Camp perimeter performers

Here are some guard and wing standouts from the fifth-annual Bankhoops.com All-State Minicamp. Some of the players have previously been discussed, but these capsules include new evaluations from coaches. James Arnold  6-3  Sr  Mount PleasantLooks like LaDontae Henton's little brother. Fast and athletic, but raw and needs to sharpen the decision making. Good place for him at Mount Pleasant t...
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Country Day too much for impatient Pershing

A lot of Detroit Pershing Doughboys must have thought the 3,000+ fans at Lansing Eastern's Don Johnson Fieldhouse were there to see them play. That must have been why they never returned a pass to the one of the two main attractions, future Spartan Keith Appling, jacking up three-pointer after three-pointer just like it was drawn up by Birmingham Country Day and its multiple zone defenses. Luckily...
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Upset Averted: Heights not down with AOP

Everything started to move faster. The stands seemed to unfold and more inhabitants emerge, louder and closer as that court wilted from under the Academy of Oak Park players' feet. Any sliver of light through the defense held nothing but false promises, soon eaten away by the wingspans and quick hands of Muskegon Heights defense, full-court press to half-court traps. The already flimsy handles...
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Grand Valley's early class is strong

ALLENDALE - The team name may change, but the success doesn't. Most recently dubbed Grady Elite, in the past the key members of this group have worn the jerseys of Courthouse and the Storm. This group of 2011 West Michigan kids finished their final AAU seasons, with three already accepting scholarship offers. 6-4 Caledonia senior Paul Tenharmsel was the first, to Eastern Michigan. He was followed...
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Buy Local: WMU finds future point guard just up the road
Bank Hoops - High School

OTSEGO - The first 2012 commitment to a MAC school is Otsego junior Jared Klein to the school a couple exits down 131 in Kalamazoo, Western Michigan. Klein is one of the state's very best point guards, and a top 20 player overall in the junior class. As a soph, he led Otsego to a 19-3 mark. Klein then continued winning playing for ACB/Bank Hoops' 17-under team. So what kind of player is Western getting? We were able to see the young artisan forge his burgeoning skill in the fire of the summer travel circuit. 18th-century philosopher John Locke defined property as that which is created by a man's hands or mind. In that case, Klein already owns a lot of game.

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Michigan sophs hold their own

MERRILLVILLE, IND. - The 15-under starting five for the Eric Gordon All-Stars was already receiving interest from Big Ten coaches and Rivals-type media at the Chicago End of Summer Showdown. While not yet getting the relative buzz, a couple 2013 prospects from Michigan, 6-5 Dorian's Pride (Lansing Eastern) soph Steven Haney and 6-4 All-Michigan (Dearborn Heights Robichaud) soph Lorenzo Bonam, were just as good as they hyped Hoosiers on the same court. Either could end up a top 100 national recruit.

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MSU lays recruiting pimp hand down on the Mitten State
Bank Hoops - High School

EAST LANSING - With Tom Izzo back from his dalliance with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michigan State has returned to recruiting with ruthless efficiency. The pledge of Spartan legacy recruit Denzel Valentine to MSU makes it the fourth verbal to East Lansing in 10 days. The best junior in Michigan, he follows senior McDonald's All-American candidate Branden Dawson from Gary, Ind., top 50 2012 forward Kenny Kaminski and a senior sleeper point guard from Ohio, Travis Trice.  

It would surprise few if Michigan State fills its last 2012 spot shortly, with 6-9 Bay City Western junior Matt Costello. That would be another blow to Michigan's in-state recruitng bid, as Costello, like Valentine, is seriously considring U-M, and, like Valentine, impresses many as a "Beilein player." The perfect player for Micigan's system, Suttons Bay senior guard Dwaun Anderson, will also sign with Michigan State. Because while we enter another decade, nothing has changed in the 20th century when it comes to recruiting prep basketball talent in the state of Michigan. Everyone is playing for second-place after the Spartans.      

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ACB/Bank Hoops all-state team tames the Old West
Bank Hoops - High School

KANSAS CITY - Throw a "Spiece" on it, and ACB/Bank Hoops' 17-under team will play pretty well. In the spring, they made the silver semifinals at the Spiece Run-n-Slam in Ft. Wayne, Ind. In the the second-half of the July live period, they reached the gold championship game at the Spiece-sponsored Hoop City Classic in Kansas City, Mo, losing in the final to balanced, athletic Kansas Select.

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