NY2LA: Sunday Standouts
PrepHoopsIllinois closed out the weekend at the NY2LA Sports Invitational on Sunday. Makes sense that a lot of the players that played well on the final day also had strong showings throughout the event. Here is a look at our Sunday Standouts.
PG Branden Ellis (Kessel Heat 17U)
Another day…..another mention of this Warren point guard in top performers. What a weekend for the 2018 6’3” point guard. Ellis really knows how to score in transition. Has speed and athleticism in the open floor which allow him to get a lot of scores in that manner. Active defender that also gets on the glass. Solid ball handler that continues to show more lead guard skills each time we see him. Low-major D1/high D2 prospect.
SG Anthony Lynch (Kessel Heat 17U)
Lynch is a tough scoring two guard from Larkin. The 6’3” wing is best attacking his opponent downhill. He goes right at them with straight line drives and has a knack for making tough layups at the rim. Most of his scores come on attacks to the basket. Also gets after it on the defensive end of the floor. Lynch had a solid weekend. He is a low-major D1/high level D2 prospect.
SG Quinlan Bennett (Kessel Heat 17U)
The Proviso East 2018 6’3” shooting guard put it all together on Sunday. He is a scoring guard that can get buckets in a variety of ways. Effective isolation scorer that works well in one on one situations. Slick ball handler that is a solid mid-range jump shooter. Really gets to the cup well off the bounce. Finishes at the rim around contact. Extremely smooth with the ball and works well around a ball screen. Low-major D1 target.
PF Nate Ferguson (Chicago Lockdown 16U)
Ferguson had a breakout weekend. The Lemont 6’7” power forward is a big time rebounder. Broad shouldered post that is super bouncy. Quick to the glass and high points rebounds consistently. Got on the offensive glass for a couple put backs. The mobile four man can attack from out of the high post. He handles it very well for a power forward. Should be on the D2 radar.
PG William King (All-In Braverman 16U)
This was my first evaluation of this Glenbrook South 6’3” 2019 point guard. He isn’t the greatest athlete, but has a tremendous feel for the game. The crafty lead guard is a crisp passer that makes excellent decisions with the ball in the half court. Makes the simple play over and over and over, but they are usually the correct decisions. Always has his head up in transition looking to make a play. As a scorer he is best utilizing a sweet mid-range pull up jumper and can stretch it out to three on occasion.
SG Fillip Bulatovic (All-In Braverman 16U)
Bulatovic is a 6’4” shooting guard from Maine South. Athletic two guard that is a crisp ball handler. Versatile offensive threat that shows he can beat a defense in a variety of ways. He is a sound perimeter shooter pulling up from mid-range and connects off the catch from three. Solid passer especially when the defense collapses on him and he finds shooters. Also like what he brings to the table as a rebounder flying in out of his area to grab boards.
PG DJ Carton (Quad City Elite 16U)
The 6’2” Bettendorf High School (IA) lead guard was without question the best player for QCE this weekend. He is a crafty point guard that has a knack for getting to the rim. Uses ball screens and takes quality angles to get in the lane where he finishes well. Changes gears to keep the defense off balance. Sound passer that makes crisp dishes with the rock. Usually a streaky shooter he shot it pretty well in the last game we saw him play. D1 prospect.
SG Jamir Price (Quad City Elite 16U)
Price is a rangy defender from Rock Island that made his biggest impact on that end of the floor throughout the event. Wasn’t much of a scorer for most of the tournament, but the athletic 2019 showed flashes of his transition scoring ability on Sunday using his speed to get a few layups. One to continue to track.
C Devon House (Quad City 15U)
This Kewanee 6’6” center makes me like his game more each time I watch him play. The big bodied post showed dominance on the boards on Sunday morning against a big front line of the Wisconsin Playground Warriors. House snatched rebounds in traffic with his strong hands. Offensively he showed more of his mid-range jumper. Didn’t score a ton against the length that Playground had inside, but he stepped out to hit a trio of mid-range jumpers. House had a big weekend and should make a nice debut in the 2020 rankings.
SF Isaiah Rivera (Quad City Elite 15U)
Rivera was rock solid throughout the event. The Geneseo 2020 guard/wing took it right at the athletic Playground Warriors defense. He was very effective attacking the hoop on straight line drives and made plays in transition finishing at the rim throughout. Multiple coast to coast drives. Rivera needs to be on the D1 radar!