Ridgewood Live Event: Parham’s Friday Favorites
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Friday was the start of the second live period for high school teams in June at Ridgewood. I was able to catch several games and even made a trip to one of the satellite gyms. Here is Ridgewood Live Event:…
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Continue ReadingFriday was the start of the second live period for high school teams in June at Ridgewood. I was able to catch several games and even made a trip to one of the satellite gyms. Here is Ridgewood Live Event: Parham’s Friday Favorites.
Mekhi Cooper Mekhi Cooper 6'0" | PG Bolingbrook | 2023 State IL (Bollingbrook)
One of the better guards who I’ve watched for the third straight weekend has been Mekhi. He’s had an awesome shooting performances in the second game for Bolingbrook. Cooper hit 6 threes (maybe more) in his game against North Lawndale. Mekhi is a heady guard who can score from all three levels and is pretty good at sharing the wealth as well. He is starting to catch the eyes of some mid major programs.
Will Gonzales (Riverside Brookfield)
Gonzalez has really good size for a junior who is on the rise. Will is a very smooth guard that can get to the cup whenever he’s playing aggressive. Gonzalez looked like a playmaker today making some passes that hit his teammates in the right spot. With his length he can be one of the better wings in his class.
St. Rita Class of 2024 Trio
The top 3 guys from the Illinois 2024 class finally graced the floor for the first time for their high school in Illinois on Friday afternoon. James Brown James Brown 6'9" | C Link Academy (from Chicago) | 2024 #66 Nation MO , Morez Johnson Morez Johnson 6'9" | PF Thornton | 2024 State #33 Nation IL , and Nojus Indrusaitis Nojus Indrusaitis 6'5" | SG Brewster Academy | 2024 State #79 Nation NLG all had their moments in a game against Benet. James played really well in the post getting single coverage and scoring anytime using a simple left jump hook. Morez made a few shots from the elbow mid post area. Often going high low with Brown. Nojus did an excellent job at getting to the rim by driving baseline and scoring over defenders. All three of these guys have the talent to carry a team by themselves but are showing they can put it together in the summer.
Hillcrest Front Court
The two front court players for Hillcrest continues to gain a lot of attention from most of the colleges in the Missouri Valley Conference. Darrion Baker Darrion Baker 6'8" | PF St Rita | 2023 State #227 Nation IL and Matthew Moore Matthew Moore 6'7" | PF Hillcrest | 2023 State IL both have put together solid performances that should produce more offers this weekend. Baker showcased how versatile he can be. Several times he snatched down rebounds and pushed the rock full court and either made an assist or go coast to coast for a bucket. Darrion makes shots and has really good handles around the rim. Moore spent most of his time blocking shots and wrangling in rebounds. He keeps getting better and better with his footwork out of the post and he proved he can be a solid passer. I expect many coaches at the next Hilcrest game on Saturday.
Macaleab Rich Macaleab Rich 6'5" | SF East St. Louis | 2023 State #261 Nation IL (East St. Louis)
Rich is an absolute athlete. He has a big frame and is very intimidating when lurking around the rim. In the game versus Lemont he tallied four huge blocks. On offense he made some solid attacks at the rim and also showed he is capable of hitting shots from beyond the arc. Last weekend I thought Macaleab was a mid-major prospect but he is showing that he may be just a level above.
Looking forward for more action tomorrow as most of the teams will be in action at Ridgewood High School.