Swish N Dish: Scott’s Saturday Standouts
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PrepHoopsIllinois was once again in the building at Homestead High School and Brown Deer High School for another jam packed day of action at the NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish. Let’s take a look at the prospects that stood out the most to me on Saturday!
SG Ryan Connolly (Kessel Heat 15U)
Connolly opened the morning strong for Kessel Heat. He is coming off a productive freshman high school season for Grayslake North. The 2020 wing has good size on the perimeter and plays with a motor. Thick upper body. He finishes well around the hoop through contact. Got on the offensive glass and had a couple strong drives where he put it on the deck and went at his man. Pure looking stroke from three with clean mechanics. Connolly will be one to continue to monitor in the 2020 group.
PG Nimari Burnett (Mac Irvin Fire 15U)
Burnett is already a well-known name in the state of Illinois. He came into the season as one of the more hyped freshman and backed it up with a strong freshman campaign especially late in the year when he was money from deep. He was a major reason Morgan Park captured the state title. Burnett can really shoot the ball. His ability to create his shot off the bounce with his handles has taken that part of his game up a notch. No longer just a catch and shoot guy. Burnett can create his own shot and rise up quickly to get it off. Burnett hit an array of jumpers on his way to 15 points. Has high-major upside. Top 5 2020 in Illinois.
PG Adam Miller (Mac Irvin Fire 15U)
Miller has the pole position to debut at the top spot in the 2020 rankings at the end of the summer. Can he hold on to it? He started off slow against Wisconsin Playground Warriors missing a lot of transition shots, but got it going as he settled into the game. Jumper wasn’t falling in the first half, but it did as soon as the half flipped. He went on to drill a trio of threes to open up the second half. Good mechanics on his shot. Playmaker with the rock in his hands although he can be a bit wild with it at times. Miller is a high-major prospect in 2020. Finished with 17 points.
SF Jalen Johnson (Wisconsin Playground Warriors 15U)
Jalen Johnson is a Wisconsin wing that high-major programs will need to have on their radars ASAP if he already isn’t. Great size on the wing with length and athleticism to match. Long strides in transition help him get up and down the floor with ease. Finishes around the rim consistently with explosion! Straight line slasher off the bounce.
PG DJ Steward (Meanstreets 15U)
Steward is coming off a phenomenal freshman season. He has size at 6’3” with incredibly long arms and slender build. The first aspect that stands out about this freshman is the speed he plays with in the open floor. Lightning quick end to end. Uses his speed to push it and find open teammates. Slick ball handler that gets in and out of traffic both in the open floor and in the half court. His best offensive scoring move was a stutter step where he made his man fall and then drilled a pull up jumper. Also passed it well including the game winning dime to Tyler Beard on an alley oop. High-major prospect in 2020.
PG Tyler Beard (Meanstreets 15U)
Beard stands at 6’0” with a strong frame. He is at his best attacking the hoop. Beard likes to push it in transition and be aggressive getting to the cup. Powerful when he has the ball in his hands going downhill. Also moves well laterally on the defensive end of the floor. Has a chance to be one of the better two way guards in his class.
PG Xavier Pinson (Mac Irvin Fire NY2LA 17U)
Pinson had a day! The 6’3” long and lanky St. Patrick’s point guard played well throughout the day. He can really shoot it from the perimeter at the lead guard spot. Range out to well beyond the three point arc. Puts lots of arc on it and that gives it a better chance to fall even if it hits the rim as it falls in a lot of times on the bounce. Handles it well especially in tight spaces. Works well in the pick and roll. Solid point guard that continues to raise his stock in 2018. Has low-major potential.
SF Kahlil Whitney (Mac Irvin Fire 16U)
Whitney was an absolute monster for the Fire! Flying into town to play with his home team from Roselle Catholic (NJ). The 6’7” small forward showed off his versatile hybrid game. He dunked literally everything around the rim. Probably had close to double digit slams in this game. Got on the offensive glass for tip ins and dunks. Showing more skill than we saw last summer. Hit a couple threes and a mid-range jumper. Looked more confident shooting it. Monster potential on the defensive end. High-major 2019 prospect.
C Ciaran Brayboy (Mac Irvin Fire 16U)
Brayboy stands at 6’9” with broad shoulders and a strong upper body. He is a physical low post prospect that when he gets involved plays with a lot of energy. Seems to play much better with his Fire team than when we saw him during the high school season. Displayed skill with hook shots over both shoulders. Had a high/low finish. Also got on the offensive glass consistently. Converts dump off passes. Rim protector on the defensive end. Impressed with the motor he brought. Mid-major and low-majors need to start looking into one of the better 2019 post in the state.
C Mick Sullivan (Illinois Wolves 17U)
Sullivan is a 6’8” center that has strong upper body. His mobility has improved since we last saw him midway through the high school season. Running the floor very hard and was rewarded for doing so with some transition points. Quality screener that can set a strong pick and has the mobility to roll to the hoop for a finish. Had a couple rim rattling slams. Strong offensive rebounder. Sullivan should be on low-major/mid-major target.
PG DeAndre Heckard (Hoops4Health 17U)
Heckard lived up to his top 10 2018 ranking Saturday against a high level Team Harris squad. He is a 6’2” lead guard with broad shoulders, strength, and fluid athleticism. The point guard has smooth handles that allow him to get where he wants on the floor. Puts combination moves together that make it impossible to stop most of the time. Got in the lane at will with an explosive first step against opposing quick guards. Scored in the paint throughout the contest. Jump shot was a bit streaky, but overall sound as he connected on multiple mid-range jumpers and even a three off the catch. Pure mechanics on his shot. Speed with the ball in transition. Heckard had 30 points. Mid-major prospect in the junior class!
SG Eddie Creal (Hoops4Health 17U)
Creal is an uber athletic 6’3” two guard that loves to slash to the hoop. Uses his strong upper body to finish through contact. Strong crossover move to get things rolling from the perimeter. Over dribbles a bit at times. Jumper is streaky. Rebounds great for a guard and impacts the game with his length and anticipation on defense. Creal had 18 points. D2 prospect with low-major potential.
PG Donovan Moore (Illinois Irish 16U)
Moore is one of my favorite players in the 2019 class. We already have him in the top 15 and he should make a run at the top 10 in the next update. Moore has an angular body with super long arms. Slippery through traffic getting skinny on his drives to the hoop. Got in the lane at will! Pull up jump shooter from mid-range that shoots it balanced and with quality form. Showed the point guard skill we thought he had the potential to develop. Still makes some mental mistakes now and then, but has definitely improved. Moore got the game winning tip in at the buzzer. Finished with 20 points. Mid-major to low-major prospect.
PG Christian Davis (ET21 Buckeyes 16U)
Davis is a quick and shifty 6’1” point guard that made plays with the ball in his hands against Illinois Irish. Was a playmaker pushing it in the open floor where he used his speed to get buckets and set others up. Sound pull up mid-range jump shot that he shoots with confidence. Davis had 12 points. 2019 to monitor.