Prep Hoops 2k21: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook
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Great day of basketball with hundreds of college coaches in the gym for Prep Hoops 2k21 on Saturday in Indianapolis. We dive into the best of what we caught in Prep Hoops 2k21: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook! Depth of…
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Continue ReadingGreat day of basketball with hundreds of college coaches in the gym for Prep Hoops 2k21 on Saturday in Indianapolis. We dive into the best of what we caught in Prep Hoops 2k21: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!
Depth of Team Loaded Virginia 16U Flexes in Win over Young & Reckless
Wow did we come away impressed with Team Loaded Virginia’s 16U squad. Their front line is HUGE. Luke McEldon is a five man that rebounded everything in his area. He finished well around the hoop showcasing soft hands and touch. Sweet right handed hook shot. Went for 21 points. Steven Stinson is a plus shooter that drained an array of threes. Also got loose in transition for 18 points. Dennis Parker was a silky smooth combo guard with size that was fluid off the bounce netting 14 points. For Young & Reckless this was a tremendous test against a high level team. Despite the loss Brother Rice point guard Ahmad Henderson continues to open eyes every game he plays. The smaller guard is a straight bucket getter that drained threes in abundance along with using his quickness in transition off his defense for 23 points. Class of 2022 power forward Emondrek Ford plays 16U because he is young for his grade. The Bloom post has a lot of upside as a mobile four that rim runs and swats shots. Hit several mid-range jumpers along with a three, but sometimes falls in love with it.
Team Rose 15U Trio Impress for Second Straight Day
We got our second look at the Team Rose 15U squad. Rockford Lutheran 2024 power forward Mike Jones should be considered among the top group of talented posts in the rising sophomore class in Illinois. Angular post that is most effective on the defensive end swatting shots and getting his hands on steals. Offensively he crashes the boards and shows glimpses of skill. Went for 15 points. Their guards also continued to show there is something to work with long term. Tristian Ford and Emersen Davis are point guards that bring athleticism to the table making plays at the rim.
Guards Shine in Champaign Heat vs Sport Prep Nothing But Athletics 17U
A few guards took home top performers honors in this one. Champaign Heat is led by St. Thomas More shooting guard David Hubbard. The 2022 guard is a smooth operator that gets his buckets in the paint and from mid-range. Went for 10 points. His running mate in the backcourt is Bolingbrook point guard Jaydin Dunlap. Bucket getter with speed and shooting scored 14 points in the win. Continue to really be impressed with Yorkville Christian 2023 combo guard David Douglas. More of a two at this stage he can flat out put it in the hoop. Three level scorer that has a feathery shot from deep. Mixed in a few drives, but the majority of his damage was done from his sweet perimeter game for 22 points.
Breakaway 2024s to Track
We caught the second half of Breakaway 15U on Saturday afternoon. This group has been very successful this spring/summer with a major part of it being they share the wealth. In this particular game it was Jack Stanton who had it going. Went for 15 points from his guard spot. One of their most intriguing long-term prospects to track is Jake Riemer. The legit five man has good feel around the hoop and garners post position down low.
Team Loaded North Carolina Put on Show against INB Elite 16U
Like what we saw out of Team Loaded North Carolina’s 16U group. They had a pair of very impressive guards in Kevon Vanderhorst and Logan Duke. Vanderhorst is a point guard that plays with pace and always has his head up ready to make a play for himself or others. Duke operated best in the 15-18 foot area with his jumper. Inside Michael Nwoko was a force. The post swatted shots, rebounded in his area, and had a nice hook shot netting 15 points. Mayar Wol might have the highest ceiling of them all. The 6’8” four man is explosive around the hoop and likes to play out on the perimeter. For INB Elite it was local star Myles Colvin who was the draw. The Purdue commit is a well put together small forward that is effective scoring from multiple levels as he had his jumper working along with using his burst getting to the rim on the baseline. Went for 24 points.
Guards Duel in Midwest Basketball Club vs Young & Reckless Authentic 17U
This was probably the best game of the day. Young & Reckless Authentic gave Midwest Basketball Club all they could handle, but Midwest continues to look like the best team in this event at the 17U level. They are just such good passers and shot makers. That is led by Reed Sheppard. The 2023 combo guard who is blowing up with offers has such an excellent understanding of the game making passes on the move for scores while being the best shooter in the tournament. Went for 24 points. Ben Southerland had a monster performance helping out Sheppard. The combo forward is a plus shooter that also showed he is more than capable of putting it on the deck in a 19 point outing. Justin Mullins from Young & Reckless Authentic put on an absolute show. The OPRF two guard drained feathery shots from all over including threes and just inside the arc for 28 points impressing a ton of college coaches. Lyons Township 2022 point guard Tavari Johnson proved against one of the hottest recruits in the country he is more than capable of running a mid-major program. Excellent feel and the shot has become almost automatic off the bounce. He had 17 points.
Epps Wins Battle of Illini Commits as Team Loaded Virginia Knocks Off Team Teague
The game we had circle and a certain writer might have put on the schedule was Team Loaded Virginia vs Team Teague. Two top tier programs that are led by Illinois commits in the 2022 class in Jayden Epps and Reggie Bass. This was my first time seeing Epps play and the Team Loaded guard brought it all. First aspect we loved was his toughness on both ends. Plays with an edge to him. The best pull up game we saw all day as he consistently set his defender up and rose over them for buckets. Also got to the rim for tough conversions. In your face defender that can be impactful on that end. He had 26 points. Maliq Brown was an impactful power forward who brought a ton of bounce and energy on the inside. Sealed well on the block as he recorded 12 points. Bass struggled early, but then had some flashes in the second half recording 9 points. It is worth noting that earlier in the day he dropped 30 points and did the same the day before.
Archangels Spread the Wealth Against Illinois Elite 17U
Skilled forwards were in abundance for the Archangels in their in-state win over Illinois Elite. Koen Derry continues to be a kid that small colleges are going to love to have in their program. Combo forward that can put it on the deck, play above the rim, and finish in the high/low game. Went for 14 points. Turner Plumer returned to the lineup showcasing his face up skills and quickness in the paint. Corbin Rutledge scored in transition while also being able to take smaller defenders to the block. Kayden Nation is a player we hadn’t seen in some time. He is a thicker bodied prospect that seals and can pop a three on occasion. In the backcourt the most damage was done by Eli Hofmann. The scoring combo guard was fantastic using his toughness and acrobatics to finish around the rim. Went for 16 points. For Illinois Elite it was all about Harlem shooting guard Lathan Lewis. The 6’2” two guard dropped 32 points in the loss. He was outstanding bombing in deep threes and playing with such an ease to his game.
M14 17U Picks Up Nice Win over Gain Elite
It was a nice 65-58 win for M14 Adidas Gold in their last game of the day against Gain Elite from Minnesota. M14 was led by Jonah Hinton. The combo guard impressed with his fluidness handling it and scoring 15 points in the win. Think he opened up the eyes of college coaches with his play in this one at the small college level. Lane McVicar can really shoot the rock and that is what he did in this one as the DeKalb standout had 13 points in the win.
Iowa Barnstormers 17U Win at Buzzer….or Maybe After
The last game of the evening we saw was the Iowa Barnstormers win against Team Rose at the 17U level. Jaxson Young was amazing in the second half as he made incredibly difficult layups in traffic along with draining some deep threes. Scored all 11 of his points in the second half. The Barnstormers won the contest on a controversial call at the end on a three with 0.5 seconds left from the corner. Another strong game from Hyde Park point guard Davontae Hall. He scored 17 points, but it was his improved instincts as a passer that left the biggest impression on us. He had several outstanding dishes off live dribbles.
Quick Hitters
Joseph Fitch from Illini Magic 17U is a prospect we pointed toward as one to watch this weekend for D2 and low-majors. In the half that we caught he more that lived up to the billing. Made moves on the block for explosive finishes, swatted shots, and rim ran. Someone is going to get a steal in this Home School prospect.
Niles Notre Dame power forward Sherod Dent showed flashes when we saw him with Hoops 4 Health. Face up four with a strong body that can shoot it. He had 10 points in game vs NLP.
Speaking of Team NLP there were a couple of standouts for them as well. Unsigned senior Devon Ellis is a power wing that can flat out get buckets. Went for 31 points. If the right D2 came along he might consider but intention is to go prep as of now at Link Year. Schaumburg 2022 point guard Vaurice Patterson is a scoring lead guard that broke defenders down off the bounce for buckets. Primed for big senior season.
The PK shooting display continues for Team Ten Jabari Parker’s Payton Kamin. This DePaul Prep 2024 two guard has size and is a sniper. He dropped 29 points including 7 threes against MPJ.
More talk on elite shooters as the best in the state of Illinois in 2023 very well might be New Trier’s Jake Fiegen. The Full Package 16U sharp shooter did it again netting 30 points including seven triples!