Swish N Dish: 2019 Evals Pt 2
PrepHoopsIllinois has extensive coverage of this past weekend’s NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish. Here we examine the 2019 class in part 2 of our look at that group!
SF Landon Wolfe (Illinois Irish)
Wolfe is among my favorite prospects to watch in the 2019 class. This 6’4” wing is super competitive and can really score the basketball. He joined the Irish this spring and is fitting right in seamlessly. Wolfe can score in a variety of ways including being an active offensive rebounder finishing with put backs. Plays so hard and does the dirty work. Got to the free throw line quite a bit. Good athlete that can put it on the deck and has a nice pull up shot from three. Wolfe is a low-major prospect.
SG Sean Houpt (Illinois Irish)
Houpt got hit in the eye in a previous game, but was toughing it out. That is what this kid brings to the table. He is a team first kid that is a winner. The kind of leader that you just want to have on your team. He is a plus perimeter shooter off the catch with a sweet lefty stroke. Competes on the defensive end taking on the task of defending the opposing teams best backcourt player. D2 prospect with low-major potential.
PG Terrion Murdix (Illinois Irish)
Murdix is a 6’0” junior point guard that is coming off an outstanding junior campaign at Springfield Southeast. He elevated his stock a ton particularly with his play in the state final four in Peoria. The lead guard is quick and shifty in tight spaces. Gets in and out of defenders with ease. Makes tough acrobatic layups at the rim. Speed in the open floor with his ability to go coast to coast. Also likes to use a runner over shot blockers. D2 prospect with low-major upside.
PF Karl Wright (Illinois Irish)
Wright is an uber bouncy 6’5” power forward that makes up for his lack of ideal height with his high motor. High points rebounds and grabs them with two hands at their highest point. Most of his damage offensively is in transition and playing above the rim. Skill level holds him back some. He is a D2 prospect.
SF Ryland Holt (Illinois Irish)
Holt is a new name that we saw for the first time. Plays at Gibson City. Holt brings some interesting tools to the table. He has size on the perimeter at 6’5” with long arms. Free and easy release on his shot and should be a good shooter as time goes on. Can put it on the deck some. Holt is one we look forward to further evaluating.
PF Cortez Mosley (Illinois Irish)
Mosley out of Peoria Central is new to the Irish as well. Relies a lot on his raw athleticism to make an impact as he lacks skill. Bouncy and quick in the paint. He had a couple emphatic blocks. Vocal on the defensive end. Mosley is a small college player as a 6’4” power forward.
PF Chris Payton (Meanstreets)
Payton was a MONSTER! The state’s #4 2019 prospect is a 6’6” four man with a great frame and big time athleticism that shined through in a major way. He had several poster dunks in the paint including one on an alley-oop that had the crowd buzzing. Payton flashed the skill that we see every now and then hitting a triple early in the contest. He was aggressive on the boards and his length caused problems inside. Went for 17 points and 10 rebounds in a game on Saturday. High-major minus prospect.
SF Tujautae Williams (Chicago Demons)
Williams played a key reserve role for Orr this past season. Flashed his ability while in there. At 6’6” he has long arms and projectable frame. Definitely has the “prospect” look to his game. Needs some refinement and the mentality to be the go to player. He is a little wild, but can bit it on the deck. Probably best in transition and is an active rebounder out of his area. D2 prospect.
SG Teon Nesbitt (Chicago Demons)
Nesbitt is a prospect that flies a bit under the radar, but is worth monitoring because of the way he can shoot the basketball. Nesbitt connected on several threes in their game against Bradley Beal. Lengthy guard has some projectability to him and is worth monitoring the rest of the spring and summer at the D3, NAIA, and JUCO levels.
SF Leondre Townsen (Chicago Demons)
Townsen is a 6’5” small forward from Julian that put his name on our radar. Very active and attacks off the bounce. Interesting prospect to follow his development.
SF Martin Macenis (ET21 Buckeyes)
Macenis is a prospect that we were really high on last summer and the Stagg 2019 wing shined on Sunday. He has size at 6’5” with a skilled European type game. Macenis is an excellent passer from the wing that dishes with creativity while finding his teammates. Handles it well for his size and can really shoot the basketball from both mid-range and three. Does a nice job of creating space. Macenis had 19 points. D1 prospect.
G Matas Masys (ET21 Buckeyes)
This Willowbrook guard is one of the premier catch and shoot threats in the 2019 class at the small college level. He was straight money in the game we saw with his quick release and pure stroke. The 6’2” guard moves well without the ball to get open.
SF Deng Reng (ET21 Buckeyes)
Deng Reng is a long and rangy small forward at 6’6”. He has a smooth looking perimeter stroke. Can shoot it off the catch with a pure stroke. Defensively makes plays with his length. Will definitely need to get stronger. Like his upside. Reng is a low-major prospect.
PG Isaiah Ervin (Ramey-Jets United)
Ervin was a new name that came on our radar. The Alton Marquette 2019 shooting guard stands at 6’1” with a thin build. He was a sniper shooting it from the perimeter. Drilled three triples off the catch. Quick release and clean stroke. He had an and-1, but is mostly a shooter that can put it on the deck every now and then. Ervin had 17 points on Saturday in a win. Small college combo.
SG Malik Smith (Ramey-Jets United)
Smith is a two guard from Alton that came on strong the second half of the high school season. In the game we evaluated Smith didn’t score much beyond hitting one three off the catch. I liked how he defended locking down the opposing team’s top player. Moves well laterally. Three and D guy at the small college or potentially D2 level.
PG Ray J Dennis (Milwaukee Spartans)
Dennis was one of the prospects we were most looking forward to evaluating at the event. He had a nice second half of his junior year at Oswego East and we were impressed with his highlights, but needed to see it in person. Didn’t have the big game we were hoping for. Drilled a couple threes, but beyond that didn’t contribute much. Shoots a clean shot mechanically. They just weren’t falling. Athletic two guard that can play some both on and off the ball. Look forward to watching him again soon.
SG Fillip Bulatovic (All-In Athletics Braverman)
This 6’4” wing from Maine South has made an impression each time we have seen him over the last 12 months. He is a skilled scorer that can shoot it and is creative with the rock in his hands. Plays hard and has some grit to him. Scored on a backdoor cut and a couple other layups. High level small college prospect.
SG Essam Hamwi (All-In Athletics Braverman)
Hamwi is a player that we saw during the season and now after watching him again this weekend shows some potential at the small college level. Nice shooter with some sneaky athleticism.
C Vuk Djuric (Kessel Heat)
This 6’6” Lane Tech big man shined at one of our PrepHoops camps, but this was the first time we have seen him since. He has a strong upper body. Excellent rebounder within his area grabbing them with his strong hands. Dominated on the offensive glass with three put backs in traffic. Mixes in some face up ability being able to shoot it hitting a three and mid-range jumper. Nice small college post.