Hinsdale Central Classic Tuesday Standouts

Tuesday PrepHoopsIllinois was at the <strong>Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic</strong>.  There were some really good games and big performances.  Let’s look at the standouts! &nbsp; <strong>SF Justin Hardy (St. Charles East – 2018)</strong> Hardy opened the day in style for St. Charles East despite the loss.  The junior stands at 6’5” with a strong upper body.  He plays with a consistent motor and toughness.  The biggest area of improvement in his game has been the progression of his perimeter game.  The ball handling has made strides as has his jump shot.  Consistency on the jumper is coming around.  Improving athlete that will flash a dunk above the rim on occasion.  Hardy had 22 points (9-14 FG) and 6 rebounds.  Quality low-major prospect in 2018. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>PG Chase Adams (Marian Catholic – 2018)</strong> Quite simply the best I have seen Adams play was his performance on Tuesday.  The 5’8” point guard is a slick ball hander that knows how to run a team.  Works well around screens and makes sound decisions with the ball when not trying to be flashy.  He is most effective when making the simple play and not the highlight play.  Speed in the open floor pushing it and getting others involved.  Shot the ball well pulling up from mid-range and hitting floaters.  Got to the rim late for a key bucket.  Quick and shifty off the bounce.  Gets in lane.  Adams had 23 points and 7 dimes. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SF Coreyoun Rushin (Westinghouse – 2017)</strong> Rushin is one of the more underrated prospects in the senior class.  At 6’5” the Westinghouse small forward brings elite athleticism to the table.  He is a freak athlete around the rim as he showed on a couple monster dunks.  Offensively he is best slashing off the bounce finding a seam in the lane and exploiting it with his explosive first step.  Didn’t show much of the jump shot.  Can also post up defenders and use his quickness inside.  Rushin went for 23 points on an efficient 9-10 from the field. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>PG Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook – 2018)</strong> Bolingbrook looked outstanding against Glenbrook North.  Their junior point guard was the one that got them rolling.  Thornton is a thin and angular lead guard that plays with great speed.  Pushes it in the open floor weaving in and out of defenders.  One of the fastest guards in the state end to end.  Made outstanding dishes in both transition and the half court finding his teammates.  Gets a lot of his offense off defense creating turnovers and scoring in transition.  Acrobatic finisher around the hoop.  Jumper needs more consistency.  Gets to the line at a nice clip where he was effective.  He had 12 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals.  Low-major prospect in 2018. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>PF Malik Binns (Bolingbrook – 2017)</strong> Binns put his stamp on the game with his physicality and relentless motor.  The 6’5” undersized four man is a junk yard dog type that will out work his opponent.  Early in the game one of his opponents got a little snippy and he took it out on them by being everywhere.  He was incredibly powerful finishing through contact in the paint.  He powered through opponents every possession.  Defensively he was tough in the post not giving up an inch.  Binns had 21 points (8-10 FG) and 8 rebounds.  Should be a quality D2 target. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SF Jeffery Boyd (Homewood Flossmoor – 2017)</strong> Boyd is a long and rangy wing that is a big time athlete.  He 6’3”, but plays bigger than his height with his length and long strides.  Good slasher that was slippery through traffic.  Also showed some ability as a perimeter shooter drilling a couple jumpers.  Like what he brings to the table defensively.  Moves well laterally and has active hands.  Boyd had 11 points.  Quality JUCO candidate. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SF Justin Smith (Stevenson – 2017 - Indiana)</strong> Stevenson fell to host Hinsdale Central as they slowed down the pace and muddied the game up against a fast paced Patriots squad.  Smith struggled in the first half as he wasn’t able to finish at the rim and the jumper was suspect.  In the second half he got into the game with a couple big dunks including an alley oop to open the third quarter.  The 6’7” wing is a big time athlete with a great frame and silky smoothness to his game.  He was aggressive with his drives off the bounce.  Also worked hard to get open moving without the ball.  Late he had a deep three.  Defensively he had three LeBron come from behind blocks showing off his hops.  The Indiana commit and state’s top small forward had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SG Perry Cowan (DePaul Prep – 2019)</strong> This was the best I have seen Cowan in a high school setting.  The top wing prospect in the sophomore class had his full offensive game working.  The 6’4” shooting guard has a long and athletic body.  Fluid movements all around the court.  His jumper from mid-range is his strength.  That was on full display against Crete Monee.  Cowan gets off his shot with great mechanics and height off the floor.  When he gets in a rhythm he can be tough to contain shooting it from 15-18 feet.  Got to his spots to where he could work.  Also liked how he posted up wing defenders and used his post game to score by getting them in deep and rising above for short shots.  Cowan had 23 points on an impressive 10-12 from the field.  High major and top 5 prospect in 2019. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>PG Elliot Sieger (DePaul Prep – 2020)</strong> This was my first time seeing the much hyped freshman guard.  Sieger stands at 6’0” with a thin build.  Slick ball handler that can get in the lane where he has a nice floater.  He hits jumpers from three with a lot of arc on it.  The shot mechanically isn’t a thing of beauty as it is a bit of a long release, but they go in.  Crisp passer that flashes leadership qualities early in his career.  Sieger had 22 points. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SG Dwayne Rose (Crete Monee – 2017 – Toledo)</strong> The Toledo commit was a scoring machine for Crete.  He is a powerful wing that was in attack mode throughout the night.  Got it going early drilling multiple jumpers from three.  When he is hitting early from deep he seems to get more confidence in his offensive game.  That was on display as he mixed up a variety of jumpers and powerful drives to the rack throughout the night.  Also got to the foul line at a high rate.  Rose had 31 points. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>SG Marquis Kennedy (Crete Monee – 2019)</strong> Kennedy is a new name on our radar.  The 6’1” combo guard put on a show on both ends of the floor.  Thought his defensive intensity set the tone for his game and his team.  Quick and angular guard that gets up in your face and doesn’t give the opponent much room to move.  Had multiple steals that he turned into points on the other end.  Good ball handler that attacked the rack.  Also hit several threes.  Prospect on the rise had 28 points.