Holiday Evals: 2019 Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois covered five different holiday tournaments across the state last week. This allowed us to evaluate tons of prospects at a variety of ages and college levels. Now it is time for the massive 160+ player scouting report on all the prospects. Here is Part 1: 2019 Prospects!
SF Deng Reng (Wheaton North – 2019)
Reng is a top 20 prospect in the junior class. The 6’7” small forward is a long and rangy forward with a lot of developmental upside. Good skill level which allows him to make an impact on the offensive end of the floor. Reng is a sound perimeter shooter drilling shots from beyond the arc with a fluid three point stroke. He is most comfortable off the catch. He is fairly efficient with his shots scoring on the interior against smaller defenders with the ability to use either hand to convert at the rim. Runs the floor well with his long strides. Rebounds in traffic using his length. Will definitely need to add strength going forward, but we like how his game is progressing. He had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Projects as a D1 prospect at the low-major to mid-major level.
SG Justin Eagins (Downers Grove South – 2019)
Eagins is a 6’1” shooting guard that started off on fire shooting the basketball from the perimeter. He made three triples in the first half. Eagins has a quick release and gets elevation off the floor. Really likes to use his pull up three and step back to score. In the second half he cooled down and kept forcing three point shots. Would like to see him diversify his scoring game and at his height will need to display more combo guard skills to play at the D1 level. He had 14 points. D2 prospect with the chance to elevate.
SG Wes Hooker (Downers Grove South – 2019)
Hooker is an explosive and powerful two guard that has a scoring punch. He didn’t show much of that in our eval of him in the first round at the Jack Tosh Tournament. Drilled a three and had a nice drive and kick pass, but didn’t show his above the rim acrobatics that we are used too. He had 6 points. D2 prospect.
SF Ethan Helwig (Metea Valley – 2019)
Helwig is a prospect that had a lot of helium after a monster July with the Illinois Stars. The junior wing is a skilled 6’4” small forward that can drill shots off the catch from three. Hit a pair in their game against Glenbard East. Was really hot to start the game and then cooled off in the second quarter. Later in the game he began to be more aggressive taking it to the hoop and getting to the charity stripe. Handles the ball well and is getting more confidence putting it on the deck. Crisp passer and quality wing rebounder. He had 20 points and 7 rebounds. Top 15 prospect is a player that needs to be on the mid-major radar.
PF Marco Wilson (Oswego – 2019)
Wilson is a 6’5” undersized four man that finishes with toughness on the interior. Efficient with his touches on the block. Not much of a vertical athlete. Small college prospect.
SG Heze Trotter (Schaumburg – 2019)
Trotter is a 6’1” scoring guard that brings plus athleticism to the table. He scored most of his points in the lane on runners and floaters. Good free throw shooter. He had 13 points. Small college player.
PG Christian Davis (St. Ignatius – 2019)
Davis stands at 6’2” with athleticism for the point guard position. He displayed some scoring punch scoring off the bounce with an array of takes to the hoop. Also drilled a pull up jumper. Finished with 13 points.
SG Matt Dinardi (Providence Catholic – 2019)
This 6’3” shooting guard is a lefty that can shoot the rock. Tough kid that drills jumpers from all over the floor. Dinardi connected on an array of threes and mid-range jumpers. Right now projects as a small college player.
SF Martin Macenis (Stagg – 2019)
Macenis was one of the more highly ranked players at the Jack Tosh event. He just couldn’t get his offense flowing like it usually does in their opener against Minooka. The 6’5” small forward has a European scoring game. Skilled wing. Struggled with some turnovers early. Got it going a little more in the second half with a score in the paint on a jump shop and a pull up three. Most of the time his jumper is his strength. Finished with 10 points. D1 prospect.
PG Nick Kosich (York – 2019)
Kosich had a breakout game when we saw him in July. The junior is a sound shooter that drilled multiple pull up mid-range shots with elevation off the floor in their opener at Jack Tosh. Very under control with the ball in his hands and has a feel for the game. Small college player that will make an impact at that level.
PG Markese Jacobs (Uplift – 2019)
The Kansas commit continues to come off the bench for Uplift, but he is still clearly the best player on the floor as soon as he checks in. The dynamic point guard is quick off the bounce and finishes very well around the hoop with acrobatic layups. Gets to the rack on a consistent basis and has the ability to finish through contact for and-1s. Showed crisp passes and had several nice finds for assists. Solid game going for 16 points (7-13 FG) and 4 assists.
PG DeAndre Vortes (Uplift – 2019)
Vortes is a 6’0” scoring point guard that transferred over from Simeon. The lead guard had a breakout game at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament by getting in the paint and finishing through contact over and over again. He is a tough kid that had several and-1s. Vortes went for 15 points against Providence St. Mel. D3/NAIA player at the next level.
SG Detalian Brown (Uplift – 2019)
Brown stands at 6’3” with a projectable body. He transferred over from Morton and right now is playing a complimentary role for Uplift. The smooth athlete excels in transition where he gets loose for buckets. Hit a three from the corner as well. Will need to continue to add strength moving forward. He had 9 points.
PF Rashaun Agee (Bogan – 2019)
Agee is an intriguing post in the 2019 class. He has size at 6’8” with broad shoulders and is athletic. The mobile four man was quiet early, but after a big dunk the motor ran full go the rest of the game. He is still a work in progress offensively although he did connect on a three which is an area we haven’t seen. Fluid running the floor! Knows his game is built on his defense and rebounding. Snatches rebounds in traffic with his strong hands. Rebounds extremely well in his area. Shot blocking presence and tough post defender. He had 11 points (4-6 FG) and 11 rebounds. Agee is a big man that we will continue to track as a potential low-major/D2 prospect.
PG Jeremiah Washington (Bogan – 2019)
Washington is a quick lead guard that is explosive with the ball in his hands. Shifty in the lane getting in and out of traffic while also being able to cross his defender seemingly at will. What he lacks in height he makes up for with speed. Washington shot the ball at an excellent rate from three drilling 3-4 from deep. He has a burst of speed with the ball in the open floor and can break defenders down off the bounce. He had 14 points (4-7 FG).
PG Jordan Booker (Bogan – 2019)
Booker is a small scoring guard at 5’9”. He has nice speed in transition and pushes it in the open floor. Had several nice assists in transition. Booker did most of his damage off the bounce scoring in the lane or getting to the charity stripe. He had 16 points. Small college player.
C Taeyon Neal (Providence St. Mel – 2019)
Neal is a big bodied post with legit size at 6’10”. He hit a mid-range jumper, finished a quick score off an out of bounds play, and shot a fadeaway out of the post. More active than we have seen him early in the season. Not the greatest athlete and only plays in 3-4 minute spurts. He had 8 points. D2 prospect.
SF Deion Jackson (Providence St. Mel – 2019)
Jackson is a rangy 6’2” small forward that has long arms. High points rebounds and uses his quickness to board outside of his area. Defensively he blocks shots on opposing guards and wings. The raw athlete isn’t skilled at this stage, but plays with a high motor and makes plays off that. 5 points and 7 rebounds. D2s along with high level D3/NAIA’s should monitor him.
SF Jason Mason (Providence St. Mel – 2019)
Mason was one of the under the radar breakout players at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. At 6’4” he is a lanky and projectable athlete. So active on the offensive glass with his quick and explosive second jump. Got a handful of put backs. Also flashed a mid-range jumper. Finished with 14 points. One we will monitor closely in the spring.
PG Semaj Henderson (Downers Grove North – 2019)
Henderson is a 6’1” point guard that has good strength. The junior is more of a scoring point guard at this stage. Henderson is at his best scoring in transition where he can get a head of steam behind him and get to the rim. Also a powerful slasher getting to the basket. At times he can be a bit wild and take some unforced shots. Right now he is a D2 player with low-major potential. Went for 14 points against St. Joe’s.
PG Trey Boston (Downers Grove North – 2019)
Boston stands at 6’0” and is a quality scoring combo guard. He has a burst with his initial first step with the ball in his hands. Consistently gets to the rim where he is able to finish with either hand. Made a few nice passes in the half court. Boston had 16 points. D2/LM prospect to track.
SG Damari Nixon (Fenwick – 2019)
Nixon is a lefty 6’1” shooting guard that is a slick scorer. Can handle the ball finding spaces to attack the defense. The plus athlete can get to the hoop both in transition and in the half court. Capable three point shooter especially off the catch. He had 13 points. D2 prospect at this stage.
PF Spencer Boehm (New Trier – 2019)
Boehm is a high academic 6’8” power forward that plays with a lot of skill on the block. Seems to have gained more strength in his upper body since we saw him in July. Can score on the block as well as pass out of the post finding shooters. His skill extends to beyond the arc being able to shoot it from three when left open. Plays physical around the hoop getting to the line. Good defensive rebounder. He had 12 points (3-5 FG) and 6 rebounds. Ivy League prospect all the way.
C Ciaran Brayboy (New Trier – 2019)
Brayboy ranks among the best centers in the 2019 class in Illinois. The 6’9” post is extremely physical down low and at times plays like a bull in a china shop. Finished in a variety of ways down low with a right handed hook shot along with a high/low finish through contact for an and-1. Plus shot blocking presence. He scored 9 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Mid-major upside here.
SF Tujautae Williams (Orr – 2019)
This 6’5” transfer is a physically impressive prospect. Size, strength, and length as a combo forward. He is projectable. Standout play was a shot block that he went the other way for a coast to coast finish. Quick second jump allowed him to get on the offensive glass. Williams had 6 points and 8 rebounds. We will be tracking him closely in the spring.
SG Terry Williams (Orr – 2019)
Williams shot the ball well from the perimeter drilling 4-8 from beyond the arc. At this stage that is his primary role being a spot up shooter. If he could add some lead guard skills it would make him more intriguing. Went for 14 points. Small college player.
SG Myles Baker (Whitney Young – 2019)
Baker is one of the ten best junior prospects in the state. Displayed some of those tools early against Longwood. The rangy and athletic two guard got on the offensive glass early and often. Slick ball handler that is getting to the rim at a high rate as a senior. Mid-major prospect.
G Malik Tidwell (Marian Catholic – 2019)
Tidwell is a 5’9” combo guard that is mostly known for his scoring. The strong and compact guard can shoot the rock from three especially off the catch. Finishes with strength through contact at the rim. He can grab a defensive board, go the length of the floor, and convert at the rim. Tidwell impressed us most with the growth in his passing. Best we have seen out of him in that aspect as he showed more point guard skills than we had seen in the past. He went for 14 points and 6 dimes. D2 prospect at this stage.
PF Chris White (Marian Catholic – 2019)
White is an intriguing post prospect that we have been fans of for a while. The 6’6” four man is efficient with his touches scoring on all four shots that he took. Drilled a pick and pop jumper, and also rolled to the hoop on another screen. Mobile post that is a good athlete on the interior. Fouls limited his production, but he still managed 9 points. LM/D2 projection.
PF Pavle Pantovic (DePaul Prep – 2019)
Talk about a hot start to a game! DePaul Prep junior post Pavle Pantovic was scorching out of the gate against Stevenson. The 6’6” big man is a bit undersized, but plays with great strength and physicality on the block. His skill level really shows through as well. Scored at will with right and left handed hook shots early in their contest. Mixed in a couple baseline spins and then hit a shot at the buzzer to close the half. Quiet second half, but was a beast the first 16 minutes. The post finished with 14 points (6-7 FG) and 7 rebounds. D2 prospect that should also be considered by low-major schools.
SG Perry Cowan (DePaul Prep – 2019)
Cowan is a smooth shooting guard that has a quality junior year to date. He has been posting consistent numbers leading his team. We caught their quarterfinal game against Stevenson and he showed flashes of why he is a top five prospect in the 2019 class, but wasn’t dominate only recording 10 points. His jump shot was impressive drilling a few pull ups from inside the arc and scored on a post-up fade away. Working out of the post is an underrated part of his game that when he goes to is pretty effective. Cowan is a mid-major plus prospect.