Illinois Scouting: Salem Invitational Day 2 Standouts
Great night of action on day 2 of the Salem Invitational Tournament. The first game was a tremendous contest between TF North and Effingham that went down to the wire. The second game Edwardsville put on a complete show in…
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Continue ReadingGreat night of action on day 2 of the Salem Invitational Tournament. The first game was a tremendous contest between TF North and Effingham that went down to the wire. The second game Edwardsville put on a complete show in the first half blowing out their opponent from Ohio. Let’s look at the standouts from Thursday at the SIT!
SF Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville – 2017)
Last week we saw one metro east sharp shooter in the junior class. The other premier shooter from the area did it on Thursday. At 6’4” Stephen can really shoot the ball from three. He has great mechanics and a quick release off the catch. The sniper was on fire in the first quarter as he drilled six 3’s in the first quarter alone. He was in a zone! Plus plus shooter with length and projectablity in his frame. Had an offensive rebound put back, but that was it. He finished with 26 point while only playing the first half. Needs to be on low-major priority lists for schools that are looking for a shooter.
PG Mark Smith (Edwardsville – 2017)
Junior 6’4” point guard Mark Smith was the one dishing the rock to Stephen on many of those threes. The thick bodied and physical point guard has a great feel for the game. He makes crisp passes in both the half court and in transition. Smith knows how to feed the post which is a lost art these days. Can hit an open jumper. Active on ball defender. Smith had 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He informed us that he has committed to Missouri to play baseball at the college level.
PG Grant Wolfe (Effingham – 2017)
Wolfe was outstanding in his teams contest against TF North. The 6’0” junior is a tough nosed point guard that has crisp movements in whatever he is doing. He understands how to take angles to get where he needs. Wolfe is strong with the ball going through traffic. He gets in the lane where he can finish through contact as well as use a floater. Adequate three point shooter that moves well away from the ball. Does a nice job of using hesitation and keeping the defense off balance. Pesky defender. He had 23 points. Needs to be on the D2 radar and would be a player to check out this summer for D3/NAIA programs.
SF Jacob Donaldson (Effingham – 2017)
The 6’6” forward is very productive. Good length. He likes to face up and knock down jump shots including catch and shoot threes as well as mid-range shots. Nice passer to cutters. Area rebounder. Quickness will need to improve to play on the perimeter at the next on both ends, but very solid showing from the junior. He had 16 points.
SF Michael Williams (TF North – 2017)
Williams is a projectable 6’6” small forward that has a long and lanky frame. He is a quality athlete that runs the floor well and is active on the interior as a rebounder and defensive presence with his quickness and length. He had a couple smooth moves in transition including a blow by in transition where he hesitated and flew past his defender for a score. Turned the ball over a bit, but also had a few nice dimes. Coordination around the hoop finishing more consistently there and working on his jumper mechanically are a couple areas to work on. One to monitor going forward.
SG Jadacus Dixon (TF North -2017)
At 6’2” Dixon is a slashing shooting guard that scored in the paint throughout the game. He got in the lane where he would score on quick passes or straight line drives to the hoop. Quick first step. Hit one mid-range jumper and a couple of runners. Didn’t show much as a passer or perimeter shooter. Needs to improve on free throw shooting. Dixon went for 17 points.