Swish N Dish: Scott’s Friday Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois kicked off the grassroots season on Friday night with action from the NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin. Take a look at the guys that stood out to me on the first night!
PG Zach Touissant (Kessel Heat 16U)
We were huge fans of this 6’0” point guard last year and he has continued to get better. The first thing we noticed is he has grown since we last saw him both height wise and getting stronger in his upper body. Touissant is a flashy point guard that is a slick ball handler in traffic. He consistently gets in the lane where he can score with a nice runner over the big. Also is an excellent drive and kick facilitator. Finds teammates for open looks on a consistent basis. Pushes it in the open floor with speed and makes crisp passes time after time. Touissant is a plus three point shooter that has range on his shot. Hits them both pulling up and off the catch. Fun player to watch that should get some college attention soon. Finished with 18 points
PG Eric Cannon (Illinois Wolves 16U)
Cannon is a high IQ point guard that knows how to run a team. He is the point man on a very well rounded Illinois Wolves 16U squad. The Waubonsie Valley point guard has a feel for running the team and getting others involved. Crisp passer that makes sound decisions. Two other areas really impressed us. He was outstanding on the defensive end. The Wolves started up 18-0 against Wisconsin Swing and a lot of it was the on ball pressure of Cannon. He was moving his feet and not allowing dribble penetration. Also the consistency on his shot has improved. Looked more smooth and confident shooting it from three as he drilled a pair from deep. Cannon had 9 points. Potential low-major prospect in 2019.
SF Johnny Roeser (Illinois Wolves 16U)
Roeser is a 6’4” small forward from Carmel that has an intriguing game. He handles it excellent at his size and can really pass it. Almost a point-forward in some respects. Gets the ball off the backboard and pushes it end to end. Makes crisp passes on the money for dimes. Plus wing passer. Rebounds well for his position as well especially clearing the defensive glass and starting the break. As a scorer we liked one slick baseline drive he had. Jumper has a long release. Roeser is a top 15 prospect in the 2019 class and a D1 prospect.
SG Javon Freeman (Meanstreets 17U)
Freeman was the star for Whitney Young in their playoff ride to a state title. He started off a little slow in their game Friday as he was having trouble finishing at the rim and his jumper wasn’t falling from mid-range like it usually does. Got it rolling in the second half. Slippery through traffic attacking downhill. Had multiple and-1’s at the rim. Smooth handles allow him to get where he wants on the floor. Also had a couple nice passes, but his strength was definitely splitting the defense. He finished with 14 points. Mid-majors and low-majors should take a look at him in the spring live periods.
PG Xavier Castaneda (Meanstreets 17U)
Castaneda is a 6’1” point guard that was the man running the show for Whitney Young in their state title season. He is the point man for Meanstreets 17U this spring. The floor general made several nice dishes getting others involved and pushing it in transition. He has blow by speed breaking defenders down in one on one situations. His shooters didn’t convert consistently, but he made quite a few nice dishes off dribble penetration. As a scorer he hit one mid-range jumper and got a transition layup off a steal. X had 8 points. Mid-major point guard with high-major upside.
SF Talen Horton-Tucker (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
THT came up huge for the Fire in their win over Ramey-Jets United. The state’s #3 2018 prospect continues to elevate his game every time we see him. Horton-Tucker had good size at 6’5” with broad shoulders. It looks like he has slimmed down even more since we last saw him during the season. Fluid ball handler that gets where he wants on the floor. Jump shot started to fall in this one with consistency. Had a couple impressive mid-range jumpers including a baseline fade away. THT connected on multiple three point shots from beyond the arc. Also looked good in transition. One he snatched a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for a finish at the other end. Horton-Tucker finished with 24 points. High-major prospect.
SG Drew Peterson (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Peterson was outstanding in the first half for the Illinois Wolves. At 6’7” he has great size and length. The fluid athlete has always been able to slash and be a playmaker in the open floor. His jump shot consistency has taken his game to another stratosphere. Peterson is able to get his shot off with ease from anywhere on the floor. Feathery shot from both mid-range and three. That was on full display in their game against Playground Elite as he hit tons of pull ups from 15-18 feet off the bounce as well as a few threes off the catch. He also capped the night off in overtime by hitting multiple free throws to clinch the win. Peterson had 17 points. The top 5 2018 prospect is a high-major player.
SF Bryant Brown (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Brown is extremely intriguing at 6’5” with his length, athleticism, and emerging skill. The 2019 prospect is playing up on the 17U level and definitely held his own. Solid defensive player with his length and toughness. Contests shots and has the defensive versatility to guard on both the perimeter and inside. Brown showed us he could shoot it a little too which we haven’t seen much out of the uber athlete. Drilled a pair of corner threes off the catch. He had 10 points. Potential high-major prospect.
PF EJ Liddell (Bradley Beal Elite 16U)
Liddell is a 6’7” four man that is a great athlete. He started off slow in the first half of their game we saw, but man did he bring it in the last stanza. Right handed hook shot on a quick post move started it. He got on the offensive glass for a nice put back. Liddell caught a pair of lobs from across the court. Finished a dump off pass with a slam. Could have had a couple more buckets, but he was almost too forceful with his slams as they went out. Liddell even showed some handles attacking from the top of the key and going right around his man for a score. He had 14 points. High-major and top 5 2019 prospect.
PF Chris Payton (Bradley Beal Elite 16U)
Payton stands at 6’6” with a strong body. He is a powerful athlete on the interior that plays with a motor and aggression. Very physical player around the hoop. Got on the glass on both ends of the floor. This is an area that despite being slightly undersized he has proven he can rebound at a high enough rate to play the four at the next level. Payton had a couple tip dunks and other slams at the rim. Skill set isn’t all the way there yet, but you can’t deny the raw athleticism and strength he brings to the table. Payton had 15 points. Mid-major prospect at this stage.