Team Rose Shootout: 2019 Evals Pt 2
PrepHoopsIllinois covered the Team Rose Shootout at Mt. Carmel High School over the weekend. This great event allowed us to evaluate prospects in a variety of classes and college levels. Here is part two of our evaluations from the class of 2019.
PG Markese Jacobs (Uplift – 2019)
Jacobs once again came off the bench for Uplift. The Kansas commit has done it ever since returning to Uplift after a brief stint in Arizona at a prep school. He was instant offense in the second quarter. The 6’0” junior guard is strong and uber athletic. Finishes above the rim in transition and can make some acrobatic finishes at the cup around defenders. He is at his best when he is aggressive taking his man off the bounce and getting to the rim. Mixed in a few pull up jumpers and some free throws. Jacobs had 20 points. Top 5 prospect in the 2019 class in Illinois.
PG Jeremiah Staton (Hillcrest – 2019)
Stanton burst onto the scene at the Team Rose Classic. He is a 5’9” point guard that is compactly built. He is tough taking it to the hoop where he can finish with athleticism or dish off to a big man inside. Hit mid-range jumpers and proved to be a strong ball handler. He finished with 15 points. Small college player.
PF Dylan West (Hillcrest – 2019)
West stands at 6’7” with good strength. Rebounds well within his area and seems to have a nose for the basketball. Defensive presence as well clogging the lane. Not much of an offensive threat only scoring 5 points. Small college prospect.
SG Michael Salter (Romeoville – 2019)
Salter is a shooting guard with a nice feel for the game and is a quality passer. We were impressed with his play at the PrepHoops Camp in the fall. In this contest against Hillcrest he hit a pull up jumper and a really deep three off the catch. Handled well in transition and made some crisp passes. Went for 6 points. Low-major/D2 prospect in the 2019 class.
G Ronan Prugh (Walter Payton – 2019)
Prugh is a 6’2” shooting guard that shoots it as a lefty. He is a solid shooter that can occasionally score off the bounce. Good role player for Walter Payton. He had 10 points.
PG Ryan Trotter (Walter Payton – 2019)
Trotter is a 6’2” point guard that has quality size for the position. Drive and kick lead guard finding shooters on the perimeter. Trotter can also hit triples himself. Went for 6 points. Small college player.
SG Sean Houpt (Danville – 2019)
Houpt is one of my favorite players in the junior class. His stock steadily rises every time we are able to evaluate him. The Danville junior is a high IQ player that is tough and versatile. Houpt was tenacious on the glass flying in for tough rebounds. He drilled multiple clutch jumpers from beyond the arc with his sweet lefty jump shot. Handles it well in transition. Plus defender that can check multiple positions. Houpt had 17 points. Low-major prospect that should also be on the radar of high D2 programs.
SG Dajuan Gordon (Curie – 2019)
Gordon is one of the more intriguing wing prospects in the 2019 class. This is his first year on varsity, but he broke out over the summer with Team Rose shooting lights out from deep. The long and lanky 6’4” shooting guard is a plus athlete and showed that several times flying in out of nowhere for rebounds and with his smooth acceleration in the open floor. The production wasn’t there, but there were a lot of signs that he should be on the D1 radar. He had 6 points.
PG Marquise Walker (Curie – 2019)
Walker is a transfer from St. Joseph’s that is still getting acclimated to his new squad. The junior point guard is a volume scorer. He has compact strength and likes to take it right at the defense and throw up tough shots around the hoop. They were not falling at all. The wild layups did not fall. Good burst in the open floor. Only had 5 points. Should be on the low-major/D2 radar.
SG Justin Harmon (Curie – 2019)
Harmon is much like Gordon as they both don’t have a lot of varsity experience, but are prospects that we will be tracking closely their development over the next 12 months. Harmon is a 6’3” two guard that was tough on the offensive glass and in transition. I was pleasantly surprised with how well he passed the ball with several quick dump off dishes. He had 4 points. D2 prospect with low-major upside.
F Jeremiah Oden (St. Rita – 2019)
Oden is one of the more interesting prospects with upside in the 2019 class. The 6’7” combo forward has the length, athleticism, and a frame to become a big time prospect. The production just isn’t there right now. He lacks strength which hurts him finishing on the interior. Hit a mid-range jumper, but also missed a few. Quick finish inside late. Only had 4 points. Right now he just doesn’t have the mindset that he can be a game changer. No doubt has low-major if not higher ability, but he has to do it on the court.
SG Deion Jackson (Providence St. Mel – 2019)
Jackson started off on fire for Providence St. Mel! The 6’2” shooting guard has an angular build. Opened up by drilling a pair of threes and converting an and-1. The plus athlete then went quiet for the majority of the game until a put back late in the contest. He had 11 points. D2 ability, but needs to put more complete performances together.
C Taeyon Neal (Providence St. Mel – 2019)
Neal is a 6’10” center that is a big bodied post. Clogs the lane defensively and early on it looked like he was going to have a big game especially on the defensive end. He swatted three shots in a few minute stretch looking like he was going to dominate the interior. He didn’t do much the rest of the game besides a short layup. Only plays limited minutes at a time. Usually three to four minute stretches is the most. He looked a little better running up and down the floor than when we saw him last year. Always have to track big men like this because there are so few of them!