Summer Jam: Saturday Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois had another full day at the NY2LA Sports Summer Jam! See what players made the biggest impact on Saturday!
PG Donavan Moore (Illinois Irish 16U)
The morning started off with a show from one of the fastest stock risers in the Midwest. Moore is a 6’3″ combo guard from Hillsboro that is moving to West Bloomfield High School in Michigan next season. He is a slick ball handler that gets to the rim with his long strides and explosive burst. Moore is a bit of a streaky shooter, but on Saturday morning he couldn’t miss. Drilled them pulling up and off the catch. Moore had 19 points. Mid-major plus to high-major prospect.
SG Jirehl Brock (Illinois Irish 16U)
Brock is one of the premier running backs in the state and will go that route in college, but he is a quality basketball player as well. The Quincy High School guard is a power wing that likes to take it to the hoop where he has a knack for finishing through contact. Also gets on the offensive glass for put backs consistently. His toughness rubs off on the Irish 16U squad.
PG DeAndre Heckard (Hoops4Health 17U)
Heckard was going head to head against on one the premier on ball point guard defenders in the country and he held his own. The broad shouldered and athletic 6’3″ point guard came out to make a statement. The top 10 prospect in Illinois consistently got to the rim throughout and coverted some acrobatic layups including a sick reverse finish late. Passes were crisp and shot it well solid drilling a pair of pull up threes. Heckard proved he is a LM+/MM- player.
F Dontia Johnson (Hoops4Health 17U)
The motor goes on and off for this physically gifted 6’7″ forward. He is extremely talented with a good skill set and athleticism, but the production isn’t always there. That changed on Saturday with a phenomenal performance. The best we have seen him. Against a loaded Game Elite team Johnson was active on the glass, finished at the rim, and hit his mid-range jumper. D2 prospect with low-major upside. Finished with 20 points.
SF Drew Peterson (Illinois Wolves 17U)
The Wolves 17U took a tough loss on Saturday, but it wasn’t because of the effort out of their highest ranked prospect. When the 6’7″ Peterson has his shot falling the rest of his game falls into place. That was the case again Saturday as he drilled several threes and took quality shots. Hit a big triple late to keep them in the game. He is a mid-major prospect.
SG Malachi Smith (Jets-Ramey United 17U)
Smith is a tough shooting guard from Belleville West that has had a good outing this week. It continued on Saturday with his play. Took it to the rack with authority powering his way through opponents. Hit a couple runners. He is starting to post up smaller and weaker guards on a more consistent basis which is becoming a weapon for him. No brainer low-major prospect.
PF Messiah Jones (Caron Butler 17U)
Jones is 6’6″ forward from Simeon that plays with an elite motor. One of the hardest playing 2018 prospects in the state. Best using his bounce and explosive second jump getting on the offensive glass. Finishes strong on dump of passes with monster slams. Jones mid-range game is more consistent as he connected on a few from 15 feet. Low-major to mid-major player.
C Jalen Shaw (Kessel Heat 17U)
Shaw is the state’s #2 center. He posted 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in their afternoon game. He played with a high intensity level and was all over the offensive boards. Played physical in the paint. The 6’10” post flashed some handles too putting it on the deck a couple times. Best play was when he was rewarded for running the floor hard with a huge one handed slam. Mid-major player.
SG Quinlan Bennett (Kessel Heat 17U)
Bennett was extremely efficient in their contest in the afternoon. The Proviso East 6’3″ two guard loves to work in the mid-range and that was exactly what he did. Hit a corner three early off movement, but after that it was smooth pull up after smooth pull up. Closed the game with an aggressive straight line take. He had 13 points on 6-6 FG. Bennett is a rock solid low-major with mid-major upside!
SF Ethan Helwig (Illinois Stars 16U)
Helwig is a prospect that really emerged for us this week. The 6’4″ wing is a versatile scorer that showed off his slashing yesterday. Saturday it was all about the jump shot as he connected from three and mid-range all game on his way to 21 points. One to track more.