EYBL: 2018 Illinois Scouting
PrepHoopsIllinois spent the majority of the second live period at the Nike EYBL in Indianapolis where we were able to evaluate many of the top prospects in the state of Illinois. Here we break down the Illinois 2018 Prospects in the event!
SG Tim Finke (Meanstreets)
It wasn’t the huge scoring effort throughout the weekend that he put on in Hampton, but Finke showed the versatility he has in his game. The big two guard has good strength and athleticism. His usually reliable jumper wasn’t falling at quite the clip we are accustomed to seeing out of him early in the weekend, but he had it rolling on Sunday! Finke was hitting feathery jumpers from all over the floor both pulling up off the bounce and from three off the catch. Attacked well on Sunday with a couple tough takes to the hoop. Was looking to do other things more early in the weekend. Passed it well making crisp dishes to find teammates for open shots. Doesn’t panic when he is double teamed as he has the ability to see over defenders and make the right play. Moved it around the perimeter and found guys off the drive for threes. Rebounded well especially on Friday night. Liked what he did on the defensive end. Closed out on his shooter contesting shots and had multiple steals in one game. Had a tough cover on Cam Reddish Sunday as he is one of the most elite scorers in the country. Finke is a high-major prospect and he showed that even when he isn’t scoring as much he still makes a major impact on the game.
SG Javon Freeman (Meanstreets)
Freeman is coming off a breakout junior campaign at Whitney Young and is continuing his climb into the top 10 in the state of Illinois. It was a bit of a slow start for the 6’4” junior in a couple of the games as he was struggling to get into a rhythm scoring offensively. He made plays passing the ball with crisp dishes and making the extra pass for a better opportunity to score. He was getting in the lane and to the foul line, but struggled to put it in the hoop. One area he is improving is his tenacity on the glass. Quick second jump for a guard and is more willing to stick his nose in and compete on the glass. He used his speed and slick handles to get to the hoop. Freeman is fast with the ball in transition and has the ability to finish making tough layups in traffic. That is exactly what he did in the second half against Pro Skills and the rest of the event. The majority of his points from the floor came in transition on layups. He didn’t really show much of a perimeter shooting game all weekend. This is an area he needs to improve. Was active defensively creating several turnovers. Mid-major prospect.
PG Kaleb Thornton (Meanstreets)
Thornton stands at 6’0” with a slender build. The Bolingbrook lead guard is at his best in transition. Has great speed in the open floor with handles that allow him to weave in and out of traffic while still accelerating. Makes good passes in the open floor as he always has his head up looking to make a play. Looks up the floor for long outlets and also makes crisp dishes in the lane on dribble penetration to shooters when driving. Most of his points come at the rim on layups or short jumpers. Streaky perimeter shooter. Competes on the defensive end as he will get a steal and take it coast to coast on occasion. Thornton is a low-major prospect with mid-major upside.
SG Justin Boyd (Meanstreets)
Boyd is a 6’3” rangy wing from Whitney Young. At this stage he is primarily a 3 and D player. Does most of his offensive work spotting up for threes. Good form and elevation on his shot. Was a bit up and down with the results in Indy. Particularly likes to let it fly from the corners. Can also step in on occasion to hit a mid-range jumper. Not a great ball handler beyond a couple dribbles. Potential as a backcourt defender at the next level. Low-major/D2 prospect.
PG Xavier Castaneda (Meanstreets)
Castaneda had a solid all-around event for Meanstreets. The Whitney Young floor general displayed quality decision making skills in the half court. He ran the pick and roll well. Also won off the bounce with his quickness and first step allowing him to get in the lane where he often kicked to shooters or finished with runners. Mid-range jumper is also a major weapon for him. Mid-major programs looking for a quick point guard that can dish should look at him. He is never going to be a dynamic scorer that puts up numbers similar to Ayo, but he can really pass it when he is looking to set others up. Mid-major prospect.
PF Orlando Allen (Meanstreets)
Allen is a 6’7” power forward from Thornton. He is a bit of an up and down player that when he plays with a high motor can be extremely effective. When he doesn’t bring that same intensity he isn’t. Liked the intensity he played with against Team Final. Allen made quick and aggressive moves inside with the ball and finished a few dump off passes. Also had a sweet up and under. Was active fighting on the glass against more physical posts. Allen has low-major ability when he plays like this. Consistency game in and game out is the key for him. Would be worth D2’s investing some early time into.
PG Ayo Dosunmu (Mac Irvin Fire)
The state of Illinois’ top prospect started the day off Saturday with a solid game and followed it up with a big effort Sunday against Spiece. Jump shot wasn’t really falling all weekend. He shoots a solid shot, but tends to be a bit streaky with it. Couldn’t find the consistency with it in Indy, but he was still extremely effective. Ayo split defenders getting in the lane where he made plays at the rim. Great body control at the cup and has the ability to draw contact and finish while still drawing the foul. One of the best finishers at the rim and layup makers in the country. Great speed in the open floor and change of direction. As a distributor he put his guys in positions to get stuff done. Other than THT and Jacobs everyone else on the Fire needs to be put in specific spots where they can do what their specialty is. Ayo does a nice job of trying to put them in those positions. Without question the top 2018 prospect in the state of Illinois.
SF Talen Horton-Tucker (Mac Irvin Fire)
THT is a 6’5” small forward that has a strong body. He had a good, but not dominant weekend for the Fire. The Simeon wing did most of his damage attacking his man off the bounce. Not an overly explosive athlete, but he does have shiftiness to his game which allows him to keep the defender guessing which way he is going. Does a great job of using hesitation to break his man down. THT has a tendency to take some really tough layups at the rim. Sometimes he makes very spectacular ones. Others times they don’t fall. They were having a tough time consistently falling in Indy. Was streaky shooting it. Did hit a couple threes off the catch and drilled one super deep. Offensively he was probably best getting on the glass and making plays in the paint with tip ins and put backs. Really liked how he passed it. Moves the ball in the half court with crisp passes that are on point. Finds shooters in transition. THT is locked in at #3 in the 2018 class and is a high-major player.
PF Tamell Pearson (Mac Irvin Fire)
Pearson had quite a performance in EYBL session 2. The 6’8” 2018 power forward from Morgan Park is mostly known as a rebounder that can occasionally contribute an easy bucket or two. He showed much more than that with his play in Indy. Pearson was aggressive when he touched the ball on the block. Couple quick baseline drives and a nice right handed hook shot. Most aggressive we have seen him throughout his career offensively. Snatched rebounds at a solid clip. If he can continue to improve as an offensive player while maintaining his rebounding presence he will be one of the more coveted low-major players in Illinois.
SG Demarius Jacobs (Mac Irvin Fire)
Jacobs is a shooting guard originally from Uplift, but the senior is reclassifying to the 2018 class and will be attending Hillcrest in Arizona. He is a long and wiry athlete that has big time bounce. He showed that throughout the weekend with multiple posterizing dunks including one on Sunday where he went 360 and almost brought the house down. At this stage Jacobs is best in transition. He can really get out in the open floor as a finisher using his speed and hops to finish above the rim. Solid layup maker that when he adds strength will get even better at that. Streaky perimeter shooter that does have potential as a spot up shooter. Jacobs is a mid-major prospect based on his ability.
SF Bakari Simmons (Mac Irvin Fire)
Simmons is the son of former NBA player Bobby Simmons. He has some intriguing physical tools standing at 6’7” with strength at 220 pounds and long arms. His best tool is his passing. Makes crisp passes and sees the floor pretty well. At times tries forcing passes in too tight of spaces. Streaky perimeter shooter that will hit one on occasion. Projects as a potential D2 prospect with developmental upside with size.
SF Toraze Dobbs (Mac Irvin Fire)
Dobbs stands at 6’6” with a compact and physical body. Very thick upper body. The wing is heavy footed as he doesn’t have great quickness. Finished well inside on a couple layups and dump offs. Can hit a three off the catch which is what he likes to do most. Hit and miss from deep. Rebounded well in Indy and closed out on shooters. Tough to find a position and role for him. D2 prospect.
SF Cameron Burrell (Mac Irvin Fire)
Burrell is like his older brother in a lot of respects. More of a wing than Melo, but he has length and size at 6’7”. Run and jump athlete that gets up and down the floor with ease. Can hit a jumper every now and then from mid-range. Potential defensively. Not overly productive. Small college player at this stage.