Best of Season: Best Performances Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois evaluated over 150 games during this season. We thought it would be fun to take a look back in our Best of Season Series at some of the standout moments, games, performances, etc. Today we have our Best of the Season: Best Performances Part 1!
SG Da’Monte Williams (Manual – 2017 – Illinois)
Williams unfortunately was sidelined for most of his senior season with a knee injury, but we saw him with a huge performance at the Adam Lopez Thanksgiving Tournament back in the beginning of the year. Williams hit his first three shots with one coming from each level. He was the most aggressive we have seen in a while. Crashed the glass and passed well. Da’Monte was a lethal weapon in multiple ways in this game. He had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
PG Teyvion Kirk (Joliet West – 2017)
Kirk made a statement on the big stage at the Chicago Elite Classic to open December. The rangy point guard had one of his best high school showings. Despite being in foul trouble for chunks of the game he was insanely productive and helped lead Joliet West to a big win over North Lawndale. Kirk was outstanding getting in the lane and converting in the paint. Slippery through traffic with the ball. Likes to use the euro step in the lane. Also used his defense to flip into points by getting blocks/steals and going coast to coast for buckets. He had 27 points (10-11 FG) and 8 rebounds.
SF Talen Horton-Tucker (Simeon – 2018)
Another outstanding performance from the CEC came from one of the top juniors in the state. THT proved on the big stage that he was ready to be the go to scorer for the Wolverines. The big and physical 6’5” junior has a strong body, but is also a good athlete that carries his strength well. What you have to like about Horton-Tucker is his versatility and skill level. He plays with a high basketball IQ and makes winning basketball plays. Horton-Tucker is a crafty driver that uses fakes and hesitation to keep the defense guessing. Showed some explosion off the bounce on a couple drives. Good body control at the rim. Was kind of streaky from three in this one although that is one of his strengths. Plus passer that is more than willing to kick to the open man when the defense collapses on him. Horton-Tucker was a man on the boards. He is one of the tallest players on Simeon and even though he will be a wing at the next level he has to board for his high school team to be successful. He did just that! Horton-Tucker had 26 points (10-14 FG), 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He solidified a high-major status with this performance.
SG Zac Rzewnicki (Ridgewood – 2017 – St. Thomas Aquinas)
The St. Thomas Aquinas commit was more than comfortable on his home floor in the Ridgewood Classic. He came out aggressive and stayed in attack mode throughout the contest. The senior shooting guard has gotten stronger in his upper body. This allowed him to finish at the rim through contact. He displayed creative ball handling skills to get in the lane where he finished with crafty moves. Volume scorer. Rzewnicki did an outstanding job on the boards in this game. Really contributed well from his guard position to clear the defensive glass. Rzewnicki hit another half-court shot ala last year’s playoffs to win the game at the buzzer. He had 28 points and 18 rebounds.
F Ethan Schuemer (Willowbrook – 2018)
Schuemer was the reason we drove out to Morton to catch their game and he made us not regret our decision one bit. The 6’5” combo forward played outstanding right from the jump. Schuemer is a versatile and skilled forward that can play both on the interior and works well in the mid-range. Schuemer makes quick moves on the interior against the opposition whether they are in man or zone. Soft touch around the basket and uses the glass well. He was perfect from the field in the first half including a mid-range jumper. Good feel scoring in the paint and can finish through contact. Will need to continuing adding strength for the next level, but he has the body to do so. Very fundamentally sound offensive player that can pass it and handles it well from the mid-range in. The next step in his evolution offensively is playing more consistently on the perimeter. For him to max out his ability he will either have to grow a few more inches to become a post or he will need to continue to develop his perimeter game playing the three. He has the skill level to do so. He is already outstanding as a rebounder. Schuemer has a feel for where they are coming off the glass and high points them. The junior finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Mid-major and low-majors need to start monitoring him.
SG Jeremy Hunter (Metea Valley – 2017)
Hunter was on fire in the first half of their game against Sandburg in the opening round of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic. 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 Demarius Jacobs (Uplift – 2017)
The senior came up huge for his team at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament against Larkin. Jacobs is a long and lanky wing that is smooth with everything he does. Explosive first step was consistent throughout the game as he won off the dribble over and over again. Finishes at the rim tremendously well with body control and agility. Also can slam it home with monster jams. When put in ball screen situations he makes correct reads and gets where he needs to score. The jumper was also falling. Jacobs had a dominant performance offensively, but was also a beast as usual defensively with his shot blocking and perimeter defense. He had 37 points (16-20 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, and 4 steals.
C Jalen Shaw (Larkin – 2018)
The 6’10” center from Larkin is one of the top post prospects in the junior class. He has always had the “prospect but not player” label. Meaning that he looks the part, flashes potential, but has never put it all together. We saw him put it all together at Proviso West against Uplift. He picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. His coach trusted him to play through it and it paid off with a monster performance. Shaw who in the past was seen as a bit mechanical in the post showed multiple fluid hook shots and counter moves. His high release point on his hook was unguardable. Sealed well when working on the block. Defensively his length was a factor altering shots. Struggled with turnovers, but all in all it was the breakout performance for Shaw as his stock is one the rise. He had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Low-major programs need to be tracking him.
SF Austin Richie (Bloom – 2017 – St. Cloud State)
Best game I have seen out of the St. Cloud State commit was his performance against Joliet West at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. The future D2 wing is a thick bodied combo forward that plays with a motor. Against a talented Joliet West team it was Richie that carried them to the win. In the past Richie has mostly been known as a spot up shooter, but he showed more of a game off the bounce attacking on drives. Improved handles allowed him to slip by defenders. He had one monster jam on the entire Joliet West defense. Got to the charity stripe where he shot it at a high clip. Also hit a pair of threes. Quality area rebounder. He had 23 points and 9 rebounds.
PG Jack Nolan (Benet – 2017)
Nolan was in video game mode against Bloomington at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. The point guard drilled jumpers from all over the floor. That is what he does at a high level. Nolan can really shoot the ball from the perimeter particularly off the catch from three. He let it fly all night and they were going in. He even had a four point play to send the game to OT. Mixed in some improved ball handling working particularly well around ball screens. Solid passer in the half court making sound reads and crisp dishes. Nolan had 30 points (7-14 3PT) and 4 dimes. Priority D3/NAIA prospect!
PG Kendle Moore (Danville – 2018)
Moore was the best I have ever seen him at Pontiac. The thin point guard isn’t the biggest guard, but he knows how to utilize his speed in the open floor to make plays. Against an extremely athletic Curie squad Moore got where ever he wanted blowing past defenders off the bounce, but particularly was effective in the transition game where he weaved in and out of the defense. Finishes at the rim well with great body control. Shot the ball good from the perimeter connecting on a nice amount of threes. Showed good feel passing it and got after it on the defensive end. Moore played like a mid-major prospect and a top 10 kid in 2018. He finished with 34 points (11/21 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.