Jack Tosh Tuesday Standouts
The marathon week begins! Five days at five tournaments across the state of Illinois. We began at the 32 team Jack Tosh Holiday Classic where we evaluated several of the best seniors in the state, multiple fast rising juniors, some small college sleepers, and a few of the premier freshman in the state. Check out our Standouts from Tuesday here at Jack Tosh!
SF Zion Griffin (Hinsdale South – 2018)
Griffin was the top prospect at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic. He showed why in their opening game win against Rolling Meadows. It took him a bit to get going, but once he did he put on a show with his athleticism attacking the rim. Griffin had a few rim rattling dunks including one of the best I’ve seen this season. He is at his best with the ball in his hands while in the open floor. Jumper was shaky early, but he found the touch as the game went on hitting a short corner jumper, another from mid-range, and one from three. He was a force on the defensive glass high pointing rebounds. Griffin had 19 points and 9 rebounds. The senior is the #3 overall prospect in the senior class and is signed to play his college hoops at Iowa State.
C Ryan Davis (Conant – 2018)
We only saw a bit of this game, but we can’t leave out Davis from top performers of the day. The 6’9” center is absolutely in the best shape of his career. He is slimmer and much more athletic than at any point in his career. That is showing with his vertical explosion off the floor as he dunked it over and over as soon as we walked in to see part of his game. The Vermont commit was a complete beast as he didn’t miss a single shot inside the arc and also drilled 2-4 from three which is an underrated part of his game as he can really shoot it off the catch or in the pick and pop. Davis had 35 points on an insane 14-16 from the field and 9 rebounds. He is going to absolutely do work at Vermont for four years! He is making a run at the top 10 in the 2018 class.
SG Eric Peterson (Batavia – 2018)
Peterson is a 6’5” shooting guard who has great size on the perimeter. The wing has steadily gotten better throughout his career and that was shown this summer with Tri City Thunder. The Batavia wing is a well-rounded wing that can score, pass, and board. Showed all those in this game moving well without the ball to set up his shot or score on back cuts. Improved handles allowed him to score on quick drives. Threw several bullet passes and competed on the glass. Peterson had 14 points. Priority D3/NAIA prospect that will be a great team player at that level.
G Ziv Tal (Highland Park – 2018)
Tal is a 6’1” senior that is having a productive final high school campaign and gaining buzz on the small college recruiting scene. He is a strong guard that really competes getting after it on every single possession. Gets to the basket where he finishes very well through and around contact. He is capable of hitting a three off the catch. Moves well without the ball. Tal is a team player that does whatever his team needs him to do for the win. He had 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
SG Keegan Graebner & SG Kyle Graebner (Minooka – 2018)
The Graebner twin duo was outstanding in their win over Stagg. They are both similar players standing at 6’2” with a high skill level. The Minooka guards are excellent passers that make smart decisions with the ball in their hands. Smooth shooting strokes with consistent mechanics. Get after it defensively. Good leadership. Each of the brothers scored 9 points in their win. Should be a duo that is looked at heavily by D3/NAIA programs.
SF Deng Reng (Wheaton North – 2019)
Reng is a top 20 prospect in the junior class. The 6’7” small forward is a long and rangy forward with a lot of developmental upside. Good skill level which allows him to make an impact on the offensive end of the floor. Reng is a sound perimeter shooter drilling shots from beyond the arc with a fluid three point stroke. He is most comfortable off the catch. He is fairly efficient with his shots scoring on the interior against smaller defenders with the ability to use either hand to convert at the rim. Runs the floor well with his long strides. Rebounds in traffic using his length. Will definitely need to add strength going forward, but we like how his game is progressing. He had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Projects as a D1 prospect at the low-major to mid-major level.
SG Justin Eagins (Downers Grove South – 2019)
Eagins is a 6’1” shooting guard that started off on fire shooting the basketball from the perimeter. He made three triples in the first half. Eagins has a quick release and gets elevation off the floor. Really likes to use his pull up three and step back to score. In the second half he cooled down and kept forcing three point shots. Would like to see him diversify his scoring game and at his height will need to display more combo guard skills to play at the D1 level. He had 14 points. D2 prospect with the chance to elevate.
SF Ethan Helwig (Metea Valley – 2019)
Helwig is a prospect that had a lot of helium after a monster July with the Illinois Stars. The junior wing is a skilled 6’4” small forward that can drill shots off the catch from three. Hit a pair in their game against Glenbard East. Was really hot to start the game and then cooled off in the second quarter. Later in the game he began to be more aggressive taking it to the hoop and getting to the charity stripe. Handles the ball well and is getting more confidence putting it on the deck. Crisp passer and quality wing rebounder. He had 20 points and 7 rebounds. Top 15 prospect is a player that needs to be on the mid-major radar.
SF Jayden Johnson (Batavia – 2020)
Johnson has been a favorite of ours since we saw him back in July where he put himself on our radar and then backed it up in the fall at the PrepHoopsIllinois Camp. The sophomore stands at 6’5” with a strong body. He is a crafty and skilled scorer. Johnson has a feathery perimeter jump shot from three especially off the catch. He plays with a high IQ and doesn’t force bad shots. Not the most explosive athlete at this stage he just knows how to get to the rim with crafty drives and using his strength to finish or get to the line. Johnson went for 17 points. Mid-major plus prospect at this stage.
PF Aaron Tims (Hinsdale South – 2020)
Tims is a 6’7” forward that impressed us with his play at the Pangos Camp in the fall. He was equally as imposing against Rolling Meadows. The angular forward played mostly on the interior and was extremely efficient with his touches in the post. He made quick moves when the ball touched his hands using the glass to finish. Tims is a good athlete that flashes to the ball, catches, and finishes in the blink of an eye. Solid rebounder. He went for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Tims is a name that should be on the low-major radar early in the process.
G Max Christie (Rolling Meadows – 2021)
This was our first chance to the see the much hyped 6’4” freshman who has been putting up big numbers early in the season. Wow were we impressed! First of all he has a long and lanky frame that is very projectable. Already has excellent size for the guard position, but he should grow several more inches over the next four years before he gets to college. Ultra smooth with the rock in his hands. He plays with such poise for a young player. Gets wherever he wants with his smooth ball handling. Likes to finish in the lane with runners/floaters. Gets to the rim on a fairly consistent basis off the bounce. Looks good in the transition game always having his head up while weaving through the defense looking to make a play for himself or others. Clean looking jump shot as he has shown he is a three point threat. Rebounds well for a wing and is a crisp passer that has point-forward potential. He was checked much of the game by top 5 senior Zion Griffin who is bigger and much stronger and still went off for the best performance of the day. He had 23 points and 5 boards. Christie is a potential high-major prospect and in contention early on for the top spot in the 2021 class in Illinois.