Illinois Scouting: John A Logan vs Kaskaskia
PrepHoopsIllinois was in attendance on Wednesday for a great JUCO game between two of the better Region 24 programs in John A Logan and Kaskaskia. It was a tight one throughout and Kaskaskia pushed it to OT with a couple…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois was in attendance on Wednesday for a great JUCO game between two of the better Region 24 programs in John A Logan and Kaskaskia. It was a tight one throughout and Kaskaskia pushed it to OT with a couple of late threes. Logan had too much in the end and pulled out the 97-91 win. Here we break down some of the top prospects in the game.
SG Devontavius Payne (Logan – Sophomore)
Payne is a 6’2” scoring guard that has had a big sophomore season after a solid freshman campaign. It was a bit of a slow start for the lefty with a few turnovers and not really looking for his outside shot. Payne had a few impressive drives off the bounce and an offensive rebound put back. Defense picked up later in the game. When his team needed him he came up clutch! Payne punched home a huge dunk on a strong drive through traffic late and in overtime he literally took over with threes, drives, and clinched it at the charity stripe. Should be monitored by mid-major and low-major programs. Payne went for 23 points.
SF Ranell Crossland (Logan – Sophomore)
The uber talented 6’6” sophomore totally looks the part. He has great strength and length for the position. The wing was a bit tentative early and almost too unselfish making passes when he had better scoring opportunities himself. Solid rebounder that is quick to the glass and can start the break on his own. A big portion of his points came at the line. He had 13 points. Worth low-major consideration.
PF Tamas Bruce (Logan – Sophomore)
This 6’7” power forward might be my favorite JUCO player the past two seasons. He is the Tristan Thompson of Logan. Bruce plays with a ton of energy. The four man is quick to the offensive glass with a crazy explosive second jump. He is extremely active on the interior hitting the glass. As an offensive threat he is a bit raw still, but shows flashes of improving footwork and skill. Needs to continue to improve his hands in tight spaces and finishing with more consistency. Flashed an impressive baseline drive that he converted at the rim. Defensively he is quick to the weakside blocking shots. Great low-major post prospect! He had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
SF Michael Tucker (Logan – Freshman)
Tucker is physically the most talented prospect on the floor in nearly every game he plays. At 6’7” he looks like LeBron out there the way he is built and can move. He flashes tremendous ability including one play where he faced from the baseline and blew by his defender. He had several combination moves that left you in awe, but just couldn’t convert at the rim for some reason. All the talent is there he just has to be more consistent with it. He had 6 points.
PG Jalen Perry (Logan – Freshman)
Perry who is a 6’2” combo guard from Louisville showed great athleticism throughout the contest. He pushes the ball with speed and has acceleration going to the hoop. Gets height on his jumper that he knocked in from both mid-range and three despite a slight hitch at the top of the release. Very quick guard in tight spaces that made plays all night getting in the paint. He had 22 points.
PG Armon Benford (Logan – Freshman)
The former Simeon lead guard only scored 6 points, but was impressive coming off the bench for Logan. He is a smooth 6’1” lead guard that has quality athleticism. The biggest thing was overall he made sound decisions with the ball getting it to his teammates in spots to score both hitting shooters and dumping it off to the big man inside. Smooth handles and got to the rim a couple times coming off screens.
SG Elijah Watson (Kaskaskia – Sophomore)
Watson had a slow start to the game after being KC’s leading scorer throughout the season. He is a 6’2” shooting guard with very good strength in his upper body. The power guard isn’t overly bouncy, but maneuvers his way in the lane to score inside through contact. Late in the game he caught fire from three! It was one after another after another. He was hitting them both off the catch and pulling up. Drilled multiple ones that were contested. He finished with 24 points. Probably a high level D2 kid that in the right system could be a low-major guy.
SG Dwight Richards (Kaskaskia – Sophomore)
Richards was the man that got it going early for Kaskaskia. At 6’3” he is a stocky guard that doesn’t look like he is going to make much happen, but he is super productive. Richards is a strong and physical guard that bullies his way into the lane for scores inside time after time hitting layups, floaters, and short jumpers. Also did a nice job on glass and defended Tucker well in their matchups despite the athleticism and height disadvantage. This tough kid should be looked at by small colleges as he could be an impact D3/NAIA guy. He had 19 points.
SF Parish McCullum (Kaskaskia – Sophomore)
McCullum has a lot of experience playing at Proviso East and last year at Rend Lake. The 6’5” small forward is a prospect that I have always been a fan of and he has made major strides in his perimeter game over the years. The long and lanky forward can hit the three ball with a high arc on the shot. He drilled two triples late including one to tie the game with 2 seconds left and ultimately send it to OT. Tough Chicago kid that competes. Worth a look for D2 programs.
SG Joffery Brown (Kaskaskia – Freshman)
Brown is what he has always been. Tough and productive! The former St. Joseph’s standout stands at 6’2” with a stocky build. His jump shot wasn’t falling most of the night, but he got in the lane converting crafty finishes in the paint. Powerful finisher around the hoop and was aggressive hunting his shot. He had 13 points.
SF Steven Julian (Kaskaskia – Freshman)
Julian was the most impressive prospect on the floor in the first half. At 6’6” the freshman small forward dominated the game early with his length, athleticism, and motor. The bouncy forward has long strides in the open floor and finishes with explosion around the hoop. Active on the glass with quickness. Potential defensively both moving laterally and swatting jump shots. His jump shot from the perimeter needs quite a bit of work. Definitely could see him being a D1 kid after two years at Kaskaskia.