tooltip player_id='2539719' first='Carter' last='Estelle'] 6-7 2028 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian Similar to Dunn. A post with good bloodlines in a new spot after a transfer. The former Hopkins big has an eye opening wingspan. Helps him play taller than his listed height... and he is not short. Still seemed to be trying to figure out his role with the Defenders. Appeared to spend a lot of time on the perimeter in the action I caught. That is not a total negative as he is skilled enough to play out there. However, I don't think that will last too long. With assistant coach Mike Kaman TUC has been a post development factory of late. Estelle should develop nicely in the coming year. Should develop into a big-time rim protector and high post option. The outline is already there and Estelle is only a junior.   Caleb Blonde 5-9 2027 Jonesville I'll wrap up with a very underrated player. Blonde is not even in our database right now (I will change that eventually) Blonde is a small but consummate point guard who knows how to play in the two-man game. Hit the Comets litany of big men in the dunker spot with an assortment of live dribble looks. Scored when defenses crashed down to cut these passing lanes off. Did it usually with a high arching floater that made up for his lack ideal size. Cross country standout who played with a high motor and endurance. Jonesville is one of the biggest teams in state, regardless of division. If they are going to make some noise in Division III. Their smallest player might be the key.

First a word about the title. What is the "Elk West Shootout" It's my moniker for this year's iteration of the Up North Shootout. Hats off to the organizers for being nimble. But my day started at Elk Rapids in what is becoming a bizarre recurring trend. Heavy rain and power outages.