All-State Camp: Play the Right Way for the College Coaches

Warren De La Salle junior Justin Fischer was the top guard at the 12th-annual Bank Hoops All-State Camp.

If you think at a Bank Hoops event that the volume shooters and 10x per possession dribblers are the ones our scouts are looking for, you haven’t been paying attention. Here are some guys who caught our eyes by “playing the right way” — sharing the ball, showing smart shot selection, hustling and being coach-able in drills, and playing hard on the defensive side.

Thomas Cook  6-5  Sr  Grand Blanc: Played with the edge of a senior making the most of this window of opportunity. Sprinted and worked harder in drills than many players did in games. Led via energy. Tuned in on defense, taking advantage of his wingspan and playing with high hands on his closeouts.

Lamontae Ellis   5-7  Sr  Flushing: One of the smallest upperclassman guards at camp, luckily he was also one of the quickest and most skilled. Pushed tempo and kept his teammates involved on the break or driving and pitching. Ellis was able to duck through and use changes of speed to operate in the lane in the halfcourt.

College Guard Workshop, October 22

Daniel Everhart  6-0  Jr  Marine City Cardinal Mooney: Has the point guard gift of seeing plays and anticipating defenses before others. Got assists in transition using just one dribble. Drew double teams to get teammates open three-pointers. Hit shots within the flow, but when Everhart got out of the offense tended to miss, basketball karma catching up to a kid who usually knows better.

Justin Fischer  6-2  Jr  Warren De La Salle: A highlight maker without over-dribbling. Fischer rarely had the ball in his hand for more than a couple seconds and the results were a multitude of look-away, surprising, on the money passes. Soft, strong, confident right and left hands. Off the ball, always in motion and always shot ready. Size, skills, the way his shot looks, the doses of mustard, Fischer is very similar to former Bank Hoops camper Korey VanDussen who led Zeeland East to a state finals appearance before becoming a D1 starter at UNC-Greensboro.

Bryce Lott  6-3  So  Davison: Kept the ball hot and knocked down shots when it came back around. Versatile on offense, able to score with a jump hook or jump shot. Played with bounce and effort on the glass. One series that stood out was when Lott scored at the rim, then hustled back to make a steal under the opposing basket.

Derek Nicholson  6-8  Sr  Williamston: Thankfully not everyone standing over 6-7 wants to be a “stretch 4.” Nicholson is a country strong, old school post who embraces the physical game and loves making life difficult for those who think they’ll get free and easy shots at the rim or cuts through the lane. Rudimentary but effective post game when he gets position. Walls off well defensively. Young for his class and keeps improving, which is why he had GLIAC coaches intrigued.

Jaylon Rogers  6-1  Jr  Frankfort: He’s one of the most gifted one-on-one scoring guards in the state’s junior class who in the past would be an unlikely candidate for this list, but showed a nice mix of pass and shot. Rogers kept his team’s center, Williamston’s Derek Nicholson, involved and also recognized and capitalized on other teammates’ mismatches.

Danny Sully  6-5  Jr  Troy: Intriguing prospect because he doesn’t shy from physical contact, has a huge wingspan, and gets off the floor quickly to dunk. Money from the short corners. Sully needs to work on his range, but didn’t spend the camp missing three-pointers to prove that point.

Skyler Wilson  5-8  Jr  Lansing Eastern: Truly unselfish and one of the best pure passers in the camp. The frontcourt on his team was undersized, but they played right with some of the most talented bigs in the gym as their hustle was rewarded time and again with transition assists from Wilson.

Zach Winston  6-1  Jr  Detroit U-D Jesuit: Just keeps steadily improving. Good defender who squares and uses his strength to misdirect ball-handlers. Winston has expanded his offensive repertoire and showed some college-caliber separation moves, but didn’t over-indulge it and kept the ball moving and fed the post. Hoops IQ runs in the family and Zach understands how to work angles.