Southern Illinois Skills Day Evaluations
PrepHoopsIllinois evaluated the Southern Illinois Pure Sweat Skills Day in Carterville on Wednesday night. There were prospects from the classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020 in the house. The group was led by Nashville’s Bryce Bultman and DuQuoin’s Lamontay Daughtery. There were quite a few prospects that emerged especially in the 2020 class at the event! Take a look at the evaluations of prospects here!
PG Dawson Linder (Salem – 2018)
Linder is a prospect we have seen quite a bit throughout his career. He has consistently progressed from his freshman year to now. What this 6’0” lead guard is best at is shooting it from the lead guard position. Drilled jumpers for days during the drills portion and that carried over to the games. Best pulling up from mid-range and can hit from three off the catch. Solid floor vision that is best passing in the open court. Would be an outstanding late addition for a D3 or NAIA program.
SG Justin Johnson (Carterville – 2018)
Johnson is an unsigned senior that has been on our radar for a while. The Carterville 2018 wing can really shoot the basketball. This 6’2” two guard is a kid that excels letting it fly from mid-range pulling up off the bounce. Plus shooter from that area and can stretch it out to three on occasion. Very competitive kid that loves the game. Would be a great late get for a D3/NAIA school!
PG Drue Blake (Harrisburg – 2018)
Blake is an unsigned senior point guard. The lefty has a free and easy release and plays with some swagger. Quick flick of the wrist on his shot. Solid under the rim scorer. Small college or JUCO prospect.
PG Bryce Bultman (Nashville – 2019)
Bultman is a player that PHI has been a big fan of for a while. The top 30 2019 prospect is a 6’5” lead guard that works well in the pick and roll. Outstanding vision and feel finding teammates. Always has his head up looking to make a pass. He looks to have gained some more explosiveness since we saw him late in the season as he had a couple nice drives to the hoop. Handles the ball well and that combined which his size make up for being just an average athlete. He is a solid shooter with a bit of side spin on his shot. He is a game shooter that makes them when it counts getting elevation off the floor. Bultman is a high IQ point guard that mid-major and low-majors should keep tabs on during the live periods.
PF Keith Kiner (Chester – 2019)
Kiner is a bouncy undersized power forward from Chester. He was very active on the glass with his quick explosion off the floor. Rebounded very well throughout the games. Runs the floor fluidly in transition. Flashed some ability as a shooter showing a clean stroke in the drills. Stuck to the rebounding and junk yard dog style of play in the games. Small college prospect.
PG Cameron Bowlby (Marissa – 2019)
Bowlby is a 5’11” long and lanky point guard that has some projectability. We liked him when he was young and he flashed at the camp. Upside with the way he handles the ball in the open floor and has potential as a shooter, but it is very streaky. Wild with the ball and almost plays with too much flair. Small college player.
SF Justin Wallace (Edwards County – 2019)
Wallace is a physically built forward that isn’t the greatest athlete, but is productive with the toughness he brings to the table. Clean looking shot that he can hit from mid-range on occasion. Small college player.
SG Connor Diecker (Freeburg – 2019)
Diecker is a 6’5” wing from Freeburg that has a thick body. He isn’t the greatest athlete, but the 2019 wing shot it fairly well throughout the drills and in the game. D3/NAIA prospect.
SF CJ Johnson (West Frankfort – 2019)
Johnson is a small forward that has solid size and length. Was up and down shooting it throughout the night. Hit a couple then would air ball one. Overall he looks to have a sound shot mechanically and it is just about getting the consistency down. Would like to see him add other areas to his game. Handled it a little in transition, but not much else. D3/NAIA prospect at this stage.
SF Lamontay Daughtery (DuQuoin – 2020)
Daughtery was clearly the best prospect in the gym. The 2020 small forward from Duquoin is a 6’6” small forward with a great combination of length, athleticism, and emerging skill. He has gotten stronger in his upper body over the course of the last year which is allowing him to consistently finish around the cup through defenders. Smooth acceleration with the ball off the bounce getting to the rim with ease. The shot was a bit streaky in the drills, but once the game started he showed he can drill some tough jumpers including a step back and another turnaround fade away. High points rebounds, used his length defensively, and overall played hard. He is at top 5 prospect in the 2020 class and a high-major prospect.
SG Braeden Pursell (DuQuoin – 2020)
Pursell is a 6’3” shooting guard from DuQuoin that will be a nice running mate for Daughtery the next two years. He is a plus shooter from the perimeter that consistently knocked down shots with a clean looking stroke from three. Thicker body kid that is just an ok athlete. Projects as a D3/NAIA prospect. New name to add to our radar.
PG Luke Ervie (Freeburg – 2020)
Ervie is a 6’1” point guard from Freeburg. He is coming off a solid sophomore season where he was a big time scoring threat from the lead guard position. He usually a pretty good jump shooter from three, but they weren’t falling consistently on this night. Hit a couple mid-range jumpers. Projects right now as a potential D2 prospect if he maxes out.
SG Carson Parker (Nashville – 2020)
Parker was one of the standouts of the night. We saw him toward the end of the high school season and liked the progress he had made. That continued again on Wednesday night. This 6’5” two guard can flat out shoot the basketball! He has a smooth release and deep range on his jumper. Made triples at a high rate throughout the night. Solid athlete with some length. Has a knack for scoring the basketball. D2 upside here. Look forward to continuing to see how he develops!
SF Daulton Burgner (Belleville Althoff – 2020)
This Belleville Althoff wing burst onto our radar with his play at the camp. At 6’4” he has nice length and is a quality athlete. Long strides to the basket when looking to score off the dribble. Consistently finished well at the rim against similar size opponents. Very skilled player that runs the floor and has a diverse game. Look forward to continuing to track him. He has D2 upside if he reaches his full potential.
SF Luke LeQuatte (Herrin – 2020)
This 6’4” Herrin wing opened our eyes with his play at the camp. He is a good sized with that is a sneaky athlete. Lequatte is a plus shooter that has a high release point. Definitely a lot of skill potential there. He high pointed rebounds throughout the camp. Small college player with the chance to elevate to D2. One of the pleasant surprises of the camp!
PG Blake McKay (Woodlawn – 2020)
McKay stood out in the game portion of the night. Showed some pop handling it off the bounce scoring in the open floor. Solid ball handler. Everything he does is very crisp. McKay also got on the glass for a put back. Good size at 6’2”.
PG Tristan Hercules (Nashville – 2020)
This Nashville 5’8” point guard is a smaller guard that can really shoot it. He drilled an array of jumpers throughout the camp. Lack of size and playmaking skills might hold him back some, but he is going to fill it up for Nashville off the catch for the next two years. Small college player.