Scott’s Standouts: Jack Tosh Classic Day 1
The 43rd Annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic is one of the premier tournaments in the state. It boasts a 32 team field with two games going on at once all day for five days. PrepHoopsIllinois was in the house on…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe 43rd Annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic is one of the premier tournaments in the state. It boasts a 32 team field with two games going on at once all day for five days. PrepHoopsIllinois was in the house on Monday for the first day of action. Check out our standouts from the day.
F Zion Griffin (Hinsdale South – 2018)
Griffin is a new name to our radar and wow was he impressive at the Tosh Classic. He stands at 6’5” with a broad frame that he should be able to add strength onto. The lefty works best of out of the high and mid-post area. Griffin has the ability to face up and take his man off the bounce with an explosive first step. Potential on shot as he shoots a good ball, but it is inconsistent falling. Griffin flashes skill in the post with a turnaround fadeaway and quick moves inside. Needs to continue to add strength so he can finish better through contact. Struggles shooting free throws. Quick second jump to the offensive glass where he gets put backs. Shot blocking presence coming from the weakside. Griffin had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He should be on the low-major radar in 2018.
PG Jimmy Sotos (Conant – 2017 – Bucknell)
This Bucknell commit is one of the top point guards in the state’s senior class. Sotos is a great leader and a smart point guard that knows how to run a team. He gets others involved with his vision. Struggled with a few turnovers forcing some passes in this one, but made more than his share of plays. Sotos has a great feel and slick handles in the open floor. Splits the defense making plays in the lane scoring at the rim. Finishes through contact and is an outstanding free throw shooter. Sotos had 23 points and 4 dimes.
PF Chris Toth (Sandburg – 2017)
Toth is a super sleeper in the senior class. The 6’7” big man is a physically built post. He is a plus screener that takes pride in getting his guard open. He can also really shoot the ball well for his size. Drilled multiple threes with good form in both pick and pop situations as well as off the catch. Finishes inside with surprisingly good body control. Quality area rebounder. Hit clutch free throws to win the game late. Toth had 20 points. He isn’t hearing from anyone, but would be a great D3/NAIA pick up.
SG Jeremy Hunter (Metea Valley – 2017)
Hunter was on fire in the first half of their game against Sandburg. The Metea Valley 6’3” shooting guard is an angular wing that has a long wingspan. He has the ability to get hot from the perimeter with his shooting and we have never seen him shoot it like this. Hunter was drilling jumpers from all over the floor from both mid-range and three. Gets great elevation off the floor on his shot. Quick second jump to the hoop allows him to be a factor on the offensive glass. Bouncy guard that is a versatile defender. Hunter had 30 points. Should be on the D3/NAIA radar.
SG Josh Niego (Brother Rice – 2017)
Niego is a 6’4” shooting guard that does everything with crisp and precise movements. He is a sound perimeter shooter that gets excellent elevation on his shot with picture perfect mechanics. Plus pull up jump shooter that also moves well without the ball to get open. Defensively he is very aware getting in passing lanes and being active with his hands getting deflections. Niego dropped 23 points. Should be a guy looked at by D2 programs.
F Justin Wierzgac (St. Laurence – 2017)
We saw Wierzgac play not so well early in the season, but he put a on a show against a talented Lyons squad and was the biggest reason for their upset win. At 6’7” the St. Laurence senior is a combo forward that likes to face up and do most of his damage on the perimeter. He is a sound jump shooter that gets height on his J. Flashes the ability to get in the lane off the bounce converting with sweeping drives at the cup. He had 20 points. Upside D3/NAIA prospect.
SF Alton Thompson (St. Patrick’s – 2017)
Thompson is quite simply a freak athlete! He plays above the rim and that was on display against Oswego. Thompson had multiple high flying dunks including a two handed poster early on and an alley-oop slam late in the first half. More than just a dunker he was 2-3 from beyond the arc showing a nice touch from three. Plus defender that can come from the weak side to block shots. He had 14 points. Worth a look at the low-major level and for D2 programs.
PG Xavier Pinson (St. Patrick’s – 2018)
Pinson is a smooth and thin lead guard that is slick with the ball in his hands. He shot the ball well from the perimeter dropping in one after another from three. Puts a ton of arc on his shot. Explosive with the rock in his hands pushing it in traffic where he is slippery getting to the rim. Pinson had 20 points.
G Trey Mack (St. Ignatius – 2017)
Mack is a 6’1” lefty point guard with solid strength. As a senior he has taken on the role of go to scorer and leader for St. Ignatius. Mack seems more assertive this year with the ball in his hands. Attacks downhill and has the ability to split defenders in traffic. Jumper can be streaky at times, but he shoots it with good form and they dropped in this one. Moves well without the ball and finishes through contact at the rim. Mack is a vocal defender that makes sure his teammates are in the right positions. He had 17 points. Quality D3/NAIA prospect.
PG Jake Schutter (Providence Catholic – 2017 – UW-Platteville)
Schutter is one of the latest commitments in the state. The UW-Platteville commit went off in an upset win of host York. Schutter can flat out shoot the ball from the perimeter. The 6’1” point guard has sound mechanics and a quick release. Good off the catch from three, but can also stop and pop from mid-range. Active defender that had several steals that he turned into transition buckets. The senior finished with 27 points.
PF Jordan Gray (York – 2017)
Gray is your classic junk yard dog four man at the small college level. He stands at 6’5” with a strong frame and plays with a ton of energy. Quick to the glass on both ends and will outwork his opponents on the boards and for position inside. As a post scorer he seals well and finishes dump off passes through contact. Gray actually has some mid-range shooting ability too. He had 19 points. D3/NAIA post player.