Chicago Elite Classic: 2017 Scouting Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois had extensive coverage throughout the weekend of the Chicago Elite Classic featuring many of the top teams and players from the state of Illinois. In this feature we breakdown the scouting reports of the seniors in part one of…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois had extensive coverage throughout the weekend of the Chicago Elite Classic featuring many of the top teams and players from the state of Illinois. In this feature we breakdown the scouting reports of the seniors in part one of our look at the 2017 class.
PG Ramar Evans (Loyola)
Evans is a strong and physical point 6’2” that gets in the lane. Knows how to use his body to create space. Sound mid-range shooter. Scores well in the paint when attacking the rack. Can take a smaller defender down to the post. Struggles a bit with length. Evans is a solid passer that makes good decisions with the ball most of the time. He will be a good fit at D2 Maryville. Evans scored 13 points.
SF Jeameril Wilson (Niles Notre Dame)
Wilson is a small forward that has all the physical tools you could want in a wing prospect. He has a chance to be a plus defender at the next level if he locks in. Size and rangy. Did a nice job getting in passing lanes and making passes tough to convert. Will get a block every now and then. Offensively he is best getting offensive rebound put backs and can hit a mid-range pull up on occasion. The biggest thing with Wilson is he doesn’t have consistent effort. In this game he should have dominated, but only finished with 7 points. D2+ prospect with low-major potential.
PG Malik Jenkins (Niles Notre Dame)
Jenkins kicked the action off in the opener with a nice performance for Niles Notre Dame. The 5’10” point guard is a power and compact guard that uses his strength to get in the lane. Likes to use a runner to finish in the paint. Jenkins had 13 points. Projects as a D3/NAIA prospect.
C Jeremiah Tilmon (East St. Louis – Illinois)
After a couple stressful weeks dealing with his recruitment Tilmon is happy to be back on the court again after not playing all summer. The 6’10” center has great size, length, and mobility. He is actually in good shape considering how much time he missed. For the second game we have seen him this year he fouled out. This has always been one of the weaknesses for the elite prospect. When he was in the game he definitely flashed. Had a nice up and under, a seal/score, and a couple tip slams. Did a solid job rebounding while in there. We had him for 12 points and 7 rebounds in limited minutes. Tilmon is headed to Illinois and is the top 2017 recruit in the state.
PG Arthur Carter (East St. Louis)
Carter continued his strong senior campaign. The strong and compact lead guard is tough with the rock in his hands. He is aggressive on his takes and is tough around the hoop while not being afraid of contact. Also is a plus mid-range shooter. Carter had 11 points. D3/NAIA prospect.
PG Kerian Chairs (East St. Louis)
Chairs is a 5’10” athletic and rangy guard that excels in transition. Pushes the tempo with his speed and is quick getting to the hoop where he finishes. Potential on mid-range jumper. He had 11 points. Projects as a small college kid.
SG Elijah Joiner (Curie – Tulsa)
Joiner is the lead dog now for Curie after playing next to Devin Gage last year. He is also now playing more on the ball. He handled quite a bit of the point guard duties against East St. Louis. The Tulsa commit made solid decisions with the ball throughout the game. Also mixed in some scoring with a catch and shoot three and transition finishes.
PG Allante Pickens (Curie)
Pickens is a 5’8” lead guard that played off the ball most of the night for Curie. What he is best at is spotting up for triples. He did exactly that in a major way at the CEC. He is always in position to shoot the rock and has a quick stroke from the perimeter. Can also step into it off the bounce if the defense gives him room. Also is quick in transition. Solid on ball defender that pressures the ball. He had 16 points.
SF Terry Smith (Curie)
Smith is an under the radar combo forward recruit that is starting to show his abilities on the high school level. He stands at 6’5” with a strong and physical body. It does look like Smith has slimmed down some over the last few months. He is an explosive athlete that is very tough on the defensive end on the interior and rebounds well. Offensively a lot of his points come off pure toughness and grit. Flashes a mid-range jumper on occasion. He had 14 points. Projects as a quality D2 prospect.
SF Jared Scott (OPRF)
At 6’6” Scott is a mismatch problem for a lot of defenses. He has mostly played on the interior, but showed considerable improvement with his ball handling against Fenwick. Scott was aggressive with the rock in his hands taking his opponents off the bounce slashing from the wing where he finished layups and runners. Crisp moves off the dribble. Jump shot has always been an asset in his game. Scott hit several spot up threes from the wing. Sweet lefty stroke. Solid rebounder. Could be a D2 prospect that is a versatile forward at the next level. At the minimum he is a high D3/NAIA kid.
PF Cam Gross (OPRF)
Gross is a 6’5” undersized four man that has a nice combination of strength and mobility. He moves well for his size and really gets after it on the glass. Tenacious rebounder that grabs them well in traffic. Solid presence in the paint as a post defender. Offensively he has some skill on the block and can face up on occasion. Projects as a solid D2 prospect.
PG Jacob Keller (Fenwick)
The state’s top unsigned potential D1 point guard was battling injuries throughout the night, but he played like a champ. The 6’3” left handed point guard presents great size for the position. He handles it well and knows how to run a team. Gets others involved by making great passes with vision and feel. Best pass of the day was his no look alley-oop to Jamal Nixon. Got to the rim throughout the game where he was either fouled or converted. Slick handles through traffic where he is slippery weaving through the defense. Didn’t shoot the ball great. He is a beast on ball defender. Maybe the best in the state. He has active hands and gets in passing lanes. Caused multiple turnovers with his pressure defense at the point of attack. Late in the game and in overtime Keller stepped up big. He had 20 points. Mid-major and low-major schools are crazy for not recruiting this kid. He still only holds 2 D1 offers and is a top 15 player in the state.
SG Jamal Nixon (Fenwick – Minnesota State)
Nixon is one of my favorite players in this class because of the versatility that he brings to the table. At 6’5” he has a strong body which allows him to play physical against weaker opponents. An area that stood out was he was a crafty defender beating his man to their spot and getting under their skin at times. Outstanding passer for an off guard that makes the right decision with the ball most of the time. When he needed too Nixon scored. He attacked the basket and got to the foul line on a regular basis. Hit a wing three early in the game. Plus rebounder that gobbled up some big ones throughout the contest. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
PG Alex Flute (Orr)
Flute is a point guard that is at his best as a spot up shooter. He was outstanding against Miller Grove shooting the rock. The senior drilled multiple spot up threes in their contest. He finished with 17 points. D3/NAIA prospect.
SG Demarius Jacobs (Uplift – SIU)
The SIU commit once again had a big game. Jacobs is a slender built 6’3” shooting guard that has big time athleticism. He used that athleticism to score off the bounce and in transition throughout the contest. Jacobs is slippery with the ball in his hands through traffic and gets to the cup with ease. Speed with the rock in the open floor. He also did an outstanding job on the glass. Defensively he was beat a few times against Chaminade’s talented wing duo, but Jacobs did get multiple steals and had several blocks at the rim which are becoming his thing as one of the best shot blocking guards in the state. Jacobs had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
PF Jameel Alausa (U-High – Yale)
Alausa is one of the top post prospects in the state’s 2017 class. He is an underappreciated player at times because he just goes out and does his job. Not a highlight guy, but does the little things that will get noticed more at the next level. Alausa was very good on the glass throughout the contest. He was particularly effective on the offensive end where he grabbed five offensive rebounds. Quick second jump and has the athleticism to high point the ball. Got to the free throw line throughout the contest. Needs to work on his free throws, but did get there for 6-10 from the charity stripe. Alausa had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
C Anthony Cameron (Hyde Park)
Cameron is a 6’8” wide bodied center that looks like an NFL offensive tackle. His upside comes with his size and strength. Cameron isn’t overly skilled, but did hit one mid-range jumper. A bit mechanical in the post. He is a solid area rebounder. Cameron had 4 points and 5 rebounds. Has D2 upside for a program willing to take the time to develop him.