Elite Camp Tour: Ferris Fab Five

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The men's basketball program at Ferris St University held its second elite camp this past Sunday. Producing the usual deep and talented field. After covering players like [player_tooltip player_id='1356975' first='Matt' last='Elderkin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1223498' first='Adam' last='Hardy'] who also excelled at Grand Valley the previous day. Following are five standouts that caught my attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1588212' first='Brandon' last='Mercer II'] _____ 2026 Okemos (MI) </strong>The blank line that l left there was intentional. Something I hardly ever do. There was a measurement taken at the camp. Full disclosure it was quite small. Frankly I left it blank because it doesn't matter. It could have been 4-10 (it wasn't) and I would still list this Lansing area point guard as a top performer. Absolutely electric with the ball in his hands. Showing one the of the better ball handling skill sets that I saw all summer. As you would expect. Played with a chip on his shoulder and with absolutely no fear. There was big picture in the gym of Ferris great <strong>Dennis Springs. </strong>Springs was one of the better GLIAC point guards of my generation at about 5-6. With what I saw on Saturday. I see no reason why Mercer could not follow that developmental path. Will need to get a little bigger and a little more bouncier but there is a lot to work with already as rising sophomore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1588169' first='Keyshawn' last='Summerville'] 5-10 2026 Lansing Sexton (MI) (pictured) </strong>It was kind of a rub your eyes moment. Summerville has always had plenty of potential. You just wondered if he would get big enough. Standing next to fellow Lansing area point guard Mercer he seemed to have plenty of size. Didn't shoot it particularly well. However that allowed the overall skill set to really shine. Already has the nuances of the “snake dribble” down pretty well. Knows how to get defenders on his hip and excels in pick and roll situations. Coming off a good summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='2077017' first='Grand' last='Rapids Storm']. The developmental arrow continues to point way up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dekarai Rogers II 5-9 2024 Detroit Henry Ford (MI) </strong>We can't let the young pint sized point guards get all the ink. We need to get a senior in here. The Detroit guard gets this mention the hard way. He earned it. One of the few players in the scrimmage portion that picked up opponents full court. Every single time. Aided by plenty of speed and quickness. Was also very effective on the offensive end, Like the two players above him. Penetrated at will and without fear. Henry Ford seems to have an assembly line (lazy analogy— I know) that has been producing these types of prospects of late. Rogers in the next one up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285254' first='Micah' last='Bays'] 6-2 2024 Sylvania (OH) </strong>I have already mentioned Dennis Springs once in this column. Bays plays for Springs in the Toledo area. I also caught him quite a bit on the Prep Hoops Circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='2075517' first='Hopson' last='Elite']. Sunday was the best I have seen him play. Opened the scrimmage portion with a dunk in transition. Following it up with a three on the next possession. That pretty much signified his day. Continued to make plays above the rim all afternoon. Was also active on the defensive end with some steals that he turned into offense quickly. Will need to improve his movement off the ball. Stagnated a bit when he wasn't initiating offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1463233' first='Ben' last='Heagle'] 6-6 2024 Byron Center (MI) </strong>Like clockwork did what you expect from this prospect. Turned the highest vertical at the camp at 32 inches (tied with [player_tooltip player_id='1223498' first='Adam' last='Hardy']) Then proceeded to show it was more than just a number. Putting down some impressive dunks in traffic. Has moved his game beyond just dunks in the past year. Has really improved as a ball handler. Can now drive from the top of key himself. Has good post moves and soft touch around the basket. With his athleticism will always be threat out in transition. Coming a good spring/summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='2077033' first='West' last='Michigan Lakers']. Should be poised for a big senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->