Team Rose Classic: 2019 Evals Pt 2
PrepHoopsIllinois covered the Team Rose Classic over the weekend at Whitney Young High School. A lot of quality prospects in the house. We dive into the evaluations here with Part 2 of our 2019 Evaluations!
SG Dajuan Gordon (Team Rose 17U)
Gordon is a rangy 6’4” wing that was the best player for Team Rose in the only game we saw them play on Friday night. He is a smooth athlete that plays well in the transition game. Plus shooter off the catch that can let it fly from deep. He is a very projectable prospect with a lot of upside. He has diversified his scoring game, starting to contribute on glass, and is playing more consistent. Mid-majors should keep tabs on him.
SF Tujautae Williams (Team Rose 17U)
Williams had a poster dunk taking it baseline and hammering it home. The Orr 6’6” small forward has a lot of upside. This spring we are starting to see what he is fully capable of after playing on a senior laden Orr squad. Long strides and has a burst going to the hole. Potential on the defensive end. Jump shot will need to improve significantly as he doesn’t shoot it very well at this stage. D2 prospect with D1 upside.
PF Jalen Johnson (Team Rose 17U)
Johnson is from Indiana, but is definitely worth a mention. He has legit size in the post and skill to match at the power forward position. Johnson showed that he could stretch the floor with his shooting drilling a pull up three. Handles it well facing up from the mid-post and in. Scores through contact. Solid rebounder. D1 prospect at probably the low-major level.
PG Kejuan Clements (Team Rose 17U)
It was a bit of an off night for the Simeon standout. He was phenomenal a week ago at Madison in the Rock Spring Classic. Only caught one game where he scored 6 points. Didn’t seem to have quite the same burst as the weekend before. He struggled at the line and missed some tough layups. Did have a nice up and under. Clements is a power point guard that we are high on overall though. He played his role as a junior and is one to watch at the mid-major level this spring. Physical and compact body that allows him to get to the rim.
SG Myles Baker (Team Rose 17U)
Baker like Clements didn’t really have it rolling on Friday night. The Whitney Young wing scored five points on a runner in the lane and connecting on three free throws after being fouled on a triple. Baker couldn’t find the scoring magic he had the weekend prior. This shooting guard is a smooth scoring wing that we like at the mid-major level and were really impressed with the weekend before. Top 10 in state.
SF Evan Taylor (Illinois Heat 17U)
Taylor is a high academic 6’6” wing from Glenbard West that has an extremely versatile game. The junior can score at multiple levels, but is most effective in the mid-range where he can pull up or make a quick move with a couple dribbles to get to the rim. Handles it well in the open floor. I am a huge fan of his passing. We saw it during the high school season and he showed that again here. Rebounds well for his position. Taylor is a mid-major prospect.
PG Semaj Henderson (Illinois Heat 17U)
Henderson is a combo guard from Downers Grove North High School. He had a couple of nice moves handling the ball crossing over his man on one play. Showed more burst and acceleration than we saw during the high school season. He passed it exceptionally well. Found his teammates consistently in the half court. Connected on one wing three with a clean release. D2 prospect.
SG Tyrese Shines (Illinois Heat 17U)
Shines is a long and rangy combo guard that got after it on both ends of the floor. I thought his biggest impact came on the defensive end with the tenacity he played with. Used that length for deflections and steals. Shines offensively hit a couple mid-range jumpers with his lefty shot. He is starting to define more of who he is as a player. Not going to be the lead guard many of us thought early on. More of a shooting guard that impacts the game with his defense and length. He could be a player that finds a home at the D2 level.
SG Jordan Myrick (Illinois Heat 17U)
Myrick is a wing that has bounced around travel teams and high school teams over the last couple years. He is a tough and competitive shooting guard with a thick body. The Bolingbrook guard is powerful attacking downhill and scoring through contact. Crafty with the ball. Not overly athletic or explosive. Projects as a small college player.
PF Demetrius Schaffer (Grinders 17U)
Schaffer played tough inside for the Grinders. The 6’6” four man from Farragut has a physically built body. He finishes well around the hoop by creating deep post position and making quick moves including his go to left handed hook shot. Plus area rebounder. Definitely has his limitations and isn’t much of a vertical athlete. D3/NAIA/JUCO player.
PF Spencer Boehm (Fundamental U 17U)
Boehm and his entire Fundamental U team struggled in the game we evaluated them playing against Old Gold. This 6’8” power forward presents a lot of skill and ability to score on the block as well in the face up game with his jumper. He had one nice attack with the ball in his hands, but overall didn’t do a ton. We have seen enough though to believe this high academic kid would be a great fit in the Ivy League.
C Alex Timmerman (Fundamental U 17U)
Timmerman is in the best shape of his career. The 6’8” post looks like a different person having lost a ton of weight and being much more mobile on the interior. In the game we saw he was solid rebounding in his area and had a quick finish on a layup, but not much else. Not going to wow you vertically as an athlete, but this D2 prospect should be productive at that level.
G Seth Williams (Old Gold 17U)
Williams is a scoring wing from CVS that showed some ability against Fundamental U. The power guard got in the lane with his strength and athleticism slicing through the defense for scores.
PG Zach Vaia (Breakaway 17U)
Vaia who is a smaller lead guard at 5’9” from Riverside Brookfield shined with Breakaway 17U when we saw him at the Team Rose Classic. The 2019 guard is crafty with the rock changing gears and speeds keeping the defense off balance. He advances the ball up the floor in transition. Hit a couple floaters and a three. Definitely has some scoring pop, but it was his passing that stood out most to me as he was unselfish getting his teammates involved in the game. Quality small college player.
PF Caden Phillips (Breakaway 17U)
Phillips is an undersized big from Glenbard West that impressed us during the high school season with his rebounding and he did it again at the Team Rose Classic. The junior stands at about 6’5”with a strong upper body. Very active rebounder that fights hard on the glass. He gets a lot of his points off his energy. Small college prospect that will be productive at that level because he knows who he is as a player.