Chicago Easter Classic Showcase: Standouts
In Chicago several travel teams came together to play a couple warm up games before next weekend’s live period. The one day shootout labeled the Chicago Easter Classic Showcase was a creation by some of the coaches who thought it…
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Continue ReadingIn Chicago several travel teams came together to play a couple warm up games before next weekend’s live period. The one day shootout labeled the Chicago Easter Classic Showcase was a creation by some of the coaches who thought it would be better to play some games before heading off to different parts of the country and play against some of the nation’s best. Here are a few of the standouts from games Saturday.
Damontae Taylor (Zion Benton – Team Rose)
At the Easter Classic Taylor was the most effective player in the gym on Saturday. Damontae is so long and has quick hands that he disrupts ball handlers in the half court and in transition. He made countless steals that turned in to easy fast break points for Team Rose. Taylor had many chase down block as well showing his ability to time shots on the way to the rim. Offensively he didn’t take many shots, but he handled the ball and made slick moves like a point guard. Damontae took advantage of many mismatches he had and it often led to layups and dunks. His play was a huge bright spot for Team Rose.
Connor Kochera (St. Viator – Fundamental U)
Kochera had it going today for Fundamental U. The off guard was superb in the half court. His motion seems to be always going forward with the ball in his hands. Connor is very savvy when attacking making sharp passes to cutting players and his ability to make scoop layups on the move to the basket was eye opening. He is known more as spot up shooter which he also did very effectively. But seeing him make plays in crowded areas with the ball in his hands took him out the category of a one dimensional player.
AJ Casey (Simeon – Meanstreets)
AJ played well in a blowout win over 15U Team Rose. Casey does well around the rim when he gets the touches. Showed a knack for finishing through contact when hit on the way going up through defenders. AJ rebounded well in traffic and out of his area. I was surprised to see how well he could pass out of high/low situations to his teammates in the post. Casey will continue to have success on the EYBL circuit this spring/summer.
RJ Ogom (Homewood Flossmor – Young & Reckless Denard)
Ogom was one of the bright spots for his team. He does well bouncing defenders off of him because he has the body of a football player as well as his aggressiveness around the rim. RJ stays low and powers up over guys with strong finishes. Defenders usually don’t stick their hand in with fear of him breaking something. His work on the court wasn’t just limited to the inside. RJ showed his range from deep as he knocked down at least four three pointers in the contest against Fundamental U. Even in the loss Ogom was definitely one of the best players in the gym.
Grant Newell (Whitney Young – Meanstreets)
Newell showed his versatility with stellar play on both ends of the court. When you see Grant the first thing you notice is his size and how fluid he can move at 6’7”. Newell’s length changed shots and disrupted some passes that were in his area. He was so active on the defensive end that he alone changed the pace of the game. On the offensive side he has a solid handle and did a really good job attacking off the dribble and taking good shots at the rim. Newell upside is scary and could very well be a high-major prospect when he’s a senior.
Kimahri Wilson (Carmel – Young & Reckless)
Wilson had a strong stretch of plays in the matchup against Meanstreets that got our attention. Kimahri has knack for performing well in big games and Saturday wouldn’t be any different. Just a natural scoring machine he filled up the score sheet in the blink of an eye. Wilson weaves through defenders getting to his spots on the court where he makes pull up shots and precise passes to his teammates. It didn’t matter who switched on to him he found a way to score often with guys applying pressure on him. Wilson at times single handedly kept his team on top until the final minutes when they had some glitches against one of the top 16U teams in the nation. Kimahri played his tail off and should get some attention coming his way in next week’s live period.