PH Michigan State Tournament: New Post Names

In 21st century basketball the traditional big man is frequently going the way of the Buffalo. Size used to be the thing that quickly catches the eye of a coach and scouts quickly. With attention moving out the perimeter. Talented big men seem to slipping through the cracks a little.   This past weekend a handful of big men caught my eye who I had not extensively seen before. Seven are listed below.   [player_tooltip player_id='2871533' first='Kevin' last='Blair'] 6-8 2026 Lake Fenton (pictured) Won't over complicate this evaluation. Passes the eye test in a major way. Has a projectable long frame. So much so, that I was anxious to see the ball tip into game action. In warmups I wondered how could I have missed a player with this upside for three years. There had to be a catch. Maybe a late growth spurt, or move. Frankly I still don't have an answer. After the ball tipped, it was quickly apparent that he could play. Good mobility and solid hands. Two things that are hard to teach. Now he is far from a finished product and he still has a ways to go. But I haven't seen a large number of posts in the 2026 class that have more physical upside than the Flint area prospect.   Luke VanZee 6-8 2026 Boyne City The Northern Michigan version of Blair (see above) I live in Northern Michigan, surely I would know of a 6-8 mobile post with upside. Nope, hadn't seen or heard of this player until his spring run with HB Elite. Now, full disclosure, I haven't mentioned him previously as he has struggled a bit in prior viewings. However don't forget, bigs always develop later than guards. The light seemed to come on this past weekend. Especially in a late Saturday night victory over a Team Soil squad that featured a strong frontline (see below) Stepped up offensively when his teams top scorer had an off night. Showed a soft touch around the basket that even stretched out to the three point line. Competed hard defensively in the paint. Didn't appear to mind contact at all and had an officiating crew that let him get after it on Saturday night. Like Blair above, still has a ways to go. But 6-8 mobile bigs with a soft touch aren't running around all over the place.   [player_tooltip player_id='2844668' first='Trevor' last='De Jong'] 6-8 2026 West Michigan Aviation Academy I think I'm beginning to sound broken record here— and I might be slightly disproving my original premise But De Jomg is similar to the other two players above him on this list. Has a lot of physical upside and is rapidly improving with a strong developmental program in the [program_tooltip program_id='2077033' first='West' last='Michigan Lakers'] He might need a little more projection. As he still has very slender frame. However he has good ball skills and is only going to improve with more reps this spring/summer   [player_tooltip player_id='2873390' first='Brady' last='Markowicz'] 6-6 2026 Novi (Homeschool) Listed in our database as a Novi athlete. Unless my aging ears are deceiving me. He told me he was a homeschool athlete. Consequently coaches might have to look like harder for this lanky post prospect. Teamed with fellow homeschool prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2858649' first='Roman' last='Opsommer'] to lead Moneyball East to the 17U title. Played well in the Sunday semifinal victory over an HB Elite outfit that featured a big and talented frontline (see above) Good offensive rebounder with a quick second jump. Accordingly got the ball up to the rim quickly and was a good shot blocker.   [player_tooltip player_id='2833458' first='Chib' last='Amaezechi'] 6-6 Plainwell Thus far I've written about prospects with length who will need to add some weight. That is not this Kalamazoo area post. Is a load down low and doesn't mind throwing his weight around. With a thicker frame though, is the furthest thing from ground bound. Strong finisher at the rim. Gets off the ground very quickly. Will need to work his hands and overall skill development. At 6-6 might need to better shooter and ball handler to the take the next step. That being said, there is a lot to work with here.   [player_tooltip player_id='2422855' first='Michael' last='Armour'] 6-7 2027 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern We are now fully out of skinny projectable post phase with Armour. We are also down into the 2027 class. Giving this player an additional year to develop. Armour is big and is close to a finished product physically. Won't need to add weight— nor will he need to lose any. Has a thick upper body with broad shoulders. Also moves well for his size. Skill level should improve, at least by osmosis. As he plays with strong developmental program in both the grassroots and regular seasons. Forest Hills Northern just sent a completely different center to Division II that was a bit of late bloomer. Should form a nice 2027 inside out duo for the Huskies with [player_tooltip player_id='2140476' first='Cameron' last='Crowder'] who had an excellent weekend with West Michigan Premier.   [player_tooltip player_id='2140540' first='Xavier' last='VanWagner'] 6-8 2027 Carrollton We'll finish off with another physically advanced 2027 prospect. VanWagner isn't really a “new” name. Has been active on the individual showcase scene from a young age. What was new was how played with the 16U champion Highland Premier. Before this weekend, I would classified the Saginaw area post as skilled but ground bound. He is now running the court fluidly and more importantly finishing easily above the rim. Doing this with increased athleticism and elevation. Maintains the good ball skills and soft hands he shown before. Knows what he is and doesn't venture out on the perimeter much.

In 21st century basketball the traditional big man is frequently going the way of the Buffalo. Size used to be the thing that quickly catches the eye of a coach and scouts quickly. With attention moving out the perimeter. Talented big men seem to slipping through the cracks a little.