Holiday Evals: 2018 Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois covered five different holiday tournaments across the state last week. This allowed us to evaluate tons of prospects at a variety of ages and college levels. Now it is time for the massive 160+ player scouting report on all the prospects. Here is Part 1: 2018 Prospects!
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.
SG Roman Norman (Hinsdale South – 2018)
Norman is a scoring 6’0” two guard that was hot shooting it from three. Drilled a handful of triples mostly off the catch. Showed some toughness getting on the glass as well. He had 15 points. D3/NAIA prospect.
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.
PF Zion Fortune (St. Laurence – 2018)
Fortune is a prospect that flashed early in his career, but seemed to kind of level off. He had a strong showing when we saw him at the Jack Tosh Tournament. Fortune is a 6’5” athletic and mobile four man. Quick finishes inside through contact. Runs the floor. Rebounds both in and out of area. He had 32 points. Would be a nice fit at the small college level.
PG Carter Higginbottom (St. Ignatius – 2018)
Higginbottom is a point guard that came out more aggressive early in their contest than we had seen. Finished several nice finishes in the paint including a euro step and another runner. Inconsistent jump shooter. He had 10 points. Small college player.
PF Josh Sorenson (Wheaton North – 2018)
Sorenson is a skilled post with size at 6’7”. Fundamental player on the block that can score with his back to the basket. Seals well on the interior. Lack of strength gets him knocked off spot on occasion. Little bit of face up potential shooting from 15 feet. High points rebounds. Sorenson is a priority D3/NAIA prospect.
PG Cory Adams (Metea Valley – 2018)
Adams displayed some scoring punch from the lead guard spot. Hit jumpers from a variety of spots on the floor including mid-range jumpers and threes off the catch. He had 16 points. Small college player.
PG Kenny Adams (Glenbard East – 2018)
Adams is a 6’1” lead guard that is an attacking guard. Works well in transition pushing the tempo and scoring at the rim. Pushes the tempo and keeps the defense on their toes. He had 20 points. D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Jack McNulty (Sandburg – 2018)
McNulty is a skilled wing at 6’3” that stood out with his passing. Made several outstanding dishes to his teammates out of the high post and in the open floor. Good role player for a small college.
PF Toraze Dobbs (Uplift – 2018)
Dobbs is a 6’5” 218 pound combo forward that is starting to become more a stretch four for the college level. He is a well-built forward with strength and he plays physical around the hoop. The senior mauls opponents on the offensive glass for put backs. He does an outstanding job of positioning himself and finishing inside by carving out space. Can also hit an occasional three off the catch, but tends to fall in love with it. He had 21 points and 14 rebounds. Dobbs is a player that will be a coveted JUCO prospect.
PF Jordan Boyd (St. Joseph’s – 2018)
Boyd is an underrated prospect in the senior class. The 6’6” power forward isn’t going to wow you with his athleticism, but he just gets the job done on a consist basis. Boyd is a crafty four man that uses quick moves in the paint to score. Most effective when he gets on the offensive glass for put backs. He was a monster on the offensive glass recording eight rebounds on that end alone. Boyd finished a handful of put backs. Excellent rebounder both in and out of his area. Passes well for a post. He had 10 points and 14 rebounds. Should be a priority D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Jalen Boyd (St. Joseph’s – 2018)
Boyd is a rangy 6’5” small forward who has stepped up his game over the last year. He is a plus mid-range jump shooter that drills them pulling up from 15-18 feet with consistency. Gets elevation and has consistent mechanics. Also showed well as a defender on the perimeter. He had 15 points. Projects as a priority D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Naseer Turner (Kenwood – 2018)
Turner was about as good as we have seen him with his play at the Proviso West Tournament. The 6’5” rangy forward is a player that sometimes doesn’t play with the highest activity level. That was definitely not a problem against Larkin! He was all over the floor and came out aggressive offensively. Turner converted several quick finishes on the interior. He took it to the hoop strong off the bounce with his long strides. Got in the paint throughout. Turner made plays on the offensive glass with five offensive rebounds including a tip in dunk on one. Turner played to his strengths. He had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Kenwood forward is a D2 player at this stage.
SG RJ McGee (Kenwood – 2018)
We have seen McGee on several occasions this season and he has been fantastic as a senior. This wasn’t one of those efforts. He struggled against Larkin not being as aggressive as he usually is getting to the rim and his shot just wasn’t falling. Highlight was a three at the buzzer to end the third quarter and a tough straight line drive. McGee finished with 7 points (3-12 FG). Still a good first half of the season for McGee and is definitely a D2 prospect.
SG Anthony Lynch (Larkin – 2018)
Lynch is a shooting guard that is having a nice senior year. The top 40 prospect is at his best when he is attacking and getting downhill. This senior is tough to stop with a head of steam behind him. Tough straight line drives to the hoop. Finishes well at the rim. Capable shooter pulling up from 15-18 feet. Lynch had 20 points and 7 rebounds. D2 prospect that would be a solid role player at that level.
C Jalen Shaw (Larkin – 2018)
Shaw is one of the premier posts in the state’s senior class. At 6’10” he presents great size and athleticism. Wasn’t at his best against Kenwood. The big man struggled to finish on the interior with his body control. Just couldn’t convert on the interior. He had a nice pick and roll conversion and got on the offensive glass for a put back, but beyond that he struggled with turnovers and missed short shots. Did a good job on the glass. Shaw had 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 turnovers. He is the premier JUCO prospect in the state.
SG Robert Harvey (Hillcrest – 2018)
Harvey continues to have an outstanding senior campaign. He didn’t really show us a ton over the spring and summer, but in our second eval of him in his last year of high school ball he stood out again. The 6’3” shooting guard is a lanky and athletic wing that is learning how to score while taking quality shots. Displays a silky smooth jumper especially off the catch from three. Pure stroke. Moves well without the ball to get open and sets up his shot. He had 25 points (9-17 FG) (3-8 3PT). Would be wise for D2 programs to jump in now!
PG Jalen Hughes (Hillcrest – 2018)
Hughes is a 5’10” point guard that is more of a scorer at the lead guard spot. Didn’t shoot it particularly well from the field drilling a couple of mid-range jumpers, but was at his best getting to the free throw line where he went 7-8. Hughes had 14 points. Projects as a D3/NAIA/JUCO prospect.
PF Jordan Morris (Proviso East – 2018)
This Proviso East power forward is built like a tank at 6’5”. Strong and super athletic. Not overly skilled, but uses his strength and freakish athleticism to finish around the cup including a monster slam. Quick moves in the paint and plays physical down low. He had 18 points (6-9 FG). Would fit great in the JUCO game for the next two seasons!
SG Quinlan Bennett (Proviso East – 2018)
Bennett is just coming back from a wrist injury and this was one of his first games back. The shooting guard came off the bench where he was most effective attacking off the bounce. Scored on a spin in the paint and got on the offensive glass for a pair of put backs. Still not all the way healthy. He had 10 points and 4 steals. Bennett is a quality D2 prospect.
SG Stephon Jordan (Morton – 2018)
This is a new name to our radar. Despite getting blown out by Orr this 6’2” senior shooting guard made a name for himself. He is a lefty scorer that showed he could score in bunches in the first half. Slick getting to the rim and can hit a three when left open. Was efficient scoring 16 points on 7-11 shooting. D3/NAIA/JUCO’s should take a look.
SF Dannie Smith (Orr – 2018)
Smith is going to see his stock rise in the next 2018 rankings update after a consistent showing in all three evals during the first half of the season. The 6’5” powerful wing is a beast on the glass. He just mauls on the glass on both ends of the floor. Plays with a really high motor on both ends of the floor. Dominant offensive rebounder that has a feel for where it is coming off the glass and is quick going after it. Didn’t shoot it as well as he usually does in this one. Smith had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Low-majors and JUCO’s need to be considering him.
PG Chase Adams (Orr – 2018)
Adams is the player that runs the show for Orr. With so many weapons on the team he has the ability to get them all involved while also getting his own points. Pushes it in transition with his speed and court vision. Adams jump shot is getting more consistent from both mid-range and three. He had 12 points and 3 dimes.
PF Raekwon Drake (Orr – 2018)
Drake came off the bench to begin the Spartans opener at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. He was quietly effective in their blowout win. Drake got on the glass for put back dunks and also slammed another dump off home. He had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and was a defensive force as usual blocking 4 shots. This 6’5” elite athletic four man should be pursued by mid-major and low-major schools.