O’Fallon Shootout Standouts
It was a big day of hoops at the O’Fallon Shootout on Saturday. Four great matchups with highly ranked teams and prospects from Illinois and Missouri. We will have extensive scouting on the games, but let’s start with the standouts from the day!
PF EJ Liddell (Belleville West – 2019)
Liddell is becoming an absolute must watch prospect for fans across the state! The elite 2019 power forward puts on a show each and every time we see him play. At 6’7” the skilled and athletic four man can beat a defense in so many ways. He opened the game up with a pull up three and then followed that up with a windmill in transition that brought the house down. His mobility, quickness, and athleticism are so impressive for a young post. Liddell had a few other jams inside. His body positioning on the interior is impressive. High IQ post. He got to the foul line at a great rate where he was solid connecting on 10-14. Quick to the offensive glass for second chance opportunities. Strong hands both grabbing rebounds and catching passes in traffic. Runs the floor well and has definitely added in the ability to score off the bounce this year. Complete power forward! He had 33 points (11-17 FG), 10 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
PG Courtney Ramey (Webster Groves – 2018)
Ramey is one of the most coveted point guard prospects in the country. He decommitted form Louisville after the FBI investigation and he is being heavily pursued by top programs from coast to coast. It is easy to see why! Ramey started off with a quiet first half against Belleville West with only a handful of points. He then went off in the second half and particularly the third quarter. Ramey is a long and wiry point guard that has a burst off the bounce being able to get to the rim time after time. He was very aggressive getting to the cup in the second half including a poster jam and several and-1 conversions. He is such a competitive kid and does whatever he can to will his team who was without Carte’Are Gordon on Saturday. Ramey is a slick handling guard that can also get others involved with an advanced feel for the game. Didn’t shoot it particularly well at the O’Fallon Shootout. The stat sheet stuffer also got on the glass and had several nice steals. Ramey finished with 24 points (7-19 FG) and 6 dimes. Priority high-major point guard.
C Francis Okoro (Normal West – 2019)
The top 2019 prospect in Illinois opened the day at the O’Fallon Shootout with a dominant performance. Okoro stands at 6’9” with a college ready body right now. What impressed me so much about him is how hard he plays at all times. Okoro runs the floor insanely well for a player of his size. He fights and claws for post position every time down the floor despite having defenders draped all over him. Understands how to give his guards a big target to throw the ball into. He had quick and assertive moves throughout the game. Opened the first possession with a spin and slam. Consistently got deep post position which opens up so many avenues for him to score. Powerful finisher on the interior that also showed some touch on a hook shot. At times he did lose the ball when bringing it too low. Connected on a mid-range jumper and is an excellent free throw shooter for a post. The best part of Okoro’s game is the way he rebounds. Yes, the opponent wasn’t the tallest, but he high points every board and grabs it with two hands then throws a crisp outlet. Okoro is one of the premier 2019 rebounders in the country. Elite rebounder in traffic. Defensively he only had one block, but he altered many others throughout the game. His final stat line was 24 points (9-11 FG), 13 rebounds, and 1 block. High-major recruit and we feel is a five star caliber prospect.
PG Jalen Hodge (O’Fallon – 2018)
Hodge is one of the better unsigned point guards in the state of Illinois. He currently holds six D2 offers and is a priority recruit at that level. It was a slow start shooting for Hodge as he was only 1-6 from three in the first half, but got it cooking in the second half. Hodge is definitely a streaky shooter, but in the second half he leaned toward the hot side drilling four triples getting his team back in the game. Clean looking stroke and can create space with a step back. Shot 4-11 from deep. Hodge handles it well in the open floor pushing in transition and gets to the rack where he can finish with acrobatic layups or runners. He played solid defensively with his length. Hodge had 27 points (10-20 FG).
PF Karl Wright (Lanphier – 2019)
Wright is a 6’5” uber bouncy power forward that plays with a high energy motor. He is a quality rebounder that gets on the glass on both ends of the floor. Quick explosion off the floor and snaches rebounds in traffic. Wright was efficient with his touches and got to the free throw line at a high rate hitting 6-8. Late in the contest he showed off his big time athleticism with a couple huge dunks. Wright had 14 points (4-6 FG) and 9 rebounds.
PG Joseph Yesufu (Bolingbrook – 2019)
Yesufu did what he always does on the big stage. The 5’11” point guard has tremendous speed with the ball in the open floor. He is so fast going coast to coast in the blink of an eye. His burst is off the charts. Yesufu’s athleticism is very impressive with the way he finishes at the rim with acrobatic layups and dunks. Also showed that on the defensive end recording three block shots. That is insanely impressive for a sub six foot guard. Yesufu pretty much got to the rim at will on Saturday. Struggled shooting it from three only going 1-5 from deep. He pushed the tempo and made several outstanding passes for assists. One of the strengths of his game is what he does on the defensive end. Gets in passing lanes for steals and takes them the other way. He had 21 points (10-17 FG), 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. Mid-major prospect.
PG Tyler Cochran (Bolingbrook – 2019)
Cochran is a bigger guard at 6’2” with a physical build. More of a scoring combo that has some point guard abilities. He can really shoot the ball from the perimeter. Cochran is most effective shooting off the catch from the corners. He drills them at a high rate from that spot. Plays tough in the paint getting on the offensive glass for put backs and finishes through contact at the rim. Excellent rebounder for a combo guard. Also has a knack for being a crafty defender on the defensive end. Cochran had 21 points (7-16 FG), 10 rebounds, 3 dimes, and 3 steals.
SG Luke Kasubke (Chaminade – 2020)
Kasubke has had a monster sophomore campaign. He went from on the radar to legit top 5 player in the Missouri 2020 class and a potential high-major prospect. At 6’6” he has tremendous size for position. He struggled a bit shooting it from three, but still connected on 3-9 from deep. Projects as a big time spot up shooter at the college level. What caught our eye was how he contributed in other areas. Excellent passing from the wing and also blocked multiple transition layups. Good athlete that continues to improve and show he is more than just a shooter. He had 15 points.
SG Keyyaun Batchman (Chaminade – 2019)
Batchman is a player that grows on us each time we see him play. The 6’2” lefty isn’t the most athletic player, but he is extremely crafty knowing how to get the job done! Batchman can shoot it from three off the catch effectively. That is his strength as he went 3-4 from deep. He knows how to use his body control in the lane to score taking quality angles to the hoop. Strong enough to take a bump inside. Tough kid that crashes the offensive glass. He finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Low-majors need to be on him.
SG Dajuan Gordon (Curie – 2019)
Gordon is a player we continue to like every time we see him. The top 15 prospect got the MVP of their game and with good reason. The 6’4” long and rangy two guard has excellent athleticism and shows that off with his ability to get to the rim. Does it in both transition and off the bounce. At times he can be a little wild because he isn’t quite strong enough to go through guys right now. Had a great up and under. His burst off the dribble is outstanding and Gordon is very smooth with the ball in his hands. Got on the offensive glass for a few put backs. Connected on one three. Quality rebounder on both ends. He had 22 points (8-16 FG) and 8 rebounds. Mid-major prospect.
PF Treavon Martin (Curie – 2018)
Tennessee State got a good one in Martin! The 6’8” post was a major presence on the interior for Curie in their win against Chaminade. He anchored in the paint with his rebounding grabbing contested rebounds at a high rate throughout the contest. He also made his presence felt defensively especially early on setting the tone swatting a trio of early attempts. Martin’s defense and rebounding are ahead of his offense, but he was solid on that ends as well getting put backs, bullying his way through his man for a score, and even hitting a face up 15 foot shot. Martin had 9 points (4-6 FG), 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.