Highland Shootout Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois attended the Highland Shootout on Saturday which is annually one of our favorite days of hoops during the high school basketball season. We will have tons of coverage from this event, but we will start you off with our…
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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. We will have tons of coverage from this event, but we will start you off with our standouts from the event.
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 Javon Pickett (Belleville East – 2017 – Illinois)
Pickett has quietly been posting quality numbers throughout the first half of his senior campaign. The Illini commit made a LOUD statement to basketball fans that he is truly one of the most complete players in the state. Pickett scored in a variety of ways against a quality Webster Groves squad. His jump shot was falling hitting mid-range shots, threes, fadeaways, etc. Also was aggressive taking it to the cup using great angles getting to the hoop. He uses oustanding body control at the rim to finish through or around contact. Pickett also did work on the glass. He finished with an event record 40 points along with grabbing 10 rebounds.
PG Courtney Ramey (Webster Groves – 2018)
It was a bit of a slow start for the elite 2018 point guard, but once he got it going late in the second quarter he was rolling. The junior has great size, athleticism, and a tremendous basketball IQ. Ramey understands the game and when to pick his spots to score and pass. Made several nice dishes throughout the game. Was a bit streaky with the jumper, but hit several throughout the contest including some pull up threes and mid-range shots. Also used his explosive speed off the bounce to get in the lane where he scored including a runner for the game winner. Ramey also got his teammates involved and was a sound rebounder. He had 21 points, 4 dimes, and 7 rebounds. Elite high-major prospect.
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.
SF Jericole Hellems (Chaminade – 2018)
Hellems continues to elevate his recruiting stock with consistent high level performances during his junior season. Hellems has legit size at 6’6” with a strong body and broad shoulders. He is a wing that is wired to score at all three levels. I like how Hellems can be a mismatch guy against different defenders. He does a great job of carving out space on the interior for scores. Plus perimeter shooter that hit threes from all over the floor. Quality passer that is more than willing to make the extra pass for a better shot. Hellems had 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. He is a mid-major to mid-major plus prospect.
SF Justin Smith (Stevenson – 2017 – Indiana)
The Indiana commit put on a show in a blowout win over a Manual squad that was without their four D1 prospects. Smith was electrifying with his athleticism playing above the rim with multiple high flying jams including the play of the event on a one handed jam where his hand was well above the square before he brought the slam down. The 6’6” senior has such smooth and explosive acceleration with the ball off the bounce. Moves well without the ball to set up his shot. Sound perimeter shooter as was shown with a few in this game. Also got after on defense with some steals and a pair of huge blocks. The #3 senior had 19 points in a win.
SF Marvin Bateman (Belleville Althoff – 2017)
With their star Jordan Goodwin sidelined in the second quarter with a shoulder injury it was one of their other go to players that stepped up. Bateman is a 6’4” wing that when he is rolling can be one of the hottest perimeter threats in the state. He was just that against East St. Louis. Bateman had a variety of threes throughout the contest. Most of them were off the catch where he has great balance and a quick release. Bateman also got on the glass for several put back finishes. He had 26 points.
C Jeremiah Tilmon (East St. Louis – 2017)
Tilmon is the state’s top 2017 prospect because of his long term potential. He showed that against Althoff. He was going up against a 2-3 zone that was packed in and every time he got close to touching the ball there were three or four defenders draped all over him. He got in a little foul trouble early, but like we mentioned last week it was impressive to see him fight through this and not pick up another quick foul which would have held him out of a major portion of the game. He was a force on the defensive end especially after Goodwin left. He manned the paint with his shot blocking ability staying straight up and not committing fouls. One of the premier shot blockers in the state. Offensively the Illini commit showed a few skilled hook shots and fought hard on the interior for scores against multiple defenders. Ran the floor well and was rewarded. Rebounded high pointing balls on both ends. He had 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks.