Show Me Showdown: Scotty B’s Friday Notebook
The final spring stop of the PrepHoops Circuit began on Friday night as the Show Me Showdown kicked off in St. Louis. Here we dive into what we saw on the first evening in Show Me Showdown: Scotty B’s Friday…
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Continue ReadingThe final spring stop of the PrepHoops Circuit began on Friday night as the Show Me Showdown kicked off in St. Louis. Here we dive into what we saw on the first evening in Show Me Showdown: Scotty B’s Friday Notebook!
Illinois Bears 15U Open Up With Win
We checked out the young Illinois Bears 15U squad which features several up and coming prospects from Southern Illinois. They took care of the Hammond Hurricanes 68-44. Breese Central strong 6’1” shooting guard Brady Moore led them in scoring with 19 points. Scrappy player that was in consistent attack mode throughout the night. Same could be said of Breese Mater Dei 5’9” guard Jacob Patton who was a creative scorer in the lane and proved to be a solid passer. He had 14 points. Justin King is a long and rangy combo guard out of Mascoutah with potential. Had a couple sweet jumpers on pull ups. The highest long term prospect is probably Olney 2022 6’3” shooting guard Chase Travis. Projectable wing with a long and lanky frame. Handles well in the open floor and makes acrobatic shots in the lane. Scored 16 points. Britain Harris was a standout for the Hammond Hurricanes. Slick point guard that got to the rim at a nice clip, flashed range on his shot, and handled well in the open floor for 12 points. Ladain Barnes is a powerful guard that attacked downhill scoring 11 points.
Michigan Tranzition with Monster First Round Win Over Chicago Lockdown
This was a fun 17U game early in the night. Michigan Tranzition was a well-rounded squad that shared the ball and fought tooth and nail all night. It proved to be enough as they beat a talented Chicago Lockdown team 62-55 in the first round. Top prospect for the Michigan team was probably 6’5” power forward Jaylen Doughtery. High level athlete that lived off offensive rebound put backs and using his bounce to score in the paint. Snatched rebounds and was a presence protecting the rim. He had 9 points. Jail Ion Lee stepped up playing bigger than his height getting to the hoop and drilling a trio of threes for 15 points. Chicago Lockdown got nice production from their post duo. Brother Rice 2021 power forward Luke Moustakas showed well knocking down three triples. Plus spot up shooter or works in the pick and pop as well. Competed on the glass and passed well in the post. Hinsdale Central 2020 power forward Ryan Isaacson displayed why he is a D1 prospect with his combination of athleticism and skill. Had an explosive dunk, spin move on the block, and also drilled a corner three. Finished with 9 points. Lyons point guard Grant Niego had 15 points on the night. Competitive lead guard who can knock down shots and made regular trips to the charity stripe.
Gateway 16U Shows Depth Off in Win Over Southwest Jets
Two of the better programs in the St. Louis area met on the first night of the tournament as Southwest Jets Orange took on Gateway. The overall depth of Gateway across the board proved to be too much as they won 74-55. South Iron 6’2” two guard Brock Wakefield was fantastic from start to finish. Creative scorer who got buckets at all three levels including displaying a sweet three point stroke. He had 19 points in the win. Long and lanky wing Jalen Hampton from University City jumped off the floor with his athleticism and how hard he played scoring 14 points including a lot of free throws. Another all energy guy for the Gateway group was Hazelwood Central 6’3” wing Aahmod Scarbrough. Capable shooter from mid-range that stretched out to three on a couple occasions en route to 12 points. For the Southwest Jets the bright spot was definitely O’Fallon power forward Shaun Riley. Uber bouncy four man that is quick to the glass, runs the floor, and uses his explosion around the hoop to finish. Riley racked up the points for 21 points. Caleb Valentine from Edwardsville put himself on our radar with his play as a smaller point guard that scored effectively from all three levels.
Illinois Bears 16U Knock Off Tulsa Hawks 49-41
Cobden 6’5” small forward Noah Franklin is a physical lefty wing that can score in a multitude of ways and that is exactly what he did leading the way for the Illinois Bears 16U. He has a knack for getting to his spot for jumpers along with finishing inside with toughness. Went for 16 points. Fairfield 2021 wing Landon Zurliene is an underrated prospect with his ability to score and solid athleticism. Scored 12 in the first game. Olney 5’9” point guard Braden Flanagan is a kid that threw bullet passes to his teammates all night while still scoring 8 points on his own. Zach Pugh led the way for the Tulsa Hawks with 10 points.
Illinois Bears 17U Complete the 3-0 Night for Program
The Bears 17U team has several notable prospects who are receiving D1 interest and they made quick work of the Wyoming Beasts Friday with a 73-47 victory. Breese Mater Dei 6’5” shooting guard Caleb Zurliene is a long and wiry wing with plus athleticism. He looked absolutely effortless scoring in the first half with his feathery jumper and baseline takes for dunks. One of the biggest sleepers in the state from a D1 perspective. He had 9 points all in the first half. Their other potential low-major player Nashville shooting guard Carson Parker displayed slick passing while still scoring in transition and hitting a three en route to 14 points. Freeburg shooting guard Luke Ervie will be an excellent small college player and he definitely caught the attention of several of them in attendance. Tough guard that can shoot it. He knocked in a runner and a three to get things going for his team early. Kept it up all game long netting 18 points. Breese Mater Dei point guard Jacob Schadegg was a spark at the point for his team knocking down threes while getting others involved. He had 15 points.
Gateway 17U Survives Early Scare to Defeat Next Generation
Next Generation jumped out quick against one of the top teams in the event. The Illinois squad got out early behind guard Julian Holland. The Home Schooled left guard has a crafty game. He drilled threes and made several tough layups finishing with 12 points. Dekalb point guard Isaiah Youngquist is a quick twitched point guard with dynamic handles that scored 7 points. They jumped out 14-4 to begin, but Gateway would turn up the intensity going on to win 62-46. It ended up being a balanced scoring attack much like the 16U squad. The two top long term prospects are 2021 posts Yaya Keita and Sekou Gassama both from Desmet High School. Keita is a grown man on the glass mauling opponents and protecting the rim. He had 8 points. Gassama flashed improved skill including a mid-range jumper along with swatting shots finishing with 9 points. Harrison Vickers and JJ Schwepker are a pair of wings who provided shooting from the perimeter.