MVP Marcus Wourman 5-8 8th East Lansing: Bank Hoops camps have seen their share of young point guard prodigies. Wourman is the next one. Time will tell, will he end up the next Cassius Winston, or Juwan Moody? High IQ and skill set, he handled the ball and ran the show at his own pace, mixing in his own buckets while finding the open man. Should work on his floater in the lane that he’ll need as a small, young guard when he reaches the varsity level.
“One of the best point guards in camp regardless of age,” a coach said. “You can tell this kid is going to be a player. Never seemed rattled and scored with ease despite being one of the smallest kids on the court. It says a lot when you’re the youngest guy out there and players two years older are still giving you the ball to bring it up the court. Haven’t seen a middle schooler this good at camp since Cassius Winston.”
Pierre Brooks 6-2 8th St. Clare Montefalco: Nice combination of size and skill, as he could rebound it then bring it up and make a play with the ball. Advanced feel for the game, and able to see things happen over smaller guards defending him. Shot selection left something to be desired.
“Long, big guard who certainly has a couple inches of growth left in him,” a coach said. “Played like a seasoned guard against older competition. Certainly a gamer. Sneaky in the passing lanes, but one area of improvement would be his defense on the ball.”
Trey Gardette 5-9 8th Ann Arbor: Terrific pushing the ball in games, we also liked how Gardette did his business in drills. Not a few guards, when pushed out of their comfort zone in some stations, look lost without the ball in their hands. Not this kid, who embraced rebounding, setting screens, just a well-rounded player. When he did have the ball, had a nice mix of shoulder fakes, change of speeds, to create space against older defenders.
“Extremely fast guard,” a coach said. “Will be very dangerous once he uses his speed on both ends of the court.”
KJ Rai 6-4 8th East Lansing: Always seemed to pop into play with a nose for the ball and rebounded it all day long. Good size for his age, and used it on the glass. Fought for position defensively and blocked shots.
“Another reason East Lansing High School will be in good shape even after Brandon Johns graduates in a couple years,” a coach said. “Good footwork for his age. Gets pretty good position in the post and found a body when a rebound came off. Needs to improve quickness, but that should come with time and coaching.”
Ayden Rutan 5-5 8th Leslie: Alma College assistant coach Ryan Clark, a Leslie HS grad, ran a drill station at the camp. He had to be a proud and optimistic alumnus seeing the talented trio of Leslie eighth-graders, Rutan, 5-7 Tristan Feighner and 5-6 Nolan Frohriep. Rutan was the smallest player at camp. He controlled tempo and made right decision after right decision.
“Young, fearless lefty that acted like he belonged with the older guys despite his smaller stature,” a coach said. “Excellent shooter and passer.”
“The future of the Leslie backcourt is good with them waiting in the wings,” another coach said. “Feighner is a streak shooter from 3 who is better in the half-court than an up-and-down game. Rutan is a small guard with a big heart! Very strong handle. Knows how to finish on bigger defenders by using the rim to protect his shot. Changes pace very well, keeping defenders on their toes.”
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