Sonned: Coaches’ kids go off in rivalry games

The good-looking jumpshot of Grosse Pointe South junior Anthony Benard.

College coaches love to recruit coaches’ sons. Particularly when they can dunk. The MAC’s 2023 class has three of those players, who combined for 96 points in intracity rivalry games Thursday.

Tyler Jamison, a 6-4 junior and the son of Port Huron Northern coach Brian Jamison, scored 40 as the Huskies beat Port Huron for their first win of the year. He had five dunks while playing point guard, including a particularly demoralizing, to opponent Port Huron, steal and two-hander at the end of the first half. He has an array of spin moves, behind-back dribbles, semi Euro steps, but all kept tight despite his size, and are downhill, aggressive, without gratuitous movement or dribbling. His most impressive bucket may have come on a crossover, pull-up transition jump shot, right in rhythm. Didn’t force much despite scoring 40, and has good passing vision off of penetration and can mix it up to pass or shoot from the wings. A few days prior he showed he could produce and play a similar style against much better competition, when Jamison scored 25 against Novi Catholic Central, often operating size against size. Could be more aggressive and play to his physical tools on defense. A mid-major point guard prospect with a 4.0 gpa.

Adam Ayrault, a 6-4 junior and the son of Grosse Pointe North coach Andy Ayrault, scored 31 in a win against Grosse Pointe South. After recording five dunks in GPN’s previous game with Detroit East English Village, Ayrault put on a shooting show against South, making three straight attempts from 25 feet in the first half, the third a step-back between the circles. With his size and vertical, also hit a 3, albeit closer in, while closely guarded, and made it look easy. Took advantage of matchups with guards to post up and cash in on his physical advantages, and has to be accounted for at all times on the offensive glass where’s ambidextrous with touch or power. Can improve on his in-between game and ball-handling creation against pressure. A mid-major wing guard prospect with a 4.0 gpa.

Anthony Benard, a 6-1 junior and the son of Grosse Pointe South coach Stephen Benard, scored 25 for the Blue Devils against North. GPN threw different guards to pick up Benard 100 the entire game, but he took care of the ball and didn’t get worn down, playing with energy and pop well into the second half. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s did something similarly against Benard, but with bigger and better athletes, so if anything it may have seemed like a respite. He matched Ayrault with an NBA-range 3 of his own, and then added to his list of victims when his crossover made the defender fall down only to see Benard bury a 3. That was a nice bookend to a corner 3 Benard made in a Thanksgiving scrimmage when he pump-faked a defender out of bounds before sticking the shot. Beat traps and scored with athletic moves in the lane. The scoops and finger rolls worked against the North defenders, but for Ayrault who blocked one. At the next level those shots will have to be pull-ups or off of two feet if deeper.