Saturday Special #PHTheLastDance
Today I took in games at Illinois Basketball Academy. Who looked good? Check below for the top morning performers at The Last Dance. Saturday Special Players Bennett Nicholson |6’3 G/F| MN Chill Elite 2024 He showed great hustle and determination.…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingToday I took in games at Illinois Basketball Academy. Who looked good? Check below for the top morning performers at The Last Dance.
Saturday Special Players
Bennett Nicholson |6’3 G/F| MN Chill Elite 2024
He showed great hustle and determination. Bennett made plays on both ends of the court with excellent effort. He blocked shots, tipped passes, and created TO’s. He is a long and quick player that will sacrifice his body to save the ball from going out of bounds. He slashed and scored with elusive moves. Bennet also got the the line and hit shots. His AND1 finish showed impressive body control. Bennett has a nice overall game that translates to both ends of the court.
Dallas Wallin |6’5 F| Northwest Elite 2024
18 points and two triples. He is a long player that handles the ball well and can make plays off the bounce. He is a crafty finisher at the rim. I like his awareness around the cup and his finishing ability with both hands. Wallin also was good at drawing fouls and getting to the line. Wallin looks to have a very bright future in the game of basketball
Brady Long |5’11 G| Wisconsin Academy 2024 Esters
He was flying around and making plays all over the court. Brady is a hardworker that gathered multiple offensive rebounds. He hurt the defense by slashing and scoring around the rim in a variety of ways. Long showed a sweet pull-back jumper from 15-feet, it was a great move. Brady weaved through traffic and he scored with a soft kiss of the glass. He also created TO’s on defense.
Heath Poppy |6’2 G| Wisconsin Academy 2024 Esters
He stood out as a serious shooter from beyond the arc. Heath has a smooth jump shot. His soft floater in transition was excellent and his feel for the game looked fabulous. Poppy displayed fancy footwork around the hoop, he is certainly a skilled player. His pull-up game was also spot-on. Long as a serious offensive threat.
Theo Schofield |6’5 F| Wisconsin Academy 2024 Esters
The BIG lefty is a skilled prospect. Theo is crafty and he hits the glass hard. He scored off O-board putbacks and his pull-up J was fluid/accurate. His strength was shown with an AND1 finish. Schofield handles the ball very well for BIG. He has a polished game and a high ceiling.
Jaheem Smith |5’9 PG| Team Strive Elite 2024
28 points, three triples, and 4-5 from the line. He was dynamic in transition, Smith was constantly pushing the tempo and making plays in transition. His crossover and hesitation move are noteworthy. Jaheem had many blow-by-drives and he finished at the rim in flawless fashion. He shifted and changed gears like a high-end sports car. I liked his ability to score with both hands at the rim. Smith’s pull-up from beyond the arc was also very nice. This Florida guard is the real deal.
Jonas Kassof |5’11 SG| Team Strive Elite 2024
26 points with seven 3-pointers! Six of those triples came in the second half during the comebrack. In the first half, he showed a soft touch when finishing around the basket with floaters. He showed good court vision with a few nice dimes. Jonas knocked down 3’s late in the game to keep the score close. He also had a sneaky steal and score down the stretch.
Will Spellman |6’6 PF| EG10 2024 Red
17 points and 4-5 from the line. He has a force around the basket. Will is strong and he has a nose for the ball. He gobbled up many offensive rebounds. The opposing team played some zone, and Spellman killed them on the glass. He also showed good hands and Will is an efficient finisher.
Jalen Bundy |6’0 G| EG10 2024 Red
21 points and 11-12 from the charity stripe. He was living at the free-throw line. Bundy was clutch from the line all game, especially in the second half. He is a good sized guard with strength. Jalen is ball strong and he values the basketball. He was great in the win today for EG10.
Mason Harvey |6’7 F| EG10 2024 Red
He is a BIG but he has a nice stroke from the perimeter. Mason has great length and arms that go on for days. I like how unselfish he was with the ball. Harvey made the extra pass and moved the rock around the perimeter. He stood out when grabbing offensive rebounds. After grabbing an O-board, Mason made a very nice assist to a teammate under the hoop. Most players would have taken the contested shot. He also showed excellent hustle when a teammate missed a free-throw, Harvey tipped the ball and snagged the rebound. His effort was excellent.
Drew Busick |6’1 SG| EG10 2024 Red
9 points and three triples. He hit back-to-back 3’s early in the second half. Mason is a zone buster. You can not leave him alone. Busick showed extended range. I liked his confidence and shooting mechanics. Expect many more triples on Sunday from this shooter.
Kieran Tewari |6’3 SG| EG10 2024 Red
He stuck out as a dynamic athlete. Kieran is a tough player on both sides of the ball. When attacking off the bounce Tewari makes fast-twitch moves. His bag of tricks must be very deep, this kid is skilled. His step back jumper looked great, Tewari created a ton of space and he shot it with good balance. Kieran is a clever player, he faked a handoff to fool a defender. He also knocked down FT’s towards the end of the game to help close it out.