Cashing in at Moneyball Shootout

Braeden Proctor looks at some standouts from the Moneyball Shootout in Lansing.

Lorne Bowman  6-2  So  REACH (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s): Coming off a big sophomore season where he looked like a top 10 2020 prospect, he’s found his niche and had a steady spring for REACH 17U. Consistent mechanics with range on his shot. Bowman can make it off the dribble or catch. Doesn’t jump very high on the shot, but it goes in and he knows when he can get it off. Showed the ability to score in iso situations throughout the tournament. Good on-ball defender but can improve off the ball. He was beat a couple times for basket cuts and when guarding Dylan Jergens in the championship game let himself get screened off the all, giving the Strictly Skills gunner enough space to bury shots.

Dominique Davidson  6-6  Jr  Titans (Lansing Everett): Physical, tough post presence was the lone bright spot for the Titans against REACH. The REACH bigs didn’t get a body on Davidson and he made them pay by attacking the glass hard scoring on numerous put-backs.

Daniel Friday  6-4  Jr  REACH (Detroit U-D Jesuit): Super versatile, well-rounded, efficient player. Great passer who put the ball in positions for teammates to score. Finished with either hands. Took care of the ball best of the REACH contingent over course of the tournament. Good court awareness on both ends. Willing and physical defender. Got a lot of help-side blocks, in addition to the rebounds and assists. Friday hit a few 3s but the mechanics need work and the shot is slow

Brandon Galvan  5-9  Jr  Strictly Skills (Hartford): Good fit with Dylan Jergens in in the SS backcourt. Galban controls tempo well. Took care of the ball against REACH’s lankier, more athletic guards. Good visision. Had some nice drive and kicks to shooters. Attacked the seams and got some easy looks at the rim, where he wasn’t afraid to go among the bigs; used both hans to avoid rim protectors. Hit a few perimeter shots to keep defenders honest.

Caleb Hunter  5-10  Jr  Detroit Spartans (Southfield Christian): When the shot is falling Hunter is a handful for anyone, and it was against REACH. Hit coming off screens, pull-ups in iso situations or spotted up. Very quick with the handle to match. Created his own shot and finished inside against bigs for a couple and-ones. Shot selection is iffy and if he’s off he can shoot a team ojut of games, but more often that not Caleb’s putting up points.

Dylan Jergens  6-1  Jr  Strictly Skills (Howardsville Christian): In leading Strictly Skills to the 17U final against REACH, Jergens proved that what he does at the Class D level has a translation against elite competition and likely college. Great shooter who got his footwork and balance under himself quickly in transition or coming off hand-offs or screens to knock down shots over closeouts. Made great reads off P-n-Rs. Made shots if they went under screens or hit the roll/pop man depending on the read of the man defending the screener. Always probing REACH’s defense and forcing help-side to collapse on him. When they did he fed the open shooter and if they didn’t Jergens was going to get great shot opportunities. Solid handles and vision so could play the point if he had to. Not great at creating his own shot or for others in iso situations and not a great athlete. Didn’t offer much on the glass and defensively he generally avoided guarding on the ball REACH’s primary threats. College level will depend on offensive fit.

Gage McGuire  6-7  Jr  GreenWood (Coldwater): Big, physical tranditional 5 man who knows what he does well, and tries to do that often. Set hard screens, rolled with a purpose after screens and moved well around the paint to get easy touches off teammates’ creation. Sold two-footed leaper around the hoops who finished plays off dunks if he got room. Two-handed rebounds and got the break rolling. Could be a decent GLIAC big prospect.

Matt Nicholson  6-11  So  North Oakland Wolfpack 16U (Clarkston): The Wolfpack was solid last weekend in Livonia without Nicholson; with him, it’s one of the state’s best 16U teams. He dunked everything early on in the 16U semifinals. Relocated when teammates drove and was fed for finishes. Moves well around the paint on defense and kept arms up, make him seem even bigger and more imposing than his already 7-feet+ wingspan indicated. Rotated well on defense, as nearly all Wolfpack players do regardless of age level. Matt does the little things well that help winnings teams; good fundamentals for size and age. Size, talent and high school program will allow him to be recruited at the high-major level while playing for indie club.

Justus Salaam  5-11  So  Warriors 16U (North Farmington): Tends to look good on the Aim High courts, site to a strong performance from Salaam at the Bank Hoops All-State Camp last fall. Here he was a calm, steadying presence for the Warriors. Controlled tempo. Looked comfortable using a runner in the lane to get shots off over bigs, a crucial skill for guards his size. Quick with the ball and has pretty good handles. Looks to fit the mold of a traditional, game manager point guard at the next level.

Jon Sanders  5-11  Jr  MWA (Southfield Christian): He was the efficient fifth starter for Southfield Christian’s Class D state championship team, poised for a big bump in his role this season. Sanders looks ready. Accelerated quickly, finished well through contact and was pretty springy around the rim. Solid three-point shooter with an above-average handle.