Chicago Elite Classic: Saturday Standouts
It was another great day of hoops at the Chicago Elite Classic on Saturday! Five games with teams from Illinois and across the country. Time to look at the top performers!
SG RJ McGee (Kenwood – 2018)
McGee is stepping into the role as the go to scorer for Kenwood this season. He struggled a bit in their opener a few days ago, but was on point against Gray Collegiate out of South Carolina. McGee stands at 6’5” with strength and athleticism. Looked the most confident that we have seen him. Shot the ball well from the perimeter drilling 5-6 from beyond the arc. Clean looking shooting stroke with elevation off the floor. Mixed in some finishes in transition and baseline takes off the bounce. McGee was efficient with his shots and looked like a no brainer D2 prospect with low-major potential if he keeps playing like this. He had 25 points (9-11 FG), 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
PG Khalil Robinson (Gray Collegiate – 2019)
We came away very impressed with this point guard from South Carolina. The junior lead guard has such great feel for the game. Quick lead guard that got in the lane consistently. He is a creative passer once he gets in the paint finding teammates for easy scoring opportunities. Lots of dump off passes for assists. Did force a few for turnovers. As a scorer he is a solid mid-range shooter and likes using a runner. He had 14 point and 7 assists. Should be on the mid-major radar.
PG Ayo Dosunmu (Morgan Park – 2018)
The favorite for Mr. Basketball showed why he is the leader for that award coming into the year. The explosive Morgan Park point guard is just so fast with the ball and impossible to cover when he is attacking downhill. He pushed the tempo from the jump and set the tone early by getting to the rim. So slippery through traffic getting to the rack. Speed plays very well in the transition game. Stuck to what he does best attacking and didn’t shoot many jumpers other than hitting one from 15 feet. Made a few nice passes including an alley-oop off an out of bounds play. Dosunmu finished with 24 points (10-24 FG), 6 rebounds, and 4 dimes. He is committed to Illinois.
PG Adam Miller (Morgan Park – 2020)
Miller is the top sophomore in the state of Illinois. He has size at 6’4” and big time game. He shot the ball the best we have seen from three. Miller shot it with confidence and stepped into each of his shots making 4-5 from deep with his lefty stroke. Most impressive was when he cleared it out to go one on one, then crossed his man, and drilled a pull up triple. Made several crisp passes showing he can be a combo guard at the next level. He had 18 points and 4 assists. High-major prospect.
F Cam Burrell (Morgan Park – 2018)
This was the best game we have ever seen Burrell play. The energy 6’6” combo forward was all over the glass against Champaign Central! He flew around all night on the offensive glass getting 10 rebounds on that end alone. This is what he brings to the table as a prospect at the next level. Energy forward that crashes the glass and gets offensive rebound put backs. Most of his points came in this fashion. Also had a huge dunk off an out of bounds play and hit a mid-range jumper. Not really skilled, but makes an impact with his energy level. Burrell went for 20 points (9-15 FG) and 16 rebounds! Could boost his stock to the D2 level if he continues this strong play.
SF Khailieo Terry (Champaign Central – 2021)
Terry is a freak athlete at 6’4” that impressed us last week when we saw him at the Decatur Turkey Tourney. He is so explosive around the hoop getting on the offensive glass for put backs. Huge leaper that’s best dunk of the day was a monster tip jam early in the contest. The thick legged combo forward doesn’t show a ton of still and is just a raw athlete that makes an impact with his energy, athleticism, and tenacity. Defensively he is definitely a presence in the lane swatting shots. Long term level is TBD, but needs to be on the D1 radar. He had 14 points (7-9 FG), 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
PG Mario McKinney (Vashon – 2019)
McKinney might have had the best performance of the day! The scoring point guard out of St. Louis had a monster performance against Whitney Young. The Dolphins had no answer for the speed, quickness, and explosiveness that McKinney brought to the table. Shifty guard that can break opponents down off the bounce and has blow by speed off the dribble. He lived in the lane all night! Consistently made tough acrobatic shots at the rim using his tremendous body control on a variety of finishes. Finished so well at the rim and also got to the foul line at a high rate. He is actually a solid three point shooter, but didn’t even take one in the game. McKinney had a couple powerful dunks in transition. He finished with 33 points (12-18 FG) leading his team to a win. No doubt high-major point guard.
SF Cam’Ron Fletcher (Vashon – 2020)
Fletcher is prospect that we were super impressed with in the spring and summer for Ramey-Jets United. We came away liking what this sophomore brings to the table even more! Size on the wing at 6’6” with a projectable frame to add strength. Early on he forced a couple threes, but as it went along he started attacking the cup and got out in the open floor where he finished. A bit of a volume scorer, but he can really put the ball in the hoop. Usually shoots it better than he did against Whitney Young. Also rebounds well for his position! Fletcher had 18 points and 13 rebounds. High-major prospect.
SG Javon Freeman (Whitney Young – 2018)
Freeman was the clear go to player for the Dolphins and it looks like he will be that throughout the season. The Valpo commit performed well in front of his future coaching staff. He was limited to only 15 minutes because of foul trouble, but while in the game did major damage. Caught a pair of alley-oops that he put in. Freeman is at his best when he is slashing to the rim taking quality angles and finishing around the hoop efficiently. Hit one mid-range jumper. Freeman also got to the line at a very high rate on his drives. He is going to be an all-conference type player for Valpo. Went for 22 points (6-8 FG) (10-12 FT).
SF Jericole Hellems (Chaminade – 2018)
Hellems is the show for Chaminade this year! They have some solid complimentary pieces and young players that could emerge down the line, but the NC State commit will have to carry them this year. At 6’7” he has size and length on the perimeter. Forced some tough jump shots especially early. He takes great angles with the ball when slashing. Likes to use a step back and fade away from the mid-range shooting it. Volume scorer that is also a solid rebounder. He had 22 points (9-20 FG) and 7 boards.
SF Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon – 2018)
The Iowa State commit was solid, but not spectacular in their win against Chaminade. THT looks to be in the best shape of his career as he has slimmed down even more and looked more athletic than we saw him in July. He drilled a few triples with a clean looking stroke from three. At times he fell a bit in love with the three ball going 3-11 from deep. He is at his best making crafty moves with the ball in his hands where he can finish in the paint. Also a quality wing rebounder especially on the offensive glass cleaning up for put backs. He had 21 points (8-21 FG) and 11 rebounds. The Cyclones are getting a difference maker from day one!