Tate’s Notebook: Week 2 Takeaways
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Last week, I was able to get out to the South Christian/Wyoming and East Kentwood/Forest Hills Central games. Below are my takeaways and players who stood out in each of those games. South Christian 98, Wyoming 91 This was one…
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Continue ReadingLast week, I was able to get out to the South Christian/Wyoming and East Kentwood/Forest Hills Central games. Below are my takeaways and players who stood out in each of those games.
South Christian 98, Wyoming 91
This was one of, if not the highest-scoring high school game I’ve ever attended. Dunks, transition threes, and a plethora of turnovers. It was a game that had a little bit of everything. Both teams are relatively young and feature some bright spots who are underclassmen. While neither team will be favored to win its league, both programs should feel good about where they’re at right now and the overall outlook of their teams in the immediate future.
Carson Vis Carson Vis 6'3" | PG Grand Rapids South Christian | 2025 State MI , 6’3 G, South Christian 2025″
The freshman guard showed up and showed out for the Sailors, leading the team with 24 points. Carson flashed a smooth jumper from the mid-range extended to the perimeter. The majority of his jump shots came from spot-up situations. Carson also flashed an ability to put the ball on the deck and get through the defense for a few high-percentage looks in the paint. Although he’s only a freshman, Carson has shown he can finish above the rim. The next step for him will be to finish through contact and convert at a consistent rate. As of right now, he’s without a doubt one of the top prospects in the state in the 2025 class.
Jake Vermaas Jake Vermaas 6'2" | SG South Christian | 2024 State MI , 6’2 G, South Christian 2024″
Another talented underclassmen guard for South Christian is Jake Vermaas Jake Vermaas 6'2" | SG South Christian | 2024 State MI . Jake scored 23 points and made a few big plays in crunch time to help push the Sailors to a win. The sophomore guard plays with the poise of an upperclassman and does the little things that ultimately decide tight games. Jake controlled the pace of play when the game was coming down the stretch and Wyoming needed a few turnovers to mount the comeback. His ability to score in transition and halfcourt without a dropoff in production stood out to me as well.
Jaleil Holt, 5’11 G, Wyoming 2022″
Jaleil showed a level of toughness that was needed in order for Wyoming to stick with South Christian in this track meet. Jaleil showed a little bit of everything offensively for the Wolves, which included some tough finishes through contact and knocking down perimeter jumpers with a hand in his face. Jaleil’s in-game demeanor and overall presence is something you look for in an upperclassmen lead guard and will be someone who Wyoming can count on for a bucket in games that come down the wire.
Forest Hills Central 74, East Kentwood 65
East Kentwood entered the season with an interim coach and several new faces on the roster. Despite this, the Falcons looked like the more poised team throughout a large majority of this game as the Falcons led by double digits on several occasions. East Kentwood’s length and on-ball defense gave Forest Hills Central problems in the first half, and if not for a herculean effort from Jacob Bonnett Jacob Bonnett 5'11" | SG Forest Hills Central | 2022 State MI , the Falcons would be sitting at 1-0 to start the season.
Jacob Bonnett Jacob Bonnett 5'11" | SG Forest Hills Central | 2022 State MI , 6,0 G, Forest Hills Central 2022″
Jacob put Forest Hills Central on his back and carried the Rangers to a win on Friday night against EK. His 22 second-half points were all hard-earned and often in spite of a few hard fouls and constant double teams. Jacob ended the night with a game-high 31 points, much of that which resulted from gritty finishes in the paint. Jacob did a great job of knifing his way through the EK defense and converting highly contested shots at the rim. He displayed why it’s ideal to play off two feet in the paint, which allowed Jacob to generate enough strength to finish over the outstretched arms and bodies of East Kentwood.
Marshawn Flakes, 6’3 G, East Kentwood 2023″
Marshawn impressed in several ways on both ends of the court against the Rangers. Defensively, Marshawn did a good job of keeping his man in front of him and taking away any type of penetration towards the lane. Marshawn has a quick first step and does a good job of anticipating where the ball handler wants to go. Offensively, Markshawn converted some tough buckets, however, I was more impressed with his ability to dump off the ball in tight quarters to an open man for an easy shot. Several times Marshawn sucked the defense in and fed a no-look pass to a teammate for an easy layup.