One of the weekend’s elite performers in the 16U field came from a kid who could still be playing against 15U competition; and he’s a rising star in the national player rankings.

Jace Opoku-Agyeman Jace Opoku-Agyeman 6'2" | PG Rockford | 2029 MI entered the weekend ranked 27th in the nation, according to futureprospectsd1.com. And some list him as a top-3 recruit in Michigan for the 2029 recruiting class.

In his Storm team’s win over WM Premier, Jace showed why he’s catching a lot of nationwide buzz. He handles the ball well in transition; showcasing excellent court vision and an uncanny ability to find an open teammate. He’s extremely explosive when he attacks the lane; just puts his head down and goes straight at his defender.

On defense he locks up the opposing team’s guards, and battles for rebounds against players who are often 3-4 inches taller than him.

Jace is young, but you can tell that he already has the trust of his teammates; they let him take the ball up court, and rely on him to bring them through tricky game-situations.

After the game, Jace said that he doesn’t mind playing against kids who are older than him, because he’s been doing it most of his life. He prides himself on causing a lot of turnovers and being able to score past his defender.

Jace still has 3 years of high school remaining, and has lots of time to continue his rise up the national rankings.

I’ve seen the highlights, full games on stream, and was at the Breslin for the state title, but I haven’t been fortunate enough to watch perhaps the best on-ball perimeter defender in Michigan’s 2029 class work up-close. In my time here in Michigan, I haven’t watched someone use angles to beat ball-handlers to the spot quite like Jace. Here’s the kicker, it’s not for a viral clip or just a few possessions, the Rockford guard plays like that the entire game.

This young man is flat out 1 of the top freshman in the state and can simply hoop. In the instant classic win against Brother Rice, he was able to score in a variety of ways. Jace created mid range space off the bounce and connected. He also showed, not just that he could shoot off the catch from beyond the arc, but that he could hit BIG shots.

This one seems obvious and this will be a name you see and hear a lot from in the coming years. Jace just has a different level of ‘feel for the game’ than most freshman. He understands runs and flow and plays the game accordingly. All that said, let’s not forget that Jace can be a highlight reel as well.

Opoku-Agyeman was EASILY one of the most impressive players in the gym. He showed up to play, catching fire from beyond the arc early in the event. He also showed the willingness to attack the rim without the ball, catch the pass in traffic and finish off 2 feet. Opoku-Agyeman was able to shoot off the catch as well as pull up off the bounce. He showed off his elite speed burst with the ball with a tough righty finish. It wasn’t just offense though. He was active and energetic with his feet on D.

I’ve been waiting g for this young man to hit high school for a while now. Jace is an instant impact freshman at the highest of high school levels. Let’s start with his D. His quick feet constant keep him chest to chest with his man. Jace has all the physical tools, but his biggest strength might be between the ears.

If you want to talk about elite young guards in the state of Michigan, you have to include Opoku-Agyeman. I’ve been very impressed with his ability to glide into a change of direction and switch it on the move. Opoku-Agyeman is fast down the floor and was beating defenses back for easy transition buckets.