UAA: Illinois Evaluations
On Sunday PrepHoopsIllinois checked out the Under Armour Association in Indianapolis during the second live period. Here are evaluations of the Illinois prospects that caught our eye!
PF Tom Welch (Illinois Wolves)
This Naperville North 6’7” power forward continues to see his stock rise and with that the offers are rolling in! He started off this game on fire with several offensive rebound put backs and a sweeping layup. Really crashed the glass hard against Atlanta Xpress. He has gotten so much stronger in his upper body over the last year. That has also helped improve his athleticism which he showed on a tip dunk. Was kind of quiet in the second half, but Welch put on a show in the early part of the game finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Great mid-major prospect.
SG Perry Cowan (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Cowan saw himself in a new role for the Wolves coming off the bench for the first time that I can ever remember. The 6’4” DePaul College Prep wing had his moments in the first half. Drilled a corner three and had a couple big dunks. Athleticism is definitely improving. Solid job rebounding in traffic. Finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Mid-major player.
SF Bryant Brown (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Brown is a 6’5” small forward from Waukegan that is currently #5 in the 2019 rankings after a strong junior campaign. He is a bit of a tweener between a three and four. Connected on one three ball, but the other ones he put up didn’t look pretty. This angular and athletic forward seemed to settle too much for jumpers instead of using his motor and energy. Brown had 5 points and 2 rebounds. Mid-major.
PF Keenon Cole (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Cole is an upside 6’7” four man from Streamwood. We have liked the progress he has made in his game over the last several years. Cole made some key plays down the stretch for the Wolves to get the game to OT including a three and a big dunk. The wiry four man is best when he plays off his high motor and energy on the interior making plays scoring and getting on the glass. Jump shot is streaky at times. Cole had 9 points. Low-major.
C Ciaran Brayboy (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Brayboy is a well-built 6’10” center with great strength. I liked what he did in the first half especially with his post defense. Walled up and kept his hands high making it difficult for the opponent to get it over him. Quality rebounder that has the chance to get better there. In this game didn’t show much offensively besides an offensive rebound put back. Finished with 3 points and 4 rebounds. Mid-major target.
SG Marquise Kennedy (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Kennedy continues to impress and will see a monster climb in the next update. The Brother Rice combo guard has seen a big role for the Wolves this spring. He is a quality athlete that is effective as a ball handler getting in the lane where he can finish, get fouled, or kick to open teammates. Streaky shooter from three, but is improving. Like his potential on the defensive end with his anticipation. Quick to the offensive glass. Kennedy had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Low-major plus prospect with mid-major upside.
SG Max Christie (Illinois Wolves 16U)
Christie is one of the best pure prospects in the state of Illinois. At 6’4” he has a long and rangy frame that he will definitely need to add strength onto especially playing against a better level of competition in the UAA. He has a very high skill level as well. It wasn’t his day on Sunday morning against Philly Pride as he had the worst outing we have seen out of him in his young career. Hit one jumper and that was about it. Shot 1-8 from the field for 2 points and turned it over 7 times. Despite this game we are still huge fans of Christie and he is clearly the top 2021 in Illinois.
PG Donovan Newby (Illinois Wolves 16U)
Newby is a point guard out of Bloom that works well in ball screens. He was more aggressive as the contest went on getting to the charity stripe. Struggled finishing at the cup however. He had 9 points (7-8 FT) and 4 steals. Low-major.
SF Will Wolfe (Illinois Wolves 16U)
Wolfe was probably the most impressive player for the Wolves in this game and will likely be the highest rated prospect of this 16U group in the summer rankings update. The 6’6” Aurora Christian wing takes some wild shots at times, but plays with a high motor and is assertive on the floor. Skilled player that also brings a lot of toughness to the table. Despite his jumper not falling consistently he grinded it out getting on the glass including following his own missed three for a put back. Wolfe is a low-major plus prospect at this stage. He finished with 13 points (5-14 FG) and 7 rebounds.