KC: Illinois 2019 Illinois All-Tournament Teams
PrepHoopsIllinois was in attendance at the Sunflower Showcase and Jayhawk Invitational this past week in Kansas City. Here are our 2019 Illinois All-Tournament Teams from the event based on the games we personally evaluated.
First Team
MVP: PG Artese Stapleton (Young & Reckless 16U)
Stapleton is a slick handling point guard out of Kenwood that took the event by storm! The point guard has an advanced feel for the game which is particularly impressive considering he doesn’t have much varsity experience with Kenwood having three high level seniors last year in the backcourt. Stapleton understands how get others involved by putting the ball in position for them to score. He has the ability to get to the rim with his smooth explosion and speed in the open floor. Beast on ball defender that gets several steals a game. Should be monitored by mid-major and low-major schools.
SG Anthony Fairlee (Illinois Irish 16U)
Fairlee is a complete freak athlete! Possibly the best pure athlete in the state this 6’2” shooting guard plays above the rim and finishes with thunderous jams. The best part of his game is by far his athleticism which is shown with his slashing, getting on the offensive glass, and being a tough on ball defender. The part that I liked the most was the development in his jump shot. He shot it better than we have ever seen him drilling multiple threes and mid-range jumpers throughout the weekend. If he can consistently do this watch out!
PG Tyler Cochran (Hoopers Basketball Club 17U)
While Zion Griffin got all the praise throughout the weekend this Bolingbrook combo guard continued to truck along with productive game one after another for the Hoopers. He is a versatile guard that can play both on and off the ball. Strong with the rock in his hand attacking downhill and is a productive spot up shooter from three. Plus rebounder for a guard that has also made great strides over the last year as a distributor. D1 prospect.
PF Charlie Hoehne (Made Men 16U)
Hoehne flies a bit under the radar, but this OPRF four man needs to be on the radar of low-major programs in 2019. He is a skilled post that is efficient with his touches on the block. We saw him consistently finish around the hoop with a soft touch as well as above the rim with dunks. Runs the floor great! Look for a breakout high school season from Hoehne.
SF Ethan Helwig (Illinois Stars 16U)
Helwig had a phenomenal July. This was our first time extensively evaluating him over the last month and we came away very impressed with the 6’4” Metea Valley wing. He is a long and wiry wing that can score effectively at all three levels. Shot it lights out from three in one game we saw. Quick and efficient stroke that he drilled at a high rate especially off the catch. Good athlete that likes to attack the hoop especially in transition where he finishes well around the cup. D1 prospect.
Second Team
SF Terrence Hargrove (Hoopville 17U)
Hargrove was the top prospect out of the 2019 class at the event. Production wise he put up solid back to back games when we saw him notching around 15 points in both contests. Hargrove is a bouncy combo forward that is trying to make the transition to becoming more of a three man. He is best working out of the high-post where he can attack with a couple quick dribbles to score. Needs to continue to develop perimeter game out to three along with his handles out there. Elite athlete that finishes in transition and is a capable rebounder. He has high-major upside.
SG Malcolm Miller (Illinois Irish 16U)
Miller came to life in the last event of July. The Shelbyville 6’4” wing has great size for position and is known as a plus shooter. Struggled shooting it in the two previous events we saw, but man was he on fire in our eval of him in KC. He shot lights out with his lethal release in the catch and shoot. We look forward to catching Miller during the high school season to see how his game continues to progress.
G Sean Houpt (Illinois Irish 16U)
Houpt was a huge reason the Irish posted a big win over PSA at the Jayhawk on the opening night. He lefty is a combo guard that has a strong build and makes plays on both ends of the floor. Crisp passer that makes sound decisions with the ball. Can let it fly from beyond the arc as he has a feel for finding open spaces to get his shot off. Plus defender that gets under the opponents skin on that end of the floor. Coaches son and fierce competitor!
SG Justin Eagins (Kessel Heat 16U)
Eagins is quickly seeing his stock move up the board in the 2019 class. The 6’2” guard has combo type skills. Plays primarily off the ball, but when put in ball screens shows a nice feel for getting others involved in the pick and roll. Plus shooter especially pulling up from behind screens. The lefty has a sweet looking shot from deep. One to continue to monitor!
SG Jamir Price (Quad City Elite 16U)
The QCE game against Brad Beal Elite was the single best game we have seen out of this Rock Island two guard. A lot of time this talented wing flashes, but isn’t consistent. His team needed him and he came up big with some strong straight line attacks at the rim. Price has the athleticism to get to the rim whenever he wants. It is just getting that dominant mindset now!
Third Team
SG Chris Burnell (Illinois Stars 16U)
Burnell is a powerful wing from Rockford East High School. He uses his physical strength to play bully ball attacking through his man and getting in the paint. Draws a lot of contact and gets to the line at a high rate. Solid wing rebounder.
PG Traevon Brown (Illinois Stars 16U)
Brown is a quick twitched point guard that excels in the open floor. He pushes tempo and flies down the floor. Speed is the name of the game with this prospect!
PF CJ Wilbourn (Quad City Elite 16U)
Wilbourn showed well when we saw him in KC. The broad shouldered 6’6” four man was physical on the glass competing on the boards. Showed more offense than we had seen in the past with a couple of hook shots and even made a three.
PG Jack McDonald (Mercury Elite 16U)
McDonald can flat out run the show! This Geneva point guard is a crafty lead guard that gets others involved with great court vision. Makes crisp and sound decisions with the basketball. As a scorer his strength allows him to finish inside and mixes in a three on occasion. Impressive July for this 2019 playing up on the 17U level.
SG Wes Hooker (Kessel Heat 16U)
Hooker is a power wing with an improving skill set. He loves to use his strength at 6’2” with a compact build to power through opposing players. Finishes through contact. Worked well on several pick and rolls catching lobs. Solid athlete that flashed better handles and shooting than we had seen in the past.