DJ Allison 5-9 8th Kalamazoo: A returnee after attending the Underclassman Camp, and seemed more relaxed and confident the second time through. Good fundamentals and decisions for his age.
“Nice poise for a young floor general,” a coach said. “He showed an improved stroke from the outside. He played on both ends of teh floor and despite being just an eighth-grader, tried to check whomever was bringing up the ball.”
Ethan Dunn 6-7 8th East Lansing: Despite being the youngest player in his drill group, didn’t play fazed or intimidated. Could’ve said he was a 10th-grader and still would have been impressive. There’s not much size in-state in the class above him, making Dunn that much more valuable as he moves on to high school and becomes a recruitable prospect.
“Rebounded well and chinned it,” a coach said. “Good hands and and showed good touch. Kept ball high away from smaller players.”
“Huge eighth-grader,” another coach said. “Has a frame taht should fill out nicely as he gets older. Foot speed and quickness will be essential for his development. Doesn’t seem to hurry when he touches the ball down low and has nice spacial awareness. Uses his body well off the drop-step and shows good balance on the move. Even though he was younger, didn’t seem to mind mixing things up inside. If he works as hard at his school workouts as he did during the drill sessions here, his future in this game will be very bright.”
Trevon Gunter 6-0 So Kalamazoo Christian: A coach’s dream because he competed from the very first drill through last game, and carries a 4.0 gpa.
“Plays hard all the time,” a coach said. “Slashing guard who runs the floor and finishes well in transition. He has sneaky athleticism and always seemed to find a way to get his hand on the ball. Takes good angles off the bounce and uses his body well. He’s an in-your-face ball-hawk who keeps his hands active.”
“Shot the ball well for most of the day,” another said. “Has great shoulders, would like to see him use his body more on drives.”
Brayden Mallak 5-11 So Oscoda: “Solid point guard with a knack for getting his shot off despite lack of height and elevation,” a coach said. “He also has no problem knocking down the open jumper. Plays hard on defense and has a sneaky quick first step that give him an agle he rarely gives up. Needs to continue to work on athleticism and range on his jumper. The deeper he can knock it down, the more effective that first step becomes.”
Derek Sackitt 6-6 Fr Battle Creek Pennfield: Liked him earlier at the Underclassman Camp, and he acquitted himself well again. Got knocked around a bit by bigger, older players in drills but took it in stride and kept competing. Good hands and was able to catch and dunk pretty regularly. Banger, grinder, interior guy now who will have to revamp his shot to become a face-up threat, and time is certainly on his side to do so for this 14-year-old.
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