Mid-Season Mr. Basketball Update
We are midway through the high school basketball season in Illinois. Time to reevaluate where we stand with the Race for Mr. Basketball! We breakdown the front runners, top contenders, and dark horse candidates! Front Runners DJ Steward (Whitney…
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Continue ReadingWe are midway through the high school basketball season in Illinois. Time to reevaluate where we stand with the Race for Mr. Basketball! We breakdown the front runners, top contenders, and dark horse candidates!
Front Runners
DJ Steward (Whitney Young)
Preseason Odds: 2/1
Current Odds: 3/1
Recap of First Half:
Steward still sets at the top for this award as it remains a tight race between him and Miller. In the in-state games this season Steward has played well posting solid numbers including when we saw him at the Chicago Elite Classic in a close loss to Duncanville, TX. Also shined in his head to head matchup with Morgan Park’s star scoring 14 of his 20 points in the first half. They were out of state for the holidays so he didn’t get a chance to make a statement there. There are going to be plenty of opportunities left for him on big stages.
Adam Miller (Morgan Park)
Preseason Odds: 2/1
Current Odds: 4/1
Recap of First Half:
Miller’s team got the win over Steward’s on opening night. The Illinois commit made the key play getting a steal to close out the victory. Looked like he was going to have an epic night early, but then slowed down only recording 9 points. At the Chicago Elite Classic he dropped over 20 points against CBC in a win against a fellow McDonald’s All-American candidate. At the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina over the holiday’s Miller posted big numbers including a 50+ point performance.
Top Contenders
Dante Maddox (Bloom)
Preseason Odds: 75/1
Current Odds: 10/1
Recap of First Half:
Maddox went from being the third contender on his own team to the third contender period for the award with the way he played in the first half of the season. We saw Bloom three times and he was excellent in all three outings. At the Chicago Elite Classic the Cal State Fullerton commit dropped 6-7 from three for 30 points. Followed that up at Team Rose with another strong showing. At Pontiac he had 31 points scoring in a number of ways. Maddox has become Bloom’s go to scorer.
Ramean Hinton (Curie)
Preseason Odds: 30/1
Current Odds: 12/1
Recap of First Half:
Hinton is the heart and soul of a team that went undefeated in the state of Illinois during the first half of the high school season. He is a physical wing scorer that has greatly improved his three pointer in addition to what he does around the hoop. Hinton took home the AC Williamson award for MVP of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament which he led his team to despite fighting through an injury.
Ray’Sean Taylor (Collinsville)
Preseason Odds: 20/1
Current Odds: 15/1
Recap of First Half:
All he does is win! Taylor is a dynamic scorer out of the metro east that will be staying home to play his college basketball at SIU-Edwardsville. He has had two big stages and shined on both. Had a big game leading his squad to a win over Morgan Park when the Chicago squad came down to play at Edwardsville. That was followed up by a MVP four game tournament stretch at the Collinsville Holiday Tournament.
Aquan Smart (Niles North)
Preseason Odds: 50/1
Current Odds: 20/1
Recap of First Half:
Smart made news off the court by decommitting from East Tennessee State which has made him a hot commodity on the recruiting trail. On the court he has been excellent going for 38 points at the Ridgewood Shootout against Joliet West and 33 points in a win over Fremd when we saw him at the Wheeling Shootout. They were two of the most dominant performances we saw in person all year.
Bryce Hopkins (Fenwick)
Preseason Odds: 15/1
Current Odds: 20/1
Recap of First Half:
Hopkins started the season off with a few huge games. The Louisville commit is a powerful combo forward that beats opponents with his power and skill. When we saw him at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament he had 44 points and 17 rebounds in a win for 3rd place where he drilled the game winning three at the buzzer.
Max Christie (Rolling Meadows)
Preseason Odds: 15/1
Current Odds: 20/1
Recap of First Half:
One of the biggest areas that has helped Christie this year is his team is better as a whole. That allows him to get better looks and the state’s top prospect can do more damage. Elite level scorer that can get buckets from all three levels. In his marquee game of the season to date against Schaumburg on the road he scored 31 points with ease.
Dominic Martinelli (Glenbrook South)
Preseason Odds: 50/1
Current Odds: 20/1
Recap of First Half:
Martinelli had a 51 point performance early in the season and that has been one of the many monster scoring games this productive senior has posted. Led his team to the Wheeling championship game. One of the most consistent performers this season and has helped his team rack up a ton of wins!
Dark Horse Candidates
Christian Shumate (Bloom)
Preseason Odds: NR
Current Odds: 20/1
Recap of First Half:
Nobody has created more buzz in the first half of the year perhaps than Christian Shumate with his rim rattling dunks and flying in for offensive rebounds like it was nothing. Such an intimidating presence on both ends of the floor with the tenacity he plays with above the rim with slams and swatting shots. Has been the ultimate x-factor for Bloom.
Antoine Bloxton (Bogan)
Preseason Odds: NR
Current Odds: 25/1
Recap of First Half:
Bloxton has lit it up both times we have seen him play. At the Team Rose Shootout he went for 27 points putting combination moves together and then followed that up with 33 points in an outstanding showing at the Proviso West Tournament leading his squad to the championship!
Blake Peters (Evanston)
Preseason Odds: NR
Current Odds: 30/1
Recap of First Half:
Peters has been an elite shooter his entire career, but we have been most impressed with is his all-around game. That has been a huge key in the start for Evanston. He was excellent in both games we saw him live at the Chicago Elite Classic and Team Rose Shootout going for around 20 points in each game.
RJ Ogom (Homewood Flossmoor)
Preseason Odds: NR
Current Odds: 30/1
Recap of First Half:
Ogom is a physical beast on the interior! He led his team to the Hinsdale Central championship with a line of 17.5 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game. The College of Charleston commit has been the driving force behind the start for HF this season.
Louis Lesmond (Niles Notre Dame)
Preseason Odds: NR
Current Odds: 30/1
Recap of First Half:
Lesmond has fit in very nicely with his new squad. The Evanston transfer has been able to bomb in deep threes along with show off his elite athleticism. Struggled a bit when we saw him at Chicago Elite Classic, but displayed his versatile game at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic where he led his team to the title averaging more than 17 points and 5 rebounds a game.