3 Questions: Team Rose Shootout, Brandon Lieb, Illinois Shot Clock
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In our new series 3 Questions we will look at a trio of topics going on in the state of Illinois and recruiting! Check it out! What should we be looking forward to at the 2020 Team Rose Shootout?…
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Continue ReadingIn our new series 3 Questions we will look at a trio of topics going on in the state of Illinois and recruiting! Check it out!
What should we be looking forward to at the 2020 Team Rose Shootout?
The Team Rose Shootout schedule has been released and it is another good one especially on Sunday! The annual two day shootout is one of my favorite events every year. It will be once again held at Mt. Carmel High School. Here is what the schedule looks like.
Saturday, December 12
Riverside Brookfield vs Mt. Carmel
Brother Rice vs Lane Tech
Westinghouse vs Bloom
Joliet West vs Kenwood
Lincoln Way East vs St. Laurence
Michelle Clark vs Tinley Park
Sunday, December 13
Leo vs Yorkville Christian
Orr vs Mundelein
Hillcrest vs Evanston
Curie vs DePaul Prep
Simeon vs Niles Notre Dame
Saturday will be a great day looking at the future with several quality 2022 and 2023 prospects. Some of those names include DeAndre Craig (Mt. Carmel), Nick Harrell (Brother Rice), Emondrek Ford (Bloom), Jeremy Fears (Joliet West), Khalil Ross (Lincoln Way East), Sulaimon Agiste (Michelle Clark), and #1 2022 AJ Casey (Tinley Park).
Sunday is such an intriguing lineup. Yorkville Christian stepped up their schedule last year and Leo will be another great test this season. They are led by standout 2022 shooting guard Jaden Schutt who is a high major prospect and one of the best shooters we have seen in a while. Leo will be led by speedy senior point guard Terrance Ford Terrance Ford 5'9" | PG Orr | 2021 IL . Orr vs Mundelein will be a fun one! You never quite know who Orr is going to have as they are a heavy transfer school, but starting with Leontae Lilly and Norvell Meadows in the backcourt is a great start for a tough and always well coached team. Mundelein has perhaps the best inside/outside duo in the 2021 class with Drake commit Conor Enright and big man Scottie Ebube. Trey Baker Trey Baker 5'8" | PG Mundelein | 2021 State IL is one of the more underappreciated prospects with the way he impacts the game for his team from the guard spot.
The last three games are absolutely loaded! Evanston faces Hillcrest in a battle of two programs that should both be in the preseason top 5 in the state. Each has veteran groups with seniors that have won. Evanston is led by Jaylin Gibson, Blake Peters (Princeton commit), Isaiah Holden, Elijah Bull, and Daeshawn Hemphill. Hillcrest matches with quite a starting five of their own in 2021 prospects Julius Rollins, Jakobi Heady, Hamahrie Bowers, and Bucky Irving (Minnesota football commit). That is followed by Curie against DePaul Prep. Again two programs that should be among the best in the Chicago land area next season. Curie has depth from last year’s team to replace their graduating stars. Phillip Berryhill, Reggie Ward, Nick Owens, and Kendall Brasfield will be the core of this team as seniors. DePaul Prep has two highly ranked 2021 prospects with combo guard Ty Johnson and center Brian Mathews who are both getting significant D1 looks.
The finale of the event could very well be the preseason top two teams in the state. Simeon vs Niles Notre Dame. The Wolverines have the top two 2021 prospects from the CPS in DePaul commit Ahamad Bynum Ahamad Bynum 6'2" | SG Simeon | 2021 State #94 Nation IL and the hottest recruit this spring in Isaiah Barnes. Three other seniors will play key roles in shooting guard Fredrick Poole, versatile forward Dylan Ingram Dylan Ingram 6'6" | PF Simeon | 2021 State IL , and post Phillip Holmes Phillip Holmes 6'7" | C Simeon | 2021 State IL . Their 2022 class will provide plenty of impact and depth. It starts with one of the state’s top guards in Jaylen Drane Jaylen Drane 6'2" | PG Simeon | 2022 State IL along with Avyion Morris Avyion Morris 5'9" | PG Simeon | 2022 State IL who broke out last season. Key players coming up from the sophomore team will be Lance Rodgers Lance Rodgers 6'7" | PF Simeon | 2022 State IL , Mysean Vaughn, and Jayquan Adams Jayquan Adams 6'6" | SG Simeon | 2022 State IL . They will also have a pair of impact 2023s in Jaylin Griffin and Davius Loury Davius Loury 6'8" | PF Phhoenix Prep | 2024 State AZ . How can Niles Notre Dame counter? Well they have three of the top 10 2021 prospects in the state in Louis Lesmond Louis Lesmond 6'5" | SF Niles Notre Dame | 2021 State #163 Nation IL (Harvard commit), Anthony Sayles Anthony Sayles 6'2" | PG Niles Notre Dame | 2021 State #167 Nation IL , and Troy D’Amico Troy D’Amico 6'7" | SF Niles Notre Dame | 2021 State #181 Nation IL . They have played together for years and eager to make statements as seniors. Watch out for 2023 point guard Sonny Williams Sonny Williams 6'1" | PG International Sports Academy | 2023 OH to emerge this season!
Has a player ever had a rise in his recruitment post-senior season without playing like Brandon Lieb Brandon Lieb 6'10" | C Deerfield | 2020 State IL ?
Simply no we have never seen such a dramatic change in a recruitment after a senior year without spring travel team basketball to boost their stock. On Thursday morning Deerfeild 6’11″ center Brandon Lieb Brandon Lieb 6'10" | C Deerfield | 2020 State IL committed to Illinois. The #25 prospect in the final PHI 2020 Rankings is a player that we talked about all year as being under recruited as he only held two D1 offers by the time his season ended from SIU-Edwardsville and Western Illinois (old staff).
It started off by Brandon and his family deciding that he was going to go the prep school route for next year and then reclassifying to 2021. At the time I thought it was a great decision. Not the biggest fifth year prep fan, but in this case it was a perfect match. Lieb has skill, mobility, and can block shots. He just needs to continue to add strength. At a prep school he would definitely do that along with getting increased exposure.
Then in a matter of two months he has landed scholarship offers from Boston University, Bucknell, UW-Milwaukee, Tulsa, Toledo, and Penn. The high-majors started to roll in with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, DePaul, Utah, and Illinois. Some of these offers are for 2021, but a lot were for 2020. Schools see Lieb as the ideal redshirt candidate being able to get him in their strength program and play against D1 talent every day in practice. In some ways it is reminiscent of Lincoln center Jermaine Hamlin a year ago as he was set to attend Link Year Prep and then super super late in the process Illinois offered and he took it. Lieb did the same on Thursday.
Should Illinois have a shot clock?
Earlier this week the long time debate of whether the state of Illinois should have a shot clock was reignited by Whitney Young head coach Ty Slaughter. The simple answer is yes! Georgia implemented a shot clock in its state and hopefully one day Illinois will do the same. There are definitely issues as far as who pays for them, who operates them during games, etc.
From a purely basketball standpoint there is no doubt that a shot clock of 30 seconds would be welcome. I attend a lot of shootouts and tournaments every year. Maybe the worst thing ever is seeing a team holding the ball at the top of the key while a team sets in a zone. On that same note if it were up to me the zone would be taken away. Both are tactics to even the playing field between a good team and a bad team. Most games throughout the year it isn’t a problem. There are however countless games every season that are ruined by holding the ball for four minutes to try to keep the game low scoring and limit possessions. In short, if the cost of the shot clock and operating it can be figured out by the IHSA/schools there is literally no reason why a shot clock wouldn’t be beneficial for the high school game.