Next Level Invitational: Friday Standouts
It was another great day of hoops at the NY2LA Sports Next Level Invitational. PrepHoopsIllinois took in all the action and we give you a look inside the Friday play with our standouts from day three of the event!
SF Isaiah Rivera (Quad City Elite 15U)
This 6’4” Geneseo small forward is one of the premier wing prospects in the state of Illinois for the 2020 class and he proved that with his play once again. Rivera is a physically mature kid, but what separates him is his extremely high skill level. He handles it well taking it at his man and finishes through and around contact at the rim. Very efficient making his shots in the paint. Pushes it in transition with crafty handles juking his defender and keeping them off balance. Three point stroke continues to improve. He has a chance to be a plus three point shooter as time goes on. Surprisingly he is inconsistent at the free throw line. Excellent wing passer that has a good feel for getting others involved for easy buckets. D1 programs need to be monitoring him already!
PG Drew Wollenschlager (Illlinois Irish Select 15U)
This 6’1” Normal West point guard jumped on our radar with his play. The 2020 prospect is a plus shooter especially off the catch. Drilled shots at a high rate from beyond the arc. Big time shooter that flashed some shake off the bounce as well. Went for 20 points.
SG Max Williams (Made Men 15U)
Williams is a 6’1” two guard out of Latin that doesn’t blow you away with his athleticism, but just gets things done! He is a sound perimeter shooter that is sneaky taking it to the cup on baseline drives and competes on the defensive end of the floor. One to track to see how the athleticism, size, and skill progress.
SG Quinlan Bennett (Kessel Heat 17U)
Bennett had quite a few coaches in to see him this week and he didn’t disappoint in their Friday morning contest. He was fairly consistent throughout the week, but was particularly good this day with his smooth offensive repertoire. Bennett has a plus pull up jump shot that he can get off from anywhere, but is best working in that 15-18 foot range. Also scores well in transition and the secondary break. The Proviso East 2018 is playing with a lot of confidence right now and making and impact on both ends. Needs to be on more low-major radars.
F Musa Jallow (Team Blaze 17U)
Jallow is quite an athletic prospect at the forward position. He displayed that in the championship game leading his team to an NY2LA Association championship with 16 points and 16 boards. The recent Ohio State commit who will be headed to the Buckeyes as a 2017 commit has a big time combination of athleticism and strength. He is a combo forward that can face up and take his man off the bounce. Finishes well inside the paint and has an explosive second jump to get on the glass. Outstanding rebounder that high points balls on a consistent basis. Will need to continue to improve his jump shot to max out his ability with the Buckeyes. This Indiana high school product is going to be a very good Big 10 player.
PG Manning Baumgardner (Team Blaze 17U)
Baumgardner impressed us in the championship game. He is a 6’1” point guard out of Ohio that runs his team, gets others involved, and also scores. Great working in the pick and roll where he showed he could make sick passes and is a consist shooter pulling up from both three and mid-range. Good handles as he got to the rack with a couple slippery drives. High IQ guard should be looked at by low-major schools.
PG Xavier Pinson (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
This St. Patrick’s 2018 point guard carried his team for stretches in the NY2LA Association championship game. He is a slick and wiry floor general that has a ton of speed. Pushes it in the open floor and has the ability to blow past his defender. Plus passer that sees the floor especially in transition, but is making significant strides in the half court getting others involved. Jump shot is a weapon from mid-range and while streaky from deep he can hit them from beyond the arc. I came away impressed with how well he rebounds it for a lead guard too. Pinson has asserted himself into the low-major plus and potentially mid-major category.
SF Alton Thompson (Mac Irvin Fire 17U)
Thompson is a freak athlete! Plain and simple. He might be the best pure “athlete” in the entire field. He showed that with a few monster dunks and alley-oop slams. That is going to be what gets the headlines, but what we were more impressed with was how well he rebounded, defended, and showed growth on the jumper. Over and over Thompson would sky high with fellow uber athlete Musa Jallow and he came down with quite a few boards against the elite rebounder. His quick explosion off the floor allows him to grab balls at their highest point. Defended well showing a competitiveness on that end. The skill set obviously needs to improve from what we saw during the high school season and it has. Three ball went down a few times and his handles have got tighter. Most likely going to prep school next year, but there is a chance he could go D1 next year.
PF Kyle King (Tri City Thunder 17U)
With the modern “I want to be a wing, even though I’m a big man” mindset of a lot of high school post players, this is an old school post that we love! King is only 6’5”, but he makes up for it with his ability to score against anyone on the block. So crafty and skilled with his use of fakes along with quickness to score with his back to the basket. Excellent use of angles and shoots an insanely high percentage. Runs the floor and rebounds exceptionally well in his area. D2 prospect.
SG Malachi Smith (Jets-Ramey United 17U)
Smith is one of the more underrated 2018 prospects. The top 20 prospect from Illinois in the metro east isn’t the biggest freak athlete, but his combination of skill and strength allow him to get where he wants on the floor to score. Started off a bit slow missing quite a few layups, but then got it rolling. Got a couple put backs and the rest were strong takes to the cup. Didn’t shoot it much from deep. We know he is solid in that area though. Good bounce back game for Smith who is a mid-major/low-major prospect in our eyes, but isn’t getting that kind of recognition in the form of offers. Someone is going to get a steal!
F Caleb Strohmeier (Jets-Ramey United 17U)
Strohmeier has always been a bit of a tweener between the small forward and power forward positions. Good size for either spot, but he flashes perimeter skill which has intrigued some to turn him into a big wing. We are starting to believe he will be a four at the college level. Showed a lot of toughness and grit Friday night in their game where he scored well through traffic using his quickness and strength to get buckets. Went through contact. Also used his hook shot on a couple of occasions. Fights hard on the glass. D2 schools should look at him as a great program guy.
PG Isaiah Fuller (Mercury Elite 17U)
Fuller is making noise with his new team. The OPRF 2018 lead guard is making his debut with Mercury and was he impressive. Slick handling guard pushed the tempo and displayed a burst of speed in transition. Gets to the rim well. Jump shot was pretty good hitting a pair of threes. Sound passer that works well in the pick and roll making quality decisions. Defensive presence at point as well. Low-major/D2 prospect.
PG Jack McDonald (Mercury Elite 17U)
McDonald is a 2019 point guard from Geneva that has off the charts basketball IQ and understands how to play. Against guys a year older than him he still finds a way to leave his imprint on the game with his passing and perimeter shot which he can knock down pulling up from mid-range as well as off the catch from three. Tough kid.