Forum Credit Union Tip-Off Classic: 2017 Prospects

Following up on a tremendous event at Southport High School, the Forum Credit Union Tip-Off Classic gave us plenty to talk about. We begin today by looking into some of the top talent from the event, class by class. Here is a look at some of the top 2017 prospects from the day. Jack Nunge - 6’10/PF/2017 - Castle - Outside of his foul trouble, Nunge was really good in this game. He’s become much more of a rebounding threat, willing to go in and aggressively pursue the glass. He has to clean up his finishing ability near the rim, having a couple instances where he had to take two shots at the rim to get one bucket. He limited his three-point shooting as well, not being so reliant on it. This was a game that showed that he was a forward that could stretch the floor, not the other way around. He took over the first part of the second half coming out of the break where Mt. Vernon really got the game close and were within 5 points. Payton Mills - 6’5/SF/2017 - Castle - Mills has really improved his stock in the last year, converting to a full fledged low post threat. He’s got such a big body and is willing to throw it around that most can’t defend him. He can score going either way, with his back to the basket. He can carve out space in the paint and length doesn’t really bother him that much because he’s still decently quick in short space. He even had a few face-up jumpers to pad the stat line. Kris Wilkes - 6’8/SF/2017 - North Central - This was a bit of a statement game for WIlkes as he had a good matchup with the top player in the 2018 and the #1 team in the state. He looked to show why he was the best player of the game and did that over and over again. He was attacking the rim early and showed some mid-range touch although his three-point shot wasn’t falling all game. He matched Langford any time he could. His low post scoring was really good, working to be more agile and finishing with some ease on some really tough shots. His 32 points came on just 22 shots. This was one of the best games, all-around, that we have seen from Wilkes and proved again why he is one of the best in the nation. Mateo Rivera - 6’0/PG/2017 - North Central - Cheezy was solid from start to finish and after Little slowed down in the second half, Rivera was the other guy taking advantage of New Albany next to Wilkes. Mateo dropped 15 points on 11 shots and grabbed 8 rebounds. He made a couple big threes to halt the small runs that New Albany was trying to make late in the game. He was excellent when New Albany was missing jumpers, Rivera would be at the lead of the break scoring or setting up his team to produce points, stretching the lead out even further. He continues to prove his worth as a lead guard and has the size and makeup to be a DI player. Emmanuel Little - 6’6/PF/2017 - North Central - This was a little bit of the old Emmanuel and the new Emmanuel. The old Emmanuel isn’t a 32 minute player yet. He can give you a really good half but you haven’t seen a full game of it yet. However, the new Emmanuel has a really improved jumper and can knock down triples and mid-range jumpers. When he’s on, he is full of energy and really tough to even slow down. Little saw things falling early for him and saw the green light, working himself to 18 points and 9 rebounds. He sparked the run in the first half that gave North Central a 1-point lead at the break. Still not sure how he fits at the DI level yet but the one area he needed to work on, his shooting, is really starting to prove itself. Could be a late flyer for a team. Cooper Neese - 6’4/SG/2017 - Cloverdale - Easily not the best we have seen from Neese but he showed a little bit of what he can bring to Butler next season. He’s a phenomenal shooter who doesn’t have to set the bottom half of his body, just needs his hands in place and can hit from anywhere on his own half of the floor. He struggled a bit going 3/9 from deep but Park Tudor did a good job of keeping a man into him all day long. He didn’t have many clean shots. He scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Malik Williams - 6’10/PF/2017 - Fort Wayne Snider - This was an impressive outing for WIlliams, who is very much talented but the team around him doesn’t always allow for the team to matchup well with other deep teams. HSE had guys to throw at Williams and all he did was go out and drop 27 points and 10 rebounds. His perimeter shooting is really good, showing that on Saturday going 4/12 from deep, but it was the ability to find his spot on the floor where he could make plays, and does it over and over again. As the perimeter opened his game up, he was driving much better in the second half and scoring off tough offensive rebounds. Zach Gunn - 6’7/PF/2017 - Hamilton Southeastern - Gunn has really shaped up his body since the summer. He looks a lot more lean and that has really added some athletic moves to his arsenal, or at least amplified the ones he had before. He scored 22 points on 9/19 shooting but added 13 rebounds as well. He’s really started to make strides in the key areas and has gone a bit away from his three-point shooting. It will always be there for him to pull out but he’s much better and much more efficient when he works in the paint. He is a creative player and the improved body looks like it allowed him to use his driving ability better. He had some really creative finishes against Williams and Gunn gave up a lot of size in that battle. Jack Davidson - 5’11/PG/2017 - Hamilton Southeastern - Davidson has really asserted himself as a captain and leader of his team. He’s gotten taller and should be close to 6’0 now. His defense is improved as well, as he is being a bit more physical and he’s a willing participant. Offensively, he did a good job against Snider, scoring 11 points on 3/6 shooting. He’s never really a guy to take bad shots and he’s become better off the dribble in the last year, allowing him to score in more than one way. He does so much so well and gives quality minutes, wherever he ends up is likely to be able to play him early minutes. Maurice Scott - 5’9/PG/2017 - South Bend Riley - Scott is a stout guard with a good amount of speed in the open floor and a burst that can help him finish near the rim. He’s really jump shooter though as he loves to shoot from three or pull-up in the midrange. He’s on the shorter end of the spectrum but is still pretty tough and can be physical with other guards, however, he doesn’t have a ton of athleticism. Blake Evans - 6’0/PG/2017 - Southport - Evans has really come into his own, not only on the basketball court but also the football field. He’s got a ton of athleticism and plenty of speed. He’s really shooting the ball well right now from the perimeter and in turn that has opened up more opportunities for him to drive. If he doesn’t go the football route, look for him to be a good fit at an NAIA/DII program as a lead guard. Jaylen Butz - 6’9/PF/2017 - Fort Wayne North - For the second game in a row, we saw what Jaylen Butz could be. His bounce and athleticism matched up with his skill and he was a monster in the paint. Butz was really good finishing in transition where Northside loves to play but even in the haflcourt, he’s really been much more aggressive, searching for shots and having the touch going to his right hand. Strength could still be a concern at the next level, going against Big East level power forwards but he’s at the point now where you see how he can be a productive player. Davontae Kinnie - 5’9/PG/2017 - Fort Wayne North - Kinnie has been a favorite in terms of his toughness from the point. Some guys have it, but most don’t and he can give you that alpha mentality to a lineup that needs a boost. He scored with ease at the rim, willing to take on defenders and finishing through contact. He has a good amount of speed that can really change things up and keep this FW North team running. In this style of offense, the 7 assists he had on Saturday isn’t a fluke. He’s plenty capable of being a setup man for the offense. Juan Quarles - 6’2/SG/2017 - Fort Wayne North - This was the best game we have seen from Quarles to this point. Juan is a tall two-guard who was as aggressive as he has ever been. He was tough driving to the lane and wasn’t as reliant on his jump shot from the arc. He had 20 points on 8/10 shooting to go along with 3 assists and 3 steals. This was a player that looked like he should have multiple DII+ level offers. If he keeps this over the entire season, could easily see him getting there.