Missouri Scouting: Highland Shootout Standouts
The Highland (Ill) Shootout attracted some of the top players in Missouri and Illinois, which included a number of highly-rated national prospects. A Standing Room Only crowd was treated to a number of special performances by the A-List performers of…
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Continue ReadingThe Highland (Ill) Shootout attracted some of the top players in Missouri and Illinois, which included a number of highly-rated national prospects. A Standing Room Only crowd was treated to a number of special performances by the A-List performers of the Shootout. Here is a look at the top Missouri prospects.
Jayson Tatum (Chaminade): The 6’9″ Duke signee had 32 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and three steals in leading the Red Devils to a 66-51 victory over Belleville Althoff in a showdown of the top two teams in the St. Louis metro area. Tatum had a quiet first half as he struggled with his perimeter jumper and Chaminade trailed at halftime. The second half was a different story has he scored 24 points, including 13 in the decisive third quarter when Chaminade took control. Tatum went inside and scored at will and also scored on many coast-to-coast runs to the basket. Against a gritty Althoff team, he pretty much grinded and did what was needed to get the victory.
Michael Porter, Jr. (Father Tolton): The 6’9″ five-star junior had 31 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in leading the Trailblazers to a 75-66 victory over Peoria Manual. Porter is a terrific perimeter shooter, but you did not see much of that on Saturday. He spent much of his time in the low post, where he dominated the smaller Manual team with his length and offensive rebounding. Whenever Manual made a push for the lead, Porter simply took over with a flurry of baskets to keep them at bay. Like Tatum’s performance, Porter was business-like in his domination to get the win.
Carte’are Gordon (Vianney): The 6’8″ sophomore had 28 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the Golden Griffins’ 55-42 victory over Highland. The host Bulldogs had nobody over 6’2″ and were woefully overmatched by the 2018 man-child. Gordon scored at will in the post on high-low sets and scored on offensive rebounds. He also showed the capacity crowd his ball-handling and passing skills in the open court. He is about 245 pounds, but his body has trimmed up and he is moving much better. Another elite prospect in the Show-Me State.
Xavier Sneed (Hazelwood Central): The 6’6″ Kansas State signee had 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 60-47 victory over Springfield Lanphier. Sneed was at his best at the beginning of the game when the Hawks raced to an early lead and at the end of the game when they put the game away. Sneed is a high-rise athlete with excellent 3-point shooting ability off the catch. What will get him on the court early at Kansas State next season is his ability to defend multiple positions. At many points, he was guarding Lanphier’s 5’9″ dynamo Xavier Bishop, who is one quickest players and top jump shooters in the state of Illinois. That was something to see.
Jontay Porter (Father Tolton): The 6’10” sophomore forward is a versatile big with a solid set of fundamentals. He finished with 10 points and a whopping 10 blocked shots against Peoria Manual. Porter is very comfortable on the perimeter, where he made a couple of 3-pointers and did much of the ball handling against Manual’s full court pressure defense. But, don’t get it twisted, Porter also has a nice touch in the low post. He has already committed to Washington.
Dominique Dobbs (Hazelwood Central): The 6’6″ senior forward had a typical effort in the victory over Lanphier with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Dobbs is a blue-collar player who just produces big-time results every time he steps on the floor. There’s nothing fancy about his game. He just scores, grabs rebounds and blocks shots from start to finish. His motor his high, as is his productivity. Dobbs is getting interest from several Division II schools as well as some lower level Division I schools.
Tyler Cook (Chaminade): The 6’8″ Iowa signee scored 12 points, including 10 in the second half in the Red Devils’ victory over Althoff. Cook started the game with an acrobatic tip-in to open the scoring. He was quiet for the rest of the first half. In the second half, Cook helped Chaminade pull away as he asserted his inside presence with rebounds, dunks and blocked shots.
Eric Krus (Vianney): The 6’6″ junior forward had 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the victory over Highland. Krus has been good all season, but this was a breakout performance for him in front of a big audience. He scored on the drive, hit several mid-range jumpers and nailed a couple of 3-pointers. Krus is a versatile Stretch 4.
Jericole Hellems (Chaminade): The 6’7″ sophomore forward had 12 points and had a big hand in the Red Devils victory over Althoff. Hellems is at his best with the ball in the open court and getting to the basket off the dribble. He has always been a big kid who can perform on the perimeter. His constant attacks to the basket were like body shots to an Althoff team that already had its hands full with Tatum. He will be Chaminade’s go-to guy next season.