Collinsville Holiday Classic Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois closed out the week with a day at the Collinsville Holiday Classic. What a day it was! The championship and third place game were instant classics along with the performance of Javon Pickett in the consolation title game. Here…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois closed out the week with a day at the Collinsville Holiday Classic. What a day it was! The championship and third place game were instant classics along with the performance of Javon Pickett in the consolation title game. Here are the standouts from Friday at Collinsville.
PG Mark Smith (Edwardsville – 2017)
I have seen Edwardsville 2017 point guard Mark Smith play a ton in his four years of high school and on the grassroots circuit. Friday night in my first time evaluating him as a senior he has completely taken it to another level! The 6’4” point guard has a strong body that projects well to the college level. He shot the ball incredibly well from deep drilling multiple pull up threes from well beyond the three point arc. Also got to the basket at will. In the past it was more overpowering his opponent. He showed against Belleville Althoff that his quickness off the bounce has improved has he had more shiftiness than I had thought before. Finishes at the rim great with body control. Also completely posterized a couple dunks. Smith is a high IQ guard that understands the game. Made great reads passing it especially in the drive and kick. Plus rebounder for his position. The last box to check off is defensive lateral quickness to defend opposing point guards at the high major level. Smith won the MVP of the Collinsville Tournament with a 35 point and 5 assist performance in the championship game over Althoff.
PF AJ Epenesa (Edwardsville – 2017 – Iowa Football)
The Iowa football commit would be a mid-major plus basketball prospect if that’s what he focused his attention on. He is the #1 defensive end in the country so I think he is making the right call. On the court he is a physical force using his strength and positioning to score in the paint. Finishes great in the high/low. Also a dominant rebounder. Espensa had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
PG Jack Marinko (Edwardsville – 2018)
Marinko put himself on our radar with his play at Collinsville. The point guard is by far the most unheralded prospect in their starting five, but he might have hit the biggest shots throughout the game. He is a plus perimeter shooter that drills triples off the catch. Plays off the ball mostly with Smith on his team, but projects as a point at the next level. We look forward to continuing to evaluate the junior. He had 21 points.
SG Jordan Goodwin (Belleville Althoff – 2017 – SLU)
Goodwin did what Goodwin does. He used his physicality and relentless motor to go beast mode. He doesn’t have the depth of star power around him that he did last year. JGood is taking on an even bigger load, but he is more than up for the challenge. For a run in the game he just attacked the rim right off the bounce for about five straight possessions where he either scored or got to the foul line. His second half was dominant and the main reason Althoff was able to keep the title game close against Edwardsville. He is a tremendous rebounder with his feel for where the ball in coming off the glass. Hit a three and a couple jumpers, but that along with his free throw shooting is his biggest weakness. Goodwin had 33 points and double digit boards.
SF Marvin Bateman (Belleville Althoff – 2017)
Bateman can be a streaky shooter at times, but when he is on he is REALLY on! The senior long and lanky 6’4” wing shot it great against Edwardsville. He is best spotting up on the perimeter where he lets it fly from deep. Mixed in a put back and a short turnaround fade away. Bateman had 16 points. Projects as a D2 prospect.
SF Parker Bland (Quincy – 2017)
Like what this 6’4” forward brings to the table. He is a lefty with quality strength and a crafty game. Bland is a floor spacer that can knock down mid-range jumpers, but is very good off the catch from three. Plays mostly inside for his high school team where he uses his quickness and strength to finish. Crafty moves with fakes and jabs to keep the defense off balance. Solid footwork in the post. Can also handle it on occasion slashing to the rim. Projects best as a low D2, high D3/NAIA prospect where he can be a combo forward.
SF Javon Pickett (Belleville East – 2017 – Illinois)
Pickett was phenomenal against Collinsville. It didn’t look like it was going to start out that way early on as he was quiet in the first quarter. Then he exploded in the second and third quarter with a barrage of scores. He had it all working! Pickett drilled an array of pull up jumpers including a few really tough contested ones. His aggressiveness attacking the rim was relenteless. Pickett is slippery through traffic and when he gets a head of steam behind him is tough to stop. Has good body control at the rim to finish through contact. Rebounded well and also was an effective passer. He had 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in three quarters of play.
PF Jeremiah Tilmon (East St. Louis – 2017 – Illinois)
The state’s top 2017 prospect did nothing to hurt that distinction in the third place game against Springfield Southeast. Tilmon had a significant height advantage over his opponents, but he showed great footwork in the post and agility around the rim that will be effective against any size player. Sealed well and had a couple sick spin moves which he converted for dunks. Lateral quickness on defense was impressive and as usual he swatted shots at a high rate. Free throws need a lot of work. One thing that impressed was after picking up a few early fouls he was able to play through it without picking up a silly one that he sometimes does. Tilmon had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
SF Terrence Hargrove (East St. Louis – 2019)
Hargrove will go from unranked (because we had never seen him until November) to the top 5 in the updated 2019 rankings. The 6’5” combo forward has high major written all over him! He is a long and lanky forward with elite athleticism. His quickness around the rim and second jump is just incredible. So explosive around the rim finishing with force. My biggest question after evaluating him a couple times this season was the skill level. Well he more than proved that. Hargrove drilled multiple mid-range jumpers, a wing three, and handled it off the bounce on a couple great slashes. Defensively he is moves well laterally. What position he will be at the next level will be determined in time, but he projects as a high major prospect. Hargrove had 23 points and 10 rebounds.
SG Isaiah Walton (Springfield Southeast – 2017)
The 6’3” Walton is a long and thin wing that has shown flashes in the past on the circuit. He did that as well against a more than formidable opponent in East St. Louis. Walton uses his long strides to slash to the basket. Can hit a three on occasion. Average rebounder. Projects as a quality D3/NAIA target that could also be a good JUCO candidate to gain strength and develop his game.
SG Anthony Fairlee (Sprinfield Southeast – 2019)
Fairlee is an elite athlete. Maybe one of the truly best in the state. He plays mostly inside for his high school team and had to check Tilmon who had over half a foot on him. Offensively he is best slashing to the hoop using his elite athleticism around the rim with his explosive first step. Did hit a three. Finished with 11 points. Top 15 sophomore.