EYBL: 2019 Illinois Scouting
PrepHoopsIllinois spent the majority of the second live period at the Nike EYBL in Indianapolis where we were able to evaluate many of the top prospects in the state of Illinois. Here we break down the Illinois 2019 Prospects in the event!
C Francis Okoro (Brad Beal)
Okoro is the top ranked prospect in the 2019 class in Illinois and showed exactly why. He changes the game in so many ways. The 6’9” physical post is a complete man child physically. The part I loved most about watching him was how much his motor was running. He played all out every time he was in the game. Snatches rebounds in traffic with his strong hands. Was a defensive presence protecting the rim. Okoro’s most impressive play that we saw was when he blocked Vernon Carey, ran the length of the floor, and slammed home a dunk. Didn’t score a ton in the games we evaluated, but there is no question he is a big time prospect. Once he refines his offensive game he will be dominant. Okoro did have a 19 point and 14 rebound performance on Sunday when we were watching another game. He is a high-major prospect.
PF EJ Liddell (Brad Beal Elite)
The 6’7” power forward from Belleville West is trending toward being the #2 player in the state’s 2019 class in our next update. He showed why against Meanstreets. He had a workman like effort. What he was best at was getting to the charity stripe. Liddell consistently made assertive moves inside that he got fouled on. Didn’t get frustrated, but instead went to the line and made free throw after free throw. Also had several huge slams including one where he sealed his man off and hammered it home. Works well in the pick and roll with his mobility. Solid passer for a post and defensively can block an occasional shot. Will need to continue to bulk up to be able to anchor against college bigs, but he has the frame for it. Liddell had 23 points in the win over Meanstreets. High-major recruit.
SF Malik Hall (MoKan)
Hall moved from Metea Valley out to Sunrise Christian Academy this past season in Kansas. He is making noise playing up on the 17U level for MoKan. At 6’7” Hall has a long and rangy frame that he continues to add strength onto as he is currently listed at 200 lbs. Smooth game for the 2019 wing. He has great form on his jumper that is pure from anywhere on the floor. Was up and down shooting it over the weekend, but he will be a plus shooter at the next level with his mechanics and elevation off the floor. Creates space and gets it off with ease. Scores every now and then off the bounce with short drives from the mid-post including one where he finished on the other side of the cup. Hall is a top 100 player nationally and high-major recruit.
PG Markese Jacobs (Mac Irvin Fire)
Jacobs has already committed to Kansas and is headed off to play his junior campaign at prep power Hillcrest in Arizona. The 5’11” point guard played with a good motor against the Playaz. The thing he did best was probably rebounding for his position. Was more than willing to stick his nose in and high point boards. Used his speed in the open floor to attack. Hit a couple threes including one he got fouled on. Was looking to pass more. Finished with 9 points.
SF Kahlil Whitney (Mac Irvin Fire)
Whitney is a 6’7” small forward with freakish athleticism and strength for a young wing prospect. He has long strides in transition which allow him to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. This makes him a great transition finisher. When he has the ball in his hands he always has his head up looking to make a play. At times turns it over trying to be too fancy. Hit a corner three and a couple of jumpers. Best move of the day was when he grabbed an offensive rebound in the paint, took a step back dribbling behind his back, and pull up for a sweet jumper. The usually reliable part of his game is his explosiveness and finishing ability. Against the Playaz he really struggled converting at the rim. He had 12 points. High-major prospect originally from Chicago that plays now at Roselle Catholic in New Jersey.
PG Kejuan Clements (Mac Irvin Fire)
Clements had his second strong day in a row when I saw him on Saturday. The Simeon 2019 point guard has quietly become the most productive backcourt player for the Fire 16U squad. He is starting to get the mentality to attack! Clements got to the rack throughout their contest against the Playaz. Played downhill and found the creases in the defense. Clements also rebounded well as he had to have close to double digit boards. Solid distributor that is more of a scoring point at this stage. He had 16 points. Mid-major prospect.
PF Rashaun Agee (Mac Irvin Fire)
Agee is an intriguing post prospect in 2019. The 6’8” Bogan broad shouldered four man was a bit shaky early playing on the main court with a ton of college coaches watching as he air balled a shot and struggled on the glass. He converted an and-1 in transition running the floor hard and that seemed to get things going. Got to the charity stripe several times where he showed form on his shot. As the game went along he was more assertive on the glass high pointing rebounds. Agee had 5 points. One to continue to track, but is very appealing with size and strength.
SF Jeremiah Hernandez (Mac Irvin Fire)
Hernandez joined the Fire this past weekend and got his first taste of EYBL 16U action. We saw him against the Playaz. He hit a nice catch and shoot three early in the game. That along with his passing are the strengths of his game. He has quality size to see over the defense. Did turn it over a couple times and struggled converting at the rim. Liked how he rebounded on the defensive end against some big guys. Potential D1 prospect.
SG Lance Jones (Meanstreets)
Jones saved the best game of his life for a good time. Playing at the main venue in front of 30+ college coaches Jones went off! The Evanston 6’0” shooting guard scored at will! His mid-range jumper was on point from the jump as he was slicing and dicing in the lane then pulling up from 15 feet. Gets elevation off the ground on his shot with sound form. Also attacked the rim strong getting multiple and-1s. Couple nice entry passes, but it is clear that he is not a point guard. Going to have to be an undersized two at the next level. Could potentially be a low-major kid if he continues to play like this. Jones went for 27 points.
SG Michael Salter (Meanstreets)
Salter is a shooting guard at 6’3” with excellent vision for an off guard. Passes it well in both the open floor and half court. He can also get his shot off both on his own and spotting up from the perimeter. Hit a couple threes off the catch along with a sweet step back shot. Salter game is really coming along nicely. Tracking as a potential D1 prospect if he keeps progressing. Went for 14 points.
PG Joseph Yesufu (Meanstreets)
It was a tough game for the Bolingbrook 2019 point guard. He is the top prospect on Meanstreets 16U squad, but he really struggled when we saw him against Brad Beal Elite. Had several turnovers and couldn’t get into a flow of things offensively. Yesufu is a 5’10” point guard that remains a lead guard with mid-major potential.
SF Jeremiah Oden (Meanstreets)
We loved what we saw out of Oden back last fall at the PrepHoops Showcase event. He hasn’t quite lived up to that ability since the event. Oden stands at 6’8” out of St. Rita where he didn’t see much playing time as a sophomore. In the game against Brad Beal Elite he opened with a corner three. Would later air ball one. Struggled on the glass. Length and projectability give him upside, but he is still pretty raw.
SF Isaac Stanback (Meanstreets)
Stanback is a physical 6’5” small forward with big time athleticism. Right now he is mostly a run/jump athlete that lacks much skill. Looks great in transition as a finisher. Doesn’t do much in the half court beyond getting on offensive glass. Jumper isn’t there. Really like the motor that he plays with though. Has defensive potential with strength and athleticism.
PF Chris White (Meanstreets)
Out of all the prospects on this athletic Meanstreets 16U team White might have the most long term upside. At 6’8” he has length and a frame that he can add strength on. He competes on the glass and did so against BBE and the state’s top power forward in EJ Liddell. Has a knack for high pointing rebounds and going after them. Offensively flashes, but it isn’t consistent yet. Did have a pair of finishes inside. Defensively he fouled quite a few times, but at least competes on that end. Shot blocking presence. With some coaching on that end could be an impactful defensive player. Low-major prospect right now.