Chicago Elite Classic: Saturday Standouts
The Chicago Elite Classic was on Saturday at Wintrust Arena. It was a jam packed day filled with tons of prospects. Here we examine our Saturday Standouts from Chicago Elite Classic. We will have wall to wall scouting reports and more all week on PrepHoops!
PF Chris Payton (Bloomington – 2019)
Fresh off his commitment and signing with Southern Illinois the state’s #2 power forward put on a show at the Chicago Elite Classic. Payton is a strong and athletic four man that scored in a variety of ways in the paint. Sealed in the high/low, used hook shots, and converted baseline spins for layups. Got to the line at a regular basis where he went 11-14 from the stripe. Also knocked down a mid-range jumper and took his man off the dribble on a strong rip through. Payton was great on the boards all day long and was a force swatting shots. He finished with 31 points (10-15 FG), 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
SG Keyyaun Batchman (Chaminade, MO – 2019)
Batchman is a super underrated senior guard. The slightly undersized two guard is a crafty scorer that scored in a variety of ways. He posted up smaller defenders that he could overpower in the post. Attacked off the dribble where he finished through contact on several occasions. Played well in the open floor as a finisher. He was also 3-3 from beyond the three point arc. Batchman is just so efficient with his touches as he scored 32 points on 13-17 FG.
SG Dante Maddox (Bloom – 2020)
Maddox is a shooting guard that can flat out score the basketball. He is a volume scorer at this stage. Maddox is a slick pull up mid-range shooter that drilled a couple from there as well as from three. Clean looking shot with elevation off the floor. Also scored on a slick drive. Solid defense recording three steals. Finished with 15 points (6-13 FG) and 3 dimes.
PG Traevon Brown (West Aurora – 2019)
Brown is one of the better unsigned point guards on the board. He is a fast lead guard that pushes it in the open floor. Burst of acceleration with the ball in his hands and takes good angles to the rim. Also shot it decent from mid-range and three. Stuffed the stat sheet. He had 14 points, 6 boards, 4 dimes, and 3 steals.
SG Lance Jones (Evanston – 2019)
Jones is a powerful two guard for Evanston that came to play on the big stage. The Southern Illinois commit continued what his future teammate Chris Payton did earlier in the day. The area I came away most impressed with out of Jones was the way he passed the ball. On the stat sheet they only gave him two assists, but he made a lot more impactful passes than that. Several outlets on the money. Also had a few slip passes to cutters. As a scorer Jones hit a pull up three, but for the most part he went downhill where he used his strength and body control to finish in the paint. He had 18 points (7-15 FG) and 6 rebounds.
PG Markese Jacobs (Uplift – 2019)
Jacobs was playing on his future home court at DePaul on Saturday. The state’s #2 overall prospect and top guard had a huge scoring game. For Uplift to win against quality competition Jacobs will have to come up big in those contests. He did his part recording 33 points (11-20 FG). Jacobs is a compact and athletic scoring point guard. He lives in the paint where he converts acrobatic layups like they are going out of style. Jacobs has tremendous speed in the open floor. Burst with the ball in his hands and is tough to stop when he gets a head of steam behind him. Got to the line a lot. Shooting from three he hit a couple going 2-7 from deep.
SF Tujautae Williams (Orr – 2019)
Williams and his Orr squad were a late add, but the state’s second best unsigned senior showed his immense talent. At 6’6” Williams has size to play and guard multiple wing spots at the next level. Long and lanky body. He attacks with force. At times he can be a bit out of control. Such an explosive athlete going down the lane. He connected on a pair of mid-range jumpers pulling up off the bounce. That is the area he has to prove he can be consistent. Solid job on the boards as well. Williams went for 12 points (5-14 FG) and 9 rebounds.
SG Austin Crowley (Sunrise Christian, KS – 2019)
Crowley is a Vanderbilt commit that has positional size. He can flat out shoot the basketball from beyond the arc. Feathery jump shot from deep. Elite shooter from the perimeter that will be a major factor in the SEC. Elite perimeter sniper. Also brings defensive versatility to the table. He had 14 points (4-6 3 PT).
PF Kennedy Brown (Bogan – 2020)
Brown was one of the Illinois breakout prospects of the day. We had never heard of him before the CEC, but the 6’8” four man started and made a huge impact in their game. Long and angular post that was extremely active. Quick second jump off the floor with his springy legs. Snatched rebounds in traffic. Caught passes in tight spaces for finishes and got on the offensive glass for put backs. He had 7 points (3-5 FG) and 9 rebounds.
PG Marcus Watson (Morgan Park – 2020)
Watson is a slick handling point guard that shined for the Mustangs. He is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. Quick off the bounce getting in the lane where he attacks the cup. The junior was aggressive getting to the hoop where he scored on multiple and-1s. Also knocked down some pull up mid-range jumpers. He had 15 points although he did struggle shooting it some going 5-15 from the field and 5-13 from the charity stripe.
SF Cam’Ron Fletcher (Vashon, MO – 2020)
Fletcher was a beast on Saturday night. Maybe the most impressive performance of the day. The 6’6” small forward has great size, length, and athleticism. He showed off his freakish athleticism with multiple huge slams that brought the house down. He was a force on the glass on both ends of the floor, but was particularly effective on the offensive end with five offensive boards. Jump shot was on point too going 3-5 from beyond the arc. We believe he can be an elite shooter at the next level. Defensively he was also a major factor with his length recording multiple blocks. Complete game out of Fletcher going for 26 points (10-16 FG), 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
PG DJ Steward (Whitney Young – 2020)
Steward is getting pretty comfortable with his new team. He was phenomenal early in their game connecting on a quartet of three balls in the first quarter alone. Smooth shooting stroke both spotting up and off the bounce. He works well in pick and roll situations making sound decisions reading the defense either taking it to the rim or finding teammates. Got to the foul line at a high rate where he went 7-8 from the free throw line. On the night he had 25 points (7-14 FG), 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
SG Ahamad Bynum (Simeon – 2021)
Bynum is a powerful scoring shooting guard that opened on fire from beyond the arc. It was Bynum drilling three early pull up jumpers from deep that got Simeon going. He is a volume scorer that went for 18 points on 5-14 from the field. Struggled shooting from three after that early run. As the game went on he was at his best getting to the charity stripe where he hit 5-7. Bynum has a very bright future!