Illinois Scouting: Evanston vs St. Viator
This was one of the games I was looking forward to early in the season with a talented Evanston team led by Purdue commit Nojel Eastern with a host of other prospects against St. Viator with some young talent along…
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Continue ReadingThis was one of the games I was looking forward to early in the season with a talented Evanston team led by Purdue commit Nojel Eastern with a host of other prospects against St. Viator with some young talent along with veterans like Addison Lubert. Evanston controlled this one throughout winning 65-44. Here is our scouting report and game awards!
PG Nojel Eastern (Evanston – 2017 – Committed to Purdue)
Eastern was outstanding in our first chance to see him since he committed to Purdue. The state’s top point guard looked like a man among boys on the perimeter with his 6’6” frame and strength. Opened it up with a nice turnaround fade away from mid-range and followed that up with a three. He has made slight tweaks in his mechanics as he is more balanced and the release is quicker. Much more aggressive looking to score including a nice slash where he switched hands in the air. Athleticism was shown with a couple jams. Crafty defender that used his hands to get several deflections. He had 20 points in the win.
SF Christian Hamil (Evanston – 2017)
Hamil stands at 6’4” with a long and lanky frame. Everything he does is with a purpose. Crisp movements both with and without the ball. When handling it he takes great angles. Plus shooter that has a lot of arc on it off the catch from deep. Tough perimeter defender. Should be on the D3/NAIA radar as a versatile wing. Hamil went for 12 points.
PF Elyjah Williams (Evanston – 2017)
Williams is a 6’6” wide bodied rebounder. He is great at taking up space on the interior and rebounding in his area. Grabs them in traffic with his strong hands. Better athlete than you think and hit a baseline three early in the game. Physical low post defender. Workhorse undersized four man at the small college level. He had 9 points.
SG Lance Jones (Evanston – 2019)
Jones is a 6’2” slashing guard with big time athleticism. Best right now in the transition game where he can use his speed and physical gifts. Tough on ball defender that had a strip and layup on the other end. He went for 5 points. One to track.
C Addison Lubert (St. Viator – 2017)
It wasn’t a great night for Lubert. The state’s #3 center didn’t record any points on the night. He didn’t get a ton of touches, but on the ones he did his post moves were fairly slow. He was solid rebounding it, but we would like to see more out of the potential D2 post. Still believe in his upside.
PG JR Cisson (St. Viator – 2019)
Cisson impressed us in the fall on the camp circuit. He is a quick and shifty lead guard that plays with flare. Creative handles, but can be a bit wild with it at times. Plus mid-range shooter. One of the more intriguing lead guards in 2019.
SF Jeremiah Hernandez (St. Viator – 2019)
Hernandez is a big and thin wing that has significant upside. Smooth with the ball on straight line drives toward the hoop. Slippery through traffic and has long strides covering a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Good body control at the rim. Solid mid-range shooter. Upside especially if he can add strength. Hernandez had 10 points.
PG Andrew Soukup (St. Viator)
This was the breakout player of the game for St. Viator. He is a sharp shooting point guard that can pull it from deep. Hard-nosed lead guard that hits open shots. He had 18 points. Worth a look at D3/NAIA levels.
Game Awards
MVP – Nojel Eastern (Evanston)
Play of the game – Nojel Eastern alley oop to Elyjah Williams.
Best offensive performance – Nojel Eastern (Evanston)
Best defensive performance – Elyjah Williams (Evanston)
Best rebounder – Elyjah Williams (Evanston)
Best passer – Nojel Eastern (Evanston)
Best catch and shoot guy – Christian Hamil (Evanston)
Best guy off the bench – Jaheim Holden (Evanston)
Best intangibles – Christian Hamil (Evanston)
Best under-the-radar performance – Andrew Soukup (St. Viator)
Best underclassmen – Jeremiah Hernandez (St. Viator)