The Prep Ball Report

Running over the old notebook, something jumped out – a school known predominately on the gridiron instead of the hardwood–DeWitt.  Now I admit I know little about DeWitt hoops.  However, two players that stood out during the travel circuit and high school team camp sessions were DeWitt sophomores, Luke Hyde and Tanner Reha.

I first saw Hyde at the University of Michigan College Practice camp.  His size, almost 6’6″, and ability to guard stood out against many of the camp’s premier talent.

Despite only being a ninth grader, Luke was the sixth man for the Panthers last winter on varsity.  In addition to the Michigan camp, Hyde has camped at Central Michigan and Akron.  Northern Illinois is another school which has expressed interest in the DeWitt swingman.   Unfortunately for Hyde, he was not able to participate in the July live evaluation period of games with his Michigan Mustangs-Haney 15u team due to a leg injury.  But Luke says he’s has been working to improve his ball-handling and shooting while in motion over the course of the off-season.

Classmate Tanner Reha had a strong summer to go along with Hyde.  He was a definite top five player at U of D Mercy’s camp in June.  Reha also had the opportunity to attend the Elite 25, and the Central Michigan camp with Hyde.

One of Tanner’s best individual games was his first ever game at the high school level.  The 6’4″ shooting guard poured in a team-high 22 points against an East Lansing team coached by stout defensive guru, Steve Finamore.  Tanner thus far has received interest from University of Detroit Mercy, Central Michigan and Kent State.  He is a very heady, tough, kid that is usually in the right position for a steal or rebound on defense.  Offensively, Tanner wishes to become a reliable knockdown three-point shooter.

Enough of the notebook. Let’s see what Luke and Tanner think about each other.

Tanner on Luke: “Luke has a killer mid-range game. He is a great teammate because he’s always positive.  Almost too nice.”

Luke on Tanner:  “Tanner is a great shooter and even better leader.  He’s definitely the spark plug on our team.”

DeWitt won the Capital Area-Red conference championship last year, posting an 8-2 record.  The team looks to repeat in 2016.  If DeWitt wishes to do so, a large amount work will be put on the shoulders of freshmen Hyde and Reha.  Can’t wait!

Contributed by Al Troia

 

Tags: DeWitt