NY2LA Summer Jam: Thursday Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois was in the house for the second day of the NY2LA Sports Summer Jam. Here are your 10 standout performers from the day discussing what they did well. SF Justin Smith (Mac Irvin Fire 17U) The best player…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois was in the house for the second day of the NY2LA Sports Summer Jam. Here are your 10 standout performers from the day discussing what they did well.
SF Justin Smith (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
The best player on the court on Thursday was this Stevenson 6’6” small forward. He was an absolute monster! Smith is playing with a quiet confidence and a motor that we rarely saw last summer. He is extremely projectable with his length and athleticism. His ability to put the ball in the cup in different ways was on full display. Smith hit jumpers pulling up, jumpers off the catch, had explosive drives to the rim, and finished above the cylinder for huge alley-oop slams. Also passed it solid for an off guard. High-major all the way.
SF Javon Pickett (Jets-Ramey United 17U)
Pickett was the only player that showed up ready to play on Thursday for Jets-Ramey. The Illinois commit is a smooth 6’5” wing that score at all three levels effectively. Pickett is improving the consistency on his three point shot. The mid-range game is definitely one of his specialties. Lot of his points came in transition off steals. The high-major wing will be an impact Big 10 player before it is all said and done. 17 points on the day for Pickett.
SG Troy Brown (Las Vegas Prospects 17U)
Big guard with size and length. Brown who plays for the Las Vegas Prospects is one of the top guards nationally in the 2017 class. He was most effective creating turnovers and converting them into points on the other end. Brown was able to show off his athleticism in the open floor with monster dunks. Love what he does defensively as he has a chance to be a shutdown wing defender at the next level.
SG Malachi Smith (Southwest Jets 16U)
I liked what this Belleville East guard flashed during the high school season for Belleville East in limited minutes. He showed that ability on the circuit for the Southwest Jets 16U team. Smith is a thick bodied guard with long arms. Gets to the interior and is quick finishing around the rim. Jump shot has continued to make strides to where it is reliable from mid-range and quick finishing in the paint. One to track.
F Ethan Schuemer (Mercury Elite 16U)
Schuemer continues to play well this July. The combo forward from Willowbrook is extremely productive while still having some room to continue to grow in his game. Solid athlete that can slip past his man off the bounce and finish with body control around the rim on occasion. Extremely active and has a nose for the ball to make plays.
PG Ahmad Muhammad (Kessel Heat 16U)
Muhammad is a point guard that shoots it fairly consistently. That is hard to find in a player at times. He can knock down pull up jumpers from 15-18 feet for days and is a gritty leader. It is clear that Muhammad is the leader of his squad both vocally and by example. Tough on ball defender as well. Should be looked at by LM and D2 programs.
PG Ayo Dosunmu (Mac Irvin Fire 16U)
Dosunmu is making a strong run at the #1 spot in the class of 2018 in Illinois with the way he has continued to play over the last several months. The electric Morgan Park point guard is a lethal scorer with deep range on his pull up. On Thursday he was mostly in attack mode going downhill where he is slippery through traffic. Scored in bunches including with speed in the open floor. So explosive with the ball in his hands. Another great day for the Mustangs guard. He is a 100% high major.
SG Anthony Fairlee (Illinois Irish 15U)
Fairlee might be the best athlete in the state regardless of class just based off purely athleticism. He is strong, fast, and can jump out of the gym! Plus rebounder for his position at 6’3” getting in on the offensive glass. The improvement in the jumper over the last couple weeks from the spring makes him a very intriguing wing. Potential D1 kid in 2019.
PG Markese Jacobs (Mac Irvin Fire 15U)
Jacobs is a 5’11” lead guard that can flat out go! He started off a little slow playing the final games of the night, but when he got cooking it was a show. The Uplift rising sophomore is a strong and compact lead guard that has tremendous speed and burst with the ball in his hands. Accelerates in transition and wins at the rim finishing against bigger guys by using great body control. Sound pull up jump shooter from 15 feet and can stretch out to three on occasion. High-major point guard.
SF Kahlil Whitney (Mac Irvin Fire 15U)
Whitney played one of the best games I have seen out of him in his young career late Thursday night. The 6’5” small forward played with a high motor and intensity level. He wanted to dunk every chance he was able to in the lane. Got to the foul line at a high clip and had several ferocious slams. Showed more consistency with the jump shot especially from mid-range hitting several in their contest. Defensively he has lock down potential if he wants to invest the time and energy into that end of the floor. High-major wing. He had 18 points.