Show Me Showdown: 2019 Evals Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois covered the Show Me Showdown over the weekend in St. Louis. Time to breakdown the prospects from the Land of Lincoln in the last event of the spring. Here is part one of our evaluations of the 2019 prospects at the event!
PG Bryce Bultman (Illinois Bears)
Bultman is one of the more intriguing lead guards in the 2019 class. The Nashville point guard has tremendous size at 6’5”. Excellent vision as a passer being able to see over the entire floor with ease. On Friday night Bultman came out super aggressive in the first few minutes looking to score. Went coast to coast on several occasions with his long strides and ability to handle it in the open floor. Hit one corner three early. Some are going to have some concern about the spin on his shot, but he actually makes them a decent rate. This is a prospect that we believe is a no brainer at the low-major level.
SF Landon Wolfe (Illinois Bears)
Wolfe suited up for the Bears with his normal Illinois Irish squad off this weekend. The 6’4” small forward from Effingham will not blow you away with his athleticism, but this kid can flat out get buckets! He has a tremendous knack for scoring. Sound perimeter shooter with a clean release. Was a bit streaky on Friday night from deep, but on Sunday his pull up and three off the catch were on point with his usual feathery touch. Crafty driver that knows how to use angles and uses his strength to finish inside. There is going to be concerns about his ability to defend on the perimeter at the next level. Low-majors and D2s need to track him in July.
SF Keith Kiner (Illinois Bears)
The Chester 6’4” small forward wasn’t quite as good as he was a week ago, but was still very solid. He is an athletic and high motor wing that stands out with those two aspects of his game. Kiner had an explosive baseline take where he posterized an opponent. Hit a few short jumpers, but the deep shot wasn’t falling like it was a week earlier. Streaky free throw shooter. Kiner projects as a high level D3/NAIA player.
SG Austin Rager (Illinois Bears)
Rager is an intriguing prospect with his rangy frame along with solid strength and above average athleticism. He isn’t a consistent scorer at this stage right now. Does flash with his athleticism as shown on a huge dunk. What I liked the most was how he rebounded in traffic and his ability on the defensive end. Lockdown defender potential. Small college prospect.
PG Javon Love (Illinois Bears)
Love played on the other Illinois Bears 17U team and was the veteran leader of that squad. The Carbondale lead guard lived in the lane and at the charity stripe. Quick first step with athleticism in the lane. He also had a few bullet passes for dimes. Not going to wow you with his shooting. He is a small college prospect.
F Zane Hutchinson (Illinois Bears)
Hutchinson is a 6’4” thick bodied forward from Vienna. He isn’t most athletic kid, but plays with a lot of toughness. Quality rebounder. D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Isaac Stanback (Young & Reckless)
The Homewood Flossmoor standout shined early with his power inside in the championship game for Y&R. The physical combo forward was a beast inside with his strength and never ending motor. Rebounded tremendously well in traffic. Scored on a lot of put backs. Made some nice passes inside. Still a bit of a tweener being too small to play the four and not skilled enough to be a three which will probably push him to the D2 level.
SF Keenan Jones (Young & Reckless)
Jones is a rangy small forward from Whitney Young. Played more in the post in the 17U title game. He was able to be a mismatch using his quickness on the baseline for quite a few up and under moves. Ran the floor hard in transition. D2 prospect at this stage. Would like to see more consistency game in and game out of Jones.
G Trey Boston (Young & Reckless)
Boston put his team on his back leading Y&R to the championship. The 2019 Downers Grove North combo guard hit huge threes in the second half. When he gets rolling Boston is one of the better scoring guards in the class. He drilled an array of threes and pushed it in transition for athletic scores as well. Went for 26 points. Boston is starting to lean toward being more of a two guard than a point. He is a low-major player.
PG Chris Roberts (Young & Reckless)
Roberts is one of the more explosive point guards in the 2019 class. The Lincoln Park lead guard that has tremendous speed in the open floor. That is the name of his game. Pushes the ball in the open floor and he flat out gets to the rim with electric speed! Finishes well around the hoop with acrobatic finishes. Struggled some on Sunday with tired legs missing some shots that he usually hits. The two areas he needs to continue to develop are his passing and jump shot. Low-major prospect.
PG Artese Stapleton (Young & Reckless)
Stapleton is a thin and wiry point guard from Kenwood. He is very slippery through traffic attacking off the bounce and getting downhill. His defense is quickly becoming one of his strengths. Very active hands at the point of attack getting steals. Low-major point guard.
SG Alex Raiford (Young & Reckless)
Raiford is a wing from De La Salle that will not blow you away, but he is a sleeper wing with his size and athleticism on the perimeter. Can shoot the ball from deep, mid-range, and is a potential above average defender when he wants to lock in. High level D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Jeremiah Hernandez (Young & Reckless Denard)
Hernandez is one of the more skilled wings in the Illinois 2019 class. The St. Viator small forward did a nice job of finding the vacant spot in the opposing team’s zone and drilled a number of mid-range jump shots from those spots. His passing ability also played well against the zone making quick finds to shooters finding his big men down low. Hernandez is a top 15 prospect in the class and one that mid-majors should track in July.
PF Kendrick Williams (Young & Reckless Denard)
Williams made the move over to Y&R and in his 17U debut the Joliet Central 6’5” strongly built power forward went all beast mode on the glass with his superior strength. Extremely physical post that plays with a mean streak down low. He finishes on dump off passes and offensive rebounds. Also had a nice spin move on the baseline. Limited because of his size. Excellent small college prospect.
PG Jeremiah Washington (Young & Reckless)
Washington is a point guard from Bogan that is explosive with the way he pushes it in transition and can blow past defenders off the bounce in the half court. Love his short area quickness and ability to change directions. Washington is more than just a speed/downhill guy. His jump shot is pretty consistent and he is a sound passer. Projects as a low-major guard.
PF Dachaun Anderson (Young & Reckless)
Anderson is a physical post that is a beast on the glass. He is built like an NFL defensive lineman and plays with that mentality particularly on the glass. He is one of the best rebounders in the class. Offensively most of his points come off tip ins and offensive rebounds. High level D2 player.
PG Trey Calvin (Young & Reckless)
Calvin is a point guard that can handle it in space and is a solid shooter. Sound jump shoot from mid-range and can hit from three off the catch as well. Decent defender that can get a steal and take it the other way. Low-major/D2 plus prospect.
SF Maurion Scott (Young & Reckless)
Scott is a wing that goes a bit under the radar. The Homewood Flossmoor wing is a slippery wing that drives well through traffic. Takes quality angles to get to the hoop. Handles it well in transition always having his head up looking to make a play for himself or others. Worth being monitored by D2 schools.