Bounce is wrapping up the 2025 Summit Summer League but doing things a bit different this week than I have in the past weeks. Took my time to come up with this wrap up of the league that ended last week, so follow along!
Bounce is naming some UNOFFICIAL awards for the league based on my own personal opinion. The league itself didn’t have a champion or award winners, but I am here to pick it up and name my own award winners of a fantastic four weeks that wrapped up this past Wednesday.
So, for full disclosure, these awards are all of my own opinion and not necessarily those of the league’s operators.
Bounce has his own opinions and I stick to them fiercely.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
A two-time official Player of the Week for the league via PSM and Summit City Elite, Avery MacFarlane of Lakewood Park was all around the rim during the three weeks of four that he played in the league this year. When he was playing, MacFarlane was a game changer in a league that was kind of dominated by post players.
He finished with a league high 15.5 points per game and was second in rebounds (8.5) and tied for fourth in blocks (1). Only two other players in the league scored more two point baskets than MacFarlane, a gap that likely would have been corrected had he played in the fourth week. He had two double doubles during the league, but scored in double figured all six outings.
He finished week 2 with a 14 point, 11 rebound outing and then opened week 3 with an 11 point, 12 rebound effort.
In week 3, MacFarlane picked up an Elam Ending winner in game one before scoring the penultimate bucket in game two with an emphatic dunk after a great move to get to the rim.
BEST BOUNCE BACK
The bounce back effect in a four week league to me is so important. Have an ok showing and then go out with a bang? It sure leaves your game on the mind of many people who watched you succeed at such a good level.
The big one to look at is Bishop Luers sophomore Tayvon Stidams. In his second year in the SSL, Stidams was a steady hand each week, chipping in here and there offensively. Then, in his final game this year, Stidams scored what ended up being a co-league best 25 points, getting them in a win where he hit five three pointers. Since the other 25 point game of the league was taking place at the same time on another court, the moment felt monstrous for Stidams especially considering most of the other big scoring games this year were done by post players.
Stidams played like a man trying to prove a point in that 25 point, 7 rebound effort and certainly made a big final impression and so-called “bounce back.”
While Stidams’ scoring high for the league takes the lead, there were a bunch of guys that had their top scoring game in the last week: Jayden Phillips (Angola), Judah Allen (Bishop Luers), Camden Brooks (Woodlan), Landon Kralis (Warsaw) and George Poiry (Bishop Dwenger) among them. Huntington North’s Brayden Freiburger also make a splash the last week with his league best 16 points in a game, but also with six blocks in the last week of the seven he had in the league total.
One more name to keep an eye on who really execrated down the stretch: Huntington North sophomore Andrew McCutcheon, who looked smooth as he got to his spots and knocked down jumpers the final week of play.
WHO GENERATED THE MOST INTEREST HEADING TO SCHOOL SEASON?
There is an easy answer path to take and a less easy one.
Lets start with easy and mention Prairie Heights’ Jake Stoy. This is a bit of a cheat as Stoy was a top two player for the Panthers last season so its not like he is a new face or name to the area or the NECC. But in the Summit Summer League, Stoy really showed how multi-faceted his game can be and it certainly will garner him more interest heading into the season.
Stoy averaged 9.3 points, 2 steals and a league best 2.9 assists per game.
Zen Szaferski is the new name on the block because he could be leading the way a lot of times for Bishop Luers if he plays like he did during the Summit Summer League. Szaferski was a defensive kingpin early and often in the SSL, becoming a very nagging defender that made things very uncomfortable basically all of the time for opposing guards.
But offensively, he shined too. He showed an ability to score on all three levels with efficiency. He has a game changer mentality when he has the ball in his hand and his team needs a score. Szaferski is certainly a name you need to know out of this league because he has the ability to be a breakout player in the SAC that helps keep Bishop Luers at the top of the heap.
NOW YOU KNOW THE NAME
One of the biggest perks of this league is it give us a look at some guys that we haven’t yet seen much of. That could be for multiple reasons, like they aren’t from OTH’s traditional coverage area, they have been a JV guy in the past and, in some cases, they are freshmen who haven’t played in high school yet.
If nothing else, hopefully viewing or reading about this year’s Summit Summer League introduced you to Bellmont’s Isaac Baker.
Baker was a major steady hand in weeks one and two, providing some poise and patience, and chipping in scoring when he needed to. Baker’s teams went 3-1 the first two weeks, proving himself valuable when it comes to win shares. He just did a little bit of everything on the court to chip in.
In week 3, his on the ball defense down the stretch in Team Prokop’s improbable near comeback against Team Abram was so critical. He as a wall who’s footwork and lateral movement were as good as anyone on the court’s that day.
OTH’S OPINION: ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Avery MacFarlane, Lakewood Park
MacFarlane only played 3 of the 4 weeks, missing the last one due to a prior commitment, but when he did play he was the leader in the clubhouse scoring the basketball, while also sitting near the top in rebounds and blocked shots. Despite missing a week, MacFarlane was sixth in total points and led the league in points per game at 15.5 to go with 8.5 rebounds and a block per game.
Mason Pearson, NorthWood
Pearson was dominant on the boards and the interior during his three weeks of the SSL, leading the league at 10.3 per game, including an opening week 17 rebound effort. Over 6 games, Pearson went for double digits 3 times with his low being seven rebounds. Pearson’s 1.5 blocks per game also led the SSL as Pearson had two games of three blocks each.
Taurean Brown, Heritage
Brown finished the league ranked in the top 7 of the main statistical categories, including first in steals per game with 2.1; Brown had three steals in a game three times and one game with four steals. His 1.8 assists per game was tied for fourth in the league and Brown’s 11.4 ppg was 11th best in the league. Brown scored in double figures in 6 of his 8 games including all of the last four.
Jayden Moore, Bishop Luers
Until the second hour of week 3, Moore’s 20 points in the opening week was the top league scoring game. He averaged a league fourth best 13 points per game with five double digit games including two more at 18 points each. Moore picked his spots, hit tough ones. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game.
Jake Stoy, Prairie Heights
Look Stoy’s first year in the league, I wrapped up with him in the “now you know the name” category and last year he was my “best bounce back” face. So natural that the next step is my All-League Team. Stoy led the league in assists (2.9) and was second in steals (2), while often using his defense to spark instant offenses for his teams.
Stephen Akase, Wawasee
Akase’s numbers were up and down in certain games, but when he decided to take over her did. In his final game of the league in week 4, Akase tied the 2025 league lead with 25 points; Akase also had a 22 point game in a previous week. Akase’s 110 total points was the most scored total in the league, though he had a league second best 13.8 points per game. Akase’s 7.4 rebounds per game was a league fourth best and he added a block per contest.
Ryan Stuckey, Angola
Stuckey’s final week was his best, but he was perhaps the most consistent player week-to-week in the league, scoring the fourth most total points and being tied for the most total rebounds in the league. Stuckey had 12 rebounds in a game twice and was super tough inside no matter what lineup he was playing with. He finished averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
George Poiry, Bishop Dwenger
Poiry was the leader in total three pointers made in the league, with 16 total including four in one game in the opening week. As the league continued, Poiry showed a lot of diversity and leadership in his game. His 13.1 points per game ended up third in the league, while he finished 4th in assists per game and seventh in steals per game.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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