First game I watched was All Ohio Red.
Coleman:
Individually, he did not have near as good of game as he did yesterday however, you can tell he’s a big time player, even when he’s not putting the ball in the basket. He had a couple big time moves in the first half. Drove baseline, 6ft 8in guy challenges him, he shields the ball with his body and has a nice reverse lay up. His 3 wasn’t falling like yesterday, however, the shot looks good. Great elevation and most importantly, good shot selection. He doesn’t force much. He did get in foul trouble, and never could find his rhythm in the 2nd half. Jashire Hardnett defended him, and those two were battling. I liked Hardnett’s game.
Esu:
Played a lot of PG in this game. I’m amazed how well he handles the rock for his size. He’s a match up nightmare. One of the best rebounders I saw. Seemed like his hand was always the first to touch the ball, even when he couldn’t secure it. He had a real nice block when his man tried to take him 1 on 1 which is more impressive to me than a help side block. Knows how to use his body on the block and get to the free throw line. He also was in foul trouble in the 2h, so sat more than usual. Best move I saw from the day was when All Ohio was down 4 with under 2 min left and needed a bucket, Esu jab stepped his man then pulled up right in his face from deep, and drained it. He also drained a corner three with under 30 seconds left to cut it to one. All Ohio ended up losing though. Esu is on a path for the NBA. He’s big time.
Caleb Swanigen:
This kid is a big boy. He’s thick. Can absolutely bang down low. Has good feet defensively for a kid his size (I have a video clip that demonstrates this). High motor. Consistently the first man back on D. Played the entire game, which was shocking for a kid his size. He’s a major conference player. His ceiling is through the roof. Highest upside out of all the targets Michigan is looking at. I found myself wondering how he would fit in JB’s offense, but with his skill set and size, you find a way to make it work. Most impressive play I saw was when he got an outlet pass on a fast break, had a great hesitation move driving down the left side, kept the ball high on his way to the rim and laid it in. They called a charge on him, which was a bad call, but that move rose some eyebrows. If Michigan lands this kid, it will be a big time get.
Caleb’s coach was actually the athletic director while I spent my first year at Indiana Tech. I played for his son. I spoke with him after the game about Caleb. Said he’s a great kid. Great student and has a work ethic like you wouldn’t believe. I asked him if he’s interested in Michigan, and he said Michigan will have their work cut out for him. There’s interest coming from a lot of big schools recently.
Deyonta Davis:
Extremely long. Good defender. Very good athlete. He bothered a lot of shots. He seemed offensively challenged though. His shot needs a ton of work. Lowest motor I saw out of all the big time recruits. He seemed disinterested out there. Not as strong a rebounder as you would expect. Esu is more polished offensively, a better rebounder and much stronger. The program says Deyonta weighs 220lbs, and I question that. He’s a rail. He’s a finesse player without a jump shot. He’s definitely a project, at least 2 years before he is a contributor in East Lansing (depending on their roster), where as Esu will come in and play immediately wherever he signs.
I didn’t even bring up Deyonta to Coach Kline and he goes “I can’t figure out what’s wrong with Deyonta, the kid one minute looks like the best player on the court and the next, like he has never played before.” I saw the same thing today. Hope he’s mentally tough, because Izzo is going to get in his a$$ if he carries himself like that in East Lansing.
Devin Cannady:
I thought this kid was a step above Davis as a PG. Had a real nice handle with the ball. Handled pressure. Was poised. He had his shooting hand heavily taped, but he has great form and elevates nicely on his jump shot.
Eric Davis:
Played against one of the worst teams at the event. I would not be surprised if Howard Pulley did not have a single D1 player on their team. They were just little kids out there compared to the other games. Davis simply isn’t strong or athletic enough to play in the B1G. The kid that guarded Davis was nothing special and Davis could no shake him. The few times Howard Pulley did pressure the ball, Davis ended up falling on the floor at center court, kicking the ball. When Howard Pulley went to zone, Davis looked much more comfortable. He hit a spot up 3’s and had a nice slash to the basket for a lay up. I still stick to my initial observation, this kid is not good enough for the B1G. I only watched one half, because frankly, I saw enough and wanted to check out Jamal Murray who was playing at the same time.
AJ Turner:
Looked much better today. More assertive. He had a couple of nice And 1’s. He had 8 straight points in about a minute. The kid is long. Definitely worth keeping an eye on given he’s 6ft 6in, and from what it looks like, may not be done growing.
Bridges:
Had a nice alley hoop dunk. Nice pass from Davis. Bridges also had a monster dunk driving baseline. Cocked it back, a kid came up to challenge him and fouled him. Davis just missed the dunk, but it got everyone to stand up. It was big time. He was the best player on the floor. Most college ready again. I have to imagine his offer sheet will only improve from this point on. He can play in the B1G by the time he graduates. He’s definitely a slasher though. Doesn’t have the greatest handle or jump shot.
Jamal Murray:
As an athlete I put him a notch above Davis, but for his build, he was underwhelming. He brought the ball. Texas Elite played a zone all game, so I don’t know how he would handle pressure. When he did get matched up on Texas Elite’s PG, he had a hard time keeping him in front but so did everyone from LBJ’s team yesterday. He did get lost on defense on more than one occasion. He elevates nicely on his jump shot. Knocked down a 3 with a hand in the face. Had a nice floater. He’s 6ft 5 and has a solid build. He’s definitely worth keeping an eye on for being 2016.
I took a lot of 10-15sec clips of nearly each player. There’s two videos of Caleb that are must see. He’s so impressive. I do not know how to post a video, so if there’s someone I can email the clips to, I will, and they can post them.
I’ll try to answer any questions.
My wish List out of everyone I watched:
Jalen Coleman
Esa Ahmad
Jalen Brunson
Caleb Swanigan
Land one of those kids, and Michigan immediately gets better. Land 2, and look out.