This past weekend the Michigan Mustangs hosted their annual Adidas Spring Jamboree at Lansing Eastern High School. While most of the attention went to the 17-u and 16-u teams it was hard to ignore the skills from the two younger divisions. I didn't get a chance to see every team or catch every name but here are some of the standouts that I did have an opportunity to watch play at least once.
DeAnthony Arnette, 2011, 15-u Saginaw FOH- Dee can get to the basket as well as anyone in his class. He handles the PG duties for FOH and that will only help his development down the road.
Jalen Bland, 2011, 15-u Saginaw FOH- this 3-sport star has a nice pure jump shot. FOH uses his athletic ability in a variety of ways as he can play a few positions. He got hot over the weekend and knocked down some big shots against both the Mustangs and Hurricanes.
Pierre Bracket, 2011, 15-u Mustangs- has taken over a huge role for the Mustangs. He by far had his best performance as a Stang as he moved to the starting line-up. Pierre has always shined defensively but he showed off his offensive skills over the weekend.
Marquelle Bradshaw, 2013, 14-u Saginaw All or Nothing- small in stature but knows how to run the floor and control the game's tempo. Nice little ball player that quietly handles his business.
Rashaun Carroll, 2012, 14-u Michigan Heat-the PG led his team all the way to the 14-u Championship. Not all of his teammates can get off their own shots so Carroll does a great job of putting them in position to score.
Dorian Dawkins, 2013, 14-u Saginaw All or Nothing- Dawkins has the skills to be one of those "special" players down the road. He can dominate at either the one or the two. Real good height for a combo guard in the 7th grade.
Marquavius Ford, 2011, Saginaw All or Nothing- talk about a lights out shooter! Ford has one objective in the game and that's to set and shoot, and he does it so well. He's very young for his grade so he was able to play for both of the Saginaw All or Nothing teams.
Quin Gavin, 2013, 14-u Saginaw All or Nothing- a combo guard who led his team in scoring over the weekend, he can get to the basket and finish. Plays the 1 but will probably be more of a natural 2-guard in high school.
Percy Gibson, 2011, 15-u Mustangs- "Big Perc" carried the load for the short handed Stangs over the weekend. He shot a high percentage while averaging 22 a game. Against Saginaw All or Nothing the big fella poured in 18 first half points.
Dylan and Ryan Hickoff, 2012, 14-u Flint Affiliation- I was very impressed with the twins over the weekend. They are natural small forwards that take pride in rebounding and playing defense but they both can shoot the ball quite well. They stand about 6-1 but I can see them turning into wings in high school.
Devin Ivy, 2011, 15-u Hurricanes- Ivy can get to the basket with his pure athleticism as well as stroking it from 3-point range and mid-range. Against the Mustangs he had a chip on his shoulder and took it right to them.
Dominique Jackson, 2013, 14-u Saginaw All or Nothing- more of a scoring wing than the typical point guard that we have come accustomed to from the Jackson family. At 5-9 he is long and stands out when he slashes to the basket. Still has that high basketball I.Q. that runs in the Jackson family.
Quin Langston, 2012, 14-u Flint Affiliation- more of a post player than a wing right now but he isn't afraid to handle the ball on the perimeter. Still needs to tighten up his fundamentals but his ability to get off the ground makes him a force near the basket.
Kevin Marshall Jr., 2012, 15-u Saginaw FOH- the 6-5 power forward was forced to play center for his team and he gave a full effort against the older big guys and he did hold his own. He can get up and down the floor as isn't afraid to get physical.
Tommie McCune, 2011, 15-u Mustangs- I am taking away McCune's label as being a "big man" because he is developing the skills to become a 6-7 wing, and once he gets it down you better watch out! McCune is full of energy and athleticism and he knows how to use it.
Shawn Nunn, 2011, 15-u Flint All-Stars- the little fella is just a joy to watch and he can easily embarrass his opponent in the open court. He looked to shoot a little more this weekend as I prefer watching him set up his teammates.
Cha-Cha Tucker, 2013, 14-u and 15-U Michigan Titans and Mustangs- Cha-Cha led the Titans all the way to the semi's in the 14-U division and at the same time he was doing more than just handling his own playing with the Stangs' 15u team. Playing up two age divisions he was calm and took care of the ball while being a playmaker at the same time.
Denzel Valentine, 2012, 15-u Mustangs- the top player from the class of 2012 continues to show why he plays up. He wouldn't get challanged playing in his own age group. He did a solid job of helping run the point as well as going inside and rebounding.
Christian Vaughn, 2011, 15-u Saginaw All or Nothing- Chris has really worked on his long range shooting and he showed it off over the course of the weekend. He played every position for Saginaw from bringing up the ball to handling the post duties.
Darren Washington, 2011, 15-u Mustangs- there are not very many 15 year old 6-9 players that can get up and down the floor like "Big D" can! He continues to play with that chip on the shoulder and he continues to learn every time he steps on the court.
Denzel Watts, 2013, 14-u Flint Affiliation- one of the top players from the class of 2013. A point guard that can fill it up. Strong, fast, and physical with a high basketball I.Q., what else do you need from a young PG? He gets after it hard on both ends of the floor.
The All-Star game took a special twist when it was announced that LaTreze Mushatt and Draymond "Day-Day" Green would coach the two teams. As close as a friendship that Trez and Day-Day have, they still took coaching the All-Star Game as serious as they did when they battled each other in the Hill-High rivalry. Day-Day coached the blue All-Stars while Mushatt coached the white All-Stars.
