Highland Shootout: 2018 & 2019 Illinois Scouting
PrepHoopsIllinois attended the Highland Shootout on Saturday which is annually one of our favorite days of hoops during the high school basketball season. Here is our scouting report on the Illinois 2018 and 2019 prospects in attendance. SG Darius…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois attended the Highland Shootout on Saturday which is annually one of our favorite days of hoops during the high school basketball season. Here is our scouting report on the Illinois 2018 and 2019 prospects in attendance.
SG Darius Beane (Carbondale – 2018)
Beane got the day started off right with one of the best performances we have seen out of the talented junior guard. He was aggressive from the start. Beane had the jump shot falling from both mid-range and three. Has the ability to be a plus pull up mid-range jump shooter as he does a nice job of creating space and getting elevation off the floor. Beane was also aggressive taking it to the cup with drives off the bounce. He is slippery through traffic and attacked downhill more consistently than we have seen in the past. That opened up his ability to find others in the drive and kick. Beane had 22 points in the win. Sound perimeter defender. Mid-major to low-major prospect.
SF Kani Acree (Carbondale – 2018)
We continue to be impressed what this 6’4” small forward brings to the table as a junior. He has a strong build and good length. Usually is most effective scoring off the bounce with his long strides finding a seam in the defense to exploit. At Highland however he really shot the ball well from the perimeter. Acree drilled several deep pull up jumpers throughout the contest. Also had a couple nice drives. Gets his hands on passes defensively and defends on the ball well. At times gets lost trying to chase his man moving without the ball. Acree had 19 points and 5 boards. Projects as a low-major/D2 prospect.
SG Malachi Smith (Belleville East – 2018)
Smith has had a huge junior campaign putting the ball in the bucket. His scoring game wasn’t quite on point like that at Highland, but he still made an impact on the game. He did score several times in the mid-range on a pair of jumpers. Rebounded well especially offensively getting several 50/50 balls against bigger defenders that he either scored or got to the foul line as a result. Smith had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Low-major player with mid-major upside.
SG Tim Finke (Champaign Central – 2018)
Finke shot the ball well from deep against Chaminade. The state’s #2 junior recruit drilled triples both off the catch and pulling up throughout the contest. Proved he had deep range on it. Finke has a clean looking shot mechanically and a quick release that he gets off with elevation off the floor. Showed off his athleticism with a monster alley-oop. Finke has gotten significantly stronger in his upper body over the last year. He had 30 points at the Highland Shootout. High-major prospect.
PG Bailey Dee (Champaign Central – 2018)
Dee is a power 5’10” point guard that is built like a running back. He was very aggressive looking for his shot against Chaminade. The junior shot the ball exceptionally well from the perimeter particularly from three where he drilled a handful of triples. Takes it to the cup strong as usual. Dee went for 27 points.
SG Jackson Qualley (Stevenson – 2018)
Qualley is a new name that emerged. The 6’2” wing mixed it up offensively with a three, up and under, runner, baseline take, and a put back. Look forward to following his development. He had 11 points.
SG Deonta Brown (Peoria Manual – 2018)
Brown is a rangy junior wing that flashes potential to play at the small college level. Athletic wing that takes it to the hoop with strong slashes. He had 9 points.
SF Terrence Hargrove (East St. Louis – 2019)
As you know we are huge fans of this 6’5” small forward. He will be moving into the top 5 of the new 2019 rankings in the coming weeks. It was far from a dominant game for Hargrove as he had some foul trouble and Althoff’s 2-3 zone seemed to bother him. Hargrove did hit a pair of jumpers including the game winning three late. He shot it with extreme confidence after not his best game and having been injured minutes earlier. Active rebounder and is a great defender. Big time athlete. He had 9 points and 6 boards. High-major prospect.
PF Stephen Torre (Highland – 2019)
On a team full of sophomore starters Torre was the most intriguing. The Highland 6’6” post has a long and lanky frame. He is really raw, but is light on his feet running the floor and flashes skill in the post. Finished with 6 points.