The Future Is Bright In The Mitten
Livonia, MI: The LBI Michigan cup brought us some of the top teams and players from across the Mitten and Midwest alike. A rainy day on Saturday, made Livonia Churchill the perfect venue for staying inside to watch an action-packed day of basketball. The Futures Report will highlight some of the top talents who have yet to hit high school. Here are a few standouts:
5'4" 2022 PG Nadia Swansey Mac Irvin Fire (IL)
In a hard fought battle vs. 1Nation in the early morning, it was Swansey who led her team to victory. She had a tough job being the only true point guard on her team but had no problems running the show. Swansey is a heady PG that can score when she gets ready. With her bursts of speed and head up in transition, she was able to put her teammates in the right position to score the ball with her strong lead passes.
In a hard fought battle vs. 1Nation in the early morning, it was Swansey who led her team to victory. She had a tough job being the only true point guard on her team but had no problems running the show. Swansey is a heady PG that can score when she gets ready. With her bursts of speed and head up in transition, she was able to put her teammates in the right position to score the ball with her strong lead passes.
5'7" 2022 SG Aniya Small 1 Nation Webster
On a team with pretty good guard play, Small adapted to playing out of the backcourt for most of the day but made the most out of the opportunities. Without the ball in her hands, she showed how versatile of a prospect she can be by working in the post and showing her shooting touch from a distance. On the defensive end, she can guard any position which will help her stock moving forward.
6'1" 2022 PF Kendal Zeiter Tri-County Hoopsters
With another strong performance on Saturday, Zeiter is becoming a household name in the 2022 class. In the paint, she was nearly un-guardable and dominant as she has proven time and time again. However, what stood out most was her improving perimeter game; she led the break down the floor, made some full court passes to completion, and guarded on the ball well.
6'3" 2022 C Tadassa Brown Jackson Jets
It's scary how bright of a future that Brown can have at 6'3" in the 8th grade with some physical attributes that some college players do not have. While her team didn't have the best day, she certainly put her name in with the top 2022's our state has to offer. A monster in the paint, she erased shots with force and rebounded effortlessly. She has delicate hands, and she takes up a ton of space on the floor. If that isn't telling enough, she can play away from the basket as she handled the ball up and down the floor at times and finished in the open court.
5'11" 2022 SF Ruby Whitehorn Michigan Crossover
If I had to pinpoint a top prospect in Michigan's 8th-grade class? It would be hard for me to vote against Whitehorn. In addition to the fact that she can play four positions on the floor, she is such a gamer! She takes no plays off, no matter what the circumstances. With an efficient handle at her size, the ability to knock down jump shots and find teammates; she is another prospect who I can see college coaches getting an early jumpstart on in recruiting before she even plays a high school game.
6'2" 2022 PF Sophia Brimm Midwest Power (OH)
Brimm is a raw but talented post prospect. While she doesn't have a go-to set of post moves, she does put herself in the position to make it easy for her teammates to find her inside to score with no problems. Her length made it hard for opponents to get anything going inside as well.
5'5" 2022 PG Neveah Williams 1 Nation Webster
Williams play this weekend put her in direct company with the top of the crop in the 2022 class. Whether it was her dribble moves against pressure to get in the lane and finish or to get the ball moving up the floor, she showed how crafty she could be with the basketball. Another aspect of her game that is undervalued is her ability to shoot it from range. When her backcourt mate had the duties of handling the PG position, she showed she could make teams pay by hitting the three ball or mid-range pull up.
Williams play this weekend put her in direct company with the top of the crop in the 2022 class. Whether it was her dribble moves against pressure to get in the lane and finish or to get the ball moving up the floor, she showed how crafty she could be with the basketball. Another aspect of her game that is undervalued is her ability to shoot it from range. When her backcourt mate had the duties of handling the PG position, she showed she could make teams pay by hitting the three ball or mid-range pull up.
6'2" 2022 PF Mila Reynolds Michigan Crossover
Reynolds had no problem doing double duty all weekend running with the 8th-grade Crossover who played up in age group, as well as with the 15U group who took the championship in a grueling with the Mystics Showtime group. She is among the nation's elite 8th graders, and she showed why Saturday. With her age group, she was a force to be reckoned with where she played most of her offense on the block, turning and scoring as well as getting defenders off their feet with various up and under moves and reverse layups. Playing up, she showed the maturity in her game around the horn as she was able to attack and rip through and demonstrate her dribbling ability. What makes her even more dangerous is she is a willing scorer that knocks down the triple.
Reynolds had no problem doing double duty all weekend running with the 8th-grade Crossover who played up in age group, as well as with the 15U group who took the championship in a grueling with the Mystics Showtime group. She is among the nation's elite 8th graders, and she showed why Saturday. With her age group, she was a force to be reckoned with where she played most of her offense on the block, turning and scoring as well as getting defenders off their feet with various up and under moves and reverse layups. Playing up, she showed the maturity in her game around the horn as she was able to attack and rip through and demonstrate her dribbling ability. What makes her even more dangerous is she is a willing scorer that knocks down the triple.
5'6" 2022 PG Taylor Anderson 1 Nation Webster
Anderson was the primary ball handler on a guard-heavy 1Nation team, and she didn't disappoint. She broke presses with a mixture of dribble moves that made it a hard task for defenders to stay in front of her. She slithered in and was able to convert multiple runners. She has an unorthodox but effective style of play. Her shot was streaky, but I've seen it fall a lot more than it did during this event. Nevertheless, she came up big in each game this weekend.
Anderson was the primary ball handler on a guard-heavy 1Nation team, and she didn't disappoint. She broke presses with a mixture of dribble moves that made it a hard task for defenders to stay in front of her. She slithered in and was able to convert multiple runners. She has an unorthodox but effective style of play. Her shot was streaky, but I've seen it fall a lot more than it did during this event. Nevertheless, she came up big in each game this weekend.
5'7" 2022 SG Brinn Hunt Midwest Power (OH)
A stocky guard who used her body to get downhill very often in the half court setting and absorb contact to finish. Hunt is also the primary scorer on her team which she showed she could do at all levels and when she drew defenders, she excelled at finding an open man.
A stocky guard who used her body to get downhill very often in the half court setting and absorb contact to finish. Hunt is also the primary scorer on her team which she showed she could do at all levels and when she drew defenders, she excelled at finding an open man.
6'2" 2022 PF Ella Miller Michigan's Finest
What stood out about Miller, was her effort to be a presence on both ends. She does a great job battling for position and keeping the opposition off the glass; she altered and changed directions of players her size which showed what type of paint protector she can be. Ella can also hit the 8-10 foot jumper and attack with the ball in her hands. She is one of the more put together prospects fundamentally in her bracket.
