Nike Rise Elite Run: Wednesday Standouts
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Wednesday night Nike Rise Chicago hosted another Elite Run. This was a loaded run as we had over 30 players attend the event. With so many guys in the gym it was tough to narrow down to who were the…
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Continue ReadingWednesday night Nike Rise Chicago hosted another Elite Run. This was a loaded run as we had over 30 players attend the event. With so many guys in the gym it was tough to narrow down to who were the best in the gym, but somehow I managed. Here were the most notable players from tonight’s run.
Aquan Smart (Niles North)
Smart lit up the court Wednesday night as he left imprint in the minds of some of the cities best players. Aquan is very gifted as a 6’3” guard who can play on and off the ball. He did the most damage tonight off defensive rebounds where he pushed in transition weaving through defenders and made great decisions whether it was a pinpoint pass or strong finishing layups. On defense he uses his long reach to keep players in front and at times he stole the ball from guys in one on one situations. Smart played with a lot of intensity whenever the other teams would start jawing at him. Aquan was part of a team that won 10 straight games.
Jaylin Gibson (Evanston)
Gibson was a teammate of Smart and did his damage as well. Bullying guys on either side of the ball. Offensively he used his size and strength against guys who tried to get pressure on him. On defense he cornered guys and forced them to make bad passes. On ball defense he kept his man from getting in the lane against him. Jaylin is naturally aggressive and was consistent at playing at that pace for most of the the games.
Mason Jones (Core 4 Prep, GA)
Jones was back to have a better showing than his first open run invitation. Mason went on his own scoring stretch where he made strong drives to the rim. Then he mixed it up and made two three pointers and finished with a great backdoor cut to finish around one of the bigger defenders. At 6’2” Mason is a bigger guard who’s starting to come into his own as a player. Will be nice to hear about his progression as he is leaving Bogan and transferring to Core 4 prep school in Georgia.
Jamere Hill (Joliet West)
Jamere didn’t have the biggest scoring night but he proved his worth on the defensive side. Hill was pretty pesky for the opposing ball handlers. He caused several mistakes with active hands and using his feet to beat guys to the spots. Jamere showed you didn’t have to score to make an impact on games.
Seryee Lewis (Morgan Park)
Lewis started off the night with several explosive dunks at the rim. He also made a couple of shots from the three point line. Seryee was also effective on the boards early on too grabbing anything that was in his area. Lewis was also a part of the team that won ten straight games.
Ahamad Bynum (Simeon)
Bynum has been without a doubt the most consistent open run killer each night. He takes on everyone who walks in the gym often letting them know they can’t guard him. Ahamad gets downhill with no problem with explosive finishes at the bucket. On the perimeter he sets up guys with a dribble show before he takes his patented side step three point shot. This has been his routine each open run visit. Bynum’s team started out with six straight wins.
Tyler Johnson (DePaul Prep)
Johnson is very smooth and comfortable on the court. He has the handles to go back and forth with guys in one on one matchups. What surprised many guys in the runs was how deep his range was and his ability to make the shots consistently. Being one of the younger guys in the gym Tyler didn’t back down from anyone and held his own in the runs.
Jaylin Griffith (Simeon)
When spectators left the Elite run on Wednesday they left saying one thing. Jaylin Griffith is the next PG in line for Chicago. Griffith is a court general and among some of the best guards in the city he looked to be the best. This kid hasn’t even started high school yet and he controls the pace of games, he is never rushed or bullied into mistakes. When guys go under screens he makes shots. When they go over the top he drives and make the right pass every time. Jaylin sees the game at any pace and makes his teammates better first before he goes to get his own shot. It’s a bit early to project a level but I can tell you this if he was a senior right now he would be in the upper parts of the rankings.
Amar Augillard (Zion Benton)
Augillard’s second appearance at the open runs didn’t flow quite as well as his first, but he was still able to establish that he is a force in the state of Illinois. Amar didn’t win many games, but he was able to impose his will on guys by scoring with ease depending on how the defense played him. Amar made many exciting layups around the rim. His knack for backing guys down in the paint kept his teams in many games, but it just wasn’t enough at times. What stood out for Augillard was his improved shot. If he continues to make shots from the three point line I could really see his recruiting start to soar.
Kennedy Brown (Bogan)
Another good showing from Kennedy Brown proves he is starting to understand his role on the basketball court. Brown did his work early on the defensive side. Blocked shots and rebounding is his ticket to make an impact on the next level. He showed better timing and patience with those key components. On offense he made some plays we wouldn’t have known he was capable of finishing last year. One major play was in transition when his teammate passed him the ball around 18 feet from the rim with one defender to beat Kennedy took a hard dribble then proceeded to make a euro step into a two handed slam. As he continues to build his skill set and confidence Brown will be a scary player at the next level.
Julius Rollins (Hilcrest)
Rollins looked terrific in tonight’s run. He made it happen on both sides of the ball. The long and very athletic wing player made most of his plays on the defensive side first getting his hand on steals and also sending back shots when his teammates got beat off the dribble. Julius is an ultra-competitive player that can change the course of a game at any time. He proved that on the offensive side he can make the corner three and is skilled enough to beat guys off the dribble with a hard two dribble attack. Off the ball he keeps his nose around the rim getting up quick off his feet usually for tip back dunks and layups.
Larry Johnson (NLCP)
No this isn’t UNLV/ Charlotte Grandmama. This is lanky 6’5” very bouncy forward who gets up quick. Johnson was very active in the runs getting many tip ins around the bucket because nobody could keep a body on him. Larry shut down the gym when a shot came off one side of the rim and he soared to the other side slam it in with two hands. Johnson was pretty impressive in his open run debut.