PH Freshman Showcase: Detroit Area Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In its second iteration. The Prep Hoops showcase took place in Grand Rapids this past Sunday. Last year it provided a look at players who would soon become household names early in their careers. Players such as [player_tooltip player_id='1588161' first='Cameron' last='Ryans'], [player_tooltip player_id='1588191' first='Braylon' last='Frantz'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1588168' first='Noah' last='Arnold']. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following are a handful of standouts from the Detroit area </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2276651' first='Eden' last='Vinyard'] 6-7 Ferndale (pictured) </strong>Biggest player in the camp. Both in physical stature and reputation. Did nothing to dispute the national recognition that he is already earning. Started out his day with a pick and pop three and it only got better from there. Showed the full package. Used his size well to be a big time deterrent at the rim. Controlled his blocked shots and kept them in play. Often corralling them and starting transition opportunities all by himself. Accordingly was an excellent ball handler for his size. Used this skill to both lead breaks and get to his spots on the perimeter. More than just a shot blocker with elite size. Was light on his feet. Moving them well to stay in front players. Athleticism to finish easily above the rim. Understandable as to why he played up an age division with [program_tooltip program_id='2077030' first='The' last='Family'] on the prestigious EYBL. Not much he couldn't do from the post. I'm not a veteran of freshman showcases. I mostly try and stay out of middle school gyms. Simply put one the better performances I have seen from a player who yet to step foot in a high school hallway. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Cast 6-1 Detroit Country Day </strong>Once the vanguard of Michigan high school basketball. Country Day has been going through a bit of a fallow period. If the players on this list stay with the program. I don't think it will last much longer. Cast was an extremely skilled and mature perimeter playmaker. Due to the difficulty of size projections. Evaluating at this age is always tough. This is one of the main reasons why I liked this prospect so much. His skill set makes him “size neutral”. If he is done growing (which I doubt) He already has the ability to be an intriguing and unique point guard prospect. If he keeps growing. His potential on the wing is pretty high. Used a quick first step to get to the basket at will. Went to both the right and left with ease. Despite a slender frame was a good and fearless finisher at the rim. While I wouldn't call him a point guard yet. I was most impressed his passing. Also is already an advanced ball handler. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2139938' first='Isaiah' last='Marino'] 6-6 Detroit Country Day </strong>Similar to Vinyard and teammate Cast. Has a physical profile that just looks the part. Has a well put together 6-6 frame. Nothing lanky or lean about it. Yet I also would not call him thick or stocky. Had quick elevation to the rim and a soft touch around the basket. Accordingly if he caught it on the block it was a bucket. Good athlete who ran the court fluidly. Filled lanes with purpose looking for the ball. Like Cast interesting to see where his size takes his development. I could see him as an athletic hoss down low. Or has a power wing in the [player_tooltip player_id='1112377' first='Tyler' last='Ode'] (Saginaw Heritage/Iowa St) mode. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Underwood 6-4 Warren Cousino </strong>Arguably one of the top shooters in the camp period. When you add in the fact that he also has excellent size and athleticism. You have a very intriguing long term prospect. Had an extremely high arc on his shot. Which once again coupled with size “should” make it hard to block. I use the quotes because I did see him get blocked on the perimeter a few times. I chalk it up to a little trigger happy youthful exuberance. A little more patience and improved ball handling should allow him to easily create space on the perimeter. While the shot was pure. The release was bit unorthodox. Could use a higher release point. That being said, I am picking nits on a player who turned in an elite shooting performance. On the complete positive side. If this was some fluky performance from beyond the arc. It frankly wouldn't matter. Showed enough athletic upside to be intriguing long prospect from the post as well. Played easily above the rim and was light on his feet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RJ Wesley 6-1 Warren Cousino </strong>Wesley's game and day were polar opposite of his teammate Underwood. Was a penetrator all the way who did not look for his outside shot. The vast majority of those drives went to the left which made him hard to guard. An extremely quick first step and athletic thick frame made him doubly hard to stay in front of. Accordingly seemed to shed defenders and showed the ability to finish through contact. Plays with a [program_tooltip program_id='2076061' first='Detroit' last='Bulldogs'] grassroots program that has churned out some good players recently. His regular season program in not known as a power. However Warren in general going through a bit of a hoops renaissance. Lincoln will be one of the better teams in the state. Cousino has bright future with Underwood (see above) and Wesley. <strong>Joseph Raper</strong> (6-0) and <strong>Jordan Brown </strong>(5-9) also played well for Cousino. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prince Ravenna Miles El 6-0 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice </strong>A name and game you are unlikely to forget. Highly athletic and physical lead guard prospect. Penetrated with ferocity and purpose. Type of ball handler that you hear first. Had a tight handle that he absolutely pounded into the court. Not a small guard. Had broad shoulders on top of a bouncy frame. Despite reloading in an impressive manner. There might still be some room in the deep Warrior rotation. Interesting to see if this player can earn a spot in the coming year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2139970' first='Dean' last='Lewis'] 6-2 Walled Lake Western </strong>Lewis is similar the Country Day duo of Cast and Marino. He is very good right now. Not sure of what he will be in the long term. It was good to see him back in West Michigan. Performed well a month ago on a swing through campus elite camps at Grand Valley and Ferris. The big thing for Lewis will be physical development. The skill set is already there. However is quite slender and doesn't appear to be as bouncy as some of the other prospects on this list. With some graduation and recent transfers there should be an opportunity to get his feet wet at the varsity level in the coming year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chase Carson 6-1 White Lake Lakeland </strong>I'll stretch to the outer limits of the Detroit metropolitan area for our last player. Carson does not wow you physically or with any one particular skill initially. However by the end of the day he earned a spot on this list. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. At the end of long camps like this the basketball can get a little sideways. Fatigue is an undefeated opponent. Especially for younger players. In the last game of the day Carson just kept coming. Showed the ability to score in a wide variety of ways. Scored off of strong drives While also showing a deep high arching outside shot. Has good size to play both backcourt positions already. Will need to become a little better of a ball handler to man the point. However scoring should not be an issue based on what I saw. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->