Swish N Dish: Scott’s Saturday Standouts
Saturday was a jam packed day of hoops in Wisconsin at the NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish. We started off the morning away from the main venue watching 15U action and then it was back to Homestead for the rest of the day. Here are the prospects that made the biggest impressions in Scott’s Saturday Standouts!
C Francis Okoro (Brad Beal Elite 17U)
BEAST MODE ACTIVATED! Okoro went to work against the Chicago Demons late Saturday night. He could not be contained one on one and in reality the only person that contained him was the ref with multiple bad violation calls. Okoro got deep post position on a regular basis and when he does that it is over! He is getting good at carving out space deep in the paint and giving his guards a huge target to throw the ball into. Okoro had an array of monster slams including one where his guard through it behind him for Okoro to slam it home on the break. Elite level rebounder that snatches them with two hands in traffic. Okoro had 13 points.
PF EJ Liddell (Brad Beal Elite 17U)
Liddell started off a bit slow, but when he got it rolling it was on! The star of the state tournament and the entire high school season for that matter showed off a little bit of why he was named Mr. Basketball. The junior began with a pair of outstanding passes to teammates in the paint for assists. His jumper was on point in this game connecting two threes including a buzzer beater at the half. This is an area of his game he has really evolved over the last year. Liddell also had his share of rim rattling dunks. Explosive shot blocking presence. He had 15 points.
SF Terrence Hargrove (Brad Beal Elite 17U)
What I liked most out of the state’s #3 prospect was how he stuck to what he does best. At times he has drifted to the perimeter trying to show people how his shot has improved (which it has), but he forgets to do what makes him special. Be a high energy forward with elite hops that outworks everyone. He did that with a variety of scores in the paint on put backs and quick moves around the hoop.
PF Chris Payton (Meanstreets 17U)
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.
SG Brandon Newman (Meanstreets 17U)
Newman is a prospect out of the state of Indiana that made a big impression on us. He has size and a projectable frame. This kid is not only athletic, but extremely skilled. The Indiana native has several D1 offers and it is easy to see why. Silky smooth shot that he connected regularly from both three and mid-range. When his team really needed a bucket he would use his burst to get to the rack. Newman had 24 points.
PG Jaheim Holden (Hoops Avenue 17U)
Holden had a nice weekend at Swish N Dish after coming off a strong showing in the state tournament. The small lefty point guard is just so quick and shifty with the rock. He finds creases in the defense to get through them. A lot of his points come in transition and often off the steals that he creates with his pesky defense. Holden had 17 points.
SG Teon Nesbitt (Chicago Demons 17U)
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.
PG Isaiah Ervin (Ramey-Jets United 17U)
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.
SG Carlos Ramsey (Milwaukee Spartans Rebels Elite 17U)
Ramsey is a prospect from Hamilton High School in Wisconsin that absolutely put a show in the second half trying to will his team back in the game against Ramey-Jets United. The 6’5” wing has size and length that helps him defensively where he blocked several shots and netted a few steals. His real damage was done on the offensive end with his relentless pursuit of points at the rim. He went to the hoop over and over again finishing acrobatic layups on a regular basis. Knows how to make himself skinny through traffic. Plays with a high motor!
PG DJ Steward (Meanstreets 16U)
Steward is one of the premier 2020 prospects in the state of Illinois. The angular point guard is silky smooth with the rock getting to his spots for his go to pull up game. Steward can really shoot it from 15-18 feet with consistency. Stretched it out to three in Milwaukee making an array of triples. Clean shot mechanically. Mixed in a couple transition scores. He finished with 16 points.
PG Tyler Beard (Meanstreets 16U)
Beard is the #5 prospect currently in the 2020 rankings and he more than lived up to that billing with his play. The Whitney Young sophomore is a freak show athlete with the way to uses his speed and leaping ability to make an impact on the game. Beard rebounds extremely well for a guard high pointing them over bigger post players. So fast in transition and is impossible to stop when he has opponents going backwards. Plays above the rim finishing alley-oops with ease. Defensively he also makes plays in the air swatting shots at an insane rate for a guard. He had 17 points.
SG Connor Dillon (Illinois Irish 16U)
Dillon is a 6’1” shooting guard from Peoria Notre Dame that jumped off the floor with his ability to shoot the rock. Against Meanstreets the sophomore lefty was drilling threes off the catch from almost every spot on the floor. Mixed in a couple quick takes. Solid athlete that you can’t just close out and think he won’t put it on the deck. Dillon had 17 points.
SG Luke Kasubke (Brad Beal Elite 16U)
I said all high school season that this 6’6” Chaminade standout is a high-major prospect. He has plus size for position and is an elite perimeter shooter. Moves well without the ball to get open. Underrated athlete that finished a huge slam on an alley-oop. Plays really hard at all times! Competitive kid.
PG Elliot Sieger (KL5AIA 16U)
Sieger is with a new team this spring and the Whitney Young guard looked the best we have seen him in a while. He didn’t shoot it well from the perimeter however. His long release is still a bit of a concern. Sieger pushed it in transition with his speed and burst getting past opponents. Was consistently in attack mode throughout the contest scoring with layups, runners, and getting on the glass.
SF Troy D’Amico (Meanstreets 15U)
D’Amico is a 6’6” wing from Niles Notre Dame that is coming off a super productive freshman campaign. He produces, but also has some upside to grow as a prospect. Very high skill level out of the wing as he showed hitting an array of jump shots from three. Crafty around the hoop and efficient with his shots. Like what he brings to the table as an outlet passer after securing rebounds. More athletic than I remembered during the season. He had 22 points in a morning victory. Should be on D1 radar.
SG Max Christie (Illinois Wolves 15U)
Spoiler Alert: Max Christie will debut at #1 in the 2021 rankings in June. This 6’4” wing was incredible again at Swish N Dish! He has a long and lean body that he will need to add strength onto as time goes on, but this kid has it all skill wise. Versatile being able to play the 1 through the 3. Handles it getting pretty much wherever he wants on the floor with relative ease. Feathery jump shot from all over the floor. He is especially lethal with it pulling up from mid-range, but can definitely stretch to three. Excellent passer for a wing that could almost be a point-forward. Christie is a no doubt high-major prospect. Christie had 20 points in the morning and 18 in the evening.
PG Anthony Sayles (Illinois Wolves 15U)
Sayles was equally as impressive as Christie. The Niles Notre Dame point guard is an athletic quick twitched athlete that is a tough cover in transition. He weaves in and out of the defense and is a great layup maker at the rim. Gets to the hoop on a consistent basis. Nice passer that can throw them with bullet dishes as well as putting touch on it. He rebounds well for his size with an explosive second jump.
G Markeise Irving (Team Rose 15U)
This 2021 prospect is transferring from Morgan Park to Hillcrest for his sophomore season. Hillcrest should be very excited about what they are getting. In a fun game and atmosphere “Bucky” went off in the second half with his perimeter shooting. The compact and stocky 5’10” point guard is mostly a scorer and he left it fly from three. Drilled them one after another. Finished with 27 points in a victory.