Team Rose Shootout: 2019 Evals Pt 1
PrepHoopsIllinois covered all 12 games of the two day Team Rose Shootout over the weekend at Mt. Carmel High School. Mike Oliver and Jerrel Oliver run a great event with many of the top city and suburban teams in the Chicago area. We have evaluations on all the prospects in the house. This is our 2019 Evaluations Part 1!
SG Aaron Strong (Farragut)
Strong is a physical combo guard that plays mostly with the ball in his hands. Definitely a volume scorer as at times his shot selection can be a bit questionable, but he put his team on his back and carried them to a win over Riverside Brookfield. Was at his best when he got downhill attacking the hoop with force. Converted several tough buckets in the paint on his way to 19 points.
SG Reginald Loury (Riverside Brookfield)
Loury put his name on our radar with his play. This 6’3” lengthy senior guard can really shoot the basketball. He drilled four triples in the game. Smooth and fluid release on his shot. Also was active on the offensive glass with his quickness. Scored 15 points.
PG Zach Vaia (Riverside Brookfield)
Vaia is a smaller point guard at only 5’9”, but he has a strong frame which makes up for some of his lack of height. The senior pushes the tempo in the open floor with his crisp ball handling. Converted multiple acrobatic layups in their contest against Farragut. Capable three point shooter especially off the catch. He had 12 points.
PF Andrew Veon (Riverside Brookfield)
Veon has seen his stock rise with a strong senior year coming off a breakout summer on the travel team circuit. This 6’6” power forward is a strong kid that brings toughness and athletic pop to the table. Quickness in the paint is one of his biggest assets. Finishes near the hoop and is a very good rebounder. He had a double double going for 11 points and 10 rebounds. Small college gem.
SG Charles Terry (Riverside Brookfield)
Terry didn’t score much, but this 6’4” shooting guard flashed some intriguing tools that he can bring to the next level for a small college team. He was outstanding as a wing defender. Angular build that moves well laterally. He also blocked multiple shots on drives by his opponents. Offensively he showed he can play in the open floor. Right now more of a defensive minded wing.
PF Nate Ferguson (Lemont)
It wasn’t a dominant performance by this Drake commit, but he was clearly the best prospect on the floor. He has positional size along with the ability to stretch the floor. He did that connecting on a pair of triples in their game against St. Mel. At times he got frustrated with the constant double teams that he saw. In the post he had a high/low finish and a couple nice moves on the block. Went for 15 points.
PG Jaxson Dian (Lemont)
Dian is a point guard that has some quality size to him at 6’2”. Decent athlete. He is a three point shooting threat and also got out in the open floor scoring off a steal.
SG Tyriel Nelson (Providence St. Mel)
Nelson is an underrated senior shooting guard. He had his moments with Chicago Select on the circuit and once again had a solid game on Saturday. The thin guard is slippery with the rock in the open floor and has the ability to score on drives when he is aggressive. Recorded a pair of and-1’s. Also connected on a three. When his team needed a bucket he was their go to guy. Nelson had 17 points.
F Jason Mason (Providence St. Mel)
Mason is an angular 6’5” combo forward that can play some small forward and at the next level might be best utilized as a small ball four man that can create mismatches with his quickness and length. He rebounds well in his area. Athleticism around the hoop is the name of his game. He had 8 points.
SF Deion Jackson (Providence St. Mel)
Jackson is another long and lanky forward that has bounced around high schools, but has always had promise as a small college prospect. At his best when he uses his slashing ability taking quality angles to get to the rim. He missed several bunnies in the game we saw. Potential defensively. He had 8 points.
C Taeyon Neal (Providence St. Mel)
It was a slow start for the UIC commit, but he came up with some key plays in the second half to get his team the win. Most impressive was a drop step where he flushed the ball home over his opponent with one hand. Was definitely more aggressive in the second half with the way he moved bodies and played with physicality. Also had a few blocks including one that he swatted with essentially his elbow. He had 8 points in their win over Lemont.
SG Eric Jordan (Providence St. Mel)
Jordan proved to be an energy scorer at 6’2”. Mostly a scorer that had a solid looking jump shot drilling a corner three and another from mid-range. Put himself on our map with 11 points.
PG Trey Calvin (St. Viator)
Calvin is a Wright State commit that sometimes flies under the radar in a class loaded with quality point guards. He reminded us again why he is one of the best lead guards in the state. He is a dead eye shooter! Calvin drilled an array of deep threes both pulling up and off the catch. He has an outstanding feel for the game of when to set others up and look for his own offense. Calvin can handle it getting to the bucket on a couple drives. He had 20 points.
SF Jeremiah Hernandez (St. Viator)
This Kent State commit was PHENOMENAL on Saturday. Without question one of the best performances of the season to date. The point-forward had his mid-range jumper on point once again like he did a week ago when we saw him. Opened up with eight points in the first minute and from there it was on! His skilled game was on full display with his ability to score from all three areas of the floor. Big time jump shooter with tremendous elevation off the floor. He also drove off the bounce for several spectacular takes including one where he went behind his back. Hernandez had 36 points in a dazzling performance.
PG Ray J Dennis (Oswego East)
Dennis didn’t look like he would be able to keep up with his fellow top tier prospect Hernandez in this game as he had an extremely quiet first quarter and half for that matter. He was in some foul trouble early and couldn’t quite get into a rhythm. He had an epic fourth quarter however! Dennis scored 26 points in the fourth quarter. Yes you read that correct! He was unreal leading his team back into the game. The area that stands out the most is his perimeter jump shooting. The way he can hit shots from both mid-range and three by consistently creating space is impressive. Big time jab step that allows him to get it off. Also mixed in some post up scores and smooth drives. When the game was on the line he was insanely good! The Boise State commit had 34 points.
PG Demari Grant (Oswego East)
Grant is a shifty point guard at 6’0” that was best working off the bounce in this game. He used his speed to win off the dribble and regularly converted runners/floaters. Grant had 10 points.
PG Marquise Kennedy (Brother Rice)
Kennedy is headed to Loyola next year, but the top 5 senior is in the middle of a monster final season on the high school level. The 2019 guard took his game to new heights on the travel team circuit in the spring and summer. Kennedy showed that off against Uplift scoring seemingly at will. He was in all-out attack mode getting the majority of his points on drives to the cup. He went coast to coast on numerous occasions. Finished so many and-1s during their game. So slippery through traffic as he was tough for the Uplift defense to get hands on. Scored at will throughout on his way to 36 points.
PG Jimmy Gavin (Brother Rice)
Gavin is a 5’10” point guard that opened our eyes with his perimeter shooting. He is a pure sniper that connected on three from beyond the arc. Finished with 9 points.