Swish N Dish: 2021 & 2022 Evals
PrepHoopsIllinois has extensive coverage of this past weekend’s NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish. Next up is the 2021 and 2022 prospects from the state of Illinois
2021
PG Kimahri Wilson (Hoops Avenue)
Wilson is among the top point guards in the 2021 class in the state of Illinois. The Carmel lead guard is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands as he has tremendous handles juking defenders all over the floor. A bit turnover prone at times with his playing style. He gets in the lane absolutely at will. Likes using a runner and mid-range pull up to score. D1 prospect.
SF Tevin Smith (Hoops Avenue)
Big weekend for Tevin Smith! The Danville small forward is a well-built wing with strength and freakish athleticism. That was evident early in one of their games when he hammered a monster dunk home. Great athlete that excels early in the process as a transition finisher and slasher. The skill level needs to continue to make strides although he did have his moments shooting it from three. D1 prospect.
SF Jaylin Gibson (Hoops Avenue)
Gibson is the third in a trio of big time players for Hoops Avenue. Gibson is a quick twitched athlete that plays insanely hard. He flies around on the defensive end being active looking to create turnovers. Quick to the offensive glass for put backs. Mostly a slasher at this stage and his shot will need to improve long term. Top 10-15 prospect.
SG Max Christie (Illinois Wolves)
Spoiler Alert: Max Christie will debut at #1 in the 2021 rankings in June. This 6’4” wing was incredible again at Swish N Dish! He has a long and lean body that he will need to add strength onto as time goes on, but this kid has it all skill wise. Versatile being able to play the 1 through the 3. Handles it getting pretty much wherever he wants on the floor with relative ease. Feathery jump shot from all over the floor. He is especially lethal with it pulling up from mid-range, but can definitely stretch to three. Excellent passer for a wing that could almost be a point-forward. Christie is a no doubt high-major prospect. Christie had 20 points in the morning and 18 in the evening on Saturday. Elite high-major prospect.
PG Anthony Sayles (Illinois Wolves)
The Niles Notre Dame point guard is an athletic quick twitched athlete that is a tough cover in transition. He weaves in and out of the defense and is a great layup maker at the rim. Gets to the hoop on a consistent basis. Nice passer that can throw them with bullet dishes as well as putting touch on it. He rebounds well for his size with an explosive second jump. D1 prospect early on.
C Chris Hodges (Illinois Wolves)
Hodges is a 6’8” center from Schaumburg who is one of the top posts in the class early in the process. He has size and strength on the interior. What he does well is rebound within his area. Snatches boards with his strong hands. Runs the floor pretty well for his size. My concern early is he isn’t the best athlete and struggles finishing in traffic. Didn’t score a ton over the weekend.
SF Bryce Hopkins (Illinois Wolves)
Hopkins out of Fenwick is a 6’5” small forward with a well-built frame. He finishes very well around the hoop on drives going through contact being able to take a bump in the paint. Crafty finisher. Showed potential as a shooter from three. Was an effective scorer that should project as one of the better wings in the class.
SG Ahamad Bynum (Meanstreets)
Bynum is one of the top handful of prospects in the 2021 class in the state of Illinois. He played mostly on the sophomore team this past season at Simeon. Bynum is a 6’2” two guard that has a quick first step off the bounce. Played solid defense on the perimeter. Jump shot wasn’t falling at all in the game we evaluated. Didn’t score a lot, but we are big fans of his potential.
SF Troy D’Amico (Meanstreets)
D’Amico is a 6’6” wing from Niles Notre Dame that is coming off a super productive freshman campaign. He produces, but also has some upside to grow as a prospect. Very high skill level out of the wing as he showed hitting an array of jump shots from three. Crafty around the hoop and efficient with his shots. Like what he brings to the table as an outlet passer after securing rebounds. More athletic than I remembered during the season. He had 22 points in a morning victory. Should be on D1 radar.
SF Amar Augillard (Meanstreets)
This Zion Benton 6’3” small forward is a power wing that has great strength especially in his upper body. Plays very physical especially in the paint. The thick bodied small forward can handle it some in the open floor and drilled a couple threes. Solid offensive rebounder. Will probably need to grow to 6’5” to max out his ability with his bulk.
SG Nathaniel Hoskins (Meanstreets)
Hoskins is a 6’2” shooting guard from Danville that showed some potential. The lefty has nice length and projectability long term. Scored best in transition.
PF Chad Readey (Meanstreets)
Readey is a 6’7” post from Homewood Flossmoor. Good size and length with a frame that he should continue to add strength on as his career progresses. Contributed on the glass and hit a mid-range jumper.
SG Norvell Meadows (Meanstreets)
Meadows is a 5’10” scoring point guard that we saw last high school season. He is a scoring point guard that is a volume shooter. Meadows lets it fly from pretty much anywhere. Shot selection needs to improve, but he can definitely put it in the hoop. Capable three point shooter and pushes in transition. When he does pass he actually makes nice dishes. Would like to see him be more of a distributor and improve shot selection.
C Kaleb Applebey (EG10)
Does southern Illinois Mt. Carmel just grow big men on trees? They have another one in Applebey. The 6’8” post has size and strength. Tough kid that fights on the glass. Hit a baseline jumper. Not the most athletic kid. One to monitor.
SG Tre Jordan (Quad City Elite)
Jordan is a shooting guard from Sterling High School that is best using his perimeter jumper from deep. Drilled a trio of threes in the game we evaluated.
PG Jordan Rice (Quad City Elite)
This 5’7” point guard from Rock Island is a quick and shifty point guard that was effective getting in the lane on sweeping layups.
SF Fred Poole (Team Rose)
Poole is coming of a season at Simeon where he made major noise with the sophomore team capturing a city title. You can definitely see why Poole is intriguing. Long and lanky 6’3” wing. Struggled shooting early in the game we saw, but as the game went on he settled in and hit a couple baseline shots and attacked with slick drives. Upside prospect.
SG Kai Evans (Team Rose)
Evans is a 6’3” shooting guard from Montini Catholic. The wing can really score in transition. Spin moves in the lane and attacks with force. Tough kid!
PG Nicolas Owens (Team Rose)
Owens is a tiny 5’7” point guard that is lightning quick with the ball in his hands. The lead guard made several acrobatic layups and hit a contested three. Nice vision.
G Markeise Irving (Team Rose)
This 2021 prospect is transferring from Morgan Park to Hillcrest for his sophomore season. Hillcrest should be very excited about what they are getting. In a fun game and atmosphere “Bucky” went off in the second half with his perimeter shooting. The compact and stocky 5’10” point guard is mostly a scorer and he left it fly from three. Drilled them one after another. Finished with 27 points in a victory.
PG Kyonte Thomas (Team Rose)
Thomas is the next guard to make noise at Bolingbrook. This 5’10” point guard is a plus passer that showed well in the drive and kick game. Active with his length on the defensive end.
PG Noah Reynolds (Brad Beal Elite)
Reynolds is out of Peoria Richwoods High School. We heard some buzz about him during the season but this was our first time seeing him play. The lefty is an excellent passer from the lead guard spot. Creativity with his passing finding his teammates. Can throw bullet passes and put touch on it. Drilled a three from the top of the key.
2022
PG Amari Bailey (Mac Irvin Fire)
Bailey has a chance to be one of the premier prospects in the state of Illinois over the next few years. The middle school phenom is playing up on the 16U level for the Fire. He doesn’t wow you, but the skill set and size is undeniable. The former DePaul commit was active defensively using his length to get steals. Scored well in transition. Jump shot is streaky at times, but he shoots a good ball. Drilled the game winning three to start off the season for the Fire 16U. He is a high-major prospect.
C AJ Casey (Meanstreets)
Casey is one of the premier 2022 prospects entering the state of Illinois next season. He told us he will either attend Simeon or Whitney Young. The 6’7” center is a young big that has size, but game to back it up. He has a projectable frame with long arms and broad shoulders. Should be able to add weight on easy over the next few years. Incredibly mobile for his size with fluid post moves and runs the floor like a deer! Flashes advanced footwork in the post already and gets on the glass. Casey has a chance to be special. Already holds two D1 offers. Tracking very early as a high-major prospect.