Illinois Scouting: Bloom vs Thornton
Bloom went on the road Tuesday night to Thornton and picked up a huge road victory with a 72-62 win. There were several huge performances. Let’s look at the prospects that stood out in our scouting report! SG Jamal…
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Continue ReadingBloom went on the road Tuesday night to Thornton and picked up a huge road victory with a 72-62 win. There were several huge performances. Let’s look at the prospects that stood out in our scouting report!
SG Jamal Parks (Bloom – 2016)
Really liked this 6’5” rangy wing when I saw him at Pontiac in December. He was very good against Thornton and was the main reason for them getting the road win. Parks is usually a plus perimeter shooter, but he struggled from beyond the arc in this one except for hitting one three. The difference was his ability to consistently win off the bounce and get to the hoop. Parks has a quick first step and the ability to blow by his man. The senior was very aggressive looking for his shot and is slippery getting through traffic. He did a solid job on the glass throughout the game. Once he adds more strength he should be a very good prospect in college. Worth consideration at D3/NAIA level and for a lot of JUCO’s. He had 22 points and 7 rebounds.
SG Jalen Lee (Bloom – 2017)
Lee stands at 6’3” and can really shoot the basketball. He is a plus spot up shooter especially from the corner. He shoots it with a quick release, elevation, and confidence. Will need to diversify his game going forward, but has a skill that translates to the next level. One to watch this summer.
PF Chino Johnson (Bloom – 2017)
Johnson came off the bench and did some impressive things for Bloom. He has wide shoulders and good strength in his upper body. Solid mobility around the hoop and is an adequate rebounder. Johnson went for 9 points.
PG Patrick Rucker (Thornton – 2016)
Rucker is a 6’0” strongly built point guard that is a solid athlete. Early in the contest he was outstanding shooting it off the catch while playing off the ball. He moved without the ball to get open and was drilling threes off the catch. He wouldn’t score after the first quarter. The rest of the game he was looking to set others up. Rucker has a solid feel for the game and made several outstanding reads on dump off passes and dishes on the interior. He had a couple turnovers when forcing passes. Defensively he moves well laterally, has quick hands, and anticipates. Plus defender at the point of attack and will be a factor on that end in college. Rucker had 9 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals. D3, NAIA, JUCO prospect.
PG Samuel Taylor (Thornton – 2016)
Taylor was a monster in this one! The 5’10” quick point guard got in the lane on a consistent basis. He was extremely quick off the bounce getting anywhere he wanted on the floor. Crafty finisher around the hoop that has the ability finish by getting the ball up on the rim before defenders get there. Can hit an occasional three. Solid passer that had a couple nice dishes inside. Shows potential as a distributor. Defensively he was impressive with his toughness and tenacity getting after the basketball. Size is going to be his biggest issue going forward. JUCO, NAIA, and D3 kid. He had 31 points.
PF Orlando Allen (Thornton – 2018)
This 6’6” four man has a long and rangy frame. He had a pair of finishes around the hoop including one where he ran the floor hard in transition. Likes to work on the baseline. A little raw skill wise, but there is definitely some potential there. He had 5 points.