Battle at the Lakes: Scott’s Sunday Standouts
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PrepHoopsIllinois wrapped up our weekend coverage of the Battle at the Lakes tournament in Minnesota on Sunday. We saw several standout performances from Illinois prospects and beyond. See who shined at Battle!
SG Isaiah James-Collins (Full Package Neon 17U)
The Zion Benton unsigned senior played well on Sunday for Full Package. He is a two guard with length. Shot extremely well from the perimeter. Knocked down a variety of threes both pulling up and off the catch. Didn’t show a ton off the dribble in the game we saw.
F Solomon Bach (SD Venom 17U)
Liked what this 6’4” combo forward brought to the table for Venom. He is a highly skilled forward that has a soft touch around the hoop. Made several quick moves from the high-post for drives. He also got on the offensive glass for a few put backs. Mid-range jumper was falling too. Does most of his damage from 15 feet and in.
SF John Poulakidas (Young & Reckless 15U)
We had heard some buzz about this Neuqua Valley 6’4” wing having a strong spring and Battle at the Lakes was our first chance to see him play. This kid has tremendous length and should grow a couple more inches. He can really shoot the basketball. The 2021 wing drilled three triples to open the contest. Sound looking lefty shot. He handles it just ok at this stage, but did mix in some crafty drives. One quick pass to a big man down low. Definitely an intriguing player to continue to follow. He had 18 points.
PG Elijah Bull (Young & Reckless 15U)
Bull is 5’8” smaller point guard from Evanston that shot lights out from the perimeter. He drilled a ton of threes in the game we saw. Best off the catch and was particularly effective shooting from the corners. Also got to the rim for a few layups with slippery drives. Finished with 16 points.
SG Blake Peters (Meanstreets 15U)
Speaking of Evanston this is another freshman that made noise on Sunday. Peters is a 6’1” two guard that is coming off a fantastic freshman campaign. He is a dead eye shooter. Possibly one of the best in the state regardless of class. Moves well without the ball to get open and has a lightning quick release. He isn’t solely a shooter. Had a couple gritty drives to the hoop where he threw up difficult shots.
SF Troy D’Amico (Meanstreets 15U)
D’Amico is a wing with size from Niles Notre Dame. He is a skilled small forward that has a crafty game. Skilled scorer that can get buckets both on the block against smaller opponents and on the perimeter. He displayed that skill on takes to the hoop getting through traffic for conversions. Sound perimeter shooter. Showed off some sneaky athleticism on one play where he got a steal and dunk.
SG Dajuan Gordon (Team Rose 17U)
Gordon has become one of the premier prospects in the 2019 class and will see another significant bump in the June rankings update. At 6’6” with a long and lanky frame he has become a go to scorer. Early in the game he started off slow, but then he got it rolling as the game went along thanks to some smack talk in the crowd. Gordon lit up Young & Reckless in the second half for a ton of threes along with a few acrobatic finishes at the cup. He is scoring in more ways while being effective at doing so! Went for 18 points.
SG Myles Baker (Team Rose 17U)
Baker had another strong day. The Whitney Young 2019 shooting guard has a feathery jumper from the perimeter. He was really feeling his pull up three on Sunday. Baker has become a very consistent threat from beyond the arc and is poised for a big year at Whitney Young as a senior. Went for 16 points.
PF Jalen Johnson (Team Rose 17U)
Johnson who is from Indiana is a prospect that grows on me each time I see him. He has a nice frame along with quality strength. Great area rebounder that dominated on the offensive glass at times. Powerful finisher inside that shoots a high percentage from the field. Even flashed a mid-range jumper.
SF Jeremiah Hernandez (Young & Reckless 17U)
Hernandez played well in his match up with two of the other top wings in the 2019 class. Got off to a bit of a slow start, but once he saw the ball go through the rim on a couple free throws he started to get going. Hernandez is a smooth shooter that can create his shot off the bounce. Good at pulling up creating space for his shot. Smooth release with elevation. He got to the rim with his slick handles on several occasions also drawing fouls. Went for 16 points.
SG Keshawn Williams (Young & Reckless 17U and 16U)
Williams played on both the 16U and 17U teams Sunday. The Bloom 2020 two guard can get buckets. Microwave type scorer that when he heats up he gets rolling fast! Williams did the majority of his damage on drives off the bounce finishing with acrobatic layups and floaters. Also got out in transition. 8 points in the 17U game and 18 points in the 16U game against a high level D1 Minnesota Squad.
SG Ramean Hinton (Team Rose 16U)
Hinton has been one of the most consistent players on the 16U level in Illinois this spring. The Curie wing is a strong, powerful, and super athletic two guard that attacks downhill. Big time slasher that has a tenacity that he goes to the rim with authority. Rebounds extremely well for his position. Connected on one triple finishing with 11 points.
SF Johnny Davis (Wisconsin Playground Warriors 16U)
Davis was the story in their 16U semi against Team Rose. This big and freakishly athletic wing had maybe the dunk of the tournament on Sunday! It was a monster jam! Davis is electric in the open floor, but also does some damage in the half court including hitting an occasional three and posting up smaller defenders. Went for 12 points.
PF Dawson Garcia (D1 Minnesota 16U)
Garcia is one of the more intriguing 2020 power forwards nationally. At 6’10” he has great height and length. Moves so well for his size. Runs the floor incredibly well for a post. His versatility is his calling card. He can handle it on the perimeter at his size and also shoot it from three with ease. Inside he has skill. Will need to add more strength, but there is so much to like here.
F Austin Andrews (D1 Minnesota 16U)
Andrews is a combo forward for D1 Minnesota that is so productive. He has a nose for the basketball! Really gets after it on the offensive glass. Plus rebounder on both ends of the floor. Grinds his way to buckets inside and makes regular trips to the foul line. The kind of kid you want to have on your team. 19 points in their semi.