Holiday Evals: 2020 Prospects
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 are our evaluations on the 2020 Prospects we saw!
SF Jayden Johnson (Batavia – 2020)
Johnson has been a favorite of ours since we saw him back in July where he put himself on our radar and then backed it up in the fall at the PrepHoopsIllinois Camp. The sophomore stands at 6’5” with a strong body. He is a crafty and skilled scorer. Johnson has a feathery perimeter jump shot from three especially off the catch. He plays with a high IQ and doesn’t force bad shots. Not the most explosive athlete at this stage he just knows how to get to the rim with crafty drives and using his strength to finish or get to the line. Johnson went for 17 points. Mid-major plus prospect at this stage.
PF Aaron Tims (Hinsdale South – 2020)
Tims is a 6’7” forward that impressed us with his play at the Pangos Camp in the fall. He was equally as imposing against Rolling Meadows. The angular forward played mostly on the interior and was extremely efficient with his touches in the post. He made quick moves when the ball touched his hands using the glass to finish. Tims is a good athlete that flashes to the ball, catches, and finishes in the blink of an eye. Solid rebounder. He went for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Tims is a name that should be on the low-major radar early in the process.
SG Dan Florey (St. Ignatius – 2020)
Florey is a 6’2” shooting guard that is a sound perimeter shooter. He showed that off drilling a pair of threes. Plays with a lot of patience and works well in the pick and roll as a passer. Skilled two guard that has D2 and LM potential. He had 11 points.
PG DJ Steward (Fenwick – 2020)
Steward was the highest ranked prospect at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament and lived up to that billing. He was fantastic in their win. The long and rangy point guard is so poised and mature for his age. Steward did pretty much whatever he wanted against Proviso West. So slick attacking off the bounce and getting to the rim with ease. Explosive burst on first step to blow past defenders. Finishes with runners/floaters as well as layups around defenders. Steward also connected on 2-3 from beyond the arc. Going to be a plus shooter at the next level from the point guard position. He might have been at his best dishing the rock with a ton of great finds to shooters and teammates in transition. Active on ball defender that knows how to use his length. He had 22 points and 6 dimes. Top 2 player in the Illinois 2020 class and a five star talent nationally.
PG Elliot Sieger (Whitney Young – 2020)
Sieger is starting to get more comfortable with his squad at Whitney Young after transferring from DePaul Prep. The sophomore guard passed it well getting his new teammates involved and scored in a variety of ways including a steal that he took the other way for an and-1. Mid-major prospect with chance to elevate to high-major.
SG Core’dell Lott (Urban Prep Englewood – 2020)
Lott looked like he was going to absolutely blow up on Thursday early. He kept Urban Prep-Englewood in the game and in fact got them ahead with his scoring prowess. The 6’0” sophomore combo is an athletic guard that can shoot it from three. Drilled a pair in the first half which got his team going. Volume scorer that couldn’t find that same touch in the second half. Finished with 14 points (5-11 FG). One to monitor.
PG Ahron Ulis (Marian Catholic – 2020)
Ulis showed why he is a D1 prospect as he was the best player on the floor in Marian Catholic’s victory. The 6’1” point guard was a maestro controlling the tempo and getting others involved. Made outstanding passes throughout the entire game in transition, but was especially impressive in the half court getting it to his teammates in position to succeed. Ulis is a very high IQ guard that has an advanced feel for the game. Seems to put passes on the money over and over with his electric vision. As a scorer he is best in the open floor using his speed to get to the rack. Also a capable three point shooter that works well shooting with the ball in his hands coming off screens. He is an active defender cutting passing lanes and putting pressure on the ball. Ulis had 13 points (5-9 FG), 9 dimes, and 4 steals. He is a prospect that D1 programs should start to get familiar with in the 2020 class.
SF Paul Zilinskas (Richards – 2020)
This 2020 prospect is from Lithuania and flashed some intriguing skills. The 6’4” small forward runs the floor well and has a high skill level. Clean looking shot that he drilled off the catch. One we will be tracking closely this spring. He had 12 points.
SG Lance Mosley (DePaul Prep – 2020)
Mosley is a super athletic two guard that is the third option for DePaul Prep. The sophomore plays within himself and didn’t take unforced shots. He got out in transition and drilled 2-3 from beyond the arc. He had 11 points on 4-6 shooting. D1 upside.
SG Rolondo “Pee Wee” Brown (Peoria Manual – 2020)
Brown is a rangy 6’2” shooting guard that handles it well showing this off on a quick baseline drive early. Potential to be a good jump shooter drilling several jumpers from mid-range and three. Length and lateral quickness project well long term defensively. One of the better young prospects in Peoria. He had 19 points (6-10 FG) and 4 rebounds. One to continue to track.
SG Dante Maddox (Bloom – 2020)
Maddox had the best game we have seen out of him in his young career. The D1 sophomore prospect was absolutely on fire from three early in their contest against Pontiac. He couldn’t miss hitting five in the first half. Deep range on his shot out to well beyond the college three point arc. Clean stroke with repeatable mechanics. Later in the game he started to get downhill using his strength and athleticism to score at the cup. The 6’2” sophomore scoring guard had 30 points on 10-17 from the field and an insane 7-10 from three.
C Martice Mitchell (Bloom – 2020)
We were hoping to see more out of this 6’9” center after the mean streak he showed the second day at Pangos. He has all the physical tools to be a coveted D1 prospect, but he needs to start producing especially considering he is older for his grade. Mitchell runs the floor well and is mobile in the post. Showed off that athleticism on a pick and roll finish, turnaround jumper, and a right handed hook. Just enough to keep you intrigued, but he didn’t record a single rebound in a game where he was clearly the tallest guy on the floor. That is a bit concerning. Mitchell had 6 points (3-9 FG). Low-major prospect.
SG Keshawn Williams (Bloom – 2020)
This 6’1” shooting guard is a slashing scorer that loves to get to the rim. He is a super athlete that makes plays in transition and finishes at the rim with acrobatics. Speed and burst on first step is impressive. Also an active defender with his quick hands. He struggled shooting the ball, but because he was aggressive got to the line at a high clip. Williams had 15 points (4-18 FG), 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. That last stat might prove to be the biggest as he needs to show combo guard skills in case he doesn’t grow. Williams is a low-major target with the chance to move into mid-major discussions.
PG Carter Dawson (Pontiac – 2020)
We came away thinking that this Pontiac point guard might be one of the unsung prospects to watch in the sophomore class. First aspect that stands out is size for position at 6’4” for a lead guard. He plays with a high IQ and feel for the game especially in the half court. Works well in the pick and roll. Later in the game he started to score more drilling some threes and banking in a mid-range jumper. Dawson had 12 points. We look forward to watching his development!
SG Ryan Weir (Pontiac – 2020)
Weir is a thick bodied wing that isn’t the best athlete, but he has a knack for finishing in the lane. Nose for the basketball which helps him get on the offensive glass. Weir got to the free throw line at a high rate where he excels. He had 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. A name that we will track over the next few years.
PF Kaleb Fenelus-Williams (Plainfield North – 2020)
This 6’6” four man has great strength and a good frame for a sophomore. Physical around the hoop and snatches rebounds. Efficient with his touches down low going for 7 points on 2-3 from the field and 3-4 from the line. New name to add to radar.
PF/C Colin Crothers (Benet – 2020)
The top 25 post player struggled with fouls early in the contest which somewhat limited his production. Also the length of Danville’s posts particularly Pearl stymied him. He couldn’t score against him in one on one post ups. Best two plays were a corner three and a right handed hook shot in the lane. Crothers has some skill to work with, but my two biggest concerns are he is not going to grow anymore and he struggles against athletic posts that he will see all day at the D1 level. Still remains a prospect worth monitoring by low-major schools early in the process. Crothers finished with 7 points (3-10 FG) and 6 rebounds.
SG Luke Scheffers (St. Charles North – 2020)
Scheffers is a rangy 2020 two guard that can hit a three with a sweet looking lefty stroke. Sound passer especially in the half court. Skilled player, but wasn’t a huge factor in this game. He had 5 points and 2 dimes.